New Ideas From Meeting

New Ideas From Meeting

Recently, I met up with my 'main girl model' and I ran through with her my initial ideas for the music video.

This meeting was very useful as I could gather her opinions and ideas that she had, and together we could positively edit my initial ideas!

Below, is a new annotated copy from our meeting...

New ideas we have are in purple, and parts of the song I have removed from the 3 minute audio I have removed from these lyrics - allowing us to only focus on what will actually be included in the music video.

When We Were Young

Song by Adele ‧ 2015

Lyrics

Begins at a crowded party, lots of people, flashing lights, smoke machine etc.

Everybody loves the things you do
From the way you talk
To the way you move
Everybody here is watching you
'Cause you feel like home
You're like a dream come true

The main boy is the centre of attention, being idealised and listened to by everyone around him and then the main girl is the opposite and aware of everyones admiration for him.

But if by chance you're here alone

Transition from him being in the centre of the frame with lots of people around him to having no one around him, he is "alone".

Can I have a moment?
Before I go?

'Cause I've been by myself all night long

Main girl sitting by herself at the party, by herself on train, by herself in room, etc.

Hoping you're someone I used to know

You look like a movie

Him at the cinema

You sound like a song

Him at a concert

My God this reminds me, of when we were young

Transition to when they are younger

Let me photograph you in this light

She takes a photo of him with a disposable camera

A line of all of her ages pans out 

In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were scared of getting old
It made us restless

Sitting next to their oldest versions 

It was just like a movie
It was just like a song

I was so scared to face my fears
Nobody told me that you'd be here

He is somewhere random?

Eg. she is singing and he is in the crowd?

Film in London 

Be on a platform and he appears on the other side but disappears after the train leaves - emphasising the fleeting tendency of love

And I'd swear you moved overseas

Him at airport with suitcase

That's what you said, when you left me

Text message he sends to her of 'I'm moving overseas'

You still look like a movie
You still sound like a song
My God, this reminds me, of when we were young

Oldest version looking through a photo album of their younger selves, then a zoom in on the photo, and then a transition to the moment the photo was captured with their younger selves.

When we were young
(When we were young)
When we were young
(When we were young)

Montage of them growing up, eg. first day of school, gcses, first day of work, etc.

Let me photograph you in this light

Photograph youngest and the contrast to oldest - wearing the same outfits - style conscious!

Or Polaroid picture, when taken they are young and then when the polaroid comes out and has developed they are old.

In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were sad of getting old

It made us restless

It was just like a movie
It was just like a song
When we were young

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins / Tobias Macdonald Jesso

When We Were Young lyrics © Melted Stone Publishing Ltd., Songs Of Universal Inc.

Other Notes!

• Main girl playing the piano and in studio singing - convention for pop ballad
• Make sure to also take photos for the website as you film
• Gather old vs now photos from main actors and lots of people - could do a montage of lots of people holding a picture of their younger selves 
• Add like a 'film' filter, intensifying the nostalgic qualities I aim to convey
• Young shoes vs old shoes, also use props to portray emotions - eg. "To the way you move"
• Film in London
• La La Land Intertextual reference 
• Find out about studios to film the typical 'singer scenes' in
• Analyse some other music videos for inspirations of eg. locations etc.

When We Were Young - 3 Minute Version

 When We Were Young - 3 Minute Version

Adele's original song, When We Were Young is four minutes and fifty-seconds long.

See original song here

However, following the brief, "a three-minute music video", I understood that I needed to shorten her original song by one-minute and fifty-seconds...

I began by purchasing the original song from iTunes for 99p.

I then used iMovie and imported the purchased song.

With the help of my 'Planning - Initial Ideas - When We Were Young Music Video' blog, I was confident with the parts of the song I wanted to keep, and the parts that I didn't want to keep.

When it came to removing the parts of the song that I felt were less necessary to my music video, I had to ensure that the cut didn't leave the song clunky and broken - this took some trial and error, to ensure seamless cuts and transitions.

