We have chosen to create a music video for YouTube sensation JR Aquino's 'What We Started'. After debating whether to opt for a song choice by a renowned recording artist or a unsigned, aspiring artist, we finally agreed on the latter. Although runner-up 'Set The Fire To The Third Bar' by Snow Patrol was a tempting choice (e.g. we could've experimented with the original idea of having two lead-vocalists), there is such an exceptional standard set by the pre-existing official music video and more significantly, there is the constant concern that we wouldn't be able to break free of the band's already 'built-up' star-image - thus, we wouldn't have any creative freedom to construct our own star-identity completely from scratch.
From analysing the lyrics to 'What We Started' we realised that they don't give much leverage in terms of versatility. In essence, such emotionally charged lyrics seem almost ridiculous to contradict in terms of disjuncture or heighten further through amplification. Since the lyrics seem to have such a powerful connection with JR's worldwide fanbase, we decided that illustrating a strong, defining link between the music, lyrics and visuals seemed the most natural option. Furthermore, whilst reading Goodwin's 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' I came across this statement: 'The creation of character identities for stars provides a point of identification for the audience which is especially important when lyrics lack depth.' At this point I realised that constructing a unique star-image for our artist that the target audience can identify/relate to is absolutely key for us. And this is exactly what we intend to focus on.
From analysing the lyrics to 'What We Started' we realised that they don't give much leverage in terms of versatility. In essence, such emotionally charged lyrics seem almost ridiculous to contradict in terms of disjuncture or heighten further through amplification. Since the lyrics seem to have such a powerful connection with JR's worldwide fanbase, we decided that illustrating a strong, defining link between the music, lyrics and visuals seemed the most natural option. Furthermore, whilst reading Goodwin's 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' I came across this statement: 'The creation of character identities for stars provides a point of identification for the audience which is especially important when lyrics lack depth.' At this point I realised that constructing a unique star-image for our artist that the target audience can identify/relate to is absolutely key for us. And this is exactly what we intend to focus on.
PITCH
Narrative-based, incorporating a substantial amount of performance, not ignoring the true disjunctive/non-linear nature of music video.
Star Casting: An 18/19 year old British-Filipino male who possesses an urban quality.
Brief Overview: The star is melancholic and distressed from reminiscing over joyous memories/flashbacks shared with his girlfriend. Music video constantly shifts between the present narrative and the past to reflect the artist's fragmented emotional state and the broken relationship of the couple.
Camerawork: Predominantly close-ups to emphasise commodity on sale. Slow tracking and panning shots to create a seamless flow.
Editing: Jump cuts. Use rhythm/metre of the song as a visual cue.
Mise-en-scene: Location search/shoot needed.
Abstract visual metaphors such as coloured balloons represent the dramatic change from past to present, yet this recurring motif that crosses over the different time periods hints that he wants to rekindle their love.
(see storyboard on group blog: here)
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