Location Planning by Alex Brown.

We are now doing more research for locations for our music video.

For the street scenes, we are considering the 'City' area around Liverpool Street, Bank, and Mansion House etc. London Wall by Liverpool Street is a location we are most interested in, as well as the Aldgate/Fenchurch Street area.

For the 'London landmark' montage scene we are considering the following locations:

* Tower Bridge and Tower of London

* Trafalgar Square - Nelson's Column and fountains.

* Buckingham Palace

* St. James Park or Green Park

* Westminster Bridge - Embankment and House of Parliament/Big Ben

There is also a scene which films in someone's living room, which would be around the local area. Also around the local area would be the bus shelter scene, which could be filmed in London if we get the chance. If we film in the local area, we have considered the areas of Whitehall Road in Chingford/Woodford, the Monkhams Inn in Buckhurst Hill, and the Bancroft's School bus stop. One scene we are definatly filming locally in the swing scene, where we have chosen a park in Buckhurst Hill for this.

For the last scene, where the bear considers suicide, we have considered multi-storey car parks in Enfield Town and Ilford, as well as some in Central London (which we can film while we are filming the London scenes).

Updated camera shot plan by Alex Brown and Laurence Ewen

1. Sideways shot/fade in to the bear opening his eyes – POV Shot = 0:00
1.5. Camera straightens up, to portray the bear is getting up = 0:05
3. Medium/Long shot of bear, to establish the setting = 0:10
4. Long Shot of bear from across road = 0:13
5. Pedestrian walking past the bear – Medium Shot = 0:16
6. Pedestrian panning POV shot of bear: Looking forwards, down to bear, forwards = 0:19
7. Close up of bear, pedestrian walking away in background = 0:22
8. Extreme close up of the bears face – Drooping = 0:25
9. Medium side shot of bear sitting against wall/fence with belongings = 0:28
10. Close up of bear's arm reaching into tin = 0:31
11. Close Up/Medium Shot of bear pushing away tin, realising nothing is tin. = 0:34
12. Close Up/Medium Shot of tin rolling away = 0:37
13. Long Shot of tin rolling away, with bear in foreground = 0.40
14. Establishing shot of bus shelter, with bear on seat = 0:42
15. Medium shot of bear sitting on bus shelter seat = 0:45
16. Medium shot of a child happy with other bear = 0:47
17. Close up of bear, looking at other people = 0:50
18. Long shot of other people, bears head in foreground = 0:52
19. Medium shot of person with other bear, with bear in background = 0:55
20. Medium shot of bear trying to get off seat, slides off and falls = 0.58
21. Medium shot of side view of bear falling off (slow motion) = 1:00
22. Medium Shot of bear walking down street from behind = 1:03
23. Close up of bears legs from behind = 1:06
24. Close up of bears legs from side = 1:08
25. Close up of bears legs from front = 1:10
26. Medium Shot of Bear sitting on steps of nelsons column = 1:12
27. Long Shot of Bear sitting on Nelsons Column = 1:15
28. Medium Shot of bear, with Buckingham Palace in background = 1:18
29. Another Buckingham Palace shot?
30. Medium shot of bear looking over ledge towards Tower Bridge =
31. Close up of bear from side, Tower Bridge in background =

