Camera Angles & MovementThroughout the filming for my music video I used a large variety of camera angles, shots and movement to produce a piece of creative and engaging content. Attempting to challenge myself with the shots I try.Close-Up: A lot of the close-up shots I took are of the prop and my female character. Being able to create an audience focus on

the important prop.

Medium Close-Up: Being able to establish the surroundings as well as give the audience a clear understanding of the situation.

Creating effects with lighting and costume more deliberately. Worms Eye View: Very low

angle looking straight up at her as she walks out of the forest, the rise in her frame position reflects the sudden

powerful nature. Birds Eye View: The downwards angle creating a looking-down imagery; the audience placed in a position of power, but still

relating to the female.

Extreme Close-Up: Used in a transition, keeping the focus

while also presenting the circular narrative structure.

Over-the-Shoulder: Positioning the audience with the female lead,

relating to her and being able to establish a personal interpretation

of what the plant symbolises.

Low Angle: Camera placement low along with the plant, keeping it in the centre

of frame and attracting themes attention to it.

High Angle: Looking down onto the female subject, her

blending into the forest location, looking almost

irrelevant amongst the trees.

Point-of-View: For the very brief opening shots of

the video, I’ve used a P.O.V shot, although

voyeuristic, it establishes the location and situation.

Wide Shot: Having to position myself far back from the sea to achieve such a wide angle. My

actress walking across the frame with the beat of the music, complimenting the lyrics.

Camera Angles & Movement, Theory & Intertextuality

Tracking Shot: Following my female character out of the house and into the car, tracking was difficult with stability, but I think the technique of voyeuristic following makes

the audience feel physically involved with the surroundings and that character.

Third Screening: Using the technique of the viewer visually seeing the frame divided into 3 sections. Throughout my video, I’ve experimented with character placement, whether that be centred or off-centred.

Background: Very few of my shots include the female as a background, but I tried to be

experimental and creative with my shot design, in this image drawing the focus away from

my female character.

Vanishing Point: I shot a scene through the beach huts in Southwold, the shot creates a vanishing point with the angle. Using third

screen, character positioned in the left third, drawing the viewers eyes to the character.

Foregrounding: The majority of my shots throughout my footage include

my female character being in the foreground and focus of the shot,

emphasising the idea of her being the main, centre of attention.

Intertextual Links…The shot types and camera angles I used have

stemmed from various forms of media which have inspired me. Referencing ‘Goodwin’s Theory’ once

more with the idea of ‘the notion of looking’ my use of close-ups and tracking shots do create a voyeuristic

audience, which is the case with film in general, I don’t sexualise my female character though. The notion of looking and this voyeuristic camera style references Joe Wright’s 2007 British Drama ‘Atonement’ with the young female character Briony Tallis being a figure of voyeurism, ‘spying’ unintentionally on her sister. This sense of looking is where the audience are placed

throughout the production.

Linking to Theories…Some of the shot types and camera angles that I have included in my music video production link

to ‘Goodwin’s Theory’. The close-up of the sapling motif; emphasising the significance of the prop throughout my music video. The close-ups of the undeveloped tree constantly reinforce it’s

importance and symbolism to the audience. The overall narrative plot line to my piece is

something I would consider more thoughtful and ambiguous, the strong underlying plot-line allows

people to interpret it differently. Referencing ‘Barthe’s Codes Theory’ my production is an

‘open text’ where the audience are able to create their own meaning from the plot, the ambiguity gives the audience the opportunity to access

different interpretations from the same content.

PropsThroughout my music video, the motif prop of my production is the small, growing sampling of a plant. The sapling is undeveloped and not yet growing into a tree. Following the narrative of the music video; she first picks up the small tree in a forrest, swamped by the other fully-grown trees, taking the sapling

with her as she travels.Complimenting the literal song lyrics of the song: “If you dig up your roots.” The small, undeveloped sapling remains with her, until she returns to the forrest, the

narrative returning to the beginning The end of the music video is where the female then plants the tree back into place again. The tree then grows fully; into a tree, reflecting her own growth. The small prop itself is made from plastic, but from

Travelling around having to ensure the fake sapling doesn't get broken or ruined

a reasonable distance appears realistic, I cut a cardboard roll as a stabilising method to secure the prop in place. My actress then was able to hold around the cardboard small cylinder to keep it stable when moving, also allowing the soil to

sit easily around the plastic tree sapling as my actress carries it.

was difficult, trying not to lose it. The cardboard holding the plant up had to be replaced multiple times, due to the soil resting on it, it often became too weak, the plant falling. However, I’m really happy with how the shots are turning out. Especially some of the footage where I’ve tried really hard to challenge myself with

creating a different lighting design. Having silhouettes and lens flares all added to the ambience and look of the video, during post-production I may modify this to be even more obvious, possibly having to colour

grade during the edit.The only other assigned prop that I used was the train ticket while

filming a short scene in the production. The very brief appearance of the ticket was to portray the journey that the female character then embarks on, the use of the prop to establish to the audience her

motives. I thought it was a subtle way in order to confirm, the audience’s thoughts of her pursuing this journey.

