This is the first draft storyboard for the band scenes, I have chosen a wide variety of shots for example Close ups, Establishing shots and midshots etc, for this to give the music video a professional edge to it. Having made research into other music videos I realised having a wide variety of shots is a usual convention.
The last scan is the draft storyboard for the storyline part of my video. Which shows the story of a couple sitting watching TV in a living room. The girl then recieves a text and leaves. After the girl has left the boy goes to see his mate. The girl in the couple goes off to see another boy. While the boy from the couple and his mate drive past them without realising. The boy and his mate park at the pub and go to have a drink. The boy goes to get himself and his mate a drink. On the way to get drinks he bumps into the girl and the other boy, so he decides to leave. The girl and the boy she's with follow him and it finishes leaving an enigma in the viewers head as to what happens next.
Essential Props: Guitars Amps Mics Drum Kit Drum Sticks Tri-pod Video Camera Car Mobile Phone Drink Glasses Actors Band: Lead singer - Has to have stage presence, know all the lyrics, can effectively lip sync (sing). Guitarists: Need effectively play or replcate the playing of a guitar. Need to be comfortable with various close up shots. Drummer: Needs to fit in with band, play a beat on the drums effectively which is very similar to the drumming in the original song. Storyline: Male 1: Needs to be a masculine character to show that he is the man of the relationship. Female: Needs to be comfortable playing a large part in two relationships. Male 2: Needs to be again comfortable playing part of a relationship.
I've decided that there should be a wide range of settings for my music video as it goes over the a storyline as well as a band performing in a room. I have decided that the band scenes will be filmed at Plug n Play studios in Reading. My reason behind this decision is that there will be a variety of props at our disposal to use, such as guitars, drum kit, amps, microphones and lighting. These props are basically essential for any band scene. Another reason behind my decision to film at Plug n Play Studios is that there will be a wide amount of space to move the camera around to film as many different angles of the band as possible.
For the Storyline of my music video locations for filming are:
Inside of a house (Living room, Hallway, Front Door)
Walkway,
Pub
Car and Car park. These locations I feel differentiate well from each other despite being in a very close proximity to each other in Caversham Park Village, which enables me to transport equipment around to different locations quickly and simply. This also means that we can shoot scenes quickly and move onto the next one swiftly.
Having chosen the song Mr.Brightside by The Killers. I have looked into the meaning behind the song. Firstly the guitarist of The Killers Dave Keuning wrote the song about the lead singer's Brandon Flowers ex girlfriend who cheated on him. The song is then initially about woman cheating in a relationship and how the other half tries to cope with it and how the man should move on.
Lyrics I'm coming out of my cage And I’ve been doing just fine Gotta gotta gotta be down Because I want it all It started out with a kiss How did it end up like this It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I’m falling asleep And she’s calling a cab While he’s having a smoke And she’s taking a drag Now they’re going to bed And my stomach is sick And it’s all in my head But she’s touching his—chest Now, he takes off her dress Now, let me go
I just can’t look its killing me And taking control Jealousy, turning saints into the sea Swimming through sick lullabies Choking on your alibis But it’s just the price I pay Destiny is calling me Open up my eager eyes ‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside
I’m coming out of my cage And I’ve been doing just fine Gotta gotta gotta be down Because I want it all It started out with a kiss How did it end up like this It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I’m falling asleep And she’s calling a cab While he’s having a smoke And she’s taking a drag Now they’re going to bed And my stomach is sick And it’s all in my head But she’s touching his—chest Now, he takes off her dress Now, let me go
I just can’t look its killing me And taking control Jealousy, turning saints into the sea Swimming through sick lullabies Choking on your alibis But it’s just the price I pay Destiny is calling me Open up my eager eyes ‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside
I never... I never... I never...
I never...
The song begins with the person telling how he has been coping after an incident about being cheated on and apparently he has been "doing just fine". Which is just what he keeps telling himself.
