Final Products

Music Video
Breaking Apart - Second One Down



Website

Second One Down - Band Website

Magazine Advert

Audience Feedback

Once my video had been completed I was very keen to get some feedback on it! I put a link onto Facebook and asked friends and family to leave their thoughts and feelings on it underneath.

My friends and family gave me some really good feedback. I am particularly pleased with the good comments on my editing, as it was the most taxing process throughout creating the product!

Filming - The Band Performance

When it came to filming my band performance I wanted the perfect location. Ideally I wanted to film it outside, but due to weather conditions and the difficulty of moving instruments outside, I decided that it would be much more sensible to film inside! This also meant more control of lighting, which - from watching Alternative Rock music videos - seems to be a crucial part of the performances.
There were two main music video's which influenced the type of lighting and shots I wanted to capture.

30 Seconds To Mars - Closer to the Edge

30 Seconds To Mars' music video for Closer to the Edge particularly inspired my choices of lighting and therefore the shots I wanted to capture. Although much of their performance was captured onstage, I wanted mine to be more of a 'studio' shoot. The first shot that really inspired my whole idea was

The complete darkness to begin with, then the lead singer's hand appears on the microphone, lit from the opposite side of the camera. As the singer steps up the the microphone, we can see the outline of his face and hair. It adds a sense of mystery to begin with, the identity of the singer is somewhat masked, yet the shot is beautiful and dark. I really wanted to create a shot like this, although not exactly the same. This meant that I would need some decent lights and a room that I could make as dark as possible! There was only one place I could really think of that was suitable - the school drama studio. As it already had proper lighting, was painted black and had black-out curtains. It also had a computer in it, which meant that I could play the track straight from it.

 Due to the build up of my track I wanted the performance to get more exciting throughout the video. It was decided that the band would all wear suits for the performance (luckily all of them owned one!). The performance would start of quite calm or 'chilled' and as the music built up, the guys would get more and more disheveled and sweaty. Of course, I didn't want them to get too worn out, as I wanted more than one take - so for the later parts of the performance I asked them to splash water onto themselves, so they appeared sweaty. I loved the effect the splashing water gave in the 30 Seconds to Mars video and wanted to achieve something similar. 

You Me At Six - If I Were In Your Shoes (Kerrang! Exclusive)

When it came to the kind of band shots I wanted to get I looked at a video of You Me At Six performing. I wanted to capture some different angles of both the performers and the instruments. Close-ups were a must of the band's faces and the instruments - especially hands and eyes!

The Set and Band

I was really pleased with how the filming for the band performance went! None of the boys are actually in a band, they're all from my class (with the exception of the drummer, my brother), but their performance was first class. It really helped that they all knew how to play their instruments as it made the performance so much more believable. Dan, the singer, was really busy with his own work in the lead up to filming, so he didn't manage to learn all the lyrics to my track. This was easy to overcome however, as I printed out the lyrics and stuck them to a white board in front of him. After a few rehearsals and test shots we just began. No one really knew how to properly use the lights but we managed to go crazy with them, whilst I was filming and this was extremely effective.

We took three takes initially of the whole song. I also filmed some of Dan on his own as he approached the microphone (30 Seconds to Mars style) from different angles. Once we'd filmed the first three takes, I asked the guys to go to the bathroom and splash water on their faces and we took a further three takes as well as individual takes of each performer. I am really pleased with the band's performance as they really got into it and used as much energy as possible without getting too worn out! Even I was getting worn out from trying to capture it all on camera! During and after filming I also made sure to take plenty of photographs of the band which would be used for my website.

Narrative Storyline Alterations

Rather than focus on the direct exploitation of underage models, I want to look more indirectly at the effects of sexualisation of young girls in the media. I felt that the idea of direct exploitation is a very sensitive subject and I would have to be careful with how I went about filming it, as I had some trouble with my magazine advert; as it implied nudity I had to be very careful about who my model was.

I went back to the drawing board! I had recently watched an in-depth documentary on Channel 5 entitled "Kate Thorton - Anorexic: My Secret Past". It focused on the actresses childhood and teenage years, when the pressure of aspiring to be an actress caused her to develop Anorexia Nervosa. Again, I was reminded of the Dove advert for their campaign.

Using the combined ideas of how advertising in the fashion industry puts pressure on girls to look good and the development of psychological disorders, I will still be able to use some of my original ideas. This means that I can safely explore the controversies and won't have to worry about representing something which is too risky! However, I still need to be sensitive about the subject and how I use Kristie to portray Anorexia and the causes.

Names, Names, Names!

As I need to start creating my poster and digipak, I really needed to come up with names for the band, album and the song! It was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I began by looking at the lyrics in my song for song names and jotted down any names that came to mind. I also looked at the names of current alternative rock bands on Wikipedia to get a feel for the types of names I could use.

The names I have decided on are:

Band Name - Second One Down

Album Name - Naked Truth   (second choice was Preserving Common Sense)

Song Name - Breaking Apart   (second choice was Mirrors)

Shot List Vs. Storyboard

As I've begun to really plan what shots I want in my video, I have found it increasingly difficult to log them. I started to create a storyboard, but I found that it took much too long and it was hard to decide which shots could go where. I just couldn't create a sequence of drawings. 


