Initial Ideas:

As a group we sat down in order to put all our ideas and opinions forward about the music video we were creating. We had the lyrics to our song in front of us and noted down different ideas for each verse and the chorus. Our initial interpretation of the song was that it was based upon the theme of death and how the male had lost his girlfriend. Assuming this was what the song was about, we put together a plan of a potential music video.Initially, we believed that the man had lost his girlfriend and then when he met someone new it was hard for him to move on and kept seeing her. We got this idea from the title of the song 'Halfway Gone'.

After analysing the lyrics further we came up with another idea - our final idea.

Pitch:

In our lesson we have been given the task to pitch our ideas for our music video. We need to start taking into consideration locations, characters, mise-en-scene, camera shots/angles, transitions, and most importantly the storyline.

In order to create the storyline we have been analysing the lyrics to our chosen song and writing down any initial ideas that come to mind. We have been putting ideas together as a group so that we can get a story together that goes with our chosen song 'Halfway Gone'. Once we have our final idea, we will be creating an animated storyboard, that will consist of the key concepts of our video that will be hand drawn. Once we have the main images to our video, these will be scanned onto the computer and placed into Final Cut in order to make them into an animation with the song in the background.

Target Audience:

After deciding what song we wanted to create a music video out of, it was important that we looked at target audience as this would encourage our decisions on how to produce our video.
We looked at the website UK Tribes to give us some inspiration on the different types of audiencees there are.

We also went a diferent way to find out our target audience by researching the genre of our chosen song. The song is classes as American Alternative Rock, this genre emerged for unique music scenes and the video made for this genre are usually of a pessimistic tone.

Conventions:

There are many aspects of a music video. These are lyrics, camera shots, camera movements, mise-en-scene and editing.

Lyrics: The lyrics are one of the most important parts to a music video as they are used to produce the video and mostly everything visual is linked to the lyrics. The lyrics also establish the mood and genre of the song. There are many different genres such as R&B, Hip Hop, and Rock.

Camera Shots: Music videos use camera shots to show emotio

ns and reflect the words of the songs with the movement of the artist. Many videos include long shots, close ups, and mid-shots.

Camera Movement: The different camera movements involve tilts, pans and tracking. These are used to follow the artists and anyone else that stars within the music video.

Mise-en-scene: This refers to the arrangement of performers, sets and props on stage or in a scene for a production of a music video or any other media text. It includes the positioning and movement of the actors on the set. The costumes that the people within the music video wear signify and make distinctions between the characters with the colours that they are wearing.

Editing: The most important parts to editing consists of adjusting the shots, lighting and the sound. The intensity and quality of lighting have an effect on the way that shots are perceived within videos, especially in music videos depending on the genre of the song. The lighting can emphasise the time of day or the mood.

Lyrics:

Halfway Gone Lyrics

You were always hard to hold
So letting go ain't easy
I'm hanging on but growing cold
While my mind is leaving

Talk, talk is cheap
Give me a word you can keep

Cause you're halfway gone and I'm on way
And I'm feeling, feelin feelin this way
Cause I'm halfway in but don't take too long
Cause I'm halfway gone, I'm halfway gone

You got one foot out the door
And choking on the other
Always think there's something more
It's just around the corner

Talk, talk is cheap
Give me a word you can keep

Cause I'm halfway gone and I'm on way
And I'm feeling, feelin, feelin this way
Cause you're halfway in but don't take too long
Cause I'm halfway gone, I'm halfway gone

If you want me out, then I'm on my way
And I'm feeling, feelin, feelin this way
Cause you're halfway in, but don't take too long
Cause I'm halfway gone, Im halfway gone (wohohoww wohohoww)
Im halfway gone, Im halfway gone (wohohoww wohohoww)
Now I'm halfway gone, I'm halfway gone
Don't take too long, don't take too long
Cause I'm on my way
If you take too long
Cause I'm halfway gone and I'm on way
And I'm feeling, feelin I'm feelin this way
Cause you're halfway in but don't take too long
Cause I'm halfway gone, I'm halfway gone

If you want me out, then I'm on my way
And I'm feelin, feelin feelin this way
Cause you're halfway in, but don't take too long
Cause I'm halfway gone, I'm halfway gone (wohohoww wohohoww)
Cause I'm halfway gone, and I'm halfway gone (wohohoww wohohoww)
Cause I'm halfway gone, yeah I'm halfway gooone

Song Choices:

To begin to find a song that we thought was well suited to be our music video, we used YouTube and our iPods to go through and find songs that had potential. When we thought one would be well suited, we would add it to a mind map that we created. This then meant that all our ideas were together and we was able to look at them and analyse whether or not they would become possibilities for our music video.

- Song Choices -The Killers - When you were youngThe Streets - Blinded by the lightsThe Feeling - SewnOne Night Only - Just for tonight>Razorlight - Hold onColdplay - A Message/Lovers in Japan/Violet Hill/Square OneEminem - 25 to lifeChase & Status - HeavySnow Patrol - Set the fire to the third bar/You could be happy/RunOne Republic - MercyExample - Fast CarsThe XX - IslandLifehouse - Halfway Gone

We wanted the song we would choose to have powerful lyrics that had a meaning behind them. After listening to all of our choices as a group we were able to eliminate the ones in which we did not think would work for us. We narrowed down our choices and as a group we all liked the song 'Halfway Gone' by Lifehouse.

Lifehouse - 'Halfway Gone'

Video Analysis 2:

Geri Halliwell -'It's Raining Men'

The opening of this music video is an intertextual reference from 'Flashdance'. The video takes form of a song and dance routine which is different to music videos which have a related storyline. There is a very clear use of intertextuality as it draws heavily from Flashdance.

Within the first 30 seconds there is diagetic sound as we can hear footsteps. This creates anticiption and expectation of what is to come in the video. The record player highlights the time period as it is clearly pre-CD era.

The judges mode of address shows authority as it is formal and adds tension to the audition, making it very intimidating. The camera movement is in time with the music and moves as Geri begins to dance. The shots emphasise her fitness and sexual attractiveness. There is a connection between the lyrics and the camera with the use of a tilt.

During the chorus there is a side view of the judges smiling and then there are cut aways to an extract of the film 'Bridget Jones'. As dancers begin to enter the audition room, Geri is foregrounded to show her importance to the music video. She kisses the middle judge on the cheek, showing her controlling side and her positiveness to the audition. She has a change of outfit which links to the show/film 'Fame'. The setting looks like an American High School which is also like 'Fame'.

Towards the ending of the video there is an ariel shot showing everyone outside. The lyrics match what we see as she sings 'stormy weather' this is literally what we see.