Website Research - The Script

The home page is there to market the band 'The Script' and to keep the audience up to date on what the band are doing. The background has a sepia effect around the edges of the imagery. This also ties in with the theme urban. The colour scheme and urban theme ties in with the band name 'The Script'. The Script, sounds ancient and out dated, which is what the designers have tired to portrayed with the website.

At the top of the page there is a flash animation, a montage of images are being scrolled along the top of the page. The very first image we see, is the name of the band with two female hands each side. Which then changes to images of the band, this shows who the band are and adds a nice effect to the site. Along the top of the page are a 'SIGN IN/ REGISTER' hyperlink, this allows the public to sign up to the website and receive information about the band, latest news tour dates and much more. Towards the top right hand side of the page is a hyperlink called ' SELECT COUNTRY', as you hover over the hyperlink, the whole thing slides to the left. This gives you a list of all the different languages available, so you can choose the correct language. I found this hyperlink really useful, as none of the other websites I researched displayed this, its also good for people looking at the website all around the world, as people may not speak English, which is what most website are published in.

The designers of the website have included the latest video performed by The Script. They have clearly labeled it with the term 'Media', below the video is a list of other songs by then band. The media box is located on the left hand side of the screen, fairly small and cramped. Personally I think that the video could have been a little bigger as its their latest release and perhaps in the middle of the page, rather than to the side. Above the media box is a list of social networking sites, which the public can join and receive information about the band.

In the middle of the page, there is a moving flash animation of images of the band. This rotates on a regular basis, this keeps the public up to date on the band. On the website their are different different sections such as the latest new, twitter photos, new music and live dates. All of this information is laid out in the same way as the other widgets.

Website Research - Snow Patrol

http://www.snowpatrol.com/

The homepage of 'Snow Patrol' is there to try and market the band. When you first open up the website, this header will appear, this is the original header for the Snow Patrol website. The first thing that stands out is the name of the band, with the background of the website being black, the white, patchy writing stands out from the rest of the page. With the name of the band being so big and bold, it will help the audience to remember the name of the band.

The header is fairly simple, but eye catching and interesting. They haven't done anything special to it, used basic colours such as black, white and red, which contrasts well. They have identified where you can log in/ register, which is located on the top right hand side of the page. However, the font for the register hyperlink is fairly small, and unnoticeable. Personally I think that they could have me it a little bigger, as they are trying to promote themselves and get the audience to sign up to their website. The font used for the band name is relative as they are called 'Snow Patrol', the writing is giving a snow effect, with a bloody red snowflake to the right of the font. Below the snowflake is an audio player icon, which is supposed to play a track from their album. However, the text which indicates that its an audio player is very faint and unreadable. There are 11 sub headings under the title, which is relevant to the theme 'Snow'. They use the same icongraphy and colour scheme on the CD cover as they have on the website. This shows that they are the same band, by using identical colours and themes.

This is the main body of the website, I think that the use of iconography is creative. They have took a photograph of one of Snow Patrol's concerts and inserted the image into the website. They have stuck to the colour theme, by changing the crowd to a deep red, this could of been from the lighting at the concert, or just edited in Adobe photoshop. Either way the image still looks effective, especially laid over the black background.

Below the imagery, is a small Text box, which has the latest news about Snow Patrol and where they are touring next. There is a very small image of the one of the band members, next to the imagery is a slogan saying 'SNOW PATROL PLAY THEIR FINAL SHOW ON THE SUMMER'. This is all portrayed in capitals, to get the message across to the audience, it is written in a white font, which is hard to make out. Another article is below which is laid out in the same format as the top article, same colours, font and theme. The only problem is that the article itself is unclear and hard to read at first. They haven't thought about the font very well, as it would be a problem for people who cannot see very well.

