Evaluation and Final Decision of Treatments

My first treatment is alot more complex that the second, however it could be potentially more interesting. I prefer the performance element in the second that in the first, however the animation would have to be of very high quality to look effective. I feel that a narrative would be easier to film, and directions would be easier to follow for the cast. I read once that some directors for solely performance videos just ask the band members to “rock out”, therefore it would be hard for me to get them exactly what I want them to do unless I stop the camera again and again.

I think that I am going to go with my first treatment, as I think that a narrative and performance music video will compliment each other.

Second Treatment

My second pitch is considering a music video entirely using performance,however including animated scenes. Although it will hold no real story in the performance, I would make it interesting by compiling complex camera angle and effects.

The animation would be introduced by constructing a narrative of a purpose childish cartoon-like drawn story. For the animation I shall have a boy chasing a girl, whilst she pays no interest to him. Including these scenes during each chorus, beginning and end of the video.

For the performance, I will have my singer wearing an everyday outfit (jeans and T); portraying the normality of himself and the song. The song is not extravagant or emphatic; therefore I want to keep the mise en scene as similar as possible with no surprises. I have the idea of filming my performance in a garage with red, orange and yellow lighting. The idea of the garage again compliments the song and artist, without making it too complex.

Without focusing on location, mise en scene, effects etc; I have full concentration of filming interesting shots and angles. I shall include a range of close ups and mid shots, then experiment with zooming.

For the animation, I am going to keep the story as simple as possible. I want it to purposely look like a 5 year old child has created it, as I feel it looks effective because it will encourage the audience to focus more on the performance and story, rather than the detail of the special effects. I considered trying to include my singer into the animation by using a green screen, however, I shall experiment with this before I finally impose it.

Treatment One

I want to include a male and female character both between the ages of 17 and 19. The reasoning for this is that it’s stereotypical for this age group to find first love and often naïve to its connotations. I want the young male to be displayed as someone who doesn’t conform to the stereotypical motions of the popular teenage (unpopular/uncool). The girl in the narrative is however the opposite of him, and he feels he will never be good enough for her. I want to subvert from the cliché of stereotypical ‘romance’ by not including heartaches and happy endings, instead I’m going to replace it by involving comical naivety of teenagers falling in love.

I want to establish that in each verse the boy is fantasising about his ‘dream’ girl. To do this, I am going to include both characters, then use a technical transition to make the girl disappear. The boy is unaware that this fantasy is unreal, therefore will have a look of surprise on his face when she appears in his surroundings. Then a look of disappointment when she disappears.

My inspiration for this idea has developed from watching the music video Wheatus – Teenage Dirtbag, Napoleon Dynamite and Billy Liar. From Teenage Dirtbag I was particularly fond of how the producers expressed a teenage romance in a non-cliché way. The use of performance and narrative kept me (the audience) interested, therefore I shall definitely be doing the same. Napoleon Dynamite has given me an idea for the structure of my Male character. I don’t want to copy Napoleon’s image, but to extract qualities which make it clear to the audience that he is a Geek. As mentioned before, I would like to display a visual of external monologue reflecting different views on a situation (fantasy). Representing what the character would rather be happening, or what could be happening. This happens in Billy Liar, where a young man thinks up a place called Ambrosia.

I shall be using performance in this video for the Chorus’, there are four of them in total. I have decided to have the boy singing in different locations for three of the Chorus’.  There is one chorus in the song where the tempo is lowered and music becomes soft, this gives an opportunity to do something which stands out from the rest of the other three. I had in mind that I could have the boy sing the song sat on his own, however in the middle of a busy room. I was going to get this effect by directing him to sing sat or stood up in front of a green screen, then film a busy room and speed it up and impose the two together.

The effects and camera work I plan on using are rota scoping, green screening and stop motion animation. I haven’t yet considered camera angle but I shall experiment once my idea is complete.