32. Medium shot of bear sitting down, Tower of London in background =

33. Another Tower of London shot?

34. St James Park/Green Park?

35. St James Park/Green Park?

36. Big Ben?

37. Big Ben?
32. Extreme close up of 'Lonely Soul' sign =
33. Medium long shot of a bird in the air.
34. Close Up of bear turning to see bird
35. long shot of pedestrian preparing to kick bear
36. extreme close up shot of the foot of the pedestrian kicking bear.
37. Medium shot of bear flying in air
38. Medium/Long shot of where bear lands
39. Close up of bears face looking to side
40. Extreme close up shot of the bears paw pulling himself up.
41. bear walking, people brushing past him, Medium shot.
42. Another bear is being pushed on the swing by its owner. – Medium Close up
43. Homeless bear waits to be pushed on the swing, Homeless bear in the foreground, other bear in the background, at first it focuses on the other bear, then focus on the homeless bear. – Long Shot, facing the side of the bear.
44. Bear hangs his head in sorrow. –Extreme close up shot. – Quick fade of this.
45. FLASHBACK. Bear picked last in shop,
46. Close up shot of sign saying out of stock,
47. Bear looks at sign, hangs head in sorrow, covers face with paws. – Medium shot to close up shot.
48. Close up of Out Of Stock sign.
49. Close up covering face with paws
50. Close up of bear bought by customer
51. Medium shot of bear being hastily shoved in bag
52. Medium shot of bear falling out of bag
53. Close up of bears owner wanting to retrieve them. END OF FLASHBACK
54. Medium close up of bear from behind
55. Close up shot of bear looking in house window.
56. Medium shot of people watching TV.
57. Long shot of bear walking to suicide spot.
58. Medium shot of him standing on edge
59. Long shot POV of bear looking over edge. FADE OUT.

Camera Shot Planning by Diranjeet Sohi and Meryl Cariaga

1. Sideways shot/fade in to the bear opening his eyes – POV Shot
2. Camera straightens up, to portray the bear is getting up
3. Long shot of bear, to establish the setting
4. Long Shot of bear
5. Pedestrian walking past the bear – Medium Shot
6. High angle shot of the bear,
7. POV of the pedestrian – Quick panning shot
8. Extreme close up of the bears face – Drooping
9. Medium shot of the bear sitting on the bus, Moves head towards the window
10. Shot of bear turning its head
11. Person playing with another bear, showing love
12. Bear turns its head back, shows he is lonely
13. High angle shot of bear putting lonely shot on (Still on bus)
14. Bear falls off seat whilst trying to get down. – Medium shot of bear, camera faces the side of seat.
15. Bear walks on street. From the back.
16. Dissolve shots of bear walking around London – Various shots will be used
17. Camera focus’ on sign – extreme close up on board
18. Shot of a bird in the air.
19. Bear not looking where he is going – looking at the bird
20. Bear gets kicked – long shot of pedestrian preparing to kick then an extreme close up shot of the foot of the pedestrian kicking bear.
21. Slow motion shot of bear getting kicked across. – Medium shot
22. High angle of where the bear falls.
23. Close up of bears face
24. Extreme close up shot of the bears paw pulling himself up.
25. Long shot of bear getting up.
26. Continuation of bear walking, people brushing past him, Medium shot.
27. Another bear is being pushed on the swing by its owner. – Medium Close up
28. Homeless bear waits to be pushed on the swing, Homeless bear in the foreground, other bear in the background, at first it focuses on the other bear, then focus on the homeless bear. – Long Shot, facing the side of the bear.
29. Bear hangs his head in sorrow. –Extreme close up shot. – Quick fade of this.
30. Flashback. Bear picked last in shop,
31. Close up shot of sign saying out of stock,
32. Bear looks at sign, hangs head in sorrow, covers face with paws. – Medium shot to close up shot.
33. Bear is finally picked up and bought. POV shot of person grabbing.
34. Bear dropped out of bag, camera blurs the legs of the owner.
35. Owner/kid wants to get bear back, but parent disallows this. Close up shot of legs.
36. Fade out of flashback. Bear peers into window peeking inside. – From the back
37. Shot of bear looking in from the inside. – Close up shot.
38. Medium shot of people watching TV having fun.
39. Medium shot of the television, to show couple watching TV.
40. Bear walks away, Walks to its suicide spot. – Long shot
41. POV shot of bear looking over the edge.
42. Fade out.

