Directors Previos Music Videos

Ed Sheerans video have been directed by different directors, so I will be looking at one video from each of several directors.

Emil Nava: http://prezi.com/fnib2iigdarh/untitled-prezi/

Saman Keshavarz: http://prezi.com/ylgzl_zhbhxe/saman-kesh/

Costume ideas

I will have two characters in my music video-a male and a female.

The male will be in one costume throughout the video. He will wear jeans,  trainers, and a plain hoodie with a t-shirt underneath. On his right wrist he will wear some bracelets and wrist bands. This is typical image Ed Sheeran maintains. I want to be consistent with this image throughout the video. His clothes will quite dull, which will emphasise the gloomy mood of the scene.
His hair will be hard to see, as he will have his hood up. So I will not do anything drastic to his hair.

The female will have a few outfits throughout the video. She will wear a different outfit for each location, to represent a different day. It will be cold, so she will be wearing jumpers, coats, hats, scarves, and gloves.
I will keep her clothes quite neutral also, with small pops of colour. This will reflect the rustic feel of the scenes, whilst also enhancing her as the main focus.
This picture is an example of the neutral look I will be creating.







I want to keep her hair and make up very natural, as girls featured in Ed's previous videos have been very natural too. For example Nina Nesbit in 'Drunk'.
I think natural hair and make up will compliment the nature in the scene. These scenes will represent normal days out for the couple, so glamorous hair and make up will be too much.

The girl will also wear a necklace that says either 'Alice' or 'A'. This will indicate to the audience that she is the ex-girlfriend, Alice, and not the rebound girlfriend that he is singing to. The audience will then know that he is reminiscing about his time spent with her, as he still misses her.

I will keep her jewellery minimal. She will be wearing a lot of winter items, so necklaces and bracelets will be hard to notice under scarves and gloves. I will have a close-up of the 'Alice' necklace towards the beginning of the video, so that it is easy for the audience to see.

This is the necklace I have purchased for my female character. Alice is the name of the ex girlfriend in the song, so a close up of this necklace will be used to indicate to the audience that she is 'Alice'. 

A cream jumper will be worn by the female character. Neutral/pastel colours will be worn by the female, to reflect her innocence, and the purity of his memories of her. It is also very casual, emphasising her natural beauty. 

The female will either wear blue, worn out jeans or plain black leggings. I have chosen these because they are again, very casual. They are also very comfy so the actor will not be uncomfortable during filming, as we will have to walk to different settings. 

I have decided that the character will wear some plain boots, because the locations that we will be shooting at may be quite muddy during this time of year. The actor also needs to be wearing comfortable shoes because we will have to walk quite a lot. The brown boot also compliments the cream jumper, because they are very neutral. 

In one scene, the character will be wearing a big, oversized plaid scarf. This will add a pop of colour to the neutral outfits she will be wearing. It also reflects the weather during the scene. They are winter scenes, so the character should look warm and cosy while walking around 'the countryside'. 

The male character will be wearing a plain hoodie like this one. This is Ed Sheerans usual casual look. The hoodie will be a dark colour, such as navy or dark grey, to emphasise the gloomy atmosphere. I have decided that he will not wear a black hoodie, because it will be too dark and make the character harder to see in the dull lighting. 

Plain jeans will be worn by the character. He will be sitting down so the have to be comfortable. He can not wear black jeans for the same reason as the black hoodie. It will make it harder to see him in the dull lighting. 

He will also be wearing some trainers. This will emphasise that he is wearing casual clothes. 

The male character will also be wearing some bracelets or wrist bands. Ed Sheeran is always seen wearing wristbands and bracelets, so it will complete the usual casual look. 

Initial Ideas

My initial idea for this music video is narrative based. The song tells a story, therefor I want to emphasize the emotion it expresses.
Rather than tell the story of the separation from the 'rebound girlfriend', I am going to focus the video on the long-term ex-girlfriend, Alice, because that is where the emotion really lies. This will reflect the idea that although he is with his new girlfriend, and is talking to his new girlfriend, Alice is always on his mind.

