Storyboard

This is the first part of my storyboard.  It shows the opening scenes of the music video, which set the mood and tone for the rest of it, and also give the viewer a good idea of the plot.

Setting/Location Ideas

I have a few setting and location ideas.  These places will be representative or in some way symbolic to the scene they are a part of.

The first example of a location will just be a room.  The lighting should be dim.  I could easily film this in a room in college, as it will just need to be a room with large windows in the background and perhaps some trees outside.  These should be easy to find in the college.  The room setting should play only a very small part in the video, as it will be the location for the parts that occur in the present, with the character remembering back to the past.  There will not be a whole lot needed here, and weather won't really be an issue.

The next example of a location will be Whitby Abbey.

I will be able to get some shots at Whitby, which I will incorporate into my video.  The shots at Whitby will be part of the memory/flashback aspect of the music video.  I hope to get the abbey from a variety of different camera angles.

The final location will be some location outside with lots of trees.  I could either film outside of college in the grounds as there are plenty of areas there which should be quiet and free, or in the park down the street.  There should be lots of autumn leaves falling, and the trees should be almost bare.  This too will form a part of the memory/flashback aspect of the video.

Though I will film three locations, in the actual video I will have only have two settings: indoors and outdoors.  This is because I will combine the trees footage with the abbey footage in an attempt to make them into one setting.  I will have a few establishing shots of the abbey to set the scene and the gothic feel and mood.  I will then combine this footage with the main footage of the trees, in an effort to make them seem like the same location or one location.  A change in weather wouldn't really matter as it would add a possibly supernatural/mystical dimension to the music video.

Costume Ideas

I have been putting together ideas for costume in the video.  I have settled on an idea of two outfits, which I will wear at different times in the video.

The first costume will be for the character in the present day.  He is wearing a costume which includes hair tyed into a poneytail, a white shirt, and a black hook jacket on top.  This costume will be worn throughout the video when it is set in the present.  It is supposed to represent a sort of aristocratic 'period' kind of look, which will also represent the kind of 'thoughtful' persona the character will have during the present.

Shown in the image above is the white shirt which will be worn underneath the black hook jacket pictured above.  This costume might have connotations of education or wealth which will further flesh out the kind of character he is supposed to be.


The second costume will be worn during the character's memories and flashbacks.  It will consist of a black t-shirt, a black leather jacket, a black spiked belt, black jeans, and sometimes black sunglasses.  The character's hair will also not be tied back but will be worn as normal, with no poneytail.

The image above shows the black leather jacket, black jeans and black spiked belt worn by the character during these moments, which will happen in the flashback scenes.  This costume idea is a lot more 'modern' than the other one, but still has the same gothic connotations the first has, tying them both together.  As opposed to the first costume idea, which will show the character's more 'thoughtful' side, this second costume idea is meant to portray his more 'active' side.  Indeed, most of the 'action' or 'event' based shots will happen in the flashbacks and memories.

Moodboard

This is my moodboard:

The moodboard is a collection of ideas.  The house with the angel statue and leaves is upposed to represent a location or setting which will add a very serene and natural feeling to the video.  The inside will also be a location, and some of the items such as crucifixes are meant to be props which add a gothic feel to the video.  The rain is a part of the setting which will add a gloomy and dark atmosphere to it.  Everything else represents a kind of abstract art quality which will add to the surreal feeling of the video.

The colours are conventional of the genre and demonstrate the main uses of colour in the video.  Some of these images give ideas of location and setting, which I should be able to find.  These are just some general ideas and haven't yet been mapped out into a story or plot for the music video to follow.

Pitch

These are my ideas for my pitch so far.

My music video will be even-based.  It will focus on one character who seems to have a memory of the past.  The video will follow through his memories, and also detail the setting.  Most of it will be set in the past through flashbacks.

I will play the main character in the music video and I also have planned out what will happen in the music video.

I have analysed some CD covers and band websites as inspirational texts for the album promotional package that I will be making.

(Opening shows area with falling leaves.)

The main character looks down at an old black-and-white photo.

Main Character then paces the room, sitting back on a chair and drinking from a chalice.

The memory comes in, slightly more greyscaled, showing the main character walking through the rain, looking downwards with a look of deep emotion on his face.  The memory keeps fading in and out as the video progresses.

I am planning to film some of the scenes possibly at home, and some in college.  I also hope to use outdoor scenery to show falling leaves and dead trees.  Indoor locations and props will prove important to the video, as a lot of the story will focus on these aspects.

The main character in the video will also be the only character.  He is a young male, tall and thin.  He is pale and has dark hair, and eyes that display a lot of emotion.  He is tormented by frightening nightmares and memories of the past that he wishes to erase and yet knows that he cannot.

The story will take place in a number of settings.  I just need two rooms with some props which I have myself at home.  I need to film also an outdoor setting with autumn leaves falling, so I have a time constraint here.

Why art mine eyes so closed to all such things that bring these joys of youth once loved?

The basic ideas for my music video so far.

The character- I will play the character in my video.  He is a young man, rather tall, and with pale white skin and long dark hair.  His eyes have dark outlines, reflecting his weariness at the miseries and torments that life can bring, so filled with love and hate entwined.  His mind is confused at all things that pass, knowing that the torments he has faced are just beginning, and that they will never truly end.  And the memories, yea, the memories will never truly leave him.  And in his happiest moments when joyful thoughts do cross his mind, when it seems that all his frightful nightmares have passed him and are now a far-distant memory, when he feels just a small fraction of the truest love and merriment that all are born to know, it is then that the sky grows dark.  And yea, even in that moment when he forgets his past and finally feels the happiness of the present, when he thinks his memories are gone, it is then that they return.  He may hide, indeed he may try to hide in darkness where none can see, but the memories- those horrific phantoms of a tortured mind- they will always find him, and no matter how he begs for mercy, they will always torment him with a hellish fury. 
Those around him do not know of course, and not understanding his suffering they will continue to laugh about it as if it was some childish game, these things that do haunt him so.  And they do not know how they mentally torture him, forcing him to re-live his living hell at every moment, except when he dreams.  But alas- dreams are dreams and life is life.

Video ideas

I am thinking of songs to make music videos to.  Here are some good songs:

 

The first song is a very romantic and beautiful song.  It has some horror-inspired music, which I liked and found interesting.  The sound effects were also very nice and gentle.  LAM is a Gothic/Darkwave band, incorporating some of the themes that I feel will go along well with the plot of my video.

The second song is also very beautiful and seems to be reflective in nature.  The melody is very calming and I like the general sound and feel to it.  I also feel that the ending is very dramatic and I like the lyrical content.

The third song is a song that I like the lyrics to a lot, and I also like the beat and the way the song progresses.  It is a dark New Wave song by Depeche Mode, and I like the sounds the synthesizers create and how the mood to this song also seems very reflective.

The fourth song is another somewhat Goth song, which is by The Cure.  This song is similar to the second one in that it has a very reflective mood to it and the lyrics seem very romantic and deep.

Last Year

I feel that I did well in my exams at A/S level.  I feel that my coursework may have done well enough but I think I could have gotten a higher mark and missed it because of the quality of my photos.  So I am re-doing my coursework.

"Dry your eyes and quietly bear this pain with pride, for heaven shall remember the silent and the brave. And promise me they will never see, the fear within our eyes (my eyes are closed). We will give strength to those who still remain"- The Cruxshadows, Winterborn

Here is a picture of me: