Music Video Plan
Song analysis - Best Part
Best Part written in 2017 was the winner of the 2018 best collaboration at the soul train music awards, it also won the 2018 grammy away for best R&B performance. The song is a love song in which H.E.R and Daniel Caesar sing about how happy they are having that someone special in their life and about how their the 'best part'. There isn't anything that necessarily says they are singing about each other but some have speculated this. The term 'best part' has been said to be referring to when you watch a movie and you have a best part, it might be the bit that made you feel the most emotions or that you just enjoyed the most.
H.E.R + Daniel Ceasar Target Audience:
Both artists have very varied audiences, and they can range from young teens to adults, and there seems to be an equal split between gender. So, in general, they don't have to market their videos to a specific audience because it is mainly watched by fans of the both of them already. They market their merch towards a particular group of people; for example, the choice of colours could seem to be aimed at a younger generation. These kinds of bright colours are what's trending on social media. Both artists often sing with other famous names in the industry, all with very similar target audiences, and this is how they expand their reach; for example, H.E.R's song 'Come Through' with Chris Brown could help to reach a new audience that maybe didn't listen to H.E.R initially.
Music Video Pitch Evaluation:
I spent a couple of days making the PowerPoint I presented as my pitch for my music video; I still believe I could have been better prepared for it, though. I had an original plan that I presented to my teacher, but what I didn't have was the reasoning behind why this plan would work and what about my project would interest the target audience. In the filming of my pitch, you can tell I am not as prepared as I need to be and that I could have spent more time preparing for the questions I was asked, such as if I had a backup plan.
Interestingly enough, I ended up needing a backup plan when the weather ruined my original plan; as seen in the email attached. I had to explain my new idea to my teacher to ensure he was still happy for me to go ahead with filming it. It would have been better for me to have had this ready and in my original pitch as it would have shown I was prepared if anything interrupted my first idea.
Even at this point, you can see my plan was still only to have one person acting in my music video, which of course, changed when I realised I needed another person to make the narrative stronger. I was planning throughout the entire project only to have one person in my video, but through research and once the first day of filming was complete, it was evident to me that another actor was necessary. Once the second day of filming took place and that footage was put onto my timeline, the video began to come together, and when the editing was complete, I was much happier with it.
Communication with Actor:
The image below shows the communication I had with the actor in my music video. We had previously talked about my plan for my music video and what theme I was going for, after I knew she was okay with that we worked on picking out an outfit that fits with the song. We went for something very simple as the song is very low-key and I wanted the actors to both have outfits they would normally wear. We worked out a time that was right for us but had previously already chosen a location which was Windsor, I believe it is important to show this kind of communication as it shows the professional conversations and planning that went into my final product.
Pre Production:
Pre-Production paperwork is vital to the final product as it helps to plan what you're filming and making. Certain pieces of paperwork are necessary for filming such as shot lists and location recces as they talk about the safety of the location where filming. A risk assessment is important and must be understood by everyone in the production crew and those acting or you could be liable for any injuries. Pre-production such as a production schedule is mainly a benefit for you as it helps to keep track of all work and when it was completed.
Mood Board:
The mood board above shows the idea development of my music video; as you can see, I had a plan that involved filming outside, and I wanted to use a rating of darker colours in my music video. I believe that my final product is very similar to the mood board I initially created. In the pictures I have included, you can see that I always wanted very simple outfits/ costumes, and this was shown in my final project. In the image at the bottom right, you can see the idea of a split-screen implemented into the video in the last 10 seconds.
Storyboard:
I created a storyboard to map out my plan for my music video; I wanted it to contain some of the most important parts I wanted to include. Such as the split-screen, which can be seen in the ninth frame and some symmetrical shots which I was planning from the beginning. In frames 4,5,7 and 8, you can see some shots I originally planned to be symmetrical. I did this because I like the framing look that can be achieved through symmetry and breaks the rule of thirds.
Although a storyboard isn't a complete plan of what you wish to film, it can be convenient to remember any ideas you had that can be easily forgotten when you get into the filming side of it. Next time, I would like to create a multi-page storyboard to plan my video in more detail, which I believe will benefit the result.