On the left hand side of the page is an advertisement where the public can buy the limited edition box set. This is one way to get the audience interested by advertising the latest gadgets. The advertisement article is very dark and gloomy, with the black background and the red and white writing overlapping. The iconography is black as well, which clashes with the background, they could have changed the colours or made it easier to see. Towards the top of the advert is red blood splatters which connotates evil and danger. The font is all in capitals to grab the public's attention and persuade them to by the items being advertised.

The designers of the website have inserted a flash image, which is a moving montage of images/ advertisements. This is advertising where Snow Patrol will be playing next which is in a place called ' Ward Park'. They haven't stuck to the theme and colour scheme on this image, however it is still eye catching and effective. 'SNOW PATROL JUNE 2010' is in capitals, situated at the top left hand side of the box. The background is of a sign post in front of a woodland, I particularly like how they have put the 'Snowflake' symbol on the top notice board, to which they will be playing at. The montage then changes to snow patrol t-shirts and other items, to which the public can buy them from the website.

On the bottom of the page is a list of social networking websites, where the public can find Snow Patrol. Facebook and Twitter are the most common social networking places to date, they are the best way to keep up to date on what the band are doing and where they are touring next.

StoryBoard - Free Hand

Below is my storyboard, I have only done a rough free handed drawing, when I have got all the images I need, I am going to create a animatic version of this storyboard.

Costume

For the costumes I want to keep them casual, as this is a working band, and the whole song is based on the lead singer. All three members of the band will be in Jeans, t-shirt and shoes. I don't want them to be all suited up and uncomfortable, plus my video will look over done. The song is a calm and subtle song, I want the costumes to represent that as well.

Shooting Schedule

As for my shooting schedule, I am trying to aim to film within the early weeks of October 2010, as two of the band members are currently away, they are going to send me the dates to which they are free. When I receive these dates I will then be able to set a date to film on, but until then I am not sure on the dates.

I have recently sorted out my filming dates, I am going to film on the 9th October 2010. I have to be organised and on the ball as I have to film my entire music video on that day. Within my story board I have a shot which takes place in the early hours of the morning, the shot is a long shot of the band on a children's roundabout, singing the song. I only need Ian and Dave for a couple of shots, so I am going to focus on the shots they are in at the beginning. Most of my other shots I can film later in the day as I will not need Ian or Dave.

The first shot I am going to film is the entire band on the children's playground. I had a really good idea, to add a dream world into the video, I am going to zoom into Dave's Eye, which will then turn into a blackout, and a long zoom shot of the band playing the song on the children's roundabout. This dream world will be colourful and vivid, compared to the life we are used to seeing. Throughout the second chorus, the roundabout will be moving slowly, I will have to cameras shooting the band so I can capture the band from different angles. This creates the effect of a dreamworld, which contributes to the lyrics of the chorus. I have split my shooting schedule into three sections, 1 being the main shots with the whole band, 2 being shots I can do with just dave and 3rd the ones I can do at another time.

First shots I am going to film:

• Tracking Shot of children's roundabout.
• Long zoom of the band standing in a triangle.
• Zoom shot into Daves eye - Blackout.
• Fast zoom out of Dave's eye.
• Low angle of Dave putting jacket on.
• Medium shot of him walking out the door and towards the bike.
• Medium/low shot of him getting on the bike.
• Close up of the bike lowering down.
• Close/medium shot of the bike revving.
• Long shot of Dave driving away in the distance.
• Dave recording in the studio, range if angles/
• Side shots of Dave's face - beginning of song.

Second Shots:

• Long shot of a silhouetted figure in the door.
• Medium shot of the bags dropping on the floor.
• Close up of his feet walking.
• Low angle of him kicking his shoes off.
• Close up of him turning the stereo on.
Over the shoulder of him turning the volume up.
• Close up of feet walking back to settee.
• Long shot of him walking to the fridge.
• Over the shoulder of him getting a beer.
• Close up of him getting some ice.
• Medium shot, of him slamming the bottle down (in focus + full bottle)
• Close up of lifting glass.
• Grabbing another bottle.

