Point 11 - Statement of Intent (first draft)

Draft Statement of Intent

Name: John Prendergast

How do you intend to use the four areas of the media theoretical framework to communicate meaning and meet the requirements of your chosen brief? (approx. 400 words)

This statement of intent will detail the key concepts and ideas behind a music video for the track ‘Goodbye my Lover’. The main concept and framework that will be evident in the video is as follows. The video will open with the star male actor sitting at a piano. He will be dressed in a kilt, Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket, and a bowtie. This should imply that he has just returned from a funeral, and the presence of tartan reflects some of the artist’s own personality, as well as separating this from other videos of the genre. He will proceed to play the introduction to the song on the piano and sing. The main body of the video will consist of the male star being depressed and upset, flashbacks to when the girl was still around, and comparing shots where the two are in a location and the girl fades away, leaving the male alone in the same place . Shots such as that will start in black and white, and fade into the present day colour. The video will regularly return to the male star playing the piano. To finish, the male star will be at the edge of a mountain or cliff during the lyrics ‘I’m so hollow’, before returning to the piano scene to close. 

The brief states that the video should portray a love song, and ‘Goodbye my Lover’ is a pop song. In order to conform to this genre, my video will feature heartbreak, and mild sexualisation of women i.e wearing dresses, being apotheosised by the male actor etc. 

The primary audience is men and women aged 16 to 25 years, who come from a middle class, privately educated background. The concept for my video will attract this audience through the song genre - pop generally attracts people in this age bracket as well as people that find other genres of music such as rap inpreferable, the smart costume choices - especially the kilted male star at the piano, and the range of rural locations; the candidate plans to make full use of the Scottish highlands that are on his doorstep. Most people have gone through the trauma of a breakup, or the loss of a loved one be it parent or partner, and the audience will be drawn into the video as they should be able to emotionally identify and connect with the issues raised by the work.

The brief declares that candidates should make a video on behalf of Universal Music Group (from here on in to be referred to as UMG). UMG has a series of core values that this video should conform to and fit in with. In their mission statement, they write  ‘We exist to shape culture through the power of artistry’. This music video will represent Scottish culture through the tartan costume choices as well as through the highland setting. Scottish culture is something that is generally underrepresented in the pop music industry, and so this should help this music video to stand out in what is a crowded genre. 

Another of the core values that comprise UMG is ‘authenticity’. This video will be constructed upon 100% original and genuine filming, and built around my own ideas and concepts. I have seeked permission from the record label to utilise the track.

A third notable core value is ‘creativity’. This video will contain several locations and shots that may not be seen in videos of the same genre, which will make this video stand out from the rest, fulfilling a unique and original concept.

An articulated choice of performers will conform to the expectations and trends of the popular love song genre as there will be a male star, who will be the primary focus of the video, as well as a female star; who will be sought after and mourned by the male. This is a similar structure to most other love songs, and it is tried and proven as a concept that appeals to audiences. The male star will perform the music, which is common with many other songs of the genre that have been written and sung by a male artist. In terms of the record company, UMG, the performers will fit into their ethos through their endorsement of culture; the male star will spend part of the video dressed in Scottish uniform.

There will be a variety of mise en scene throughout this video. In terms of the opening and closing shots, the male star will be dressed in kilt uniform, and for the rest of the video will sport a series of more casual outfits. The inclusion of the tartan creates a representation of Scottish culture. The female star will wear a white dress, which connotes innocence,  angels, and heaven, fitting in with the idea that she is a memory and has passed over. With regards to props, the male star will be focused for parts of the video around his piano, and this is an important feature of the video as for many people; in the event of a tragedy such as this, pianos can be an important for releasing their emotion.

At a point near to the end of the video, the male star will sit down and write the words ‘You can shed tears that she has gone, or smile because she lived’. The camera will then film a close up shot of the letter being put on a fire, and the words going up into smoke. This is an intertextual response to the poem entitled ‘she is gone’, a text synoptic to memorial and funeral services. The act of putting these words on to the fire will signify the actor letting go of the deceased, and saying his final goodbye.

This video will include a variety of representations, one being a representation of men. The male star will be portrayed as passionate, respectful, and emotional. This effect will be achieved by the actor’s performance of the song, his playing of the piano, and by the nostalgic shots looking at his time with his lover. There will also be a representation of women. The female star will be clothed in  white dress, and, as stated above, will represent innocence, angels, and happiness. A representation of death will be applied, and this will be achieved through the song performance, and the mise en scene surrounding the female and male stars. Finally, there will be a representation of Scotland and its culture. The Scottish countryside will be an important setting throughout, and the presence of tartan will replicate uniquity and pride.

