A new direction

When we were thinking about our Rizzle Kicks idea, we were very worried about the following aspects:
- Because it is a very well known song people many people know the music video, so, coming up with our own original idea away from theirs would cause a great challenge.

- When listening to the beat and feel of the music video, you instantly get a feel for summer. As we will be shooting in winter time the shots we shoot wont be able to represent that summer feeling as the weather will most probably be gloomy, cold, wet and a small possibility of snow.

Weather was the most difficult aspect but we also didn't want to shoot something with the feel like it is a different season when we would be shooting in the season that is the complete opposite of summer.

We were looking around for songs and Molly, in our group, told us her dad could set us up with a singer. His name is Luke Higgins, pictured above, he is a very talented singer and when we heard the song we instantly fell in love. It gives us a Christmas, loving and warm feeling but we new that we had to try and take the concept for  the video in a different direction to the Christmas direction. At the moment it is not possible to put the song on our blogs but here is a video of Luke from 2 years ago.

Development and research into our music video idea

Below is a presentation we presented to our teacher about our idea.

Rizzle Kicks

Timeline

Below is the timeline for our video. It shows all the times, what part of the song and what shot we will be using at that time and moment.

Treatment

Below is the treatment for our music video, explaining the idea we are going for.

When I Was a Youngster - Rizzle Kicks

Location and props

Below is a slide from the powerpoint which we created, showing all the props we want to use and also information about the location that we are hopefully going to shoot in.

We want to shoot on a beach and instantly the first location that came into mind was Brighton. This is mainly because not only is it a large beautiful beach, there is also the Brighton Pier. We want to shoot on the pier because of the theme park with all the rides, this will , in our opinion, bring out the childish side in them and really present their characters in the way we want to perceive them. The reason why we want a sofa on the beach is because we feel like the two boys in our video will have childish, playful and random characters. Doing things that most people would not normally do or think of. The balloons are on the presentation because in everyone’s childhood everyone always relates balloons to it, the whole idea of balloons really creates this happy feeling inside everyone as it takes them back to their carefree days. We want them to be oversized and large as when your child everything that seemed large was amazing, and due to us wanting the video to be fun and as original we can do balloons really represent these feelings. Lastly, we want everything in the video to mostly be pastel colours, apart from the singers. This is due to the summer feeling people get when looking at these colours and also it will not distract the audience away from the two singers.

Music Video Development

Below is a presentation we showed to our teacher and classmates about our idea.

Rizzle Kicks

Developing our music concept

We researched on other ideas to use in our music video.The whole feel we want our video to give off is a playful, fun, childish feeling without copying the original music video for the song. This is when we came across:

Selena Gomez - Hit the lights

In the video you'll notice people running down a hill with large balloons, this gives off a 'happy feeling' and also incorporates the childish aspect. We want to add the balloons to the image because of the whole childish persona of the video. Also, due to the video being about when you were younger balloons add to that vision.

Lilly Allen - The Fear

The end scene in the video shows a large house with lots of balloons, this part is the same as above. But, what we liked abut this video is the pastel colours and how no colours are dominating the scene which still allows you to focus on the singer.

Rizzle Kicks - Dreamers
There were a few aspects in this video which we wanted to incorporate and develop into our own. The beginning shot of the wall gave off this fairy tale like look with the large writing, we like this due to people people able to relate to the words. The large tea cup in the video also caught our eye because it, again, gave off this playful, childish feeling which relates to their characters. There is also a shot where they are standing in front of pictures of themselves when they were younger, we wanted to use this, yet develop it, to have it relate to the lyrics.

Development for our music video

In class we were put into groups, in my group there is: Molly, Daniella and Sola.

We instantly started brainstorming and came up with a main idea.

Rizzle Kicks - When I was a youngster

Rizzle Kicks are presented as focusing on their music rather then their image, but, they still give off this laid back, playful and interesting star image which attracts people to them. Also, because they are young boys who can actually sing means that more girls are drawn to them but because they incorporate rap into their music it therefore allows them to attract a wider audience.

On the right shows Rizzle Kicks performing a show, they are using simple lights and a calmer stage which instantly gives the impression off that they are trying to relate to their fans by focusing their attention on them and their music. Also, looking at their clothing, is normal clothes like t-shirts and shorts. They aren't going for the in your face and over the top look but simple and more their age which allows people to relate to them as they see them as being more like the audience.

