Casting for the music video

                                         Casting: The Boyfriend

We are looking for someone to play the 'Boyfriend' in our music video who is the focal point in our narrative in this video. Our typical boyfriend in the video would be tall, slender build preferably with dark hair. This is because we want to contrast the female protagonist (the girlfriend) who would be very petite and would have blonde hair.

We have lined up to three possible candidates for the role. They are all in our year and close friends which is vital so we are able to communicate  with them making filming less stressful. The three candidates are:


Dylan Mogoi

Dylan was our first choice once we had finalised our song decision. His is perfect for the look of our video, he is tall, dark haired and has light eyes which would contrast are lead female role. Having Dylan would be great for the group as we know him and are able to get in touch easily and communicate throughout the whole process of filming.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Sam Kelly

Our second option is Sam kelly. He is goes against 'the look' we initially wanted but due to availability and our shooting schedule, we will have to be less picky in terms of casting as we will go with whomever is available when we need to film. Sam is in our year so he is also another perfect candidate to be the lead role. He is free on days which we set to film making it easier on us for time.

Casting for The Music Video

Casting the Girlfriend 

For the role of the girlfriend 

We are looking to cast someone to play the Girlfriend' in our music video who along with the 'Boyfriend'  is the focal point in our narrative for this video. The girlfriend is what is basis for this video as she tells her boyfriend he isn't 'enough' for her. Because of this we want to cast someone who will have onscreen chemistry and who is able to actor convincingly enough for our argument scene is the video. 

We have lined up to three possible candidates for the role. They are all in our year and close friends which is vital so we are able to communicate  with them making filming less stressful. The three candidates are: 

Sian Walker

Lydia Duncan

























Maya Tyrrell 

Album Magazine Advert Research

Advert 1: Plan B- The Defamation of Strickland Banks:

The advert for this album isn’t a very complex one yet it stands out very much and puts the point across. The Advert jumps out at you as the artists name and picture of him is highlighted due to the colours being contrasted to the black background. The name of the artist is in big and bold letters at the top of the page and jumps out first, if a fan of this artist was to see this, they would be willing to read more about the advert. Also, the recognisable face of Plan B stands out to catch the reader’s eye. For those not familiar with this artist are reassured that the album has been taken well by others with star ratings at the side from well-known companies. The success of the album is also highlighted in red lettering, explaining how it has gone multi-platinum. There is a picture of the albums cover in the bottom left corner of the advert which cleverly informs the reader of what to look out for in the shops as well as looking out for the name of the album which is given under his name. In the bottom right corner there is contributing companies who would have helped to create the album as well as a website where those who want to find out more about the artist can.

Advert 2: Cee Lo Green- The Lady Killer:

This is another simple yet effective advert from the artist Cee Lo Green. Much like Plan B’s advert, there is a picture of the recognisable artist that stands out due to bright colours. As well as this, there is an obvious font and colour of text used to show the artists’ name. Unlike Plan B’s album however, the release date of the album is given, meaning it is easier for fans to know when to go and look for it. Another good advertising trait that this has but Plan B’s does not is a successful song from the album stated at the bottom. This gives those not-so die-hard fans of this artist a sense of recognition towards him. However, like in the other advert there is also a website at the bottom where readers can find out more about the artist or the album.

Audience Feedback

Magazine Advert Research

Location Research

Location 1: Lydia’s House:

As well as the story we will be filming for the song, we also want to film a band performing. We imagine having a band playing on a stage. Lydia’s house has a raised sun deck outside which would work perfectly as a stage. As it is one of our members’ houses, it is easy to access and fit around our schedule. As well as filming in the garden at Lydia’s we are going to do some shots inside as well, such as a memory of the couple sitting on a sofa together, and then again of him sitting there alone. Also, the video is going to start with the argument taking place and leading to one of the couple storming out and slamming the door which can be easily filmed in this location.