These representations will attract the audience as this video is targeted at both men and women aged between sixteen and twenty five years. Therefore, this broad audience will be curious to discover how the two genders have been portrayed, and to see whether the standard genre conventions are followed. Furthermore, the representation of death is important for attracting audiences as it is one of the main focuses of the video, and the effect created by this representation will make the video relatable for many, forming an emotional bond between the video and viewers.

This video will include an array of editing to achieve its desired effect. One way that editing will be used is to edit the female star out of the shot, to simulate the fact that she is not around anymore. Each shot change throughout the video will be edited to be in perfect rhythm with the beat of the track. This will allow it to identify with the genre conventions, as videos with out of time shots tend to be difficult to watch and poorly presented; it is therefore common practice to edit in this fashion. Some shots of the female star will be edited into slow motion to emphasise nostalgia and sadness. This will attract audiences as it will further strengthen their emotional bond with the video, and may well bring back treasured memories of loved ones that they have lost. 

The above use of editing will fit in with UMG’s convention of ‘creativity’. Editing is among the most important factors of music video production, and it will allow the candidate to showcase his ideas and imagination.

This video will contain a narrative that correlates fairly strongly with the lyrics of the track. This will be performed by the male and female stars, and the male star will throughout be performing the lyrical and instrumental parts of the song. This fits in with the genre as, most commonly, performance of the lyrics is evident throughout music videos. The performance and narrative will attract the audience as it will strengthen the theme of emotion, and will boost and manipulate its meaning for viewers.

Many of the shots surrounding the female star will be shot using an abundance of white light. This is in attempt to replicate the connotations of heaven and to make her seem angelic; it will also match her white dress.

The main message that this video will attempt to convey is that everyone deals with personal and emotional adversity in their own way, and that it is perfectly appropriate to mourn; be it a breakup or the death of a loved one. This message will be achieved through reflecting shots presented in the form of flashbacks and memories, and the male star’s passionate playing of the piano and lyric performance will reflect the pouring out of his emotion. This message is appropriate to the genre as so many pop songs specific to love reflect the artist’s own emotions and experiences, and are in effect their own special way of releasing their sadness and their feelings. Furthermore, artists are people that audiences look up to, and so this message will help audiences reflect on their own persona’s and perhaps allow them to release some of their own troubles in a personal way.

In synergy with the music video, the brief states that a website must be produced to advertise the work. The candidates website, dedicated to the track ‘Goodbye my Lover’, will open with a title page containing the most basic, yet important information, including the name of the artist, the name of the track, and the artist’s logo. There will also be a reference to the artist’s social media channels on this page, and perhaps most significantly, the video itself will be pasted into the forefront with autoplay. These vital pieces of information should match generic conventions, as they are crucial for allowing artists to sell their work and draw in audiences.  The well known words ‘You can shed tears that she has gone, or you can smile because she lived’ will sit near the logo and name, as this will be a representation of the moral of the video, and should spark the curiosity of viewers.

The design of the website will be fairly simple, as is common with modern websites. That simplicity will present a user friendly interface, and will look attractive to the audience and encourage them to scroll further into the website. The main focus of the title page of the website will be the cover photo advertising the video. This photograph will depict the male star dressed in a kilt and jacket sitting at a piano in the middle of a round building. He will be surrounded in all directions by stone walls, which represents the feelings from which some people suffer when they face emotional adversity; they feel that there is no way out. It will be dark, and the lights from the building will shine through the windows. This photograph will draw the audience in through its uniquity, especially with the presence of tartan and an unusual circular building.

There will be a variety of other pages on the website, including a behind the scenes page, where users will be able to access photographs of the filming process and find information about where the footage was filmed. In terms of social media, as stated above, there will be a link to both the artist and the video’s Instagram and Facebook pages. These pages will showcase information about the video, share teaser clips to attract audiences, and will allow users personal contact with the artist. It is important for the audience to be able to interact in a more personal fashion with the artist as it allows them to feel connected with the individual behind the video, and this interactivity will strengthen their perception of the work. Social media is also a crucial facet of advertising as it encourages word of mouth; people will see images and clips and share them with their friends and family, who will in turn watch the video and share to their own circle of friends.

The website will also display a calendar page, where media consumers can access dates and information surrounding the artist’s upcoming performances. When audiences see that they can watch the singer in person it is likely that they will choose to go back and watch the video again to decide if they would like to book tickets. This will prove a valuable tool in increasing viewing figures.