The third and forth line "Gotta, gotta,gotta be down because I want it all" shows that once he really starts thinking about it he should be "down" (sad) because he had it all and lost it, so he wants it back.
The last lines of the first verse "It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this, it was only a kiss (x2)" I presume from this that the person dealing with the situation is wondering how it started from a kiss which he believes didn't mean a lot at the time.
The second verse is all about the jealousy the character is going through. It starts with "Now I'm falling asleep and she's calling a cab" it then turns into the characters vision of jealousy with the lines "now they're going to bed and my stomach is sick and it's all in my head". Here I believe that he is becoming paranoid in his visions of what is happening.
The next verse is the chorus begins with the line "I just can't look it's killing me and taking control" just shows how bad his own visions are affecting him. "Jealousy turning saints into the sea" basically says that jealousy can turn saints and good people (maybe like himself) into the sea. The last couple of lines "Destiny is calling me, open up my eager eyes, 'cause i'm Mr. Brightside" is the character telling himself that it was destiny and he needs to open up his eyes to see the wider picture as he is Mr. Brightside".
It then goes back to the first verse and is repeated again. Once the chorus is sang for the 2nd time. The line "I never..." appears 4 times. This is quite vague but a possible reason for this is that they character shouldn't have got into the situation in the first place as in " I never".
I having had chats with people that have an interest in my music video and with my research. I gave come up with three different ideas for a music video to the song Mr.Brightside - The Killers. I have decided that all of the ideas will fit into the motive of the song which is about cheating in a relationship.
Idea Number 1
This idea consists of a rock/ indie band performing infront of an audience. In the audience there are a group of teenage friends (between the ages of 16-18), 4 boys and one girl,who is one of the boys girlfriend. Another male in the group of friends has a crush on the girl, as the song goes on it shows the girl cheating on her boyfriend with this boy in a series of flashbacks. Band scenes will be between cuts and shots of the storyline. Towards the end of the song, the girl's real boyfriend finds out about the cheating. This can then end as he finds out or after they have a small fight which depends on how dramatic I would want the video and also whether or not I should have violence in it which would then remove children and small adults from the audience of my video.
What I would need to do fulfill this idea I would need a large amount of people to act out the audience watching the band.
I would need to hire out a venue for the band to perform and find many actors free at the same time.
The storyline could become too complicated for the audience , as the story has to been compressed down to 3 minutes and told through a series of quick cutting shots.
Idea Number 2
This idea is about another teenage couple who are going through a bad patch, they've lost interest in each other as the boy keeps going out with his friends and prefers staying in ,rather than going out with his other half. She then begins to start cheating with another boy and splits up with her boyfriend. Throughout the song again there will be a band performing in a room with cutbacks to the storyline, which show how the ex girlfriend and boyfriend are dealing with the split. Nearing the end of the video the girl decides to give her ex boyfriend one last chance to meet her, but the boy starts running late and as she thinks he is not going to turn up. She walks away to meet the other boy, this would be the end of the video.
What I would need to do to fulfill this idea.
I would have to get a band together to perform.
I would have to get suitable actors for the roles.
I would have to use a wide range of settings and locations for the storyline which may be difficult if there is a number of days for filming.
Idea Number 3
This idea like the last two will feature a band performing running alongside a storyline. The band will not be performing infront of an audience but in an isolated room. The scenes would then switch between the storyline of a couple a bit bored at one of their houses. Until the female in the relationship recieves a text message from a boy who wants to meet her. The boy wonders why she is leaving but does not think much of it. He then decides to go down to the pub with a few mates, whilst his girlfriend has met up with another boy and they are also walking down to the pub. Finally when they are at the pub, the boyfriend decides to get some drinks for his mates. On his way to get the drinks he sees his girlfriend with the other boy, the girl notices and follows him as he is walking out of the exit in anger. Finshing with the girl stuck between her boyfriend and the other boy who she met up with who doesn't know about her boyfriend.
What I would need to do to fulfill this idea.
I would need to get a band together to perform the song and find a room to do so.
