Timeline for our Music Video

A timeline gives a graphical representation of a period of time and the events that take place within it. For music videos a timeline gives an overview of the length and time of the video and the timings for the different shots and elements you wish to shoot. It helps lay out the basic structure of the music video and see where the different elements will fit in. While we constructed our timeline it made us think of how we wanted to reveal each elements; in which order; for how long; when to cut back etc... 

It also made us see if we had enough elements and shots to fill the time for the music video without it being too repetitive and boring. We had to carefully listened to the track so that the timings were precise and the cuts to different elements made sense; for example parts of the song that had a fast beat would require quick cuts compared to slower parts of the song. 

We began designing our timeline on paper in class. This is the process below. (Photo taken by Saskia Tarn)

We went through many drafts such as the ones scene blow because we kept re-arranging the shots and adjusting the timings in order to be more accurate. 

After having written the timeline on paper, I decided to create a digital version, so that it could be displayed more simply and easier to understand. In future, this could be helpful to send to the rest of the crew and media department.

(We will start the song at 0:15 because the intro is too long. It will end at 3:15, so that the length is exactly 3 minutes and it ends with her saying 'Are You That Somebody?'. Since we are cutting the song in order to fit the time limits, we need to make sure that we cut it properly so that it flows smoothly.)

Time (minutes : seconds)	What happens?
·      00.15 - 00.28	Extreme Close up of Man’s Lips. Shots of his eye’s illuminated by the patch of light. Neon sign saying ‘Are You That Somebody’ cuts in-between the shot of the man.
·      00.28 – 00.29	Singer grasps the neon tubes, close up on hand.
·      00.29 – 00.57	She is inside the Neon Cube. This is the first element. Different angles used to keep it interesting. Quick cuts of the silhouette wheel  with no one in it. No light in the room only from the neon tubes.
·      00.57 – 1.04	Silhouette wheel, she is posing inside of it, this is the second element. Performing
·      1.04 – 1.11	It goes to her in the Neon cube, she is  performing in it, the cube is now in a lit room. She is fully visible.
·      1.11 – 1.17	Silhouette wheel she is performing in it and dancing (commercial jazz)
·      1.17 – 1.24	She is in the cube, the room is lit and a fan is blowing her mesh skirt dramatically around the cube.
·      1.24 – 1.30	Singer behind the screen, this is our third element.
·      1.30 – 1.32	Jump cuts of screen. The song says ‘Sleep, Sleep, Sleep’. In the first ‘Sleep’ the singer will be behind the screen; in the second ‘Sleep’ the dancers will be behind the screen and in the third ‘Sleep’ the singer and dancers will be behind the screen.
·      1.32 – 1.39	Silhouette wheel she is performing in it and dancing (commercial jazz),  The dancers are in the wheel too.
·      1.39 – 1.46	Singer in the Neon cube, cut between the dark room and the lit room, her skirt is now blowing at full force.
·      1.46 – 1.52	Back to the screens, with the singer and dancers, posing and dancing behind it.
·      1.52 – 2.07	Close –up of the singer, shoulder up. She sings this part looking at the camera.
·      2.07 – 2.19	Zooms out at 2.07, to reveal her dancers beside her, she continues singing as they all dance a choreographed commercial jazz dance.
·      2.19 – 2.21	It comes back to the man’s lips rapping
·      2.21 – 2.23	Cuts to the singer in the wheel
·      2.23 – 2.26	It comes back to the man’s lips rapping
·      2.26 – 2.33	Singer is in the cube again performing
·      2.33 – 2.36	It comes back to the man’s lips rapping, however the singers lips are also shown besides the rapper. So there are two people now.
·      2.36 – 2.41	Silhouette wheel, she is posing inside of it, this is the second element. Performing
·      2.41 – 2.43	Back to the screens, with the singer and dancers, posing and dancing behind it.
·      2.43 – 2.46	Close up of her singing, this part.
·      2.46 – 2.54	Her dancers beside her, she continues singing as they all dance a choreographed commercial jazz dance.
·      2.54 – 3.09	Recap off all the scenes, a compilation of all the elements. Quick cuts.
·      3.09 – 3.15	Close up of her singing, this part.

