Analysis Of Lyrics For Chosen Song

Here is the sheet that contains the lyrics for the song 'Do Better'. I have gone on to analyse the lyrics with the help of my group as well. This may be a foundation of what shots we will use and the link between shots and lyrics. Also, editing techniques would be taken into account. 

 

Music Video Pitch

Here is the pitch that my group done for our selected song "Do Better". We were also given feedback on what we could amend and improve.

Do Better Pitch

Chris brown feat brandy pitch from Tyrell Willock

Task 3- Treatment Plan

Treatment

Misc-En-Scene:

Locations:

´ Photography Studio At LSC (Dark, Low Key Lighting)

´ Queen Victoria Park (Night Time)

´ Brick Lane (Daytime)

We have a few other locations, that we are looking to study further, but for now, these locations above will be set locations that we will hopefully start our shooting from.

Clothing:

For the studio shoot, we are looking at an all-black clothing requirement. This will allow us to represent a sort of isolated dark environment, as we may use a black backdrop. Apart from this, we will look to use a variety style of clothes. We may also add in a type of sports outfit, which would state a true stereotypical insight of a male trying to make an impression for the female. 

Lighting:

We will also use a range of lighting from natural light (Day and Night), to artificial light, such as Low Key Lighting and High Key Lighting

 

Casting:

´ Rashaan- Main Actor (Shadowing Chris Brown)

´ Tajay or TBC- Main Actress (Shadowing Brandy)

´ Tyrell- Main Cameraman

´ Danyaal- Director and Cameraman 2

´ Relative amount of Background people 5-10 Maximum

 

Inspiring Music Video:

´ Olly Murs Feat Demi Lavato- Up

´ Drake Feat Rihanna- Take Care

The inspirations came from these videos, as the studio shots stood out the most. They symbolised isolation within both singers and their current situation. A personal inspiration from one of my case studies is Trey Songz-Can’t Help but Wait. The feature of the flashback of a montage is really smart, as it can link with the theme of the song ‘Do Better’. Here, we would use the flashback of montage to let the audience understand how things were before both (Chris Brown and Brandy) wish that they done better in the relationship that they were in pursuit of.

Themes included: Love, Isolation and Regret. The Length of the music video is 3:48 but we will extend it to 4:15, as we want to include an introduction to show different locations and also, we want to show a few credits at the end of the music video.

Audience:

´ Teenagers/Young Adults, 16-24

We will predominately be aiming the music video at the Black ethnic group, as the actors in the video will be black. However our secondary audience will hopefully be of a White and Hispanic ethnic group. Looking at the NRS Social Grade, our audience will fit under the Grades C1C2D

We will look to broadcast our music video on social media sites, such as YouTube, Twitter and MTV. This is mainly because of our audience, as they are 16-24 and the use of social media is high within this age range. Twitter will allows us to show snippets of the music video, whereas YouTube and MTV will be placed on the platforms of TV and Internet.

Group Work in Lesson

I was placed into a group with includes Rashaan and Danyaal. They had already started planning for possible songs but we decided as a group to do the song by Chris Brown called 'Do Better'. We have assigned roles for the people in our group, Rashaan being the main male actor, me being the main cameraman and Danyaal to be the director as well as another cameraman. We will hopefully start a foundation for ideas to lay upon before we burst with a real and enthusiastic plan for our Music Video.

Introduction to Music Video Shoot

For our introduction, we got used to how to use the cameras again, after we last used them before the summer. It was a good experience and working in a group to see and hear different ideas. We also got the chance to edit to create a finished chorus. We worked on the song Let it go, which was from the soundtrack of the movie ‘Frozen’. Here are some the images from our two day shooting time.

Production Timeline

Pitch 2 For Music Video

Down below, is the link to my second pitch

http://prezi.com/_ykfk4dizzdn/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Pitch 1 For Music Video

Down Below is the link to my first Pitch

http://prezi.com/wrmdrwhyming/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

3 Professionally Produced Music Videos (Bryson Tiller- Don't)

Artist- Bryson Tiller

Song- Don’t

Date- Released 20^th August 2015 (Official Video) 

Producer- Dope Boi Beatz

       Synopsis- This song is mainly about Bryson explaining to a girl and her man his perspective on what he sees in their relationship. However, he wants to prove that he is the right one next in line for her. He will show her what no other man has shown her, including her current man. The word “Don’t”, has a double meaning. The first meaning is that Bryson doesn’t want her to continue making the mistake of staying with him. The other meaning is that, he doesn’t want the man to keep on mistreating his lady, as he really doesn’t know what he really has until it is gone.