I was also conscious of the time frame of "three-minutes", so I removed the introduction to the song, areas of repetition, and I also sped up the end of the song by x2 for the last 3 seconds, as unlike the introduction, I felt it was necessary to completely fade out to end the song.

This process took me around an hour until I was fully satisfied.

Please find below my final edited version...

When We Were Young - 3 Minute Version

Planning - Initial Ideas - When We Were Young Music Video

 Planning - Initial Ideas - When We Were Young Music Video

See below for the lyrics, and then my annotated version in blue...

When We Were Young

Song by Adele ‧ 2015

Lyrics

Everybody loves the things you do
From the way you talk
To the way you move
Everybody here is watching you
'Cause you feel like home
You're like a dream come true

But if by chance you're here alone
Can I have a moment?
Before I go?
'Cause I've been by myself all night long
Hoping you're someone I used to know

You look like a movie
You sound like a song
My God this reminds me, of when we were young

Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were scared of getting old
It made us restless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song

I was so scared to face my fears
Nobody told me that you'd be here
And I'd swear you moved overseas
That's what you said, when you left me

You still look like a movie
You still sound like a song
My God, this reminds me, of when we were young

Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized

We were sad of getting old
It made us restless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song

When we were young
(When we were young)
When we were young
(When we were young)

It's hard to win me back
Everything just takes me back
To when you were there
To when you were there

And a part of me keeps holding on
Just in case it hasn't gone
I guess I still care
Do you still care?

It was just like a movie
It was just like a song
My God, this reminds me
Of when we were young

When we were young
(When we were young)
When we were young
(When we were young)

Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were sad of getting old

It made us restless
Oh I'm so mad I'm getting old
It makes me reckless

It was just like a movie
It was just like a song
When we were young

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins / Tobias Macdonald Jesso

When We Were Young lyrics © Melted Stone Publishing Ltd., Songs Of Universal Inc.

Annotated with initial ideas:

When We Were Young

Song by Adele ‧ 2015

Lyrics

Begins at a crowded party, lots of people, flashing lights, smoke machine etc.

Everybody loves the things you do
From the way you talk
To the way you move
Everybody here is watching you
'Cause you feel like home
You're like a dream come true

The main boy is the centre of attention, being idealised and listened to by everyone around him and then the main girl is the opposite and aware of everyones admiration for him.

But if by chance you're here alone

Transition from him being in the centre of the frame with lots of people around him to having no one around him, he is "alone".

Can I have a moment?
Before I go?

'Cause I've been by myself all night long

Main girl sitting by herself at the party, by herself on train, by herself in room, etc.

Hoping you're someone I used to know

You look like a movie

Him at the cinema

You sound like a song

Him at a concert

My God this reminds me, of when we were young

Transition to when they are younger

Let me photograph you in this light

She takes a photo of him with a disposable camera

A line of all of her ages pans out 

In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were scared of getting old
It made us restless

Sitting next to their oldest versions 

It was just like a movie
It was just like a song

I was so scared to face my fears
Nobody told me that you'd be here

He is somewhere random?

Eg. she is singing and he is in the crowd?

And I'd swear you moved overseas

Him at airport with suitcase

That's what you said, when you left me

Text message he sends to her of 'I'm moving overseas'

You still look like a movie
You still sound like a song
My God, this reminds me, of when we were young

Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized

Youngest version eg. having a tea party vs teen eg. out for dinner

We were sad of getting old
It made us restless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song

When we were young

Oldest version

(When we were young)

Middle aged version

When we were young

Teen version

(When we were young)

Child version

^ Or do it the other way with it ending on them being old...?

It's hard to win me back
Everything just takes me back
To when you were there
To when you were there

And a part of me keeps holding on
Just in case it hasn't gone
I guess I still care
Do you still care?

Cut these 8 lines...?