In addition, Saskia, my group member, wrote down the timeline on a piece of A3 paper. This allowed us to have both a digital and paper version of our timeline.

Completed Target: Silhouette wheel - Ellen Lewis

This is a completed target by one of my group members:

Written by Ellen Lewis

Based off our feedback, we went away and considered how to develop each element further into a more solid idea. 

I had the task of improving the silhouette wheel. As this is a big build, needing a lot of time and money to create it, we will incorporate it more into the video.

 

We discussed scaling up the wheel to a life-size structure (6ft) so that the girl can dance and stand in it. This will allow us more flexibility in terms of shot ideas and angles, which will give us more footage to use in post-production.

 

 

 

We will have the singer being more interactive with the wheel. We discussed having other shots where the wheel is lit from the front as well, so we can see the singer lip syncing while in the wheel.

 

 

We also discussed the dancers joining the singer in the wheel for some of the shots. As this is expensive, we want to make the most of this element. 

 

We will continue with our original visual idea of having the wheel backlit and the girl striking poses. The viewer will just see the wheel and her silhouettes. 

 

Completed Target: Screen - Saskia Tarn

This is the completed target from one of my group members:

Written by Saskia Tarn


In my group I was set the task of developing our element 2, which is the screens. Initially we wanted to have three individual screens set up in the studio however we soon realised whilst pitching our treatment that this wasn’t possible as there is not enough space to set up three screens.

Having been made aware of this problem we decided we would have to use one single screen and film different sections on their own. 

For example we want both the artist and the dancers with their own screen, so we will shoot them separately and in editing during post-production we will change them so that it looks as though we have all three screens set up when in reality we only used one. We even have a plan B for this as we don’t want it looking unprofessional so it may be the case we have the dance and the artist singing on their own in the music video and we cut between the two to show everything we want, this may be a clearer way of doing it and would remain professional. We would split the sections up and in our final music video we could initially have just the artist then move to the dancers.

We also wanted to ideally have the screens lit so we can shoot not just the silhouette of our dancers and artist from behind, but also flip the lighting around so we also have a few sections of them in front of the screen. We thought this extra detail would help add a new look, and keep our audience focused and engaged as the different sections changed. 

For us it is going to be really important that we do a test run with our dancers especially so we know what it will look like as their silhouette behind the screen shows everything therefore we want them to be confident about what they are doing and look sassy bringing lots of attitude on the day of our shoot. 

Complete Target: Neon Cube

Based off our feedback, we realised that creating a neon ball would be too difficult to build and would take time off the shoot day. Additionally, the maximum sphere size that could be built would not be our ideal size and wouldn’t be big enough for the artist to perform inside. We began discussing how we could modify this element without losing the main idea of the singer caged within the ‘light’ tubes. 

To make the sphere we would have needed special built curved neon tubes.

Therefore we decided to use straight light tubes, this will make the building process easier, cheaper and quicker. 

Thus the ‘Neon’ light sphere has been changed into a ‘Neon’ cube.  Building a cube will make things much more practical and is realistically possible, against our time and budget. In addition, the cube will allow more space for the artist to perform in and to interact with.

The artist will be singing in the cube, the light (neon) tube will be a light blue colour. She will be moving around and performing in it. We will shoot it in two different lighting techniques. The first one will be in a room with no light, and only the light from the cube will make her visible. The second will be in a lit room, we thought of using a pink (filter) gels on the lights. Throughout the entire sequence of the room with no light and light, she will be wearing the crop top with the white mesh skirt. When the room is lit, we will have a fan blow her skirt, so that it moves in the air; this will make the shot even more dramatic .

These changes have allowed us to preserve the initial idea and the basic imagery we would like to convey; meanwhile making the construction of this element easier.

Setting Individual Targets

We met in our groups and reviewed the targets we had been given. The main points we needed to focus on were the silhouette wheel; the screens (which the girls dance behind) and the 'neon sphere'. These were the main points we were given feedback and were told to improve so that we could realistically use it. Ellen will focus on improving the silhouette wheel idea; Saskia will work on the screens and I will try to make the idea of the 'neon sphere' to work. The feedback will help us make our elements and ideas more practical and realistic so that we can be well prepared for the production of the music video. 

