Draft Storyboarding

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.

Actors and Props to be used

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.

Location Planning

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.

Lyric Analysis of Mr.Brightside

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".

Intial Ideas

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.

Case Study of The Killers music video director Sophie Muller

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.