3. It doesn’t have a music video
which will allow the one that we
make to be original.
We are familiar with the lyrics
which allows us to form a
narrative around them.
We prefer the pop genre and it
is well suited to this genre.
It will be easy for us to find
believable actors to play the
singer/characters.
WHY WE CHOSE THIS SONG
4. Our overall vision for the video is to have it split between a narrative and
performance. The performance will take place in the woods as this is well
suited to the song. We will use both close ups and mid shots in order to
showcase the artist (lip syncing) and the video will have an anxious mood
to demonstrate the message of the song. The narrative will follow the
singer and a male character as we see their relationship as the song
describes. The song is about “the fragility and breakable nature of some
relationships” according to the artist, Taylor Swift. So, we will see their
relationship develop from care free to anxious and tense. As the song
builds, the singer in the woods will begin running and the video will end
with her finding a clearing to match the line ‘Are we in the clear yet?
Good.” As she reaches the clearing, she sees the male character to
create a link between the performance and narrative. Dancers will also
be featured briefly during the video. They are never seen in full but close
ups of them will be superimposed over the artist lip syncing to add to the
atmosphere of the video. These close ups will be of their dancing and not
their faces as the focus is still on the artist. The video will constantly cut
between each of these 3 sections with the performance being the overall
focus.
OVERALL VISION
5. BRAND IMAGE + INSPIRATION
We want our artist’s brand image to be dream-like and
whimsical. The relationship in the video falls apart and we
want the artist to still be seen as innocent. The artist will
wear a white, floaty dress to demonstrate this innocence
and purity. Her make-up will consist of light colours to also
create the representation of her being an optimist and
hopeless romantic. Light pinks will connote the love of the
relationship and silver will show her hope. The artist’s hair
will be curled to look natural to again demonstrate her as
ethereal.
We have taken the inspiration of this look from a collection
of artists. Taylor Swift herself also uses a similar brand
image – especially in her music video ‘Safe and Sound’ so
we took inspiration to achieve this look. The album cover of
‘English Rain’ by Gabrielle Aplin also attempts to achieve a
similar whimsical effect. Ellie Goulding’s music video
‘Beating Heart’ uses the setting of the woods and Ellie
Goulding is dressed naturally. This representation and
brand image seems to be popular amongst female pop
artists.
6. The theme of being ‘Out of the Woods’ is the main
aspect of the song so the setting of the woods for the
performance has a strong correlation to the lyrics (Fairy
Lights, Jars, Candles). A dance studio is going to be
used for the shots of the dancer(s). We chose a dance
studio as we thought the mirrors could emulate the
reflective message of the song whilst ‘looking’ is also a
music video convention. The dancers will also use a
quiet country road as this shows a connection between
their dance and the singers performance. The shots of
dancers will be superimposed over the singer again,
reinforcing this idea. Neither of the settings used for the
dancers will be shown in full. The dancers will only be
shown in close ups to capture their movement which
contributes to the atmosphere of the video. They are not
a main focus in either the performance or narrative. The
main setting is outdoors and so the change of setting to
a dance studio creates more variety in the video. We will
also use the interior setting of a house during the
narrative in which we see the singer and a male
character. This represents their relationship as one that
is normal which allows the audience to relate.
LOCATION
7. The costumes used in the video are going to be genre
appropriate as pop videos are known for their use of colour.
We have decided that the singer will wear a floaty, white dress
and subtle, blush makeup. This relates to our brand image of
making our artist seem ethereal. This also suits the pop genre
as the white will starkly contrast the dark colours of the
woods which makes our artist stand out.
The dancers will also wear white floaty dresses and this will
be appropriate for the mood and atmosphere of the video as
we are trying to achieve an innocent association with the
artist.
In the narrative, the singer and male character will wear
ordinary clothing as again, just like the setting, this makes
them relatable and displays the relationship as one that
anyone could experience.
COSTUMES
8. The theme of nature will be present throughout the video as it
is a common feature in the lyrics. Taylor Swift uses this to
emulate her feelings. For example, the crowding trees show
her growing anxiety whilst the rising sun represents her hope.
This is why we decided to set the performance of our video in
outdoor locations.
The theme of love is also present throughout this song. Shown
through the lyrics, the relationship develops from one that is
carefree to one full of anxiety due to the pressure of other
people’s judgement. This is another reason why the woods is a
suitable location. It is a secluded location where there is no
one to judge the relationship. The narrative of the singer and
male character will incorporate this theme.
THEMES
9. THEMES
Woods: The location
of the video
Insert shots of
the sun/sun rise
Will be included
Trees will be a key
theme as the artist will
run through the woods
and we will see close
ups of trees
This demonstrates the
growing anxiety of the
relationship. They
metaphorically ‘hit the
brakes’ on the relationship.
This shows the care free
attitude when the
relationship begins which
grows with anxiety as the
song continues.
10. Genre conventions used in this video include:
Dance routines
Close ups of the artist to showcase them
Insert shots of relevant concepts (Eg. Nature, paper aeroplanes)
Bright costumes
Bold makeup- red lipstick
Narrative and performance relate to lyrics of song
Reference to looking (Mirrors)
Special Effects (One aspect of a black and white image will be
shown in colour)
Intertextual link to other forms of pop culture (Eg. Props in house
location such as an ‘Alice In Wonderland’ book as in both this
and our music video, the woods acts as an escape from reality).
GENRE CONVENTIONS USED
11. Cinematography-
Panning/tilting of the camera to: focus the audiences attention
on the artist, show the expanse of woods and guide the viewer’s
eye line with the singer’s.
Close up shots of the artist, actors and dancers.
Dolly camera to follow the singer through the woods during the
performance.
Long shots to show setting and costume.
Sound-
Lip-syncing with lyrics
Synchronous sound such as leaves and trees rustling. This will
take place at the start and end of the video as an intro/outro to
the song. The artist will shown to be walking through the woods.
TECHNICAL CONVENTIONS USED
12. Editing-
Cutting to the beat of the song
Long takes in slow verses to show original care free feeling of the
relationship.
Short takes in chorus and bridge to show the growing anxiety.
Black and white to highlight the singer and male character in colour.
Slow motion for the dancers and fast motion again to show growing
anxiety.
Mise-en-scene
Costume and makeup relevant to the genre (pop)- Bold makeup and
bright clothing
High key lighting (Eg. Outdoor setting)
Relevant props e.g. a notebook (artist writing lyrics) and polaroid
camera (used by artist and boyfriend in narrative, acts as a visual
representation of the lyrics).
TECHNICAL CONVENTIONS USED
13. Our target audience is females aged 15-19 who are interested
in the pop genre.
We plan on appealing to them by using the relevant mise-en-
scene to create a video which they would enjoy viewing as the
narrative is easy to follow and realistic, and find entertaining
due to the pop genre conventions. The dance routine will also
entertain our audience, and the video should provide an
escape from everyday reality.
We have discovered from our surveys that our target audience
expect to see a partial narrative along with a performance.
The artist will wear modern make up and clothing, making the
video aesthetically pleasing for the target audience.
WHO IS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE AND HOW DO
YOU PLAN ON ATTRACTING AND APPEALING
THEM?