Feedback for Main Treatment

When we pitched our ideas to Luke, we received some feedback on our idea. The first one was that Luke was not familiar with the construction of a neon ball. His question was how would we build a sphere for the singer to dance and perform, made of tubes of light. Additionally, we were made aware that the size of the sphere would not be as big as we expected and that would limit us in the performance of the singer.  We were also told to feature the male rapper more. We will incorporate the male rappers lip sync to the rap throughout the video so that it isn’t just a random shot of a man’s lips singing.

Another point, was that the success of the video would highly depend on a confident and sassy artist for the music video. Therefore, we would need to carry out some screen tests for the artist before casting.

 Not only do they need to look the part but they also have to convey the attitude of the artist.  

For the element of the singer and dancers behind the screens, we would not be able to shoot it with the 3 screens beside each other in the studio as there is not enough space to do so. For that reason, we will shoot each girl individually behind one screen and then bring the three screens together in post-production effects.

The biggest point we discussed was the rotating wheel with the artists silhouette. The construction of such an element is possible, however it would be expensive to do so. In addition, to have the ball rotate, would prove some logistical and practical issues.

If we are not able to have the wheel rotate, we will make it rotate in post-production. Due to the cost and scale to build the wheel, we will make it the feature element and the artist will move around and interact with it more.  

We did receive feedback to consider, a lot of it can be easily adjusted, but issues like the neon ball and wheel will need to be revised in order to make things more practical. 

Mood Board for Our Target Audience

Below I have created a mood board, of the type of activities, values, attitudes and lifestyle our target audience would fit in. Our target audience are 18-21 females.

18 - 21 Year Old Females

Our Target Audience

Based on our artist and genre, our group believes that our target audience will be females between 18-21. 

We concluded this target audience because studies have shown that people prefer and connect with singers of the same sex. This is due to the singer acting as a role model to the person, the more relatable the artist is (gender, age etc…) the more the person identifies with them; this is also supported by many psychological theories such as social learning theory. The song is also about a girl trying to be with a guy and this also is a relatable topic to older teenagers and young adults. The lyrics themselves are also from a female point of view. Our target audience   18 - 21 year old females, if measured along the VALS scale would fall under the category group of:

• EXPERIENCERS: They are young, enthusiastic, impulsive and rebellious. They seek excitement and are always looking for new adventures. 

This is because the song is mainstream and the artist image would be synthetic which most young adults like, due to the glamour and fame of the artist. The artist will be promoted as being sultry, provocative and having the ‘bad girl’ image which most young adults can relate too.

We will appeal to the target audience through mediums such as the music video. The music video idea is intended to be avant-guard, new and original which would make the audience appreciate the artist’s creativity. 

VALS and Jicnars scales

The VALS and Jicnars scales, are scales (templates) used by institutions in order to segment their audiences and correctly market to different groups of people. Both scales give predictions to institutions on how their audiences are constructed so that they can target them in the most effective method in order to make money off their products. The audiences can be segmented in different ways depending on various social criteria, such as, age, sex, race etc… . 

This method is known as demographic segmentation, which is used in the Jicnars scale. The other method uses psychographic segmentation where audiences are broken into stereotypes and their behaviours, attitude and lifestyle are used to predict what they like, thus helping institutions make money. 

The Jincars scale uses salary, skill and education to determine the category in which audiences are segmented. It is segmented into 7 categories.

•  A - higher management / administration /professional 

•  B - middle management / administration /professional 

•  C1 - supervisory / clerical / junior management 

•  C2 - skilled manual 

•  D - semi and unskilled manual 

•  E - subsistence income / pensioners / widows / casual labour

•  Unemployed 

As the levels increase (E to A) the level of skill, salary and education increase. Institutions’ then market their products depending on the targeted audiences demographic; for example people in group E would be targeted by newspapers such as ‘The Sun’.

Whilst people in group A would be targeted with ‘Forbes Magazine’.

