Initial Ideas

Overview of music video idea (this could include potential song choices and initial ideas) 

I would like to make a somewhat serious but also humorous and creative style with my music video, taking tropes from the spy and thriller genres and using them in my video. I like the idea of potentially using songs from Muse such as ‘Handler’ or ‘Psycho’, as I believe their quick pace and variety of interpretations would give me a lot of creative freedom. 

What sort of music video is it? (eg: Performance/narrative/mixed approach) 

Mixed approach, but more leaning towards a narrative as it will be easier to film and more interesting to show for my target audience.

Tell me more about your video and why it will work well for this song 

The music I will potentially use fit well with the style of video I am trying to make, as although they fit the protest brief, they don’t take themselves too seriously so it can be played with and taken advantage of. They also both focus on the theme of being controlled, which could fit into the spy genre as they’re controlled by a larger organisation, usually secretive and manipulative. 

What kinds of genre conventions would we expect to see? What existing music videos or media texts will you be taking your inspiration from? 

I will use spy/thriller genre conventions with a little bit of humour, so could draw inspiration from comedic spy films such as Kingsman, or more serious spy thriller films like James Bond. 

How will your music video fulfil the requirements of the NEA brief? + 

I will have to shorten whichever song I choose to fit the 3 minute brief. I will also use themes of protest/highlighting issues in the media language of my video through mise-en-scene or a narrative in order to fit the brief of protest music and show identity. 

Who is the audience for your band/artist/music video? What do they like, do? What sort of attitudes, values and beliefs might they have and how will your video reflect these? 

They will more likely be a younger but not too young, 17-30 year old age demographic. It will reflect their values attitudes and beliefs as they will be against violence and war and this can be played on through the use of mine-en-scene and the video, as the lyrics are opposing war and soldiers.

Tell me about the equipment, personnel and locations you are going to need to create this

Will need to use camera equipment, perhaps a green screen or stabiliser to achieve certain shots I would like to experiment with, guitars and possibly other instruments. I would like to use locations such as abandoned buildings or empty streets to create a dramatic style. I will need people to be in the video, even if just for a short time, and some help in setting up camera equipment. 

What sort of organisational tasks will you do to make sure you can achieve this? 

I will have to find locations for the shots I intend to get and do risk assessments on them, as well as finding people willing to help star and produce the video with me. 

What issues or challenges do you predict facing when making this video? 

I may struggle to find a suitable location, and may find getting the interesting and different stylistic shots I aim to get difficult to perfect, however I believe that with enough practice prior to making the final video, I will have the experience to achieve my goal.