Mise-en-scene:
The mise-en-scene for our music video has to be really powerful in order to express the desired look and feel of not only 'Lights' but also the band GLITTERKNIGHT. This 'look and feel' of our pop promo will be quite natural but with a contemporarily edgy twist, utilising technology, meticulous thematics and clever lighting to achieve what we've envisioned and refined.
First of all, costume is absolutely key to building
a star image and defining the look and feel of the band. In a previous blog post, I have detailed the costume we're using for the pop promotion with an annotated Polyvore Set. That blog post can be found here. Make-up will be used appropriately; powder for hot studio lights etc. though this will be extended, as mentioned in the costumes post, to Kira's pop of red on the lips and smokey eyes.
The lighting, illustrated below, will include out of focus bokeh style lighting. Aesthetically, this is a really effective technique to build the mystical quality we're looking to achieve with this video but also, it illustrates the song's title; 'Lights'. This lighting effect is the key focus to our pop promo and will be used throughout our promotional package for the album cover and advertisment.
Additionally, the lighting in the studio is also extremely important. Ultilising three-point lighting, we'll achieve a well balanced level of light on the band with just enough shadow to add dimension to the subject without looking harsh. The backlight will ensure that we're pulled out from the bokeh lights in the background and will ensure that things look slightly more three-dimensional whilst adding a sizable flare into the camera lens which I think, visually, will be a really interesting addition.
The props we need for our production are minimal. An old small, vintage looking box is needed for the narrative shoot that light will burst from upon opening (the light source is my iPhone 4's LED flash). Also, an SLR camera will be featured in the video, representing the fear and scrutiny reflected in the lyrics. A massive amount of fairy lights are also required for the studio shots in order to create the main focus of our piece; the bokeh lighting.
The studio at college is the perfect set for our external shots. Setting this up to accommodate our needs will require us to set up the lighting (mentioned above) and cameras. Luckily, we have access to a lot of useful features here including an intricate lighting rig, copious amounts of space and mounted cameras. When everything is in place, we're hoping for a dimly lit, golden tinted set which is full of various types of light beaming into the lens of the camera. If done correctly, this mystical feel we're hoping to create will set the tone of our pop promotion and will be perfect for our overall look and feel. Similarly, the second location is within reach and gorgeously suitable for our production. Christchurch park in Ipswich has forested areas, a quant bridge and a dark tunnel which will all be put to use during the narrative. The latter will be crucial to executing the shot featuring the 'light box' that I've mentioned earlier.
Cinematography:
Through research, we've had to really stop and think about our approach to cinematography when shooting our pop promotion. As we're showcasing the band and constructing the star image, a lot of shots (particularly close ups) are going to be needed and to ensure seamless continuity we'll be using at least two cameras for every take. This will not only save us time but will guarantee that we have enough footage when it comes to editing. The diversity of shot-types and angles is very important to us as this is what's going to make the video interesting to our audience. Camera movements will also ensure this but will also add much more depth to the continuity; for example, cutting from a panning long shot to a fixed close up of the same action.
As we're out-ruled green-screening the background, depth of focus is also going to be
something we really need to grasp for the studio shots in order to make sure the lights in the background are out of focus with the band crystal clear. We will position the cameras accordingly whilst adjusting the aperture and depth of focus accordingly, letting just enough light into the lens to create the effect we need to follow our theme.
Editing:
Editing techniques for our pop promotion will seem simplistic but it will be far more than I've been used to in the past. I aim to colour correct every shot to gain the golden, mystical feel we need (especially in the narrative shots), I will also add various effects such as a glow to some shots to make certain aspects, such as the lights, really stand out. The out of focus fairy lights will also be layered on top of other shots to build a really nice visual style to the video.
The pace of our piece will coincide with the pace of the music and lyrics; we will cut according to this in order to create the right tone and pace of our music video. As I touched on earlier too, we will use continuity editing to ensure that there is clear order to the video; a range of shots will be placed together accordingly though to shake this technique up a bit for interesting viewing.
Lyrics will also be synced up in the piece, with lip-synching matching the music perfectly to create a diegetic effect.
Sound
The sound for our pop promo will obviously centre around the song 'Lights'. We will edit the piece accordingly to reflect the lyrics, pace and tone of the song and all lip-syncing will be synchronized effectively, giving a diegetic effect to the obviously non-diegetic music.
Post by Ben Halliday
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