Props Theory & IntertextualityLinking to Theories…

With reference to of there being close relationship between lyrics and the visuals from ‘Goodwin’s Theory’, this is evident

throughout my own music video. My music idea linking explicitly to the lyrics:

“So, if you dig up your roots Then I'll dig up my roots

We can take them with us Wherever we go”

The inspiration from my lyrics really dictated the visual imagery of my music video, the choice of my sapling prop being symbolic of her ‘roots’ something essential to her, an

insecurity or an ambition, depending on the individual viewers’ interpretation. I wanted to be cure to to create visuals which

complimented the lyrical style of the track.

The symbolic representation of the sapling prop is subjective; however, whatever the audience perceive it to embody,

researchers ‘Blulmer and Katz’s Theory’ reflects the concept of content being desirable due to personal identity. This is the idea that the viewer can find themselves reflected in the text, I think my production has the ability to be relatable due to the ambiguity and collective factor that we all have a sense of

insecurity. At some point, I think it’s human nature to be self-reflective and have a sense of insecureness, which I’ve characterised by the undeveloped sapling. The sapling

representing hope, as my female character transports the plant around, preventing it from growing and having this self-

conscious nature about it, this is resolved once re-planted again, allowing it to grow and develop. Jumping forward

years, the plant has completely grown, both the human and plant becoming something new and different.

The symbolism of a prop and it’s importance is something which is

referenced and used in multiple films and forms of media. Christopher Nolan’s

science-fiction thriller, features the totem prop, which is an essential part of the plot

and narrative structure of the film.My own production also relies heavily on the relevance of one

single prop. I think the use of this creates a simple idea, of which complex and creative ideas can be built around. The

choice to clearly establish the importance and integral-ness of the prop, through close-ups and prolonged screen time will

reflect to the audience its significance. In my case, the symbolic interpretations of what the prop means to the

character.

Intertextual Links…

Another intertextual link to my own use of a prop in the music video

production, is from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ with the idea of the enchanted rose flower being a significant object

in the films’ narrative.

The films narrator explaining “If he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken.

If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.” The Rose being a symbol of love and hope for the character, this links to my own production as my main character has a

close relationship to the plant that she carries, it being a external representation of a part of herself.

ActressesThe main featured character in my music video production is the young female. She is played by my sister,

Megan, and has no dialogue or miming to the lyrics; instead the audience are placed as voyeurs but witnessing her carrying this growing sapling throughout her life. The portrayal of the female character is very generic, with

her having no real backstory and there are no characteristics which are emphasised.

The concept of using an older woman at the end, portraying that the young girl has now grown-up, but still goes back to where she first planted the sapling. I thought it would be a fitting end to the music video to see how both the plant and the woman have aged and grown older, yet she still cares about the plant, reflecting how even though she may have grown out of her previous insecurities or maintained them,

they’re still important and relevant to her life, many years on.

I think that this concept of her being a rather generic character, can lead to the audience to identify with her. The audience can apply their own personality onto

her; creating a concept which they can relate to. I think this is especially symbolic with the small sapling of a tree is a metaphor for whatever the audience decide.

The external representation of the characters’ insecurities, ambitions or personality traits (or whatever the audience can apply to it) in the form of the

small tree; the talents which she doesn’t recognise herself, which everyone else can obviously see.

This trait is something she doesn’t recognise herself, and can’t identify until; the small tree grows into a tree - when her character trait or ambition is able to flourish and grow in a suitable environment. Similarly to the small tree sampling that she carries; which is only able to grow again when re-planted. When the sapling finally grows

into a tree, the female’s ambition, self-worth or whatever the plant is symbolic for, has finally grown and developed into something more great.

The only other featured character is an older version of the main character, my Nan agreed to play the role. Her part in the music video being very short, and right at the end. Transitioned by a close-up blink on her eye, then

the shots of her resting her hand against the now fully grown tree, before the credits.