It was just like a movie
It was just like a song
My God, this reminds me
Of when we were young

Oldest version looking through a photo album of their younger selves, then a zoom in on the photo, and then a transition to the moment the photo was captured with their younger selves.

When we were young
(When we were young)
When we were young
(When we were young)

Montage of them growing up, eg. first day of school, gcses, first day of work, etc.

Let me photograph you in this light

Photograph youngest and the contrast to oldest - wearing the same outfits - style conscious!

Or Polaroid picture, when taken they are young and then when the polaroid comes out and has developed they are old.

In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were sad of getting old

It made us restless
Oh I'm so mad I'm getting old
It makes me reckless

It was just like a movie
It was just like a song
When we were young

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins / Tobias Macdonald Jesso

When We Were Young lyrics © Melted Stone Publishing Ltd., Songs Of Universal Inc.

Other Notes!

• Main girl playing the piano and in studio singing - convention for pop ballad
• Make sure to also take photos for the website as you film
• Gather old vs now photos from main actors and lots of people - could do a montage of lots of people holding a picture of their younger selves 
• Add like a 'film' filter, intensifying the nostalgic qualities I aim to convey
• Young shoes vs old shoes, also use props to portray emotions - eg. "To the way you move"
• any text in red to be removed to fit my 3 minute time limit 

Previous Videos I Have Made

Previous Videos I Have Made

A huge deciding factor when choosing my NEA brief was what brief I was more passionate about.

I have always had a very strong passion for film and video editing, so much so, I have a Sony ZV-1 camera and edit on Final Cut Pro.

London Trip Video

Here is a video I made about a trip up to London.

This gave me greater confidence filming in public and busy spaces, and encouraged me to keep any eye out for aesthetic shots to film.

I filmed this video on my Sony ZV-1 and edited it on Final Cut Pro.

Christmas 'Advert'

Inspired by the John Lewis Christmas Adverts I decided to film my own 'advert' about me and my dog, Willow.

This was a really fun project to take on, and my first video that followed a progressive narrative.

Like all of my videos I have made, all filming and editing was done by me.

I filmed this video on my Sony ZV-1 and edited it on Final Cut Pro.

Italy Vlog

I filmed this vlog over the course of 2 days when I was on holiday in Italy in the summer. 

The video features the Gucci Museum, the Florence food market, going out for dinner, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a road trip to Cinque Terre and dinner again. 

This vlog encouraged me to (alike the London Trip Video) stay inspired throughout the days of filming and what I should and shouldn't film.

I also experienced with Final Cut Pro's transitions and text to add another exciting element to my video.

I also synced the song to the beat drop of arriving at Cinque Terre and then edited the song to be longer to cover the whole videos length.

Since the London video, I think it is also clear my improved confidence of filming in public too!

One of my favourite videos I have made to date!

I filmed this video on my Sony ZV-1 and edited it on Final Cut Pro.

Outerbanks-Inspired Video About Me

Inspired by the popular Netflix series, Outerbanks, I created a video similar to the way the Outerbanks characters are introduced at the beginning of the series (see below)...

Original Outerbanks Video

When each character is introduced in the series, there is a freeze-frame and then their name 'written' next to them - so I made sure that my video had this iconic feature too.

To make my sound, sound like John B (the man who is speaking in the original video), I used an AI impression instillation to add to the realism and authenticity of my video.

For the backing song, I chose the song 'Up Up' by Sandollar - the song also features in Season 1 of Outerbanks, so I thought it was a good intertextual reference for those who have already watched the series.

I also had to make sure my video matched up with the sound, and also layered photos onto of my videos to add even more personalisation.

I used a variety of clips shot by my Sony ZV-1, Sony Lens G, and iPhone and edited this on multiple platforms of multiple sections of my video but primarily Final Cut Pro.

With the skills that I have obtained from these videos and others I have made, I am feeling confident about my Music Video and looking forward to putting these skills into practice again.

I am also excited to learn new editing skills, eg. new transitions etc!

