This document discusses the creative choices made in producing a music video. It describes shooting a student character in Newcastle, England to establish the setting. Stereotypical shots of New York City were used to contrast with Newcastle and depict the lyrics about America. Close-ups of the character on his phone looking at New York photos conveyed homesickness. Transitions between buildings in the two cities built anticipation for the final scene of the character walking away as a plane takes off at night.

1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT
USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
SARAH DICK

2. TO SHOW THAT AIDAN WAS A
STUDENT IN NEWCASTLE WE
SHOT HIM READING BOOKS
AND WALKING THROUGH THE
UNIVERSITY INCLUDING CLOSE
UP SHOTS OF UNIVERSITY
SIGNS TO VISUALLY SHOW
WHERE HE WAS.

3. THE FIRST SHOT IN THE
CHORUS SHOWS A TYPICAL
VIEW OF NEW YORK OF THE
SKYSCRAPERS, WHICH SHOWS
THE CONTRAST FROM
NEWCASTLE TO NEW YORK. WE
USED STEROTYPICAL SHOTS IN
NEW YORK TO SHOW THE
DIFFERENCE IN CITIES. ALSO
HAVING MAJORITY OF THE
SHOTS OF NEW YORK IN THE
CHORUS WHEN THEY LYRICS
ARE ABOUT ‘AMERICA’.

4. FOR THIS SHOT, WE FOCUSED
ON AIDAN THINKING ABOUT
NEW YORK IN NEWCASTLE.
WE USED AN OVER THE
SHOULDER SHOT TO SHOW
AIDAN LOOKING ON HIS
PHONE AND PHOTOGRAPHS
AT CLICHE NEW YORK
PHOTOGRAPHS WITH A
HOME SICK LOOK UPON HIS
FACE.

5. TO INCORPORATE OTHER
ASPECTS OF NEW YORK, WE
USED THE NEW YORK TIMES
FOR AIDAN TO READ TO
LOOK AS THOUGH HE WAS
WANTING TO KNOW WHAT
WAS HAPPENING AT HOME.

6. WE USED THE TRANSITION
CROSS BLUR BETWEEN A
BUILDING IN NEWCASTLE
AND A SKYSCRAPER IN NEW
YORK AS THE CAMERA
TILTED UPWARDS.

7. THE NEW YORK SHOTS WERE A
COMBINATION OF LOCATION SHOTS
EITHER PANNING OR TILTING TO SHOW
WHERE IT WAS. AIDAN WASN’T INCLUDED
IN ANY OF THE SHOTS AS THE SHOTS
WERE VISUALS OF WHAT HE MISSED
FROM HOME AND PLACES HE WOULD
HAVE VISITED.

8. IN THE BRIDGE, THE MUSIC
STARTS TO PICK UP BEFORE
GOING INTO THE FINAL
CHORUS. THE BEAT
CHANGES SO I EDITED TWO
DIFFERENT CLIPS THAT CUT
INTO EACH OTHER ON THE
BEAT BEFORE CUTTING TO A
BLACK SCREEN FOR THE
CHORUS. I FOUND THIS BUILT
UP THE EXCITEMENT FOR
THE FINAL CHORUS.

9. THE FINAL SHOT HAD TO END
THE MUSIC VIDEO ON A HIGH
NOTE, SO I DECIDED TO HAVE
AIDAN WALKING AWAY AND
THEN THE PLANE TAKING OFF
THROUGH THE NIGHT THEN
FADED OUT.