I will have footage of a male sitting in a gloomy room, who will take the role of the persona singing the song. This footage will include some establishing shots/long shots to establish the lighting, and overall mood. There will also be a lot of close ups to express his emotion. As it will be dark I will have to create some sort of dull lighting on the male. I am thinking of having the lighting coming from above him, to create lots of shadows and depict his features.
     He will be wearing a hoodie. I have made this decision because Ed Sheeran often wears hoodies so it incorporates his usual image. Also, the boy will have his hood up, to emphasize his dull mood and hide parts of his face.

I will have footage of a female, in various locations. These will represent his flashbacks of his ex-girlfriend, Alice. The camera shots will be used to show the scenes from his perspective, so no male will be present in these clips. So the audience will see what he was seeing at the time.
     I am thinking of locations such as woods, parks, etc. I want a lot of nature to be shown as the rest of the footage is set in a gloomy room. This will show a contrast of his happiness when with her, and his depression now he is alone.


As the scenes will be shot outside, I will use natural lighting.
These scenes will be set in autumn/winter time, so I want to really depict these seasons.

I will have the female wearing winter clothes such as hats, scarves, gloves, boots, etc.

 I will also feature close ups of golden leaves, to reflect the seasons. I would like to have a scene where it is snowing, however that is very unpredictable and unreliable. I am thinking about using some fake snow, however this is just a vague idea.
     I will also include footage of the girl inside, laid on a bed. She will be in a t-shirt and jeans, or maybe a dress (she will be fully clothed as my actress is 17 years of age, and it would not be appropriate for indecency). There will be an extreme close up of her necklace. This necklace will say 'Alice' or have an 'A'; this will be used to indicate to the audience that she is the ex-girlfriend, not the current girlfriend.

Towards the end of the video I may have a scene of a different female (his current rebound girlfriend) leaving. I think this will help the audience understand the narrative, and the meaning of the song better.

The last scene will be a point-of-view shot/over-the-shoulder shot, of the male watching these memories of his ex-girlfriend Alice on a laptop. So we where watching the memories with him.

Lyric Analysis

I have made a presentation, analysing the lyrics of 'Sun Burn'.  Just click the link below:

http://www.slideshare.net/tonilouisee24/presentation1-28521836 

NEEDS TO BE EDITED^

Artist target audience

Ed Sheeran writes songs about his own experiences. These songs and videos include some mature themes which young teens/children may not fully understand. These include alcohol, drugs, relationship break downs, etc.

Late teens and adults are more likely to enjoy Ed's music, simply because they can relate to his adult experiences.
Ed's music is quite versatile, ranging from elements of hip-hop to acoustic to pop.

 This is a magazine that Ed Sheeran was featured in. It is a mens magazine, which includes articles about topics ranging from sport, music, and television shows. A male celebrity is always the focus of the front cover, in this case it's Ed Sheeran.
     As Ed Sheeran is the main feature of a mens magazine, men and late, male teens are a large part of his fan base.

Ed's style is very mainstream, but has elements of indie, e.g his messy hair, and bracelets. This attracts a broader audience, as he appeals to both mainstream and indie/alternative fan bases.

My chosen track

My chosen track is 'Sunburn' from the album '+' 

The song was written by Ed Sheeran himself, and is believed to have been inspired by his long-term ex girlfriend, and how he tried to move on.
 The persona (or Ed) is being honest with the current 'rebound' partner that she reminds him of his ex-girlfriend-Alice.

You're probably wondering 'why is it called Sunburn?' -The metaphor "Like a sunburn" is repeated twice towards the end of the song. The 'rebound girlfriend' has left him after realising he is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, Alice. The metaphor describes the temporary emotional scar that it has left him with. A sun burn leaves a temporary scar but fades fairly quickly; he was not in love with the rebound girl so the emotional scar of her leaving doesn't last long, because he is yearning for Alice.

Ed Sheeran-Star Image

I have chosen Ed Sheeran because his lyrics and music videos are contextual and have meaning. 

Background Information

• Birth Name: Edward Christopher Sheeran
• Born: 17th February 1991, Halifax England
• Occupations: Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Producer
• Genres: Pop, Acoustic, Indie, Hip-hop

Ed Sheeran is an English acoustic musician/singer and song writer. He write songs which are inspired by his own personal experiences.