I then decided to have a look at shot lists. I created a template on Word which I could fill in as I came up with shot ideas:

I found it much easier using the shot list, because I want many of my shots and cuts to coincide with the beats of the song. This means that the shot list is precise and I can shoot efficiently. It can also be used during the editing process. To fill it in I listened to the music, looked at the lyrics and visualised what I want to happen at certain points within the video.


Using the shot list has proved really effective, however I also like to sketch out a shot here and there to see what it would look like.

Shot Ideas

Whilst watching last week's episode of 'Casualty', a sequence of shots caught my eye. The storyline has been on-going based on a ex-prostitute, Annie. At the beginning of the episode Annie was visited by another of the prostitutes who wanted to warn her to run away before their pimp found out where she was. It turns out that the pimp found Annie's house and was waiting there when the other prostitute turns up.

I thought it was interesting how the different shots conveyed someone being watched, in a sinister way. I'd really like to try and create the same effect within my music video!

Casualty Shot Analysis

View more presentations from penfolddolly1

Exploitation of Young Female Artists

I made this video to explain a few examples.

Location Shoot

As I changed my concept, I have also changed my location ideas! I still want to use a forest, however I thought that if I filmed in the forest near my house, it would be very difficult to carry all my equipment up there. I also wanted some bedroom and living room scenes, however I did not feel that my own house would be suitable. This is because it's very homely and it's clearly lived in by adults too. I want Kristie's character to come across as isolated - and thought a flat setting would suit my video a lot more; especially a messy, uncared for one. 
I then remembered about what could be the perfect location. At my Dad's work, there are some unused portacabins which were used for training purposes - set up like grotty flats! Even better, there is a small wood at the rear of the portacabins. I decided to go and have a look at both locations, to take some photographs and in order to get an idea of how I could use them!

I think these locations will be perfect! I can set up the portacabins however I would like and they are suitably grotty! One even had a bed in that I could use. I also like the look of the woods, they seem to be slightly more sinister than the forest near my house, as the trees are smaller and more gnarled looking.

More Idea Developments

After my last post, I have been thinking even more about this 'beauty pressure' concept. I want the music video to convey Kristie's desperation to be a top model. She finally gets spotted by a modelling agent who is interested in her. He is somewhat older than her, which I want to be obvious and he is using her for his own personal gratification. The agency begin to take advantage of her (almost grooming her) and Kristie knows she is out of her depth but doesn't know how to get herself out. Nor does she want to, for fear of losing her opportunity of becoming a star. Kristie finds herself losing her own voice and as her modelling career and agent begin to take over her life, she starts to lose control.


I am really pleased with the idea I have come up with! The sexualisation of young girls has been a controversial and widely discussed debate in the media recently and I feel this would be a really interesting way of presenting it. 

I was also reminded of a Dove Beauty Campaign advert which I had seen entitled 'Onslaught':

I absolutely love the shots of all of the posters and advertising the girl is exposed to as they're so quick. It really emphasises the pressure girls are put under.

Changes in my Concept Idea!

I have been somewhat indecisive when coming up with a final idea for my concept, as I was struggling to make much progress with my stalker/forest idea. Although, in theory I liked the idea, when trying to create a storyboard I found it difficult to develop it into a proper concept. I started thinking again, listening to my song and reading through the lyrics over and over. As I was browsing through some old school documents of mine, I came across a presentation I made on representations of women in the media. In this presentation I had particularly focused on the pressure young girls are put under to look beautiful and slim and how many aspire to be like the models so commonly seen in advertising. What with Kristie's modelling, I thought I could base my video around this concept, tying in some of the ideas I already had!


I also remembered an Evanescence music video for 'Everybody's Fool':

The pressure conveyed in the video is really clear and I really like the contrast of the character's real appearance and feelings compared with her bright and happy roles.


The concept also fits really well with the lyrics! I feel that I can make a better narrative out of this idea. 

Shot/Lighting Inspiration

Saw this music video through a friend today and really loved the first few shots that are used! Not sure if I could incorporate some like this into my video but would like to.

Film Inspiration

In Her Skin is a 2009 Australian thriller about the search of a missing girl. Her killer turns out to be someone her family least suspected; her ex-baby sitter.



It think the idea of using a female as the stalker figure is a really unique idea. Especially if her identity isn't revealed until the end!

Focus Group Feedback

Recently I presented my ideas to the rest of my class. I explained my ideas of using the woods and a sinister story-line and then how, through the lyrics, I thought of using a stalker. We also re-played the song so they could listen and even played it over the start of 'Winter Stalker'.

Here are a few suggestions that people made:

• Include lip-syncing in the form of writing and mouthing the lyrics - possibly writing a letter.
• Using black blood instead of red blood - could prevent it become clichéd.
• Keep the idea of Kristie running through the forest.
• Whilst some agreed with the video being sinister, a couple of people questioned this.
• The best suggestion and idea I was given was whether the stalker should be male or female.