Third Shots:

• Extreme close up of the stereo firing up.
• Close up of the phone.
• Close up of the picture.
• Low angle of bottle swinging.
• Close up of beer pouring into glass.
• Close up of an empty bottle.
• Dripping in the glass.
• Extreme close up of beer in the glass.
• Pan over top the magazine.
• Close up of article about his wife.
• Zoom in to the image on the bottom left - ( coming to life)
• Range of shots of the guitar - instrumental part of the song (Steve +Ian)

Brainstorming

Brainstorming Ideas – Idea One

• Shoot the whole video of the band playing the song acoustically.
• Range of camera angles; close up, extreme close up, medium shot, long shots.
• Close up – band members playing the song. – Guitarist’s fingers strumming the strings.

- Location –

o Recording Studio

o Small room

o Lighting normal

o Focusing on the band.

Idea Two

• - Based on the film ‘ Sliding Doors’ - Split personality
• - Range of shots of the band playing the song live, and then cuts to a story line.
• - Story will come in on the chorus – Drinking, Dancing, Being alone.
• - On the chorus Dave (Lead Singer) is in a bar wasting his life away with alcohol, dancing and being unsuccessful, singing the lyrics to the chorous. Then a postive Dave walks in and stands next to him, a rich, positive and happy man. This shows how the story has gone and how It could have been if he had made the right choices in life.

Idea Three

- Split personality – positive and negative person is being portrayed in the chorus of the song.

- The band is still playing live, but they appear everywhere where the lead singer goes such as;

o Magazine Covers

o Television

o Different Rooms of the house

o Phone

o Radio broadcast

- Lighting – Natural and house lighting

- Location – different rooms of the house and outside in a bar.

Mock Up of CD Cover

As i haven't got the images for my mock up, i have stated what I will include in each of the 6 panels. For the back cover of my Cd, I will have the track list towards one side of the Cd, then in the background I want a faded image of a microphone or something similar. For the front cover, I wanted to keep it simple, but creative at the same time. The idea I have in mind, is an low angled photograph of an acoustic guitar, so I an capture all of the detail and then turn the whole image into black and white. By turning the image into black and white, this creates a surreal and silhouette effect. For the name of the band, I wanted to use an unusual style of writing such as script writing. On the inside cover, I am going to put a bit of information about the band and the history, I don't want to fill the whole Cd up with images or just text, so I am going include a mixture. As you open up the Cd fully, there will be a bit of track information on my song 'Home'. In the middle I am going to put an image of the band, but have it done it a silhouette and faded effect, so its matching the rest of the Cd.

Risk Assessment

Whilst filming my music video there will be some risks, which is why I have created this risk assessment,. This states what risks there are and how i can prevent them from happening.

Website Mock Up

For my website, I want to keep the same design as my CD. The whole idea of my website is to market the band, but I don't want it to be to flashy. The background for my website will be in black and white, with a silhouette graphic design as the main theme. At the top left hand side of the screen there will be two hyperlinks 'Log In' and 'Register', this is where the public will be able to sign up to the site and learn more information about the band.

Underneath the sign up hyperlink, there will be a main header, which will rotate with different images, text and lyrics. I can do this idea without using flash, the images will rotate every so often, to keep the audience interested. Some of the images that will be included will be main images of the band themselves, location shots with the band in the shot, lyrics from the latest song 'Home' and more. Below the header will be a small navigation bar, I have split the navigation bar into 6 small sections such as; Home, News, Biography, Video, Images and Tour Dates. Each of these sub headings will lead on to a different page which will give the audience more information about that chosen area. For the font, I want to keep it simple, most navigation bars I have researched have been hard to read.

The middle of the page will be a section titled ' Media', this is where the my video will be playing. Once clicking on the link, the video will appear in a pop up window, so you can view it in HD and full size. Underneath that will be a list of other songs that the band have recorded. The audience will be able to click on the link and listen to the song. A feedback box will be posted in the media section, so the public can tell us what they thought of the music and rate them out of 10. This is helpful for the band as they can see what other people think and act on what the public have said for the next song.