Ed Sheeran is known for his crazy ginger hair. The orange cd cover may represent this, as it is part of his image. 

The text is fairly simple, however his name is in a different font. This is the main focus of the cover. s his name is the main focus of the cover, it implies that everything about the album is his choice, work, or decision. He is promoting himself as a unique individual.  

The simple contrast of the white against the orange keeps the cover very simple but bold. Too many colours would over power the subtle picture of Ed in the background. 

Here we can see Ed Sheerans typical image. He is wearing a casual t-shirt and hoodie, with his signature bracelets around his wrist. He always looks casual and simple, which suggests he wants the focus to be on his music rather than his image. 

Ed also has a sleeve of tattoos. 

He had a tattoo of a cup of tea, which he said represents that he's Northern, in an MTV news interview. 

He also has a cat on his wrist. The cat is Puss from 'Puss in boots' the movie. This is a reoccurring theme in Ed Sheerans image, throughout his music videos (e.g Drunk), he has a paw print on his album, and even his car.  

These are some more of his tattoos. There is a lot of orange in these images, reflecting the colour of his album, etc. 

These tattoos represent his characteristics and his favourite things. 

Ed Sheeran Music Video Analysis

1) Analysis of 'Ed Sheeran-The A Team'

http://prezi.com/ecm2zi7rvwuc/ed-sheeran/

2) Analysis of 'Ed Sheeran-Lego House'

http://prezi.com/jizn1pfjwpco/ed-sheeran-lego-house/

3) Analysis of 'Ed Sheeran-Drunk'

Ed Sheeran (consideration of tracks)

Ed Sheeran

Ed's album '+' was released on the 9th September 2011.

Track List:

1. The A Team
2. Drunk
3. U.N.I
4. Grade 8
5. Wake Me Up
6. Small Bump
7. This 
8. The City
9. Lego House
10. You Need Me, I Don't Need You
11. Kiss Me
12. Give Me Love
13. Autumn Leaves
14. Little Bird
15. Gold Rush 
16. Sun Burn

Ed Sheeran has already released music videos for the following tracks: 'The A Team', 'Drunk', 'Small Bump', 'Lego House', 'You need me, I don't need you', & 'Give Me Love'.
I have highlighted the songs that do not have music videos yet, as these are the songs I will be considering for my own music video.

I am considering using either 'Kiss Me', 'U.N.I' or 'Sun Burn' for my chosen track. They are all about love, however 'U.N.I' and 'Sun Burn' are about a break up. They use a lot of metaphors and similes, which create imagery. This gives me lots of initial ideas for a video.

My artist consideration

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is an acoustic, pop/hip-hop, indie singer/songwriter.  

Background Information

• Birth Name: Edward Christopher Sheeran
• Born: 17th February 1991, Halifax England
• Occupations: Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Producer
• Genres: Pop, Acoustic, Indie, Hip-hop

Albums: 

• +                         

This is his deluxe edition cover. 

I decided to chose Ed Sheeran as my chosen artist because his music is very versatile, as are his music videos. His lyrics always tell some kind of story, influenced by his own personal experiences. 

I am considering his song 'Kiss Me' for my chosen track, because it is one of my favourites and I have a few initial ideas for the video. However, there are some other options I am also considering. 

His music videos range from humerous videos for entertainment ('Drunk'), to more serious videos which tell a story or gain awareness of a subject ('The A Team'). This leaves a lot of room for creativity when creating my video, as there are less restrictions on his image. 

I have a lot of initial ideas for a video when i listen to his music, as he uses a lot of metaphors and similes, which create imagery. 

The 1975

The 1975 are an English Manchester based, alternative/indie rock band.

This is The 1975's self-titled album cover.

The album cover is monochrome which relates to most of their videos. They are known for having a black and white theme. 

The rectangle in the centre of the cover is a used throughout their music videos, like a logo for their brand. For example in their video for 'The City', this symbol is shown in the first shot. 

