GP: Responding To A Track

Responding To A Track

Raining In Paris - The Maine (2013) (how I would visualise it)

2) This track would be a rock/acoustic ballad guitar song. The rock genre comes from the punk/rock identity of the band and the not-so-perfect gravelly & non-smooth tone of the lead singer. The song is quite slow so it almost a rock ballad as rock ballads are stereotypically depressing songs which are normally highly emotive. Additionally, it is, recognisably, an acoustic song with the use of the guitar throughout; the song could be of the folk genre too due to the guitar instrumental.

3) I imagine this track to have a lo-fi video as a high budget would not be needed and the setting I imagine it to be in would be in a free & accessible location with all the visuals and set already being there at the location. My idea would only require a few actors (around 3 couples) & one main actor as the story is based around one person; not too many actors would not need to be paid. The lyrics are quite humble & relatable compared to the lyrics being about living the ‘celebrity’ lifestyle & singing about unrelatable things like ‘popping champagne’ on a private jet; the setting wouldn’t be somewhere that not many people have access to as the situation of the song does not relate to only celebrities; this also makes the video more relatable to an audience; the song is more relatable which means the audience would enjoy the song more. The location would be in on the streets of London and in a ‘London apartment’ which could be anywhere as long as it is a room with a window; this makes the budget for this idea very achievable & cheap. Train tickets would need to be bought and the actors and actresses may have to be paid for as they are working for us; this makes the budget higher.

4) Good music video stills:

BriBry – Adventure Time (2013)

This is a lo-fi video with an acoustic song which is quite slow; this is relevant to our song. There is also two-lines-of-action going on but this time, with a split screen showing 2 scenarios rather than 2 things realistically happening at the same time but yet again, enhances the narrative. The locations are all accessible (street or apartment rooms); this is effective as the audience can relate to the scenario of friends having a gathering or hanging out with your friend in an apartment. There are a lot of close-up shots of BriBry’s face which convey an upset emotion; character exposition is achieved through non-verbal language; the narrative of BriBry being upset is clear & makes the song more emotive. There is an urban setting in this particular close-up shot where he is sitting on a bench in a street during the night-time. The colours are all dark & the deep upset is being conveyed which produces a lot of emotion.

I See MONSTAS - Circles (2014)

This video has a long narrative with a bit of performance. The 'Raining In Paris' video is going to have a narrative; this video is relevant. Some of the shots in this video are very relevant to the narrative of 'Raining In Paris'. In this particular scene with these shots there are close-up shots of the main characters face, flashbacks to what is making the character cry (him thinking of the 'good times' with his ex-partner whilst he is not with her) & then the close-up shots again (shot-reverse-shots) which is incredibly effective and relevant to my treatment for 'Raining In Paris'. These particular shots are what I imagined in my head for when the main character in 'Raining In Paris' has a breakdown as flashbacks are being had and there is a close-up shot of him against a wall crying whilst the audience links the two visuals and realises a flashback is occurring which is causing the breakdown. The emotion and desperateness the character conveys through non-verbal language. The close-up makes the shots more intimate; achieves further character exposition. There is also cutting on the beat in this video and this scene contains exactly that, along with non-verbal language being anchored by the beat (the piano chords play when the main character closes his eyes) (the piano instrumental is very much highlighted which very much anchors the visuals). The lighting is lighter (higher-key) and softer in the flashback (the non-verbal language is also softer) which distinguishes the two moods ('good' and 'bad' times) of each visual (narrative is clear to audience) but in my narrative the flashbacks will be in similar lighting as the mood is depressing in each.

5) I couldn't find the budget for these videos

6) The narrative would be clear enough so the lyrics are enhance, not literally (not “a man literally selling umbrellas” at the end), to make the song meaning really clear & really take into account the depressing mood. The narrative is about a  who guy is heartbroken & alone (unrequited love due to “my heart’s in the city of love but it’s raining in Paris) and travels on trains & walks through London (urban location) depressed whilst seeing romantic (hugging, holding hands & being on a date) couples (static shots) along the way (there would a shot of the main character staring for a second then flick to the couple & then back to a close-up shot of the character’s face to show the depressed emotion; you are positioned with the main character); the story of him being heartbroken is clear; character exposition is being achieved. At the start there would be a tracking shot heading towards the main character whilst he is walking along in a park. There would be out-of-focus street lights shots

 emphasising the urban setting, filler shots (objects .e.t.c. on the street) (maybe broken things - inspired by Mikky Ekko's song Pull Me Down) & throughout the song there would be cutting on the beat; the instrumental is highlighted & the video runs more smoothly.  All of this would be shot during the daytime but with grey weather & the actor would be wearing a dark winter coats & scarf. Additionally, I image a long shot of the actor siting down on a bench filmed from the opposite/ parallel pavement of the road & cars flying by out-of-focus in front of the actor. Between 2:39-3:03 the character would have a mental breakdown after experiencing a really hard long day with couples making his depression due to the heart break even worse (the song lyrics mention being alone a lot) and has his (handicam used a lot here to distinguish between ) breakdown where he is leaning his hands against a wall with his head bowed down, angrily throwing stuff (the lyrics say “oh, let it come on down”) around until the 3:03 where he stops and calms down whilst his head is leaned against the wall and the camera is against the wall with a mid/close-up shot of the actors face which then switches to a mid-shot from behind him which shows that he is facing, & looking outside, his window. During the breakdown there are shots with flashbacks of the couples during the day and him staring at them whilst flicking back to the breakdown to build up to 3:03. Then there is a really close close-up shot of the actor’s eyes. At the end there is a tracking shot dragging away from the character as he walks away at the same location where he was walking towards the camera. Both shots are in a park and the character is positioned central to the screen (blocking) with the same costume; the audience know that he is the main character from start to finish & links the two images together whilst making them think about what happened in between these shots.

7) An apartment in London (where his breakdown would be) would not be needed but a room inside would; a spare room in a house (for example, mine) with white walls would be fine with objects in there to throw around. The outdoor setting would be London; this makes sense that the actor is seeing couples everywhere due to the city being highly-populated; this makes the narrative more realistic. The locations will be familiar to the audience.

8) The narrative would be about a guy as the song is sung by a guy; the narrative would be more relevant to the song & the audience would associate the actor with the lyrics. To achieve the narrative, couples would have to be present; at least 6 other actors would be needed.

9) The music video would be black and white which would be done in post-production in Adobe Premiere Elements and selected under the colour section due to the mood of the song being quite dark.

10)-

Lyrics:

Midnight comes in

Paris and as

I light my cigarette

The rain it hits my face

So I start walking

Toward the Ferris wheel

From my hotel on

Champs-Élysées

For now I am alone

I might always be alone

My heart is in the city of love

But it's raining in Paris

What good is a heart of gold

With nobody to share it with

It's coming down, it's coming down

My head can hardly bare it

My heart is in the city of love

But it's raining in Paris

So let it rain on me

See my heart's on fire

But I always got cold feet

Love never really did anything for me

Try telling that to this goddamn city

And if the storm should stop

I'd ask you to dance on some cliche mountain top

We'd share straws at your favorite coffee shop

But life it ain't no romance novel

My heart is in the city of love

But it's raining in Paris

What good is a heart of gold

With nobody to share it with

It's coming down, it's coming down

My head can hardly bare it

My heart is in the city of love

But it's raining in Paris

I met a man

Who sold umbrellas

and

just five dollars

saved me from all that rain

For now I am alone

I think I like being alone

I also think the shots from the I See MONSTAS video (close-up shots) would be perfect for our visualisation of the Lorde song due to our narrative and concept ideas.