I found the discussion really useful, as a first form of audience feedback. I was also intrigued by the idea of using another female as the 'stalker' character so I would like to look into it more.

'Stalker' Inspiration

Whilst looking for some inpsiration I came accross this video on Vimeo:


The Winter Stalker from Stephen Reedy+ZerofriendsFilms on Vimeo.


'The Winter Stalker' is an extremely creepy short holiday horror film by Stephen Reedy and Alex Pardee. When I started watching it I actually found it very scary! Obviously the end is completely different, but I love some of the shots included. I also really like the low key lighting and the mix of slow motion and normal paced shots.

I even tried playing my track over the beginning of the video and it went really well! This has convinced me to change my idea slightly to a concept of the girl being 'stalked'.

Idea Developments

When I looked over my first idea again, I found that it sounded much too cliche, so I went back to the lyrics! After I read them through  a few times I tried to think of some slightly different ideas.

Eventually I recognised some lyrics as almost 'idolising' the subject of the song. For example;
"I see your blood is liquid light"

"Your teenage eyes"

"Your glittering gut parts to the dawn"

Not only do these lyrics create great imagery, they also highlight some aspects that I would like to make key in my video, especially the age and innocence of Kristie. This gave me the concept of her being 'stalked' by another person.

First Concept/Narrative Idea

I came up with the idea of Kristie running/exploring in the forest (loads of opportunities for different shots). Every now and then she turns around and laughs/smiles at camera -- but within these shots there is a flashback/forward (the audience don't know) of her running terrified... kind of like a graphic match of her two expressions.

She finally runs to this odd, run down hut thing (it's in the forest near my house) and goes inside. She finds a piece of broken mirror (referred to in the lyrics) and picks it up. When she looks in it, her reflection has blood all over her face.

She touches her face but there is no blood. As she goes to leave, she sees a girl and a scary figure (haven't decided what he looks like yet) struggling and watches from inside the hut. She witnesses the man kill the girl and leave, so she runs to help the girl. As she does so she drops the piece of mirror.

She runs to help the girl, but when she arrives at the place she doesn't find a body, just an identical piece of mirror to the one she dropped. She looks in it once again and sees blood on her face, and the audience see the reflection of the scary man standing behind her. He mouthes the last lyrics "Baby you're never gonna let it go" just as the song finishes.

Ideas and Developments

So far I have decided a few things:

• I would like the video to be sinister.
• I would like to have some lyrics/visual relationships.
• I want a young woman to be featured in the video, as the main focus.
• I will feature some lip-synching from a male.
• I will use the forest as a main location for the video.

With regards to casting my artist/girl I already have people in mind. For the male artist, who will be doing the lip syncing I would like to use my brother, James. 

I have asked a friend, Kristie, to play the part of a girl. She is 14 and has done some professional modelling. She has the perfect look I was picturing for my video. This also means she will be good at taking direction and look great on a digi-pack and magazine advert.

Looking for a Location

As I live fairly close to the forest, I walked up there to take a few photographs of possible filming locations for my music video.

There is this really great ruined hut in the forest which I would love to incorporate into my video too!

Texts Featuring Forests

After the initial inpiration of using the woods and forest in my music video, I wanted to do some research into other music videos, adverts and films which feature this location.



This music video is for the band HEALTH's song "We Are Water". Although it's incredibly gory and very sinister I do quite like the video. I am especially attracted to the lighting and the use of slow motion. Another aspect I find really interesting is the visible snow/particles falling through the air... it almost adds a sense of calm to the horrific scene.


This is a trailer for the 2007 horror film "Shrooms". I have watched the film a few times and they manage to make the woods look really, really creepy. This is possibly down to the mist that is present in a lot of scenes in the forest.


Paramore's music video for 'Decode' is set in the forest for both the concept part and the performance part of the music video. I especially love the tracking shots which are sped up, it creates a really sinister but interesting effect; especially when the camera dodges the trees! It also features clips from the film 'Twilight'.


I found this music promo on Vimeo. It is for a band called Black Black Hills and there is a really interesting paragraph below the video which tells you what the director's inspiration was. This is what they said:
"The outcome of our efforts was a unique take on the idea of a modern gothic thriller. A story that combines the sort of imagery familiar to ancient folklore, pagan-esque ceremonies and the creepy stuff of ‘pulp literature’ style ghost stories. ‘The Celebration’ purposefully sets out to embrace the notion of a ‘British Mythology’. To create a contemporary fable that celebrates the mystifying forces of nature which lie deep within the ancient woodland and forests of rural England."
I really like the idea of using ghost stories and the local area to create a music video!


I also remembered seeing this advert on television a few months ago. It's for a newly opened ride at Alton Towers "TH13TEEN". A very scary advert to be shown on television if you ask me! The slogan is "If you go down to the woods today, you better not go alone" which I'm sure people would obey after seeing the advert. Again the use of fog in the forest and high contrast creates very sinister silhouettes and outlines of the trees against the grey sky. The black branches also create a strong contrast with the girl's white dress and pale skin, like a battle between good and evil.