 However, the Jincars scale has been criticised for being outdated and distorted because nowadays people in group C2 tend to make high salaries due to the increased demand for skilled labour, such as construction, plumbing. The scale also does not take into account younger generations into account, who are big consumers especially in media. Although the scale is accurate and works for institutions, it is slightly outdated and excludes younger people, thus reducing the effectiveness of its use. 

The other scale is the VALS, the Values Attitudes and Lifestyle classification system. It is a psychographic profiling system.

It creates a psychological profile of the consumer and their attitudes, beliefs, values and lifestyle choices that are used to predict a consumers consumption. 

 There is a list of different personality types that are used to categorise groups of people so that products can be marketed to them. 

These include (The list of personality types have been taken from a source): 

• ACTUALISERS: Successful, sophisticated, ‘take charge’ people with high self-esteem. They are interested in their own development and expressing themselves. Image is important, not as evidence of status or power but as an expression of their independence and character. They are concerned with social issues. Their possessions and recreation reflect a cultivated taste for the finer things in life. Likely to be established or emerging leaders in business and government. 
  

• FULFILLEDS: Mature, satisfied, reflective people who value order, knowledge and responsibility. Most are well educated and in (or recently retired from) professional occupations. They are well informed about world and national events. They are conservative, practical consumers; they look for durability, functionality and value in the products they buy.
  

• ACHIEVERS: Successful career and work-orientated people who like to feel in control of their lives. They value stability and are deeply committed to work and family. Work provides them with a sense of duty. Their social lives will be centred around family, church and career. They favour established, prestige products and services that demonstrate success to their peers.
  

• EXPERIENCERS: Young, enthusiastic, impulsive and rebellious. They seek variety and excitement, looking for the new, the offbeat and the risky. Still formulating life values and patterns of behaviour they quickly become enthusiastic about new possibilities but are just as quick to cool. They hold an awe for others’ wealth, prestige and power. They find outlets in sport, outdoor activities and social activities. They are avid consumers and spend much of their income on clothing, music and film. 
  

• BELIEVERS: Believers are conservative, conventional people with concrete beliefs based on traditional values: family, church, community and the nation. They follow established routines. As consumers they are conservative and predictable, favouring American products and established brands. Their income, education and energy are modest but sufficient to meet their needs. 

• STRIVERS: Strivers seek motivation and approval from the world around them. They are striving to find a secure place in life. Strivers are concerned about the opinions and approval of others. Money defines success for them but they don’t have enough of it and often feel that life has given them a raw deal. They emulate those who own more impressive possessions but what they wish to obtain is often beyond their means. 
  

• MAKERS: Practical people who have constructive skills and value self-sufficiency. They live within a traditional context of family, practical work, and physical recreation and have little interest in what lies outside of that context. They experience the world by working on it; fixing a car, growing vegetables etc. and have enough skill, income and energy to carry out their projects successfully. They are politically conservative, suspicious of new ideas and respectful of government. They are unimpressed by material possessions other than those with a practical or functional purpose i.e. tools.
  

• STRUGGLERS: Chronically poor, ill educated, low skilled and without strong social bonds. Their chief concerns are for the here and now and ensuring security and safety. They are cautious consumers. They represent a very modest market for most products and services but are loyal to favourite brands. 
  

Unlike the Jicnars scale the VALS scale includes all age group specifically, teenagers. The attitudes and personalities of teenagers are measured on the Teenage VALS scale. On this scale the personality types are: 

• TRENDIES: they crave the attention and admiration of their peers

• PURITANS: who wish to feel virtuous 

• INNOVATORS: who wish to make their mark 

• REBELS: who wish to remake the world in their own image 

• GROUPIES: who just want to be accepted 

• DRIFTERS: who are not sure what they want 

• DROP-OUTS: who shun commitment of any kind 

• TRADITIONALISTS: who want things to stay as they are 

• UTOPIANS: who want the world to be a better place 

• CYNICS: who have to have something to complain about 

• COWBOYS: who want easy money 

Both the Jicnars and VALS scale give a general overview of the population and the individuals within so that products can be marketed effectively.