Music Video Research

We researched other music videos which use character similar to the bear we are using. The Blur video is quite famous, so this was an obvious one to choose, but it has influenced a few of our decisions while planning our video:

Blur - Coffee & TV


This video uses similar techniques with which we are going to use when filming out bear character in the video:

Cobravision - A Bear's Tale (short film)

Depicts in a similar nature to our planned video that of a non-human character who is isolated from society:

Daft Punk - Da Funk

'Vogue' by Madonna - Conventions within a Video by Meryl Cariaga

From the Vogue video of Madonna it is obvious it represents the genre pop, this is typically conveyed throughout the music video. There are many elements within it, at which it follows the typical conventions, firstly, it shows strong choreography, which is portrayed immediately at the start of the video. A tracking shot of dancers posing which then immediately cuts back and forth to Madonna. This is used to influence her femininity. This is referenced throughout the whole video.
Also, the lyrics of the song influence what is shown in the video, this is because the title “Vogue” means to dance by striking a series of rigid, stylized poses, evocative of fashion models during photo shoots; which is shown numerous times in the video where all dancers including Madonna strike poses.
From considering the editing, the cuts made fits the pace of the music, it is on beat. It may not cut to a different location, which normally happens in a music video, it cuts to different places of the location, that is, a studio. This subverts stereotypical conventions of a music video, as it would normally vut to the artist performing the song. In this video, it specifically cuts to Madonna, in a different place, different costume, miming to the song, in her own action, which is used to convey the song title. At this point an ellipsis is used.
Specifically the costume also portrays the message the video conveys as it reflects the mood of the song. In this case, specific clothing which would only be used by fashion models, certain poses, and a typical location, a studio. it is made obvious that the shooting is made within a studio, as everything is perfectly set out, also, of what is meant to be a “living room” with a window behind, there is no view of the outside, this portrays that it is a make believe house, if you will.
Another convention which I realised subverted typical conventions, is that it does not follow a specific narrative, however does follow the meaning of the song; Vogue, that is to pose.


Madonna - Vogue
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Lyrical Analysis

God knows you’re lonely souls	Fade in/blur into the homeless bear’s pov.
God knows you’re lonely souls	He is waking up. He sits up in a street, wearing scruffy clothes. Hair is messy, paws are dirty etc.
God knows you’re lonely souls	We can see that he is in a part of the city/ suburban are.
Yeah, yeah	Continued.

I believe there’s a time and a place	Shots of homeless bear watching people walk past from where he is sitting.
To let your mind drift and get out of this place	Shots of him drooping/ mooching.
I believe there’s a day and a place	The homeless bear sits on a bus by himself.
That we will go to, and I know you wanna share.	During his journey he notices another bear being loved for.

There’s no secret to living (there’s no secret to living)	Homeless bear stands up. Grabs his board which says “Lonely Soul”.
Just keep on walking	Walks down street.
There’s no secret to dying (there’s no secret to dying)	The focus is on the board, the camera zooms in on the sign.
Just keep on flying.	Continued.

I’m gonna die in a place that don’t know my name	The bear gets kicked really hard by a stranger.
I’m gonna die in a space that don’t hold my fame.	Bear pulls himself up.

God knows you’re lonely souls	Ignored by people.
God knows you’re lonely souls.	They brush past him.

I believe there’s a time when the cord of life	A bear is seen being pushed on a swing by another child.
Should be cut, my friends (cut the cord, my friend)	The homeless bear sits on his swing waiting for someone to push him.
I believe there’s a time when the cord can be cut	He hangs his head in sorrow.
And this vision ends (let this vision end).	Quick fade.

But I’m gonna die in a place that don’t know my name	Flashback. The homeless bear is last to be picked in a shop.
And I’m gonna cry in a space that don’t hold my fame.	Flashback. The homeless bear is dropped on the pavement in slow motion.

Walking in the cold	The owner/kid wants to retrieve their bear but their parent pulls them away.
There’ll be a searchlight	The bear peeps into the window of someone watching daytime TV.
On the mountain high	Bear longs to be in there.
God knows you’re lonely souls	The bear feels so lonely, it begins to dawn on him that it’ll never happen.
God knows you’re lonely souls	He leaves the house and heads towards the potential suicide spot.
God knows you’re lonely souls	He gets onto a high ledge and looks over the edge (pov).
God knows you’re lonely souls	The bear considers it.
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah	Begins to fade with him deciding.
I’m a lonely soul.	Fade out.

