Organisation: Filming

I have planned some dates so that I know when I will film and I have let my actress know so that she is also available.

Locations Involving Grassy Fields, Woodlands, etc:

I am filming some of these scenes in Worcester on the 30th October. Worcester is a beautiful place and as I will already be there I thought it would make it more unique if I filmed some of my music video there. My actress will also be coming with me.

Other scenes I need to shoot will be shot in the Lickey Hills just after October half term.

Tyre Swing Scene:

I will film this on a weekend in November. It is short and quick so will not take very long.

Town Scenes:

I am filming some scenes in a town / village center, specifically the town of Worcester on the 30th October.

Drama Studio Scenes:

I need to arrange a day where I can stay behind with my actress and film in the drama studio. I also need to find a time where I can get my other background actors involved in filming in the studio. I hope this will be complete by mid November.

Research into Similar Products: Record Company

I have decided to look at Lana Del Rey's record label so that I have an understanding of who they are. Del Rey's record company is Interscope records which is an American label based in California. It was founded in 1989 by Jimmy Lovine and Ted Field. One of their main distributors is Polydor Limited (who Del Rey also works with) and they distribute to the entirety of Europe. As well as Del Rey, Interscope records also work with artists such as Lady Gaga, Madonna and Eminem. 
By looking at this information I now know who Del Rey works with when creating her music and I have decided that this is the company who I will use and who will be featured on the back of my digipak CD cover and quite possibly at the bottom of my music magazine advertisement.

Organisation: Casting

The casting for my music video is very simple. I am using my friend, Paige as the protagonist in my video. I feel confident that my actress has a good sense of my music video and the way in which I would like it as she has seen the style of my chosen artiste and knows the type of videos she would create.

I am still deciding whether I will feature in my music video. I feel that if I do it may not fit with the lyrics of the song, 'Video Games'. Though I am undecided of this I will still film some footage for my video which features me as well as my actress so that I can view it and decide for definite whether I should be in my music video. 
I have taken some candid photos of my main protagonist, Paige so that I can get a sense of character for her and see how she looks in my prop of a flower crown.

Research into Similar Products: Album Cover Conventions

I looked at Mayday Parade's Album Cover of 'A Lesson in Romantics' and picked out important conventions for the front and the back of an album cover. This has helped further my knowledge of CD cover conventions and I now feel I will be able to skillfully feature them and use my knowledge of them when creating my Digipak for my music video. 

Organisation: Props

Props can be important in some music videos. I have decided to use props in my music video that would make my music video abstract and similar to Lana Del Rey's.
Below I have screen shotted images of props I have bought off of amazon which may be used in my music video. The garland and ribbons will definitely be used in my video as they fit with my style and also Del Rey's style so I have incorporated my chosen artist into my music video through the use of props.

Drafting & Planning: Practice with Effects

I have been using Movie Plus X6 to practice editing raw footage I have filmed. I filmed the protagonist for my music video and edited the footage so that it features cross fade's and colour changes (specifically black and white but also a tint of pink). By doing this I now have knowledge of how to use Move Plus X6 so that I can use it effectively and skillfully when coming to create my real music video.
I am happy with the outcome of this editing, as short as it may be, I am happy I managed to cross fade and change colours throughout it. I also managed to create a slow motion / blur effect which made my protagonist seem slow and it looks as though she has faded in and out as the start. I love this effect and aim to use it in my real music video.

I also used the 'old film' effect on Movie Plus X6 which is very abstract and pretty. I love this effect as it fits in with the style of my chosen artist, Lana Del Rey. Del Rey uses old film effects in some of her music videos so I am happy that I have been able to find an effect that is similar that I may use in some scenes in my music video. 

Organisation: Contacting the Record Company

I have contacted Tap Management who are part of Lana Del Rey's management. I have seeked permission to use her song 'Video Games' for a non profit, educational purpose for my music video. I told the company that I am currently studying Media Studies and will be using the music for my own education and not for anything else.

Research into Similar Products: Conventions of a Music Advertisement

I looked at a slide share which told me all of the conventions of a music advertisement. This helped me to look at an 'Oasis' advertisement and label it with conventions.
Although this is a good advertisement there is no social media links to the bands site, etc and there is no record label logo. Despite these two faults this is a successful music advertisement as it attracts an audience and promotes the band and their album.
This research, although the advertisement is not directly from a magazine, can help me when I make my own advertisement to go alongside my music video as I will understand the conventions I need to put in place to create a successful music magazine advertisement.

Target Audience: Lana Del Rey's Audience and Mine

Target audience is extremely important when it comes to creating a music video. I searched around for Lana Del Rey's target audience as her audience is my ideal target audience.

By researching I found out that Del Rey's target audience is 17 - 28 but it often ranges between 14 - 17 up to 28. Del Rey's audience does not just consist of young females but also males. The audience numbers are equally spread between both genders.

Ideally, I would like the same target audience. Del Rey appeals to her audience through many ways such as her songs. Her songs often feature the story of a girl falling in love with the wrong man or something has gone wrong in the relationship. Del Rey is also very stylish and abstract so my music video would have to have a similar sense to it.

Research into Similar Products: Magazine Advertisement

I have looked at this Magazine Advertisement for Lana Del Rey's short film 'Tropico' which essentially is just three music videos merged together with some voice overs to make a short film.
This advertisement is entirely in black and white which I think is effective as it does not reveal anything about the short film to a reader/viewer.
The font on this poster is a bit spooky and reminds me of a Halloween font. Personally, I would not use a font like this for my advertisement but on this advertisement I think it ties everything together and adds a sense of originality to the advertisement as it is not a typical font such as Times New Roman.

This advertisement has a captivating image in the middle of Del Rey and a snake. This is very unique and not a typical image used on a magazine advertisement. This would catch a viewers/readers eye immediately as it is not a typical image of the artist but one where she is doing something fearless and almost dangerous as she is holding a snake.

This advertisement is very simple, like most of Del Rey's advertisements, it does not give away much information other than the title, an image of the artist and a date and in this case, some names of producers and the actors involved. I love the simplicity as it makes a reader/viewer wonder and become excited about the video which, ultimately, is the effect I want. I want a viewer/reader to want to know more about my video as they are so drawn to my magazine advertisement.

Ideally, on my own advertisement I would like a simple effect so I may consider using the black and white effect and simple font at the bottom. I will not be using such a different and daring font for my title at the top of my advertisement but I will find one that I think is neater and more professional. 

Organisation: Location

In the near future I will be taking my actor who will feature in my music video to Stratford-Upon-Avon to take some shots around the area for my music video, magazine advert and digipak. I am very fond of Stratford-Upon-Avon as a location and think it is beautiful and would fit with my ideas for my music video. I will also stay in Birmingham to film in an area near my house (and the Lickey Hills) that looks over hills and is surrounded by trees and long grassy fields.

Target Audience: Fonts

I posted the two fonts I liked and want to use for my digipak / magazine advertisements. I prefer the first font rather than the second. For a second opinion, I posted them both on twitter and asked for replies. 3 people replied and said that they prefer the first font as it is clear and simple. It is also bold and stands out amongst other fonts. I agree with the responses made and will definitely be using the first font for my digipak / magazine advertisements as I love it. I have also talked about this font in a previous post.