Conceptual, Narrative or Performance? – Performance and Conceptual:

      The song doesn’t have a set narrative although the lyrics really tell the story. The video is mainly for performance purposes such as lip synching and shots of many different locations. The variety of different locations for different shots are good to keep the audience entertained. We seem to be exploring Bryson’s world and not everyday society. We see bright lights such as the tunnel and outside the store and dark environments such as alleyways and the bedroom. The conceptual idea mostly comes in the whole duration of the video. We have the girl, who the lyrics refer to. She is shown mostly in the video, as it is only her and Bryson that are in the video. The man that Bryson keeps on referring to, isn’t there, but looking at how attractive the girl is, there wouldn’t be a need as the lyrics seem to be strong enough to send this idea to the audience.  

Camera Angles:

·         Close Up

·         Low Angle Shot

·         Establishing Shot

·         Long Shot

     

    Through a range of establishing shots, we are able to view the environment that Bryson like to be in. The environments seem to be isolated as when we view the street that he is on, we rarely see people around him, which could suggest the impression he is trying to make towards the girl. He seems to be acting more as an introvert rather than an extrovert. Although we have close ups, we merely see his face clearly, which could suggest that he has an ulterior motive. This could also link to the lighting in the video (mostly dark). We have a low angle shot of the girl which implies that she has power over the opposite genders (Bryson being male). Her superiority comes from the fact that males will fight over her and she would be deemed by the audience as innocent when she seems to have a sense of conniving traits.

Editing Techniques:

·         Pulling Focus

·         Cutting Rate is Slow

·         Reverse (Cars Driving Backwards)

·         Fade To Black

     

      The pulling focus is used to emphasise the importance of the girl in the background. Although she is far, the editing technique allows her to look bold for the audience to see. This also helps with the Mise En Scene, her clothing. Bryson is blurred out once the girl is the main focus. Also, cars are more in the opposite direction (reversed) which could suggest the type of world they are in. It may be that they are in their own world or could suggest that they block out the odd world.

Mise-En-Scene:

·         Focuses on her facial expressions/Face (Lips)

·         Locations; Alleyway, Tunnel, Outside the Store, Apartment/Bedroom, Staircase (White, High Key), Park, Highroad.

·         Never set in the day, always dark but in some scenes, it will contain lighting.

      The clothing on the girl is mainly of a white colour which connotes an angelic and flawless trait. However, the male seems to be trying to attract the opposite gender, wearing the stereotypical clothing on a hip hop rapper (Hat, Sneakers and T-Shirt). The locations of the video seem to be very isolated and dark, with the minority of locations having some sort of light. For example, the staircase where the girl is located is very light, which connotes that she is the light and the positive path for Bryson.

Selected Themes and Motifs of the song:

·         Love

·         Relationship

·         Jealousy

Lip Syncing: Mainly, in the video, Lip syncing can be visualised instead of heard. It is used to mainly highlight the lyrics that should mean a lot in the song. For example, “his loving ain’t the same”, “if you were mine, you would top everything”. It gives the lyrics a sense of authority. One thing to point out is the fact that the title of the song is not lip synced once throughout the video.

Ideas That May Come From This Video to My Music Video-

1.       Dark scenes would really show some sort of isolation.

2.       A sense of mise en scene, that links with lyrics and themes of songs.

3.       It should also link to the traits the character is seen to have.

3 Professionally Produced Music Videos (Labrinth- Jealous)

A bit about Labrinth- He is a British singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He plays instruments such as the Bass Guitar, Piano, Keyboard, Drums and Guitar (Acoustic). Labrinth made his debut appearance on the UK Singles Chart in March 2010. He was mainly collaboration with the London rapper, Tinie Tempah. The song “Pass Out” reached number one. Labrinth then went on to release his debut album in 2012 and two songs on the album, respectively peaked at number two and four. He then achieved his first number one single which features the singer Emeli Sande, which was called “Beneath Your Beautiful”.