Location 2: Walpole Park:

When listening to the song, as a group we all decided that a park would be a great location for the song. The song is about a break up and we have decided to use a story where the boy has to get out of the house because there are too many memories of his ex girlfriend in it. This leads him to having a walk in the park to clear his head. We believe that the outside scenery will reflect his mood in this season with leaves falling from trees and being off coloured. Whilst listening to the song we all imagined an autumn/winter setting and we even picked up on bells in the song resembling Christmas. During this season there are dark, cold nights, which also reflect the main characters mood. Walpole Park is a great location to show all of the things we need; it has a long path surrounded by trees where we visualize the main character walking down it before sitting on a bench where he has a memory of his old girlfriend.  The park also has a small bridge over water, where we are thinking about filming the man staring into the water and perhaps throwing stones into it.

Magazine album advert research

Here I have researched two adverts for CD albums, taken from music magazines. This research is for the magazine advert for the digipak which will be created for our track.

 This is the advert for '...Honor is all we know' the album by Rancid which I found on the back cover of the Kerrang music magazine. As this magazine is associated with the rock, alternative rock, metal and indie genres, I would already assume that this band and album is one of these genres. Looking at the advert, the white spray paint font immediately draws the viewers attention so the feature that stands out the most is the band's name. This could be because the band is trying to get their name recognised or they are trying to establish themselves, but either way it is impossible to miss their name in this advert. The white contrast with the faded green and black background and is also is very large, bold text compared to the rest of the advert. The band name is printed at the top of the page, with the album title just below but in a quieter yet harsh font. This suggests that the spray paint font is the band's logo and therefore explains why the rest of the text is in a different font. This is also seen as there is a thumbnail of the actual album cover to the left of the page. This also shows the band's name as the most noticeable feature, and is useful to show potential customers the product which they are advertising. In the thumbnail of the album cover, the album title is at the bottom of the album instead of directly beneath the band's name. This makes it more independent from the name and shows the individual album separate from the band, also connoting the band is not yet well established enough for people to distinguish between the names of the band and the album. The thumbnail of the album is outlined in gagged white to make it stand out like the band name, also contrasting with the faded, dull colours of the advert image. The four men on the advert I assume are the band members, this gives them publicity and recognition for their work. Their body language and what they are wearing also connote a rock genre and along with the black and green colouring they present a tough, edgy image that is not quite refined. This is also connoted by the lack of and straight lines in the advert, showing they don't conform to expectations and the usual followings of presentation.

Animatic Storyboard

Mood Board

Indie Rock Mood Board

This mood board represents the 'Indie Rock' genre that our music video will portray. The use of light colour within this mood board is what we want to emphasise in the music video the light and love of the relationship between our two protagonists. However a sense of sadness can be interpreted in the music video with the darkness in mood board. Costume wise these looks are very bohemian chic and aimed ore at summer. In order to make our music video fit the theme, our protagonists wear very indie like 'smart casual clothing for a colder climate. Unfortunately due to unforeseeable climate (cold and wet) we had to take a different approach making it more winter outfits compared to long flowing dresses or t-shirt and some jeans.

The Story Board

This is a close up shot of a branch of leaves from a tree. The leaves will effectively be moving while everything else is still. The only sound that may be heard is the quiet asynchronous tweeting of birds or the gentle breeze. We will mute the background noise of the footage we have filmed, in case a car drives by. 

There will be no transition when cutting to this medium shot of an empty wardrobe and this shot will only be 2 seconds long. It provides the audience with an idea of the story line immediately. There will still be no sound heard by the audience and this builds anticipation. 

The camera pans from the shot of the empty wardrobe to one that introduces the main character (left to right). There may be ambient sound from the characters movement but the music is still not introduced. The narrative of the music video is being set. 

A close up of a photo held by the artist indicating to the audience that this is a key prop and also introduces the second character in the video. The sound that can be heard is a sigh from the male character and this reveals his emotions and state of mind. No music is heard yet and this shot lasts for 5 seconds. 

This shot is a high angle. It will be filmed from the top of a staircase so that the audience has a clear view of the character’s actions. It also provides the audience with a sense of superiority. This shot only lasts a short period of time because the narrative is speeding up now. 

The following shot is a long shot of the main character/artist leaving his house. It is also when the music enters the narrative and the music video begins.

A close up is used to show the artist’s face as he starts singing and the lyrics enter. This is the only sound that can be heard by the audience at this point. It is a contrast to the previously silent shots as anticipation should grow. This shot will also be used repeatedly throughout the whole music video if we feel we need a filler shot and need to cut to it.

This shot is a wide, long shot and it is a flashback. The couple are seen together and so it means the audience are able to start piecing the narrative together along with the meaning of the lyrics of the song. Only the score can be heard, any ambient sound will be muted during the post-production. 

A wide shot can be used to see all of the character’s actions and emotions. He is singing the song and so this may be filler shot used in order to create variety for the audience watching. It can last up to different amounts of times depending on where it is used in the music video. 

A point of view, close up shot is used here to ensure the audience is engaged with the character and to also emphases the key prop and action, he is ripping up the photo. The sound of the ripping will be heard by the audience as we plan to have it torn to the beat of the song. The artist may still be singing but it is will asynchronous. This shot will be approximately 8 seconds which is longer compared to the other shots.  

The next shot is a long shot of the man throwing the ripped up pieces of the photo away. The song will still be heard in this shot and it will last for 5 seconds. 

This shot has been included to add variety to the music video. The shot is a close up of the torn photo falling out of the character’s hand. We plan to film it and then edit it so that t is in slow motion. This will emphasise the content of the shot and also mean the shot is significantly longer. The music continues.  

We wanted to have a close up shot of the pieces actually landing in a puddle in order to make a transition to a new location in the music video.  

A graphic match will be used on this shot and so a fade transition or special effect will have to be edited in during post-production. It will mean that the audience can keep up with the narrative of the music video and enjoy some difference. This shot will last for 8 seconds and only the music will be heard.

A wide shot of the main character standing on a bridge in a park. It demonstrates how alone he is and also reveals his feelings to the audience. Ambient sound may heard because of the general park noise but this can be softened or muted if necessary. The music track continues.   

This is a long shot of the character with his back to the camera. The shot will be approximately 5 seconds and the track of the song will continue. 

This next shot is the second flashback that features in our music video. In order to indicate this to the audience we plan to change the lighting. The shot will be an extreme wide, long shot which shows that this is now a distant memory. The shot will be 5 seconds long. 

A montage of close up shots will be used to introduce the girl properly to the audience because after-all is it who the main, male character is singing about. In this scene the music will be heard and the sound of the girls laughter will also be heard. 

A long, over-the-shoulder shot is used to show the couple arguing in another flashback. It will be edited to be partially slow motion and there may be a faint sound of the two voices shouting. The music will still be playing over this.  

Just like earlier with the photo being ripped up, there is now a close up shot of a wine glass falling and shattering on the floor. It will again be in slow motion making this shot last longer and there will be the sound of the glass breaking in the background as well as the song being played over it. 

This is a close up shot of the girl but this time she is crying, it is only to keep the audience on track with the narrative and so this shot will be fast paces and only last 2 seconds. 

As the female character has been seen crying we have included a shot of the male character throwing the remote away in anger. This is to show the audience his side of the story. The music continues to play and the shot is again fast paced. 

At this point in the song, the drums enter the music and so we want a long shot of the drummer playing the instrument, this will also be the beginning of the live band performance and the change of location. The sound of the drums will be prominent in this shot.   

This is the wide shot of the whole of the band that will be performing in our music video. The music will be louder.  

The music video will end on a long shot and a close up of the artist singing the last few words of the song. It will be a shot that lasts longer because the ending will have a fade to black, indicating that this is the ned of the music video. 

Shooting Schedule

Friday 7^th November:

We are aiming to start to shoot the park shots on this day as we are all free from around 1-6 ‘O’ Clock which is a good time to get shots in both daylight and when it starts to get dark. We will do half of the park shots this day as we don’t want to rush all of the shots on one day.

Tuesday 11^th November:

We have the morning free on Tuesday and think this this would be a good time to shoot at Lydia’s house. Here we will shoot the opening to the video where the argument takes place at the front door as well as the flashbacks within the house such as sitting on the sofa as a couple. However, we will not have enough actors free this day and so we will need to shoot the ‘live band’ another day.

Friday 14^th November:

We have the same amount of time free on this day as the first Friday and so we believe that we should finish all unfinished park shots on this day. We will be starting and finishing at the same time so how bright it is outside will be similar to the first park shots.

Sunday 16^th November:

There are a lot of people free on Sundays, which means that we have a choice of actors to use in the band. Therefore we think that this day would be best to do the shots for the ‘live band’ playing.