I would need to get suitable actors who can act out the roles well and realistically.
Use a wide range of props and settings to give the video realism so audience members can relate to it.
From these Ideas, I have decided to use Idea number 3 in my video. As i believe the storyline will be very easy to follow and gives a sense of realism. Also this would mean I could use local settings for the storyline which would help get filming done and move equipment about. This idea also would not need a large amount of actors so I can keep the cast down which gives more of a chance of people being free on certain days for filming.
The director of the second high budget version of the song Mr.Brightside by The Killers is Sophie Muller.
Sophie Muller is a successful,British music video director, having worked with a immense amount of different bands and artists: Kings of Leon, Blur, The Killers, Coldplay, No doubt, Manic Street Preachers, Shakira and Pink to name a small amount in comparision.
Born in 1962, Sophie Muller has directed over 100 music videos for different artists. She won a Grammy for her work with Annie Lennox with the Diva video album.
Sophie Muller is known for her work with Lennox and the duo which Lennox was one half of The Eurythmics. She has directed over 20 videos for them. Despite being reknowned for her trademark use of having the band or artist playing in an isloated room (Eg. Song 2 - Blur), the variety of music video and genres is very big. From The Killers to Blur to Sophie Ellis-Bextor her videos have had many changes of style.This shows the diversity of her work. Blur Song 2 is one of Blur's most famous songs. The video consists of Blur in a dit lit room performing with a various amount of different shots and angles. In the performance throughout the chorus band members are thrown into walls by a very strong wind. Another Sophie Muller directed video is Sophie Ellis Bextor Murder on the Dance Floor, the video moves away from Muller's trademark isolated room to Sophie Ellis Bextor taking part in a dancing competition whilst singing the song.The difference between Song 2 - Blur and Murder on the Dance floor - Sophie Ellis Bextor is massive.The two videos are completley different genres which shows the difference between Rock and Pop as well as how the directing approach has to be changed with the emphasis on rock videos more on the band performing rather than a storyline.
The Killers have been going since 2001 and originated Las Vegas, Nevada. Their style of music is portrayed by the image that they present. They're a rock band and classified under alternative rock. Most altertnative rock bands are male and include 3 or more members.
Most bands in music videos and photo shoot put a lot of emphasis on guitars as this is a big symbol for rock and also can represent masculinity depending on the colour of the guitar normally black, blue or red. Bands like The Killers tend to wear a lot of dark colours like black and shades of blue which represent the style of music as powerful perhaps. Bands also wear jeans and hoodies a lot in the recent generation of alternative rock, however this style has more impact on punk and skater music styles.The Killers are more of a mature band than those wear hoodies and jeans however as this normally appeals to more teenage bands. The Killers are normally seen in a smart/casual style. I have concluded from this that the band shown in my video. Whilst differientiating from The Killers smart style slightly as a more undergroundy and teenage style, should carry on with the alternative rock style and wear clothes such as jeans, hoodies and dark colours.
What is Indie/Alternative Rock? Indie/ Alternative rock is a genre which comes off one of the Rock genre branches. The genre consists of Rock mixed with a slight bit of pop culture, making it alternative. It's popularity has grown over the years.Lyrics of this genre tend to address topics of social concern, such as drug use, depression, and environmentalism. History of Alternative/Indie Rock Indie Rock (A shorter version for independent rock) is continuously growing. There is also an Indie Chart amongst the UK charts. Indie Rock originated in the 1980s in the USA and UK. In the UK bands such as the Smiths, My Bloody Valentine and The Cure started to influence the indie rock scene which is also be known as a alternative rock. With the growing increase in interest for Indie rock many record companies set up in America specialising in Indie Rock. In the 1990's punk revival bands such as Greenday and The Offspring became popular with punk revival being a smaller genre inside indie rock. Alternative Rock at the time began to be classified as any bands that made it into the mainstream charts and indie rock referred to bands that had not made it into mainstream charts.