The Song that I am looking at is the song by Labrinth called Jealous. The single was released on the 23^rd November 2014 but the music video debuted on the 31^st October 2014. Labrinth was the producer and also wrote the song alongside Josh Kear and Natalie Hemby.

Synopsis of Video ‘Jealous’- The song seems to be in the style of a ‘heart-breaking’ Ballard, which expression loads of emotions. This song mainly focuses on the artists’ loss of someone close to them. However, how the song it put out, if you were to use this song (singing it or dedicating it for a special night) it can then be used in your own perspective. Overall, the end message that Labrinth wants to achieve is that he is jealous of what he is missing out on, whether it is his family member, a close friend or a partner of his. Looking at the line “But I always thought you’d come back, tell me all you found was heartbreak and misery”, Labrinth believed it would be only a matter of time before the person came back, running to them but Labrinth comes to terms that the person is happy where they are, hence Labrinth feeling Jealous.

Conceptual, Narrative or Performance? – Narrative

Camera Angles-

·         Mid Shot

·         Over the Shoulder Shot

·         Low Angle Shot

·         XCU

At the beginning, there isn’t much of an establishing shot, so we cannot tell where the artist is until we progress through the song. There is over the shoulder shots, which allow us to focus on the facial expressions, such as Eyes and Lips. We focus on the way that the words come out, which could express his emotions further. Also, emotions can be read through eye movement. Throughout the video, there is mainly Mid shots, which allow the viewer to see what the artist is wearing from waist up. Furthermore, there is a low angle shot in the video. It connotes strength, but we know how the artist is feeling through facial expressions. In this case, the low angle represents the fact that the artist is in hurt and agony but is getting through this tough pain.

Editing Techniques- As this is a very soft centred song, with a clear but touching message, there wouldn’t be a load of massive special effects. However, if we look at the basic editing techniques the video contains, we can pick out the Fade from the Black to a Mid-shot, which could suggest that Labrinth could have found himself now that he is through all of the heartbreak and loss. The black makes it seem as if he is isolated in himself and the start of the video allows Labrinths’ thoughts to come alight. Also, as we come to the end of the video, there are a few sights of Pulling Focus, which show the important figure clearly. It could denote that although he thinks of the persons’ feelings, he still believes that he has lost more. The lyrics direct back to the second person, talking about himself (“Tell me all you found was heartbreak and misery”), which could suggest that he still thought that the person who has left would actually come back for his sake.

Mise En Scene- The location seems to be set in a theatre-like room, by himself, which connotes isolation between him, the world and the person he truly and dearly misses. As Labrinth is expressing his feelings, he looks smart, dress wise. Not overdoing it in a suit but something professional and classy, like a sweater. It is bright so that the audience are aware of the only person in the room. It could also connote lyrics in the song “I’m jealous of the way you’re happy without me”, as the colour yellow would usually connote something positive or joyful.

Selected Themes and Motifs of the Song-

·         Jealousy

·         Heartbreak

·         Love

·         Loss

Lip Syncing- Lip syncing is used in the video. Roughly throughout the video, there is lip syncing as the audience can look at the way Labrinth will lip sync, which could define his emotions further.

Ideas that may come from this video to my music video-

·         Quiet Location, one that will stand out from the rest of the different locations chosen for my video. Either all will be dark & one will be light or vice-versa.

·         Lip Syncing will be used as well, as I feel that it is another superb way of gaining your audience’s attention. They focus on the words coming from your mouth and read the emotions.

·     Sophisticated Clothes for Mise En Scene, which could suggest that I am determined to put in effort to win the special person back for me. However, this piece of clothing will have to stand out, so that I am the main attraction and people can understand my emotions, not just through lyrics but emotion physically. 

3 Professionally Produced Music Videos (Trey Songz- Can’t Help But Wait)

Trey Songz is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and even an actor. The song “Can’t help but wait” peaked a top 20 single place in 2007. Trey has been nominated for Grammy Awards, Soul Train Music Award, BET Awards and the MOBO Award. The song was written by Johnta Austin, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen. The producer is a Norwegian record producing and song writing team, composed of Tor Erik Hermansen, called Stargate. Can’t help but wait was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the Annual Grammy Awards. The song was released on the 1^st October 2007.