Six Main Events Within Our Music Video

Six Key Events:

1. The homeless teddy bear wonders the streets in search of food.

2. The bear travels the bus.

3. Homeless Bear is kicked by a stranger.

4. Flashback of Homeless Bears' beginnings, e.g. being lost by owner.

5. Homeless Bear peers into a house where a group of friends watch TV together.

6. Homeless Bear contemplates suicide in the video's cliffhanger.

UPDATE: 19/10/10

The six 'main events' are now as follows

1. Homeless bear wakes up in London streets

2. Bear sits at bus shelter

3. Montage type scene of bear around London

4. Flashback of bear's beginnings

5. Looks in a window of a happy family home

6. Contemplation of suicide scene

Video Analysis by Meryl Cariaga

Analysis of Janet Jackson – All for you

This music video is a typical teen pop video, in which it uses stereotypical conventions of music video. For example, immediately at the start of the music video we are introduced to the setting, a panning shot of the city. However, there has been a twist, it is not set in real life, but portrays the life of a city in a cartoon format, as you can see in the image below. From this image, vibrant colours are used to portray the mood of the music video, a happy joyful mood, this is also conveyed in the tempo of the music, as it is very upbeat.

As you can see from the image above there is a narrative. This is because it conveys a man observing a woman he desires, in this case he is in the background and Janet Jackson is in the foreground of the frame. Immediately at this point lip-syncing is used, which is another stereotypical convention to use within a music video.

After the narrative is established, the “drop” of the music is created from a countdown; this is shown from the image above. As soon as it counts down, the drop occurs, and dancing also occurs at the same time. The element of dancing is also another stereotypical convention of a music video; it creates an element of happiness, which engages the audience. Throughout the whole of the music video dancing is used non-stop whilst lip-syncing.

However at frequent times, extreme close up shots of the artist is used. An example is shown above. This convention is used to show the emotion of the artist, to portray the message of the music video.

In considering the mise en scene that is being used, as you can see the costume portrays the particular genre of the video. This is because of the vibrant colours, and how each dancer including the main artist are wearing similar clothing, in this case denim trousers, black block rubber shoes and a crop tops. Not only does this convey the genre of the music, it also conveys the time at which this video was created, the early “noughties’.

Throughout the whole of the music video, choreography in large groups and lip-syncing is used. However at different locations. This is used to engage the audience further. This is shown in the image below.

In addition to different locations being used, there are various props, which are also used to engage the audience. For example below is a medium shot of a man in a car, and the artist in the background dancing and singing. The use of this prop is very engaging because of its unrealistic features.

A crucial convention that is used within the music video is the use of a dance break where there are no lyrics just special sound effects.

Above shows the dance break, as you can see there is a huge billboard picture of Janet Jackson in the background, this is to show her femininity which is the total opposite of what she is wearing at the moment, in this case a boyish type of clothing. At specific special effect moments in the diegetic sound particular choreography is used to emphasise the sound effect, which is used. Immediately after the dance break, the original song continues.

To show that the music video is coming to an end, all the background dancers start to disperse, eventually leaving Janet Jackson by herself.

The narrative continues at the end as Janet and the male (who had an interest in her at the start) accidentally bump into her once again. The music then fades out as she walks off.

Of course throughout the music video various camera shots are used, various locations, and various choreography. All this is used to engage the audience.

Video Analysis by Alex Brown- House of Fun by Madness

Madness - 'House of Fun' - 1982 - Ska genre.

Madness are a ska genre band who were most popular in the 1980s, along with other ska bands.

House of Fun is a good example of second-wave ska music videos, following many of the conventions.

The video includes performance with lip-syncing and instruments such as the saxophone (see right), which the majority of ska videos include.