Character Theory & IntertextualityLinking to Theories…

The female character that I’ve created is rather ambiguous in her character traits, clothing and personality, this was something I intentionally created. I felt that creating a

seemingly other ordinary female makes her more relatable. Referencing ‘Lacan’s Re-Identity Theory’ which is

specifically aimed at researching the importance of audience engagement in the content. “Audiences relate to texts where

they can identify with representations of aspects of themselves.” This can be present in lyrics, music or the

musician themselves. In regard to particular social groups, representation can allow them to be included or excluded. While developing this character, I was aware the audience

would have to relate to her, interpreting the plant to be part of her, her own weakness. As I was creating my concept, my

intention was that the sapling represented my female’s insecurities and is symbolic of her hopes and aspirations,

which can only develop once she’s ‘planted’ them securely, allowing them to flourish after.

In terms of my available audience, who would be able to relate to the music video, ‘Neale’s Theory’ of the

construction of different identities in the mass media, stereotypically their being masculine and feminine. However, being faced with a modern and progressive audience, I think that the state of audience can be passive and contemporarily accepting of different readings of the text. My audience may

be obviously females being able to relate to the female character in my production, I don’t think this excludes male viewers; the social values of men being unable to express emotions, yet I believe they will still have insecurities which

are projected onto my female character, the character’s gender not relevant in this situation.

Intertextual Links…The character development of my music video was inspired

by multiple other characters in the media. One of them is ‘Cassie’ from the TV Drama ‘Skins’. The link that I formed between my own character and Cassie is the

prominent existence of their insecurities and how this affects their life. My female character carrying the sapling reflects her awareness of her insecurity, but also have hopes and ambitions which challenge their insecurity. The two female

characters in comparison have the relatable aspect of teenage insecurity, something that I believe everyone can

relate to.

My music video could be compared to represent some of the generic characteristics of other singer-songwriter indie-folk

music videos: In Ed Sheeran’s ‘A Team’ music video the young female

character is in a position of weakness and insecurity, something which is also partially reflected in my own

production. My female character relates to this with her wariness of the crowds, note a lot of my shots are empty of

any other people, creating this sense of isolation and loneliness to the female, singling her out from everyone else.

The representation of female youth can often be

objectifying from the wider media. I intend to challenge the sexualisation of the ‘malegaze’ with my own music video. In Ed’s music video, the girl having a tragic ending, while mine consists of a suggested

positive final note to the production.

Costume

Left is an image of the costume my actress wore in the music video. The dark green top helped to blend her in with the scenic

environment, especially in the forest. The colour also having connotations with nature and therefore the surrounding environment of the music video. As well as black shoes and leggings, the rather

plain and simplistic outfit seemed a characteristic of lots of other indie-folk music videos. I chose to replicate it in order for the

character to be relatable, so the audience can establish their own similarities with the character easily.

The costume of the female in my production remains the same thought my music video. This made the production somewhat more challenging, with having to ensure on the locations shoots that my

actress wore and had the right outfit present on the days of filming. The rather basic and plain outfit adds to the generic character archetype; making it easier for the audience to

then relate to aspects of the character, allowing the viewer to project their own interpretations onto the character.

The choice of costume with my older female is a big contrast to the original younger female’s clothes; the choice to do this was based around the idea that with her age has come personal progression. The contrast reflects her change, being the same person at the core, but as her outward personality change may have occurred.

My sister, was with me throughout the majority of the holiday and because a few of the scenes are shot when we were on holiday, it was reasonably easy to pack these clothes for the outfit to be available when we needed it.

The concept of the older woman finding the sapling that she planted, which is now this fully-grown tree. The progression portrayed with the older female now in the same spot resembles the change with age, how the now

older woman is different to the younger, but remains to be the same person. She’s returned to the same spot, where she found and re-planted the tree, looping the narrative back to the start and completing the story.

Costume Theory & IntertextualityLinking to Theories…

As ‘Gunther Kress’ Theory’ presents, genre is defined as “a kind of text that derives its form from the structure of social

occasion, with its characteristic participants and their purposes.” I think it remained important for me to establish a

character which isn’t out of the ordinary, creating a rather ambiguous character in terms of what they wear and their

persona through the screen makes it much easier for a viewer to project aspects of themselves onto the female.

Referencing ‘Mulvey’s Theory of the Male Gaze’ which discusses the appropriateness of female objectification, the voyeuristic treatment of a woman’s body. I was very cautious

when developing my music video concept that I was not going to objectify or dehumanise my female character with

misogynistic sexualisation of her. So ensured that this wasn’t the case. However, Mulvey discusses the representation of women through the ‘male gaze’ elaborating that mainstream film “coded the erotic language of the dominant patriarchal

order” through objectification, and therefore oppression. Still, a large majority of people in the film and media industry tend

to be male, but as a female portraying another female character, I hope to have challenged the idea of the ‘male

gaze’. The task being difficult as the concept of film is voyeuristic, with the audience being in the position of

voyeurs, but I chose to ensure at no point the audience are placed in a position of control against my female character.

No exploitation or sexualisation of the female body in order to be progressive in my attitudes.

Intertextual Links…

Another female character I was influenced by in terms of costume, was from Lucy Rose’s music video; ‘Bikes’

One of the first places I got inspiration for my own characters costume was from Gabrielle Aplin’s music video: ‘Home.’

Where she’s wearing this very normal outfit, casual clothes which doesn’t look like it has been intentionally designed of

chosen to be in the music video. This casual style seems to be a characteristic

of singer-songwriter music videos, possibly to reflect the rawness of their work; with no record label or distinct

management control. The recurring idea of the outfit not being designed to be

stand-out helped drive my idea in costume style in my own music video

production.

The female from this music video also has a casual characterised costume, relating to what I created in my own production. The idea of the costume

allowing the character to blend in with her surrounding environment was an idea I also used. My characters dark

green top connotes nature; linking to the idea of the sapling she carries.

Locations

Earlier this year I made my own short film called ‘Nostalgia’ (left is a still from it) I thought this would be a great location to return to in order to shoot for my music video. So I went back to that location to shoot a few scenes for the music video, as well as this, Southwold Pier was the main location for the rest of the filming in Southwold. Under the Pier; shadows and vanishing points were created. Being

on the Pier also allowed for some scenic wide shots as well as close-ups to allow a variation in camera angle for my music video. Southwold is a location

My music video was shot in multiple different locations, but the main places were in: Norwich, Southwold, Orford and Winterton. Using numerous locations allowed me to achieve a wider variety of shots which are all

more varied to allow the music video to constantly be providing engaging and different surroundings.Southwold:

Orford:During the summer holidays me and my family stayed in Orford for a week, which was a great opportunity for me to shoot some scenes while the weather was still

good. Orford provided me with great sunset footage, we had to time our shoot well to film by the castle, then get to the Quay before the sun completely disappeared.

There was very few people around the town, making filming a lot easier without interruptions. I was lucky to shoot the Orford footage on a really nice evening; being able to use the sunset to silhouette my female character a well as create lens flare

in some of the shots. Having to use multiple camera angle to capture multiple techniques and add variation to the shots. For me, Orford was a good location to

film in as it was convenient at the time, also, the town is quiet, lading to having minimal disturbances while filming. As well as the fact of it having varied locations

in which I took footage for the music video.

which I regularly travel to with my family; I know my way around the place very well, which came in handy with navigating the small streets and back-roads to find good locations which aren’t bustling with people, as well as being time efficient with the shoot. I chose Southwold because I know it well, it is a beautiful town which has lots

of scenic places, the pier was something I wanted to include and it wasn’t too far to travel to.

LocationsWinterton:

We travelled to Winterton on a weekday, so it was less busy, and then walked quite a way along he beach in order to achieve a wide shot which wasn’t interrupted by other people. After shooting on the beach, we went

Norwich:The majority of shorter, filler shots were taken in Norwich, as well as the start and end of the music video.

stretch of beach, allowing me to achieve a wide shot of empty beach with my actress walking

through. Right behind the beach there are some

over to the sand dunes and shot some more footage over in that scenery. The ability to do tracking shots was incredible challenging due to the very even terrain in that location. I had to walk backwards, trying to keep the camera

steady and my actress in frame. I chose Winterton as a location due to the long

sand dunes, which worked well to have some shots where the focus isn't on my female character and instead is on the foreground. Also, the long stretch of

landscape with the town in the distance was a scenic environment.

There were lots of locations in Norwich in which I filmed; Damby Forest is where I filmed the beginning and end of my music video. I filmed all this footage in one day, making it easier to organise my two actresses to attend the filming. Having to move location slightly to have a fully grown tree included in the shot was made a lot easier by

just being able to move back slightly to have a similar background to the original shot.

I filmed at the marshes; being able to use reflections on the water, being able to use the trees to frame my shots as well as being able to achieve a variety of angles.

Another location where I filmed was by a river, it was a convenient location as it is very close to my house. I think visually it was a great location; the trees acting as framing and I got some shots with thelight coming through the trees. Also, there are multiple shots of locations around Norwich.

Eaton Park is another location that I filmed in, this was one of the busier locations,where I had to be aware of other people in shot. I filmed in multiple locations in the park for variation in the video.

Locations Intertextuality & Theory

I was also inspired by the shot types of featured in Tom Odell’s music video ‘I Know’ although Odell’s video has a darker and

more surreal tone and look to my own production, the location of the forrest is what helped build my own concept. The footage of Odell wandering through the dark forest created this enchanted

and mysterious atmosphere, a sense of reality which is idealised, this is what I replicated in my own music video, however, with my female seemingly unaware of her location and only focused on retrieving and re-planting this sapling. The woods connoting this uncharted area of our imagination, mysterious but enchanting. With the stories of ‘Little Red

Riding Hood’ and ‘Hansel and Gretel’ being a link to this location type.

With links to ‘Goodwin’s Theory’ of links with visuals and lyrics; a focused section of my conceptualisation was with the train station and train track sections:

“Let's get a ticket for those tracks” and “we can get lost between the rails” The imagery of trains and travelling is what inspired my shots for these scenes, the direct and very obvious link to the

lyrics. The train-related locations being a clear link to the song lyrically.

Intertextuality:

Theories:

Another location I filmed at was Winterton, along with the wide shots of the beach, I also captured this wide shot of the dunes and the town on the horizon. The location looks desolate and empty of life with the sparse landscape. Reminding me of the

thriller ‘Essex Boys’ that I studied last year, the secluded landscape creating a contrast between emptiness of the barren landscape and the claustrophobia of the woods.

The marshes was another location I liked specifically for the water reflection, at first making it slightly confusing to split reality from the reflection. Creating this sense of blurred reality, which is something

that is often relevant to music videos, creating a surreal effect. I gained the concept of reflections from a scene in ‘Atonement’

where Robbie’s hand is placed against the water.

Lighting

Some of the specific lighting design features I want to create in my production are:Ambient lighting through the trees in the forest. I’d like to create an enchanted-like fairy-tale effect with lens

flare and flashes of sunlight coming through the branches of the trees. The lighting in the forest will hopefully by rather golden and light, casting shadows from the trees

themselves to add to the chiaroscuro contrast; the female character getting lost in the background, but identifiable and clear in the foreground.

In the very early stages of filming, I was taking a few practice shots, for additional footage, and thought this angle with the sun looked

great. It’s an example of the experimental lighting designs I’m exploring. Due to my locations mainly being outside in secluded environments, non-ambient lighting is very hard to achieve. So

instead, I’m using majority ambient lighting, but trying hard to pay attention to it. As seen in the image (right) I’m using lens flare but

as well as shadows and silhouetted and rim lighting in order to create variations in lighting.

Lighting design is something I want to challenge myself with throughout this music video; as the majority will be ambient lighting from the sun, I intend to be creatively ambitious with my concepts and ideas.

While on the beach; my lighting design is mainly going to consist of key or black-lighting to create a visible image of a defined

character. Having to position my actress with the sun in mind in order to create these effects. Also, the time of day alters the shot

and how the footage is visually, so the time of day when we shoot is something I’m going to be careful about. The more empty scenic

locations were the most challenging to shoot on, with no non-ambient lighting and time limits due to the sunset occurring.

Lighting Intertextuality & TheoryThe British coming-of-age film ‘Submarine’ (left) gave me inspiration for shot in my own music video. The subject silhouetted in the dim

sunset ambient lighting creates a serene and peaceful atmosphere, with the faded tones of the sky in the background, the subject in the

foreground is where the audience are positioned.

I tried to take advantage of the sunsets during the evening, the ambient lighting being varied with the use os sunsets because of creating lens flare. This adds lighting variation to my production, and challenged me

with a limited time-frame to capture all the shots and include the movement I wanted from this location. Inspired by the very defined sunset

in ‘War Horse’ which creates a reflective atmosphere to the piece.

Intertextuality:

Theories:Lighting was something I tried to challenge myself with. The environments in which I filmed were mainly lit with

ambient light, consisting of sunlight. The portrayal of some of my scenes involved; key, silhouetted and rim lighting. These styles all have connotations individually, but as a whole, I aimed to position the audience

alongside the female character, relating with her as the featured subject. As ‘Stuart Hall’s Encoding / Discoing Model Theory’ explores, my choice in lighting may be interpreted differently between audiences. Although the content is encoded by myself, the producer director and editor, it is then decoded by the viewer. There may be

differences between the two different readings of the same code, so while conceptualising lighting design, I had to be cautious that the backlighting and slighted figure of the female created didn’t connote with a villainous

character archetype, and instead the audience all agreed on the idea of her being a relatable character.

The idea of very sharp, defined lighting was inspired by a scene in Joe Wright’s adaption of Ian McEwan’s novel: ‘Atonement.’ As the

young Briony sneaks into the library, her face split into two. The light reflecting her innocence, while the shadow symbolising the lies and

heartbreak caused by what she sees. This strict lighting contrast inspiring a very small section of my own production.