Little bird A2 Media

This is the final cut of my music video the song is called Little Bird and it is performed by Ed Sheeran. There were many influences when making my media video, obviously the main inspiration was Ed Sheeran but also a band called Daughter and a recent video by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding.

For my video I wanted a real couple so that there was a natural chemistry on screen and less acting. They are also a lesbian couple which fits in with Ed Sheeran's video for Give me love. Again, I wanted my music video to look home made and so the camera is shaky and the lighting is not always perfect, I personally feel as though it makes the video easier to relate to.

Below are the videos which inspired me to do my own.

Ed Sheeran - Give me love

Calvin Harris ft Ellie Goulding - I need your love

Daughter - Youth

Music video effects

One of the music videos that I wanted to use as inspiration for my own music video was Mama do the hump by Rizzle Kicks. The reason this video caught my attention was because it had a relaxed and personal vibe,it resembles that of a home video. The camera used is not necassarily high definition and there isn't much evidence of a tripod being used. There are a range of shots and dim lighting.

 

 

Another video I have also looked at is youth by Daughter, this video resembles the video for mama do the hump in that it looks very much like a home video and feels very personal.

Storyboard

Above are the scanned images of my storyboard. There are 11 scenes in total that should spread across a 3 minute song. The scenes I included were basic so that it left room for experimentation and exploration.Development would be easy because there were not a lot of strict shots that had to be filmed for the video.

Casting notes

Frankie Fasulo will play one of my main characters. I chose Frankie because I feel she suits the role well, she listens to the artist I am focusing on and so knows the codes and conventions to the genre and what would be expected of the artist’s music video. I will also be using Frankie’s girlfriend (below) as the other main character, after doing my music video research I found that in Ed Sheeran’s video for give me love there are same sex couples used as characters and so there would be nothing that goes against the producer and consumer contract.

 

Orla Newport is also my other main character in the video for the simple reason that there would be a natural chemistry on film between Frankie and Orla; it wouldn’t be awkward to record footage of them because they are in fact a real life couple and so the ‘acting’ element wouldn’t be as much. Orla also listens to Ed Sheeran and therefore she is familiar with the song I’m using and how the typical Ed Sheeran video looks. 

Both actors I have chosen are naturally very enthusiastic and jovial people that have a passion for music and play instruments; Orla plays guitar and Frankie plays piano and guitar. It would be simple for me to give them directions but also film them without them being aware and still be able to use that footage in the video.  

Location Report

Park scene-

The main location for the video will be set in Primrose hill simply because I know there is better scenery; it is a hilly area meaning that when you stand at the top of some of the higher areas you can see the London skyline. Problems with filming in this area are that there is no place to charge the camera if it should run out of battery, the current weather conditions mean that it could snow and effect the scenes I want to film. However we will be setting up a tent for the video so that may solve some of our issues where weather is concerned. This would be a typical location for an Ed Sheeran video, especially if you look at his very early videos that had a low budget. I feel that because the song is quite a summery song the park would be a perfect place to shoot and gives the video an almost vintage feel, especially with the tent and fairy lights I plan to use in the video. Another problem I may find is members of the public getting in the way of filming.

My house-

My own house will be used for an argument scene as there is a large mirror that may add to the scene if you can see what is happening from both angles. The lighting is also good for filming and more importantly space to film. Problems with this may be that we find it hard to find a time when there is no one in the house to film so that there is no distractions for the actors involved. I chose my house for the scene for the reason that I could move around furniture if needs be and decorate the area without asking.






Updated

Due to certain problems we decided to change our location to mainly house scenes, the outside scenes were shot in Hertfordshire down country lanes.

Survey Feedback

 

From this graph you can see that my main target audience would be 15-20 year olds as they are the age group that match my survey,my chosen genre of music suits this age group more.

The data collected shows that it is varied but rap seems to be most popular along with rock and pop. Indie music is one of the most uncommon choices and alternative music was not mentioned at all which suggests that either very few people know what these genres are or they simply do not like them.

All of the people that participated in my survey had heard of Ed Sheeran this meant that everyone had heard at least one song of his and would be able to associate certian things with him. Being a popular artist makes it easier to get feedback as the general public expect certain things from that artist and would know what what works well with the music and what doesn't.

 

From this pie chart you can see that the songs the people like from Ed Sheeran are generally his slower ones. This showed me that maybe my song choice would be a risk because his song Little Bird was not mentioned once and is an upbeat song. It is also a song that is not on the album and therefore people may not recognise it as an Ed Sheeran song straight away.

 

The Other Questions

 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

This question was to see what  sort of interests my target audience had in common this would determine what sort of things might be in my music video in order for it to be relatable. The answers from my target audience included:

.Listening to music

.Socialising

.Watching television

.Reading

.Sleeping

 

Your favourite artist from your preferred genre of music?

This question was again to see if my target audience had specific artists in common but also whether these artists related to Ed Sheeran in any way. Some of the artists included acts such as:

.Children of bodem

.Eminem

.Beyonce

.Joy division

.Jimi Hendrix

.Pink Floyd

.Kendrick Lemar

.Kanye West

.Michael Jackson

.Swedish house mafia

.Rihanna

.Phil Collins

.Kid Cudi

.Blink 182

.Mumford and Sons

From the artists given I can see that my chosen genre of music may be a problem where a general music audience are concerned due to the fact that none of the artists named relate in an obvious way to Ed Sheeran. I may have to continue my music research but aim it specifically at Ed Sheeran fans.

 

What is your understanding of Indie/Alternative music?

This question was left blank by many of my participants or the answer 'I don't know' was given, for those of the people that did know what it was they answered with 'guitars or live music.' I also found that it was not that my participants did not know what Indie music was as they were able to name artists from that genre however defining what that type of music was came as a struggle to many.Whilst creating my music video I will have to include the codes and conventions of an Indie/Alternative music video so that it may become clearer to those watching what this genre of music is like.

My questionnaire

Music Video Survey

Which of the following age groups do you belong to?  (Please circle)

-10            10-15               15-20             20-30               30-40                40-50                             50+

 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

 

 

What is your favourite genre of music?

 

 

Who is your favourite artist from this genre?

 

 

What is your understanding of Indie/Alternative music?

 

 

Have you heard of Ed Sheeran?  (Please circle)

Yes                 No

If yes, what is your opinion on Ed Sheeran?

 

 What is your favourite song from Ed Sheeran?

 

 

What would associate with Ed Sheeran?