From 2000 to the present day there have been alternative rock bands such as Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem , Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Franz Ferdinand Kasabian, Bloc Party, Gorillaz and The Killers have all found their way into either The UK and US mainstream charts or both. A suggested reason for the success behind alternative and indie rock bands from the year 2000 is decline in record sales and increased media exposure on viral marketing of Indie bands online.
The audience of Indie Rock When indie rock originated in the 80s it was sometimes known as College rock in the US due to it's links with college radio. With many students in the US listening to these stations they became the primary audience for Indie and Alternative Rock.
Now days the Indie and Alternative rock genre appeals to mainly teenagers and students as well as various groups of people 20 - 30 years old. A large proportion of people born in the decades 80's and 90's. The songs usually relate to teenagers because of the topic of social concern, with teenagers being confused or not knowing what to think of these subjects as they are still young, they find ways to relate to the lyrics.
The Future of Alternative and Indie Rock With the younger generation now taking more of a liking to Rap and RnB. The popularity of Alternative and Indie rock will die down, with the target audience age growing. There will still be the indie rock chart but it may not get as much coverage as the present day. However with the success that indie and alternative rock bands are having in this day and age, may inspire up and coming bands to perform rock music in the future. Also some smaller bands in the alternative rock and indie rock genre may be able to appear to wider audience by posting videos online on sites such as MySpace and Youtube.
The Killers are under the genre of Alternative Rock/ Indie Rock. Typically The Killers made it big in the UK first, then grew internationally famous one of the reasons they made it this big could be their appeal to a wide range of target audience. They are now big around the world however the countries with the biggest audience are notably the UK and US. The majority of the age range of their audience are probably teens to mid 20's which like similar alternative/indie rock artists.
The audience's hobbies may include playing rock music, Guitar Hero, Video games, Sports. The audience consists of mixed sexes, very close to half and half it is hard to tell by the massive size of the target audience.
Many will be likely to attend gigs, concerts and festivals of the same genre. The majority could possibly be fans of other similar artists such as Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, Coldplay, Muse and The Arctic Monkeys.
Apart from teens, an age that will also be particularly interested are people who were influenced by 80's alternative and electro rock music which The Killers were also influenced by.
The target audience would mainly download albums and songs online due to the introduction of easy and quick access to songs. However older parts of the target audience would go out at physically buy the album over the counter as it is the way of buying music they have grown up with and the traditional way to buy an album, this method of buying music is dying down though due to p2p file sharing and itunes making songs easy and fast to download at a instance rather than going out to find a record shop to buy the CD as a result of this many record stores are disappearing from high streets.
Some of The Killers target audience could be inexperienced bands of Alternative / Indie Rock that have looked at The Killers as inspiration for their own music and how they might inspire to be as big as The Killers.
The Killers have had many videos since their debut album Hot Fuss. The Killers first released the song "Somebody told me" with the music video showing the band playing in an American Desert with a large LED screen behind them flashing and displaying the band's logo. The music video was directed by Brett Simon who is an American short film and music video director. He has worked with rock groups such as Lost Prophets, Rise Against and Queens of the Stone Age in the past. Despite his success "Somebody told me" was his only work with The Killers. The concept of the music video was very similar to New Order's "Crystal" in which features a fictional band at the time called "The Killers" miming the song "Crystal" in front of a large video screen displaying random colours and images. This where the main inspiration for the video came from and where The Killers got their band name.
The start of the video shows the bands silhouettes against a bright, daylight back ground. Then a close up of the drummer with the screen in the background showing the drummer again however in daylight opposed to the darkness of the night that they are playing in. There are also zooming in close ups of the band members against the screen clipped together with a zoom shot of a close up of small lights. As well as a silhouette of a woman infront of the screen displaying The Killers written in pink.Also there is a extreme close up of a red guitar which represents the song as rock early into the video. There then is a lot of establishing shots which pan around the lead singer and the band. There is a collection of two shots in the video as well for example the drummer and bassist. In this shot they have the bassist in the foreground with the drummer behind him and a close up of the bassist Mark Stoermer. Other parts of the video to note is when The Killers name and logo is on the screen in the background it pans out in a 3D effect into the foreground. The end of the video shows an establishing shot which pans down of the band with the night gone and the dawn rising.
