Music Video Treatment / Storyboard Breakdown

Before the music starts to play, I want to make it apparent to the audience that there is a certain mood and atmosphere to my video. The best way I believe I can reflect the tone of my video is by using a ‘grey scale’ filter. This washes out all of the colours from my shots and leaves everything colourless and almost dull-like, which will help link it to the lyrics of the song; the band described their sound as ‘black and white’, so I am trying to portray this in the video. The black and white theme will run throughout the video, but also links to the brand identity of the band ‘Little Gone Life’ which will be seen in my CD booklet and the magazine advert for the single ‘Sweater Weather’.

Also, before the music kicks in, I will show several different shots of a record player. These shots will be in colour, and the grey scale filter will be applied as soon as the music starts. This will suggest that the music is shaping what the audience see, and it will change their view point; it also implies that the couple in the video see a world which is extremely dull and almost lifeless, but they still manage to enjoy their time together and make the most of what they have, which is also implied in the lyrics of the song.

Taylor Swift's video for White Horse

The Neighbourhood's video for Sweater Weather

Lana Del Rey's video for Blue Jeans

The initial beat of the song is extremely quick, shorter than a second per beat, so I will edit together a montage of a few clips which will appear later in my video, mainly scenery. This will grab the attention of the audience and intrigue them and keep their attention for the rest of the video.

As the music starts to play and the lyrics start, I want to capture the theme of my video in these few opening lyrics. The first image that I want to present is a troubled teen, and I believe my first few opening seconds will very easily capture this with my male actor drinking whiskey from a glass in a derelict building; the abandoned building will give a mysterious look to the opening of the video, especially in black and white.

For the next line in the song, I want to show that my video will be relationship focused and portray a young couple; going for the ‘young, dumb and in love’ approach, whilst, at the same time, showing that not everything is as it seems on the surface. There is the general perception that young people can’t be in love as they’re too naive, but I hope to change that perception with my video and the clips of the couple, portraying the teenagers in an adult relationship.

The next scene, which will feature in my lyric video, is a seagull on the beach with the lyrics “I hate the beach” appearing on the screen. Personally, I adore this clip because of how simple it is but also how easily it can capture the audience’s attention.

The next few scenes in my music video will be located on a beach. I will film my male actor looking out to sea, followed by clips of the couple together on the beach. The male character looking at the sea and into the distance, with his girlfriend in the background, implies to the audience that their love and relationship makes him feel miles away and as if nothing else matters. However, it could suggest that he feels alone, and the fact that his girlfriend will be blurred out and not the main focus suggests that she’s not his main focus, at least not currently; this is all seen in the lyrics and later in the video.

 

 

 

Whilst I was studying the lyrics and trying to create a shot for the lyrics “Use the sleeves of my sweater” I wanted to create the idea that this couple are connected and almost the same person; I wanted to reference the young couple being extremely close on the surface but I want to keep the mysterious idea always in the back of my audiences’ minds.

As above, I wanted to reference the closeness of the couple I am portraying in the music video and in the next scene I wanted to try and capture this couple perfectly, in the lyrics “Let’s have an adventure”. I will film a shot of the couple cuddling on the bed together or possibly pulling the sheets over their faces to hide from the camera; I wanted this to show the emotional adventure that this young couple will be going through and not exactly the physical idea that will come to mind when one thinks of adventure.

Whilst I reference closeness of the couple a lot in my music video, I want the idea of mysteriousness to always be present – mainly focusing on my male actor in these mysterious shots. I will use a downward pan, point of view shot of the male actor then a medium shot of his side profile looking into the distance, as I believe this fits nicely with the lyrics “my head in the clouds but my gravity’s centred”.

As I’ve previously talked about, I want to show that this couple are very much in love, and portray their closeness through this. The next few clips will focus around their love and in my next few shots I wanted to show this through the lyrics “you in those high-waisted shorts” and “she knows what I think about”. I want to show the physical aspect of their relationship and just how close and connected the couple is, this is why I will have the male actor brush my female actor’s hair behind her ear while staring intently into each other’s eyes. I believe this captures the idea of love and commitment these people have for each other in this music video while still fitting nicely with the lyrics.

I also want to reference the changing of seasons throughout my video and the changes that my couple will be going through. I want to show that their relationship appears to be comfortable and I believe I can capture this with the couple playing on the beach together in slow motion; this, I believe, will show the joy they have with each other with no care in the world for anything else.