The track listing to this album is as follows: 

• 'The 1975'
• 'The City'
• 'MONEY'
• 'Chocolate'
• 'Sex'
• 'Talk!'
• 'An Encounter'
• 'Heart Out'
• 'Settle Down'
• 'Robbers'
• 'Girls'
• '12'
• 'She Way Out'
• 'Menswear'
• 'Pressure'
• 'Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You'

I did not choose The 1975 for my chosen artist, because they have a very precise star image. Their music videos all include similar features and themes, and always have clips of performance based footage. Realistically, I couldn't recreate the performance based footage, as i would need instruments and people to imitate the band. Without this element, the video would not fit in with their usual image. 
If I were to have chosen The 1975, I would have chosen either 'Settle Down' or 'Robbers' as my track. 'Settle Down' is quite upbeat, however I imagined the video mainly performance based which would have been hard to create. 'Robbers' is a lot more calm and slow. I imagined a narrative based video, but the band members singing the lyrics while acting. I decided I couldn't narrow down my ideas to just one for this video. 

James Blunt

James Blunt is an English musician, singer/songwriter and former Army captain. His music is slightly difficult to put into a specific genre. It is a concoction of Folk, Pop and perhaps slightly alternative.  

Albums: 

• Moon Landing, 2013
• Some Kind Of Trouble, 2010
• Le Sessions Lost Souls
• All The Lost Souls
• Chasing Time: The Bedlam Sessions

I did not choose James Blunt as my chosen artist, simply because I didn't have as many initial ideas for a video as I did for Ed Sheerans music. 

If i were to have chosen James Blunt, I would have probably used the song 'I'll Be Your Man'. I would have chosen this song because it is upbeat and catchy, and one on my favourite songs. 

Class Notes 2

These are my notes on my peers Artist presentations.

Demi Lovato

• American singer, songwriter and actress.
• Her albums are 'Don't Forget', 'Here We Go Again', 'Unbroken' and 'Demi'. She started as Demi Lovato and is now known well enough to just be referred to as Demi. This shows she has built up a strong identity and a strong fan base.  
• She is always herself in her videos. If any other characters are required they are played by other actors.
• The majority of her videos are narrative based wit clips of her either lip synching, or performing (like in 'Heart attack').
• She started off with a sort of teenage punk/rocker girl look, and has now grown into a mature, respectful woman. It almost as if she is a 'good girl gone bad' reversed.

Adele

• Jan 2008 'Chasing Pavements' was released. It was inspired by a personal experience with an ex-boyfriend. Shows a car crash, and a series of high angle shots which shows the crash victims 'coming to life' on the pavement. They replay their story of falling in love and then falling out of love.
• Nov 2010 'Rollin in the Deep' was released. This song was inspired by a break up. The video was directed by Sam Brown. He uses symbolism, like the plates breaking to represent her heart being shattered. There is also footage of cups of water rippling, which coincides with the beat of the music. There is a lot of white in this video, which has connotations of a fresh start.
• Jan 2011 'Someone like you' was released. The video is monochrome. It shows Adele walking down an empty walkway, which suggests she is lonely. She is dressed in black, as if she has dressed for a funeral. This reflects the death of her relationship.

Class notes

These are my notes on my peers presentations.

Disclosure feat Eliza Doolittle-You  & Me

• The video is narrative based. It shows a young couple travelling around Europe.
• The boy is called Tim Shieff, and he is a professional free runner. In the video he is shown using his free running skills to impress his girlfriend.
• The video advertises the artists new album. In the background, a Disclosure album promotion poster is shown saying "Coming Soon"
• Locations would have had to have been taken into consideration. The director had to pick locations which best represent the places the couple are visiting.

Jake Bugg-Broken

• This video is both performance and narrative based. It shows the artist performing this song, however it is set in a bar full of individuals who are dealing with their own problems.
• The video coincides with the lyric repetition of "I'm broken". His performance is being ignored by the audience, which represents his feeling of being worthless. Also, close-ups of each individual in the audience suggests that hey are each broken in their own way.