In order to promote the artist himself, there will be a short description alongside a photograph that will sum up his life and career thus far. This will allow the audience to connect with him on a more personal scale, and create publicity surrounding his charisma

The title page will display UMG’s logo and name in a large typeface to ensure that they too as a company receive publicity from the video. Below that will be a short description of their mission, and a hyperlink to allow consumers to visit their own website. 

It is important that the website should reflect UMG’s core values, one of the most prominent of these being ‘authenticity’. The behind the scenes page allows people to see that the footage is all genuine, and that the ideas behind the video are original. The presence of UMG’s logo and ethos will also have a positive effect on the finances of the music video itself; when audiences discover that it has the backing of one of the most renowned record labels in the world, they will take the work far more seriously and will gain an impression that behind the work is a producer who is knowledgeable and experienced.

The website will be full of images synergetic with the video which will hook in readers and catch their imagination. The easy to navigate menus will show other features and pages on the site to keep them engaged. 

How do you intend to link your media products to demonstrate your knowledge and  understanding of the digitally convergent nature of your media production? (approx. 100 words)

Synergy is crucial to success in the media industry. Music videos are not the only factor in an artist’s armory; several other media platforms are employed in order to gain success. In order for success and affluence to occur, each platform should work in unison with its counterpart; this is generally referred to as synergy. For example, if a music video is a main product, its branding must match its key morals and narratives. This branding can come in the form of social media channels, cover posters, and websites. In another context, if a film is the main product, such as ‘Skyfall’, then any subsequent branding such as Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ music video should be choreographed in a way that audiences are given a taste of what to expect for the film. This parallel way of working is often the difference between a successful and a failed piece of work.

The candidate’s music video surrounding the track ‘Goodbye my Lover’  will work in unison with a website; as stated by the brief. This website will contain a series of cover images that will be synergetic to the performers and narrative of the music video. The main image will consist of the male star placed beside a piano, outside in the middle of a round building. It will be dark, and there will be artificial light shining through the building’s windows. This will nod to the artist’s passion for music and it being his way of pouring out emotion, as well as the surrounding walls replicating the feelings of someone in emotional adversity; where they feel that they are surrounded and have no way out. He will be clothed in kilt uniform, which is symmetrical to his most notable costume in the video. This synergy will attract audiences as they will be able to witness a taste of a key part of the video. 

In terms of the logo, the same logo will feature at the end of the music video as on the title page of the website. This logo will consist of the artist’s initials intertwined with his precious piano. The main colours on the website will be a simple black and white. Any black typography will replicate the black mourning clothes of the male star in the video, and the white is a nod to the angelic memorabilia shots of the female star. Furthermore, this colour scheme stands true to the simplistic user interface that the website will maintain.

The website will contain a gallery page filled with behind the scene photographs, which will show audiences how the video was filmed. This strengthens the site’s connection with the video, and allows the audience to access material on the website after they’ve already finished the video; strengthening their visual experience. 

The music video will be pasted into the forefront of the title page, and will be occupying an autoplay function. This means that anyone that visits the website will automatically be shown the work, and this will boost viewing figures. As well as the behind the scenes filming images, screen grabs of the editing process will also be accessible on the site. This will increase viewer connections with the piece as they are able to understand some of the work that has gone into the video. In terms of the advertising of the website, a hyperlink will be posted in the description beneath the video on Youtube, allowing and encouraging viewers to quickly and easily access more information.

In reference to uniquity, the website will contain a calendar page, where users can find details of when the artist will perform. This is a concept that is perhaps separate from the music video, as it advertises the artist themselves rather than its primary function being to gain views for the video. This page will, however, still be important to the video as when audiences see that the artist is also a performer, they may want to watch the video again to see whether they would like to buy tickets; every view will help with the video’s success.

There will be Facebook and Instagram set up on behalf of both the artist and the video itself. These channels will, in essence, be extensions of the website, containing many of the same images and information. Where the social media channels will differ from the website, however, is in their interactivity. While the website is a perfect host for information and visual amenities, Instagram and Facebook allow viewers to contact the artist and producer themselves, and gain their own valuable insight into the video. UMG will gain backing from the social media channels as well; dedicated posts will be shared detailing information such as the record label’s mission and ethos. 

It is likely that the audience will react with a more dominant reading to the social media channel as opposed to the website; in this day and age, far more people are likely to access the social media than the website, and it is far easier for them to share it with their friends. Therefore, it will attract higher viewing figures as well as the audience preferring the format and developing a great perception of the work.