 



Furthermore, I want to show the couple holding hands with each other several times during the video, but mainly with the lyrics “let me hold both your hands in the holes of my sweater”, as this is the main chorus line in the song. I believe I can capture this nicely with my female actor holding hands with my male actor inside of his jumper, directly portraying what the lyrics say. However, I want the clip to, at the same time, imply a subtle mention that everything is not as it seems with the young couple. I will do this by showing a shot of them sitting on a bench with the male actor smoking, as the lyrics “and if I may just take your breath away” play. This links with the idea that the couple are “young dumb, and in love” because the lyrics seem to suggest that he is wanting to take her breath away, which can have several connotations itself, but the clip will show the guy smoking which makes the audience realise that the lyrics is referencing the cigarette.

Next, I will have an alternative shot of the couple lying down on a bed or on some grass, perfectly still with their eyes shut, holding hands, with the lyrics “sometimes the silence guides of minds” playing. I believe this captures the lyrics perfectly and really gives them a physical meaning, as it shows that the couple don’t always need to talk in order to feel close to each other.

I also want to have a slow motion clip of my male actor touching the girl’s waist in slow motion, with the lyrics “the goose bumps start to rise, the minute that my left hand meets your waist”. I want to try and bring in a more ‘sexual’ side to the music video, as it will show that the couple, just like every couple, have intimate moments. As I’ve previously mentioned, I want to portray to the audience that the couple aren’t the false ‘perfect’ couple, as I want my music video to portray a realistic relationship, which has its ups and downs; I believe I can capture this in the next few shots quite accurately. After the slow motion shots of her boyfriend grabbing her waist, I want the female actor to push the male actor away and show the audience the girl walking away in the slow motion. I want this to imply that she wasn’t ‘ready’ for this kind of relationship, referring back to their age, but I also want to show that the guy doesn’t understand why she has walked away, again implying his immaturity. The following shot will show the guy chasing after the girl and grabbing her hand, but she shakes him off as she is not interested, contrastingly showing her maturity to the audience.

Going against the style of my video previously, I want the lyrics to contrast with what the audience are seeing; I am portraying the guy in the video as if he is the lead singer of the band and he has written the lyrics about the girl. This means that the lyrics are how the guy wants their relationship to go, but the clips are what is actually happening between the couple. Whilst the lyrics “cause you love the taste, yeah” are playing, I want the male actor to run his hand through his hair and breath heavily, showing his frustration and confusion as to why the situation isn’t going as how he planned it to, followed with the female actor crying on the sofa.

I  will use shot-reverse-shot in the next few clips to show the contrast between the two, and show how, at certain times in their relationship, it’s as if they’re two different people whom are often distant from each other. I will use shot-reverse-shot to show the male actor sat outside on the doorstep when it’s raining, whilst the female actor is sat on the sofa looking into a warm fire, but is crying, with the lyrics “inside the place is warm and outside it starts to pour” over the top, also showing the contrast.

Whilst the male character is stood outside, I want to show him smoking using a close up shot, implying drug use, which fits with the lyrics “coming down”, and subtly implies that this is the reason for the troubles in their relationship.

 

For the start of the chorus, “one love, two mouths, one love, one house, no shirt, no blouse, just us you find out”, I want to create the idea that the couple were able to accept each other again and show that they are ready to have something ‘more’. I will do this by showing the guy walking back into the house and kissing the girl, showing that this is his way of making up with her. I will then show a medium-close up shot of the couple walking along the landing of their house, with the guy’s shirt and the girl’s blouse dropping to floor, before they shut the bedroom door behind them, implying the more ‘physical’ side to their relationship, which hasn’t often been seen in the rest of my video.

In addition to this, I want to base the video around the seasons and show how the couple grow and change throughout the year.

In the chorus of the song, the baseline stops and the beat is drastically slowed down. To show this in the video, I will have a video of the couple having a slow motion fight with leaves, in order to capture the prospect of autumn when the trees start to die and the leaves fall, but will grow back greener and stronger than before, just like the couple.

I also want to try and capture the girl in the relationship ‘coming out of shell’ and starting a playful but meaningful pillow fight; showing that the couple are a lot more physical and relaxed with each other.

For the next scene, I want to show another change in seasons by the couple having a slow motion snowball fight; to show that, even though they’ve had their ups and downs in their relationship, they’re still playful with each other. I really want to capture the audience’s attention with every season change and I believe this will do just that.

I will use a fade to black transition to show that time is passing, but it will join nicely with the next scene, where the couple in a dark background with sparklers in their hands.

 

 

The camera will cut to a clip of the couple holding hands, and maybes a montage of different clips of the couple holding hands, to show the strength of their relationship throughout the year.

To end the music video, I will show a clip of fireworks in the sky, editing it to make it look as if the couple are watching the fireworks.

 

It will then fade to black again and the band’s logo (flatline) and name will appear on the screen.