On the left hand side of the website will be a small photo gallery, packed with lots of different images of the band of the set and else where. This photo gallery will be portrayed in a thumbnail style, so that the audience can click on the image to view it in a bigger scale.

A news section will be situated on the right hand side, this will include the latest information on the band and the latest tour. This will give the audience chance to read up on what the band are doing and the latest gossip.Below the news section will be the tour dates, when the band are next touring, what dates, where and what time.

Finally at the bottom of the page will be a list of social networking sites that the band have joined, this will enable the audience to keep track of their moves and for the band to get more advertisement.

Treatment

In this video I will be producing an acoustic music video, which is based on a song that was written by Stephen Pettitt, Dave Connelly and Ian Dack. The three members play all the instruments on the album, David does the vocal work, Stephen on acoustic and Ian on Bass. The music is a blend of rock, some contemporary folk and easy listening instrumental pieces, a complete blend of music styles, resulting from the array of influences all three band members have.

History of the band:

Dave Connelly, Ian Dack and Steve Pettitt, have been friends for over 20 years, most of which have seen them writing songs together. They have recorded a CD called 'Petticons', but unfortunately have never got any further. Stephen said 'This really is our first attempt at putting something down 'semi-serious''! We are lucky enough to have some decent recording facilities in my house, but we do not pretend to be studio engineers, so and comments on the production would be cool too!' Since then they have been recording songs in their free time, outside of work.

'Home' is a recent song that has been recorded acoustically, with guitars, piano, bass and vocals. As this song has been recorded by my dad and his two friends I have decided to cast the band members for my video, as it is their song and they all fit the profile. However, I might decide to add my brother, Adam Mason, to play an extra character, if he is needed. With this song being an acoustic performance, I wanted to keep it simple but add a storyline to it.

The whole video is going to be based on the band, and the main character. Everywhere the character goes, the band will be playing the song acoustically in the background. For example, the band will be on the front cover of a magazine while Dave is sitting in the living room, on the Tv, the radio, in different rooms, in the bar and in the street. As the song progresses, the more places the band will appear.

I want to make my video interesting, I am going to use a similar idea of a dual personality, which is from the film 'Sliding Doors'. The chorus of the song is about a middle aged male drinking, dancing and being unsuccessfull in life. I wanted to film this part of the song in a bar or function room, as it will help with the atmosphere and sets the scene of the song. I want to have the room dimly lit, with a few people in the room, with the main character (Dave Connelly) sitting at the bar drinking. Dave's body language will be slouched and lazy, which will be represented by the clothes he is wearing. While the negative Dave is sitting at the bar, a positive, happy, successful male comes alongside him. This shows what his life could have been like if he had made the right choices in life, which represents the dual personality.

I am going to use a variety of camera angles, mainly close ups and extreme close ups, which will capture the detail of the instruments being played. I will add some unique camera angles in to make the video more exciting and eye catching. I want the lighting to be naturalistic in most of the video, but in the bar scene I want it to be dimly lit, to create a moody and unclean atmosphere. With the editing I will mainly be using straight cuts, I will add a few fades and dissolves in, if they fit with the audio and video.

Song Permission

As the song is a family song, I asked all of the band members if I could use their song and would they be able to perform in my video. They all agreed verbally, so I thought it would look more professional if I wrote a letter asking them. As two of the band members are currently out of the country, I couldn't get their signature, but they have all agreed. As soon as they return to the United Kingdom, I will have they sign it, and re up load the signed copy.

Props

Below is a list of props that I will be using within my music video:

• Shopping bags
• Television Remote
• Radio/Stereo
• Telephone
• Picture of husband and wife
• Drinks Cabinet
• Bottle of Alcohol
• Glass
• Newspaper
• Motorbike
• Helmet
• Keys

All of these props will be used within my video for different reasons. For example, the motorbike, helmet and keys will used towards the end of the video as the lead singer drives away into the distance. The bottle of alcohol and glass will be used most of the way through the video, as the theme is based around drinking.

