Preliminary Task

This is the preliminary task that my group and i did. This task helped introduce us to premiere pro and how to use it to edit video tracks and sync them with our chosen song. It also taught us about shooting scenes on location.

Coldplay - Paradise

Artist: Coldplay
Song: Paradise

In this music video by Coldplay named 'Paradise' a man dressed in a elephant costume is portrayed as a real elephant that escaped from London zoo and travels to his natural habit which represents his 'paradise'. 

The video is mostly a narration, it shows the viewer the storyline of how the elephant has broken out of the zoo and made his way to Africa, where he feels he belongs. The video is in a third person perspective, as if you are following or accompanying the elephant on his journey and this creates a sense of participation within the viewer.

 The camera movement has some movement, for example, at 0:23 the elephant is shaking the fence to show how he's in captivity and the camera moves with the shaking , this could of been used to give the viewers more of a sense of their interaction and it portrays the trapped and frustrated feeling that the protagonist has. When the elephant grabs a rock and frees himself, we can see that the camera is moving with its actions and it is not framed perfectly or professionally. The cutting rate between scenes is very fast,he song is more calming than how the music video is portrayed but still manages to fit the theme of the song well. Regarding editing fast forward has been used at moments such as 2:35 to portray the weather and atmosphere of Africa. The main camera angles that are used in the music video are high , low and eye-level shots, this keeps the video more consistent. 

The target audience with this video ranges from younger ages (around 7/8) to older people (around 25/26). This is because the video is child friendly as it doesn't contain any swearing or inappropriate images and it is also enjoyable for those who are older and who are still a fan of the band.

This video is relevant to my own video as it includes an animal costume and a similar story line that the character is trying to find the place where they truly belong. 

Task Three - Treatment

• Summary of the narrative idea and how it links to the lyrics/sound of the track.  The role of performance.  Any conceptual elements

The song (no exit by Childish Gambino) is portraying a feeling of isolation and losing touch with the people in your life (friends, family etc) and so in our video we want to mimic these ideas and have a clear character which is displaying these experiences. Rather than having it to be a performance based video we are choosing to do a mix of a narrative and conceptual (leaning more towards conceptual ideas and adding symbolism to certain aspects of what you're seeing in the video). 

The main character will be seen as a bunny rabbit rather than a human being as this will clearly distinguish the main character as being out of place and isolated among the people that seem 'normal'. This will also portray the idea behind the song of the narrator (or artist) being lost or out of place within themselves and in their head as the bunny is trying to find himself but he cant do that if he isnt in the right scenery or state of mind. 

The song also deals with the idea that there is no escape or 'no exit' from your own head, leading you to further isolate yourself from everything around you and this can make you feel alienated even though it is by your own actions that you don't belong to a certain social group. The bunny costume will highlight this alienation and separation from other people.

• Which professional music videos inspired you and how (case studies).  What makes the promo video different?

One music video that inspired our ideas was Paradise by Coldplay. This is because it has a similar visual concept to what we are trying to portray with the costumes (Coldplay used elephant costumes while we are using a full bunny costume). Another thing it inspired us with is the idea of having it start off in a city based location then having it change to a more natural habitat for the animal the main character is presenting as. 
A few other music videos which inspired the idea of having animals in it is 'I'm a natural blue' by Waterparks and 'She's the prettiest girl at the party and she can prove it with a solid right hook' by frnkiero andthe cellabration. The second video has a clearer idea similar to ours as the protagonist of it is in a bear costume and tries to alter his appearance to seem more 'normal'.

• Casting/actors, props, location(s)

Locations are: central London, Epping forest

Props needed: a bunny costume, 

Actors: we will be using a friend dressed in a bunny costume

• Any ethical considerations

• Length

2 minutes 55 seconds (3 minutes)

• Audience

16-21 year olds, 

• Channel for broadcast (includes YouTube/other internet channels)

Youtube

20/09/2016

Today we decided our main ideas for the music video and have solidified the group and who it consists of. We have also come to the conclusion of the locations we have used and how they relate to our chosen song. Centrral london symbolises isolation. The song we are using is Childish Gambino - No Exits. We decided to make the main subject of the video (someone in a bunny suit) the one thing that stands out most.



These are three music video directors that we will be looking at and taking inspiration from to help with adding symbolism to our own video.
michel gondry
chris cunningham
spike jonze

Production Timeline