Mr.Brightside was the next song to be released in 2004. The song has two versions of music video, the original video shows the band playing on Staten Island New York (this was only shown in the UK), this video was filmed on a low budget before the band was signed up by high ranked record company. They then decided to make an American version music video in November 2004 for Mr.Brightside with a larger budget. This video shows the lead singer Brandon Flowers, Izabella Miko and Eric Roberts as the lead roles of the video taking place in a burlesque show (inspired by the film Moulin Rouge!) directed by British music video director Sophie Muller. Some of the most notable videos she has directed include:
Kings of Leon - Use Somebody, Sex on Fire
No Doubt - Don't Speak
Blur - Song 2, Beetlebum, On your own
Coldplay - In my place
Maroon 5 - She will be loved
Shakira - Hips Don't lie
Mika - Grace Kelly
and many more.
The American version of the video won the "MTV VMA (MTV Music Video awards) Best New Artist in Video award" in 2005 as The Killers had just made it into mainstream music.
The video begins with an establishing shot of The Killers performing on stage which then cuts to another establishing shot of the audience and a close up of a woman (who is the main character in the vide0) with her hand to the side of her bored expressioned face. It also shows a close up man sitting down holding an apple, he is sitting in a single seated, red leather seat and there are none in the establishing shot of the audience this represnts him as the dominant male and shows he has authority and possibly the binary opposite to the lead singer.
After the chorus and various close up and establishing shots of band members and women. It cuts to a midshot of the lead singer and the main female from the beginning looking out from a balcony with fireworks exploding in the foreground, as the female protagonist runs to the main of authority sitting down in a two shot and then a extreme close up of both of their faces.
Towards the end of the video it shows the high authority male (villan) and the lead singer playing checkers which features two extreme close up shots of their faces and a close up of a move on the board which then cuts to a clip of the female character dancing on stage with a smoke effect, followed by a two shot of the males playing and extreme close ups again. Finally capped of with the lead singer Brandon Flower tipping the table over. The video is capped off with close ups of the band and the female character and the lead singer inbetween cuts and finally a long shot of the two sitting down with the lead singer walking away as the screen fades out.
Having considered my options and looking over my shortlist of songs.I decided that firstly I would choose the song Parklife by Blur,however having watched the video and analysed lyrics. I came to the conclusion that ideas are limited and therefore would be similar to the original video. To act on this i went back to my original shortlist and looked at the different songs which could be available for a wide range of ideas. Having spoken to a number of people which have agreed to give some advice to me. I have chosen the song Mr.Brightside by the American band The Killers released in 2004. The song peaked at 10 in the UK Singles chart and spent 71 weeks in the top 100 as well as peaking at no.1 in the UK indie chart. XFM UK Radio Station named it number 1 in their top 1000 songs of all time. Absolute radio ranked it at number 1 in the best songs of the decade with channel 4 as well ranking it at number 2 in the greatest songs of the noughties. The song won two awards the 2005 MTV music video award "best new artist in video" and won "muchmusic video award's best international video - group" also in 2005. It was nominated for numerous awards. It's last appearance in the UK charts was at 97 on 30/01/2010. Six Years after it was released in the UK.
The UK video was the original and produced on a low budget under an independent record company. The genre of this song is considered to be Post-punk revival, New Wave which is a small part of the Alternative Rock genre.
The original video shows the band performing on Staten Island in New York in black and white.
In this shot they have the bassist in the foreground with the drummer behind him and a close up of the bassist Mark Stoermer. Other parts of the video to note is when The Killers name and logo is on the screen in the background it pans out in a 3D effect into the foreground. The end of the video shows an establishing shot which pans down of the band with the night gone and the dawn rising.