Synopsis of Video ‘Can’t Help But Wait’- This song is mainly about Trey Songz wanting a woman who is being mistreated and abused by her partner. Through the title of the song, we see that Trey has tried to help a lot but he comes to realise that he can’t help, but that he will just have to wait for the right time for when she may leave him or he may leave her. Trey gives examples of what he can do that her partner can’t and won’t do.

Conceptual, Narrative or Performance? – More Narrative and Slightly Conceptual:

The song is very narrative like, with a few things that create the conceptual side. The narrative comes from the fact that the man is really treating the woman wrong and Trey believes that (“Til’ you see that with me it ain’t the same”). This shows that Trey could get this female out of misery and into caring hands. This continues every now and then, as we have the dinner scene where the man aggressively throws his food - that was made for him - on the floor. However, there are scenes that seem to be conceptual, as the woman receives a text message which orders her to come home. This would connote the power the man has from afar. In addition, the text shows that it is not only physically abuse that is hurting her but social abuse (phone).

Camera Angles-

·         Establishing Shot

·         Mid Shot

·         High and Low angles

·         Close Ups

·         Pulling Focus

There are a lot of mid shots and Close ups, which would usually show the raw emotion in the actors. We have a mid-shot of when the woman receives the text from her current partner and her facial expressions show that she seems fed up of being pulled around and ordered. A close up of the woman after she had an argument, shows the emotion she is feeling. She is stunned and hurt by the actions of her partner. Pulling focus is used to identify the main objective that Trey sees, which the woman is. Another use of the pulling focus feature is when Trey and the woman are in the hallway, about to kiss, then the camera focuses on the partner who walks to his door, to see the two very close to each other. This feature could be used to isolate the partner away from Trey and the woman. Finally, there is the use of the high and low angles. The high angle is used for the woman to connote weakness whereas the low angle is used for the partner, to connote his superiority, which is used in the wrong way.

Editing Techniques-

·         Dolly

·         Shot Reserve Shot

·         Slow motion

·         Montage of flashback

·         

Slow motion is used to show the type of girl that Trey pictures her as. The slow motion connotes actions of fascination. Also, the Dolly allows the action to switch from one room to the other. It makes it seem like the two rooms are connected, which signifies the fact that Trey can hear the abusive behaviour going on and that he is the closest to it and is also affected by it. Furthermore, the montage of flashbacks is used to create the mind-set of what Trey sees when the couple fight in the street. The montage allows the audience to see the times that she has been through and the cutting rate speeds up, almost in a shot reverse shot motion.

Mise En Scene- The locations that are mainly used is the woman’s apartment, Trey’s apartment, the restaurant and outside the apartment. The bottle of alcohol/wine in the partners’ house could connote that he may be an alcoholic, which could lead to his actions towards her. The partner is dressed in black, which could connote a dark, cold and heartless side to him, whereas Trey is in a white top with his bandana or his cap, which shows his youth. Being a youth would then connote that he has the mentality to help the woman who is in a bad situation. The woman is in red which could connote that she still has love for the man however, the red could also connote that the man leaves her in tears of blood and heartache, as red can connote both blood and love. The dress sense of the two males in the video are very different as it even has this heroic sense to it. Trey is stripped out in a vest whilst the partner can only be seen wearing black (and sometimes a bit of white).

Selected Themes and Motifs of the Song-

·         Love

·         Abuse

·         Rescuing

Lip Syncing- There are parts of this in the video. During the argument, you can hear words coming from the partner and the woman, however, in other scenes of the arguments, you see lip syncing. Lip syncing is also used when Trey is in the shower, on the balcony and sitting on his bed. It is also used in the restaurant scene, whilst she is departing and lyrics that are lip synced (“You should be rocking the latest in purses, bracelets and watches”).

Ideas That May Come From This Video to My Music Video-  

·        

       The Dolly used to show the two different rooms, which show how close yet far Trey is away from her.

·         The flashback of montage helps the audience understand the storyline better, which would be a great idea for the theme of the music video I am looking to pitch and produce.