Ska bands (especially Madness) also have a unique choreography in their videos, which makes the genre stand out from more popular genres of the 1980s. Humour and irony is prominent in the video (see below), along with many other ska videos (such as from Bad Manners)

A variety of strong colours and different shots is included in House of Fun. The video has scenes from many locations, such as a fairground, a chemists shop and a liquor store. Madness nearly always use a variety of different locations and strong colours in their videos, with House Of Fun being the best example. The lighting in the video is bright to reflect th

e strong colours.

The video is very fast paced with a variety of fast cuts and artistic shots,

which is also a common feature of Madness videos and the Ska genre in general.

The lyrical connection is always prominent in Ska genre videos, and in the 'House of Fun' example the song is about coming of age, and the video shows young people out enjoying themselves and the lead singer trying to buy condoms.

Video Analysis by Laurie Ewen - Bubblicious by Rex the Dog

The promo for the track, ‘Bubblicious’ follows many of the popular conventions of a music video, but it is also very creative in its content and it has an original overall concept, with still-frame shots being used throughout. In the video, it follows the performance of a paper character that takes the role of the singer. As the video progresses, other elements are added to the performance, as well as a paper dog on a keyboard and disco lights to accompany the disco house genre.

At the start of the video, visuals are shown of the paper character being created. This involves the use of cutting up pieces of paper with drawings on them, and these are stuck onto the character, giving it facial expressions.

Dramatic lighting and strong colours are used in the video to enhance the effect of the music on the audience. Within this shot, a disco ball is also included in the frame to fit in with the disco house genre.

Performance is a key aspect of the video, with the protagonist lip-syncing throughout.

Elements of humour can also be found in the track, with the main character wearing an 80s style wig in one part of the video, impersonating lead singers from such bands as Queen.

The director chose not to make all of the scenes in one setting to make the experience for the audience more entertaining and less tedious. One way to make the transitions between settings is a bird’s eye tracking technique, with a shot showing a disco ball transport to the stage where the singer is positioned.

The music video for Rex The Dog’s track, ‘Bubblicious’, is very effective for the viewing audience, and if a hook was to be given for it, it would possibly be known as the still frame video showing a paper character singing in a disco music atmosphere.

Video Analysis by Diranjeet Sohi

Video Analysis of "Vertigo" by U2.

The music video begins with a long shot/establishing shot of the band, in what looks like a deserted area in the middle of nowhere:

As a band they are accompanied by their instruments, so it immediately the audience is aware that it will be a performance-driven music video. Other examples of performance-driven U2 videos include "With Or Without You" and "Beautiful Day", therefore, performance-driven videos seem to be U2's trademark.

In this shot, special effects are used to lift the sand up, creating the effect of an adrenaline-rush, tying into the title of the song.

Again, special effects are used, only this time the bandmembers are blurred effectively establishing them as the main characters of the video. There is no evidence of a story with actors/actresses playing parts within the narrative. We can see from this point that there will not be a narrative, apart from the band's performance.

What sets this video apart from regular music video conventions, is that it remains in one setting and relies on special effects to hook the audience without the band having to change setting.

Since this video is performance-driven, there are medium close-up and close up shots of the lead singer Bono lip synching. He is, of course, wearing his signature sunglasses which audiences now associate the band with.

In terms of costume, the band members are co-ordinated in black, however they are wearing their own style of clothing. This is effective because this colour is used to enhance the special effects. In addition it is effective, because it makes them stand out and creates a statement that something as simple as ordinary clothing makes them unique.

Special effects are used to really engage the audience and amaze them, setting them apart from other typical conventions where basic narrative is included at least once in a video. What could be said about the video's narrative, is that the band's excitement or "Vertigo". The definition of Vertigo is: "is a type of dizziness, where there is a feeling of motion when one is stationary" which explains why the band never leaves their one setting, since they are "stationary". The special effects create a dizzy feeling.

The lighting in the video represents bright sunshine, which reflects the upbeat, almost happy emotions conveyed within the song. Vertigo is a strange feeling but it is certainly welcomed.

The editing throughout is fast-paced which ties in to the upbeat tempo of the song.

Lighting is used to build up to the climax of the video.