The reason why we chose this song is because we liked the upbeat, fun and childish feel of the video. We were also attracted to their laid back persona and how interesting their voices sound. Below is the music video for the song.

As you can see its a very relatable  song and the way that they have done the video allows people to really loose their imagination. We liked the idea of them having younger versions of them, however, when thinking about our music video we don't want to copy them but make it our own. This was when we came up with the idea of showing a romance through time, representing how their love has lasted so many years. Developing on this idea will take time but putting all our focus and our skills will allow us to create a strong video concept.

Initial Ideas

Initial Idea 2: Flo rida - Whistle

Flo rida is known to be a synthetic star and is very manufactured. I looked at his music due to the contrast between Ed Sheeran and him. All of his music is about money and the benefits of being a star but doesn't focus on the actual music and how it can connect with people but more on the lifestyle of being famous. His videos are very eccentric and over the top to make people want his life. In his videos you will always come across a few of these elements:
-Women
- Desirable locations (i.e. Beach)
- Exotic countries
- Alcohol
- Sun/Fun

Treatment for music video

For the video, due to him being a synthetic star means that you have to focus on the lifestyle and the way the 'rich and famous' live instead of the music and personal side. For example, I would pick somewhere like a nice hotel, showing all the benefits and 'treats' you get to have when being a star. This attracts the target audience (male, 18-24) by showing them what they could have and having them want the scenes shown in the video to happen to them. This will create not only a desire for the life shown but a desire to continue watching more of his videos to feel like they are apart of that glamorous and envious life. Throughout this music video I would create the alluring scenes with all the things that Flo Rida uses in his videos.

Below is Flo Rida's music video 'Whistle' to show how he represents himself and the lifestyle.

Initial Ideas

Over the course of summer we were told to come up with 3 initial ideas for a music video.


Initial Idea 1: Ed Sheeran - The A Team

Ed Sheeran is an organic star, he doesn't focus on his image or what he looks like but only on his music and how it can relate to people. Hes not constructed which means the record label he is signed to doesn't push him to do anything but lets him do and dress how he wants which gives him Independence and freedom. People are drawn to him not only because of his pure talent but also due to him writing his own music which gives him originality. When people go to his concerts they don't receive a flashy, over the top performance but literally him and his voice, this connects with the fans because not only do his songs relate to people but ht makes them feel like hes singing because he wants to connect with them and not because of the famous lifestyle.

 

Treatment for music video

When thinking about a music video I would like to create for the song ' The A Team', I would do it in black and white due to the more calm and true feeling of black and white videos. The video would be a narrative, following the life (in a day) yet relating every part to his lyrics, I feel like this would give an 'organic feel' to the video due to it not being about him dancing or something like Justin Bieber but about his song and the girls life allowing you to get drawn into the story. Through out the music video there would be parts of him alone playing his guitar, what this does is focus the viewers attention on him and his music and not about the big synthetic feel of some videos. I would also opt to put in close ups because this allows the audience to feel like they are getting to know the singer and feel as if they are able to relate to the video a lot more which makes it more personal. Focusing all of these aspects gives off the simple, careless, music loving, organic star image.

Below is Ed Sheerans music video for 'The A Team' to give an idea of his style and music.

What is our coursework asking us to do?

Last year, in AS, we created a thriller but for A2 we create a full music video. This task will be a big step up from last year and will be much more difficult. Along with a music video we also create posters, a CD digi pack, blog research and planning and our blog evaluations.

Music Video
Creating a music video will, of course, be difficult but taking my experience from last year and putting that towards creating our video will allow me to develop my skills at a more advanced level. Due to the music video being a lot longer, (AS- 30 seconds, A2- length of particular song chosen). Throughout the journey of creating our final product, I know, it will be very stressful and a lot more difficult yet if I apply all the skills I learn prior to the shooting day and stay focused I know that myself and the group I will be with will create a great product.

Introduction to A2

I am now currently starting my jounrey into A2 Media Studies. My blog will show the development stages of creating our coursework and the struggles and strengths we will encounter.