AC/DC-You shook me all night long

• Performance based (like the majority of their videos). The noise from the audience can be heard as well as the performance.
• The video does not link to the lyrics.
• Each piece of footage only lasts a few seconds.
• Symbolism of the band can be found this in video, such as red devil horns worn by the fans, the colour red and the bands logo.

Miley Cyrus-We can't stop

• This video is narrative based, with lip synching included.
• In the beginning she is wearing white clothes, but later changes into black clothes. This may represent her transformation from angelic Miley to rebellious Miley.
• This video portrays her new reputation and shows off her new appearance.
• "We can do what we want to", "I can say what I want to". The lyrics may be Mileys way of establishing a sense of control as an artist, an adult, and her own person.

Kings of Leon-Use somebody

• The video/song is about getting lonely while travelling on tour.
• This video has a lack of colour, with very dull lighting. This could represent their mood while being on tour, and the loneliness.
• The video also reflects their lifestyle, with busy roads, cars and concerts.
• There is a strong use of props and locations which would have had to have been taken into consideration.

Kylie Minogue-Come into my world & The Streets-Don't Mug Yourself

Kylie Minogue-Come into my world
This video is narrative based, however it is a lot more complex than the usual narrative. The video shows Kylie Minogue's average day, but it is being repeated. When it is repeated she is duplicated, and the duplicate follows her showing different consequences.

The video mainly consists of long shots. This is to establish where she is and show everything that is happening around her. This also allows us to see the duplicate of Kylie as well as the 'real' Kylie.

The video relates to the lyrics "come into my world", as the duplicate follows her in her footsteps. Also, the path in which Kylie follows is repeated. She walks round in circles, exaggerating the idea that she is in her own little world.

Costume would not have been a major issue for the director, as her clothes have been kept very casual. This express the fact that this is a normal day, and could also reflect Kylies personality.
Her make up and hair are also extremely natural. These casual/natural elements of the video reflect the normality of her, and her average day.

The Streets-Don't Mug Yourself
This video is also narrative based, but is a lot more simple. It simply consists of snapshots, which tell the story of his relationship breakdown.

The singer is shown lip synching to the lyrics of the song, however there are other characters lip synching to the chorus. This creates the effect of a conversation being made within the song lyrics.

The video mainly consists of mid-shots and close-ups. This expresses the characters feelings, as well as showing the lip synching. Long shots are not as important, because the different places are represented through props. For example, 0.20 seconds, he is in a cafe. There is not an establishing shot to show the audience his location, however we are informed of his location through the props, e.g salt and pepper pots.
Also, the lyrics conform to the shots being shown. When he is sitting in the cafe, he is talking about being there and having his breakfast served by a woman.

Music Video Analysis (Performance based & narrative based)

http://prezi.com/jl35z8xpddxn/about-the-video/

Bruno Mars music videos-analysis

In this presentation I have analysed 3 of Bruno Mars music videos, and created an idea of my own for his newest single 'Gorilla'.

http://prezi.com/s4i2kqwz5e2z/bruno-mars/

Music video analysis presentation

This is my 2nd presentation, where I analysed a music video, researching into the directors usual work, as well as the artists usual image.

http://prezi.com/jl35z8xpddxn/about-the-video/

Directing a music video

I decided to choose Disclosure-white noise as my song to direct for. I chose this song because it is made up by a number of layers within the music. It is upbeat and unique.

When I listened to the song, the idea of old fashioned plasticine characters came into my head. I decided on a boy character and a girl character around 15-16 years old.



During the verse the boy sees the girl, and immediately likes her and follows he.
Throughout the song he tries to get her attention by bringing her various gifts.

During the chorus's there is a close up of the boys face looking towards the floor as he's walking. This show his fed up facial expression, whilst the background behind him is changing colour to the pace of the music.

Towards the end of the song, the pace of the music increases and there are fewer lyrics. During this time, the boy decides to do a dance for the girl, ending with him giving her 'his heart'. They walk away together, holding hands, as the music fades out.


*I also made this presentation, where I analysed the work of another director-Michael Gonary.

http://prezi.com/odn7luuutizn/director/

Welcome

Welcome to my A2 media studies blog.
Here I will be regularly updating my notes, research and planning, building up to my final music video of my own.