Actors

For my music video, I have decided to cast the original band members of 'Mootpoint'. David Connelly, Stephen Pettitt and Ian Dack, I have to get them used to performing for camera instead of an audience. I need to get all of them used to being lit on set, to create an interesting effect, also I need them to get used to having a camera up in their face to capture the close up shots. All of the band members will have to be patient, as the song will be repeated many times, and close up shots will be captured of the instruments and vocals. Another reason why I cast all of the band members, is because it is an original song, with the original band performing it. This all links in to the British Indie, Acoustic, unplugged genre. This song is a stripped down song, compared to the other songs they have produced.

Location

I have decided to film my video in two main locations. The first location will be in my house, most of the filming will be done in and around the house. The lead singer, will be moving around in different rooms, which will make it look effective. The reason I chose to film it in my house, is because we have all of the music equipment here, and I wanted it to be a simple but creative video. As I am filming within my house I do not need to get permission to film here.

The Second location will be outside my house or on a quiet road. This will be the location for the lead singer, when he gets on his motorbike and drives recklessly down the road. I need to the road to be fairly quiet as I do no want the actor to get hurt. Another reason to film on a quiet road is because you will not have all the ambient sound within the background. I will film this scene with a narrow and low angle, so it gives off the full effect of the scene.

Analysis of Existing CD Covers

This is a typical but simple design, they use a basic colour scheme which consists of three colours, black, white and cream. There is a invert/ silhouetted image of Bryan Adams jumping in the air with an electric guitar in his hands. This creates a dark and abstract atmosphere to the album cover. There is a slight hint of colour towards the bottom of the Cd cover, a slight tint of red is shown on Bryan Adam's shoes. The font is also basic, not really creative and effective, although the font goes well with the whole image.

This is a typical traditional album cover as it uses traditional and effective artwork. The colours are very vibrant and vivid which stands out from the dark, black background. The font is a typical script writing which fits the overall theme. Florence and the Machines use the artwork as the main focus point, to attract the audience. Florence is tucked inside the wildlife, which makes her seem part of the piece. Her facial expressions are very calm, which relates to the imagery on the album.

Video Directors

Jospeh Kaln

Joesph Kaln (born October 12th 1972) is an American music video, Advertising and Feature Film director.In 1999, Kahn started his own production company, Supermega, which is now housed under HSI Productions. Kahn has worked with diverse artists such as Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Destiny's Child, Kelly Clarkson, Ashlee Simpson, Muse, Ciara, Monica, Courtney Love, Rob Zombie, Backstreet Boys, U2, The Chemical Brothers, Blink 182, Chris Brown, Eminem, TLC, Katy Perry, Moby, George Michael, KoRn, Janet Jackson, Black Eyed Peas, Lady GaGa, BoA, Gwen Stefani, Brandy, Pussycat Dolls, Sun Ho, Kylie Minogue and many more.

Kahn has collected multiple Music Video Production awards. He has won several MTV Video Music Awards with nominations for Best Video of the Year for Brandy & Monica "The Boy is Mine", and Britney Spears "Toxic". In 2002 he won his first Grammy for Eminem's "Without Me" video which also won the MTV VMA's Best Video of the Year, as well as Best Direction.

Joesph has director many music video's such as:

• Eminem ft Rhianna - Love the way you lie
• Maroon Five - Miser
• Kylie Minogue - All the lovers
• Chris Brown - Crawl
• Katy Petty - Waking up in Vegas
• Lady Gaga - Love Game
• Pussycat Dolls - I hate this part
• Kelly Clarkson - Behind these hazel eyes.

Plus many more, Kahn has been director videos since the early 1990's and is still directing today.

Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze (born Adam Spiegel; October 22, 1969) is an American director and producer, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Charlie Kaufman, which include the 1999 film Being John Malkovich and the 2002 film Adaptation, and for his work as director of the 2009 film Where the Wild Things Are. He was also a co-creator and executive producer of MTV's Jackass. He is currently the creative director of VBS.tv. He is also part owner of skateboard company Girl Skateboards with riders Rick Howard and Mike Carroll. He also co-founded Directors Label with Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry.

Spike has been directing music video's since 1992. Below is a list of some of his work:

• R.E.M - Crush With Eyeliner
• Fat boy slim - Weapon of choice
• Beastie Boys - Root Down
• Kayne West - Flashing Lights
• Ludacris - Get Back
• Beck - Guess I'm Doing Fine

Chris Cunningham

Chris Cunningham is an English music video film director and video artist. He was born in Reading, Berkshire in 1970 and grew up in Lakenheath, Suffolk. The video collection The Work of Director Chris Cunningham was released in November 2004 as part of the Directors Label set. This DVD includes selected highlights from 1995–2000.

Cunningham has had close ties to Warp Records since his first production for Autechre. Videos for Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy" and "Windowlicker" are perhaps his best known. His video for Björk's "All Is Full of Love" won multiple awards, including an MTV music video award for Breakthrough Video and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video. It was also the first ever music video to win a Gold Pencil at the D&AD Awards. It can still be seen at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His video for Aphex Twin's "Windowlicker" was nominated for the "Best Video" award at the Brit Awards 2000. He also directed Madonna's "Frozen" video.

Michel Gondry

Michel Gondry (born May 8, 1963) is a French film, commercial and music video director and an Academy Award-winning screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène.

Famous Acoustic Artists

Tony Rice is an American acoustic guitarist and bluegrass musician. He is considered as one of the most influential acoustic guitar players in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz. Rice spans the range of acoustic music, from traditional bluegrass to jazz-influenced "Spacegrass" music, to songwriter-oriented folk. Over the course of his career, he has played alongside J. D. Crowe and the New South, David Grisman (during the formation of “Dawg Music”) and Jerry Garcia, led his own Tony Rice Unit, collaborated with Norman Blake, recorded with his brothers Wyatt, Ron and Larry and co-founded the Bluegrass Album Band. He has recorded with drums, piano, soprano sax, as well as with traditional Bluegrass instrumentation.

Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12

February 1950) is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Stephen gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career. Hackett contributed to six Genesis studio albums, three live albums and seven single. Hackett is still performing as a solo artist, since leaving Genesis in the late 1970's he has released over 20 studio albums and 12 Live albums.

Tim Reynolds (born 15 December 1957 in Wiesbaden, Germany) is an American multi-instrumentalist who has mastered seven musical instruments and demonstrated proficiency on several more. Reynolds has gained the most acclaim for his performance on acoustic and electric guitar, equally. One reviewer has declared Reynolds 'an under-rated master'.

Tim Reynolds plays the guitar, piano, sitar, drums, violin, bass, keyboards, ethnic percussive instruments, solo djembe, harp, uses drum machines for special effects, and has been known to sing, although his work with his band is primarily instrumental rock music. He plays with a familiarity in all genres of music, with the exception of country music. Reynolds' command of melody and timing, and his uncanny ability to improvise on all of his instruments are his trademark. Because of this, Reynolds has a taping policy that allows fans to record his concerts because his improvisational skills are such that no two performances of any song are ever alike, with Reynolds embellishing them differently.

Tim Reynolds is the founding member of the band TR3, and has frequently performed with the Dave Matthews Band. He often tours with Dave Matthews as an acoustic duo, in addition to performing as a member of Dave Matthews & Friends.

William Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel AM (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian guitarist, best known for his complex fingerpicking style, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. In the May 2008 and 2010 issue of Guitar Player Magazine, he was named as "Best Acoustic Guitarist in the World" in their readers poll.