Industrial Context - Finance, distribution, exchange, and how audiences access them

Industrial Context - Finance, distribution, exchange, and how audiences access them

Music video companies finance their businesses in many way.

For bigger companies, some use 'cash-flowing'. Cash-flowing refers to a companies use of cash-on-hand to finance a film, meaning the company takes money coming in as revenue, and spends it to produce the film.

Cash-flowing arguably is less risky than other finance strategies as it demonstrates that the company already has all the funds to make the video, providing comfort to banks etc. as it is unlikely they will incur debt.

However, cash-flowing is not always realistic as it requires the company to have millions of revenue to finance the film/music video etc.

Source

For smaller companies, crowd-funding can be a key way to raise finance.

Crowd-funding is a way for creators to get funding for their ideas from anyone who is interested in the projects - eg. fans etc.

As a result, crowd-funding can benefit not only the company and artist, but the fans and listeners too, as they can then watch the music video due to their help funding it!

Merch sales is a classic way smaller companies can also help finance their music videos.

Especially now with the convenience is eCommerce, fans worldwide can help raise finance whilst purchasing goods from their favourite artists etc.

Live performances is also a great way to generate funding for an artist etc. 

Live performances can also expand the artists audience, creating a wider reputation, in time for the release of their music video.

Source 

Successful music video distribution is vital for the artist/band and company.

A good example of a music video distributer is Symphonic Distribution.

Symphonic Distribution is a very attractive deal with Merlin, which offers them (and their customers) special benefits and higher royalty rates.

Horus Music offers 3 types of services: marketing, distribution, and record label services.

Horus Music has a great reputation, and reviewed as excellent on Trust Pilot by 78% of people.

JTV Digital allows videos to be distributed on iTunes, VEVO or Trace TV Channels, and has become particularly successful among artists in Africa.

Unlike other distribution companies, JTV Digital as a 'pay-as-you-go' scheme - where you pay 0.5euros per track upload, and 0.2euros per track delivery per store.

For an iTunes music video it is 99 euros, and a VEVO Channel costs 29.90 euros per year.

However, JTV Digital gets 10% of royalties.

Source

Music video distribution increases visibility, and provides as an opportunity for monetisation and revenue generation.

Source

Music videos can generate revenue and exchange very effectively...

Youtube generally pays $0.50 to $2.00 per thousand views, depending on factors including ad quality and viewer location.

If your Youtube music video however gets one million views, Youtube pays between $3,000 and $5,000 (depending on whether viewers actually watch the ads or are signed up for Youtube Premium).

Other ways music videos can make money is by...

1) Advertising Revenue 

2) Product Placements

3) Digital Downloads

4) Sponsorships

5) Streaming Royalties

6) Affiliate Marketing

7) Touring and Live Performances

8) Merchandise Sales

9) Licensing and Sync Fees

Source 

With the developments in technology, music videos can be accessed even easier by audiences

Audiences can now download, as well as, stream music videos straight onto their electronic devices, such as a mobile phone, tablet, and laptop to watch at their own demand.

The internet, TV stations and media players such as iTunes are the 3 main platforms that allow audiences to access and consume music videos.

Before the internet, it was much harder for audiences to access music videos, especially if music videos were only released in a few countries. However, search engines including Google and allowed audiences to access music videos from platforms eg. Youtube and Vimeo.

YouTube was launched in 2005, and at the time was the only website dedicated showing and publishing music videos online for free. Later, in 2006, it was bought by Google for $1.65 billion...

Youtube is now one of the biggest websites for audiences consumption of music videos!

TV stations, eg, 4Music and MTV target teenagers and young adults and focus on playing current and old music videos.

MTV, for example, has even focused on creating different channels for different genres of music.

Audiences can also now download and stream music videos on their electronic devices on media players, eg. iTunes.

This was of accessing music videos is becoming more popular due to its convenience of accessing the music videos on demand whenever or wherever they are.

Source