Thursday 18 December 2014

First Draft



This draft is the first of several. It only consists of a few shots because my ideas are still not set in stone.  I wanted to try editing and experimenting with my footage at first before coming up with a concrete idea, and I feel that this process actually helped me to figure out a more structured plan, which in turn will result in a better end result.
  For example, I discovered that it's more difficult to show everything you want to, visually, in a short amount of time than I anticipated.  This is something that needs considering when making a music video, because I only have less than 3 minutes to convey my narrative.  I also want the visuals and the lyrics to be connected in some way.  Therefore, I've decided that it would be best to write down what I want to appear on screen, how important it is (how long it's shown relative to the timing of the whole song), where it fits into the lyrics and plan a concrete storyboard from there.  It has been helpful though because I didn't have that understanding before, so now I know how to plan more effectively.
  I also learned about the importance of filming the same shot from different angles.  Rather than having a static shot on screen for too long, I was able to create a more interesting visual by showing it from different angles. (0:20 - 0:27) (0:31 - 0:36)  I was also able to exploit this to match the editing to the beat of the song, as the angle of the shot changes on the beat, thus following the conventions of form.
  A problem I encountered was creating a realistic looking pregnant tummy.  For this draft, we just used balled up tshirts to create an inflated pregnant look.  However, this was problematic, as the folds in the tshirt created bumps which didn't look very realistic.  The shape is also slightly wrong.  Maia also had trouble because she had to keep pulling it up, which was an obstacle for her.  For other shots where Maia actually needs to use her arms, this will be totally impractical for obvious reasons.  The best solution would be to buy a fake pregnant stomach, used in theatre and film.  These are far too expensive, some costing around £75 from the internet.  A solution suggested online, which will be a lot cheaper and fairly easy to do, is to use a beach ball. http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Fake-Pregnancy-Belly  (method 3)  Beach balls only cost around £2, if I need to buy one, or I could just borrow one from a friend for free.
  The first part of the video isn't actually how I intend the end product to look.  It's just to demonstrate the style of editing I will use with the actual footage.  The actual footage will be included in my next draft.

For my next draft, I will have gotten footage for the whole song rather than just the beginning.  I will post more drafts as my ideas become more refined; as my editing is more effective; once I've captured the abstract footage to the best of my ability; when the narrative becomes more clear and concise etc.

Slow Motion test shots


 The iPhone 6 is actually better for filming slow motion than a DSLR or any of the professional cameras I have available to use.  It can film at 240fps, meaning the footage can be slowed down to 10% and still be good quality and not jerky.  The DSLR cameras I have available can only film at 60fps, meaning that when the footage is slowed down, it's more jittery; not fluid, which is how I want it to look
These are just test shots which will be used in my draft.  The aim of this was to practise filming in slow motion.  I also wanted to try different techniques of shattering the porcelain to get the most dramatic effect.  I found that thin, hollow things shatter more dramatically than thicker porcelain.
I found that the more lights you use the better.  When I only had on the white lights, there was a flickering effect when we played back the slo-mo preview on the iPhone.  Turning on the red lights as well reduced the flickering.

 

This is how I want to frame the footage when filming for the real product.  When filming the test shots, I stood quite far away from the shattering.  This was to lessen hazardous risks such as shattered porcelain flying at me.  It did mean, however, that there was quite a lot of 'dead space' in the frame, which would have been better filled with the shattering ornament.  Next time, I'll film from behind a clear perspex screen or something like that, so that I can film closer to the subject without any risk of injury.
I may also shoot from different angles and distances with different cameras to capture the best parts of the shatter effect.  For this I will have to borrow another iPhone or two.  I may also try throwing things at the ornaments, or shooting them with a BB gun, as opposed to just dropping them, as I think this might create a more dramatic effect like in the video posted above.  However, I will aim to shatter the ornament from the bottom so that more of it cracks.

Filming Diary - First draft

Day of filming: Saturday 15th December
Scene filmed: Bedroom (waking up)
Time spent: 1hr
Cost: £5 (train fares for actress)

Organisation:


 

Filming:

Maia and I go to college together so some of the organisation was done face to face.  However we also used facebook messenger and texts to make sure we could contact each other out of college.  This is important for effective organisation, as one person can easily notify the other if there are any changes or disruptions to plans.  In short, noone is left in the lurch if something goes wrong. 

What went well:  I remembered the rule of thirds while filming which meant my shots looked balanced and fairly well composed.  Organising the set before the actress arrived highlighted a few issues and allowed me to address them accordingly.

My original plan was to have the matress on the floor so that the pillow side was near the window therefore closer to the natural light.  However when I actually put the matress there I realised that it was too big and got in the way of the door.








The door wouldn't close because the foot of the mattress was in the way.  This would have interfered with some of the shot types I wanted and would have also made it difficult to leave the room in case of health and safety emergencies etc. 









So instead I put the mattress in the opposite corner of the room.  Further away from the source of natural light but this didn't make much difference because as you can see, the whole room was well lit.   The mattress was no longer in the way of the door and it fit perfectly into the space.  









I put the clothes rail at the end of the bed for three reasons.  It was originally going to go against the wall where I had now placed the mattress, but I obviously could no longer do this.  It also saved space to put it at the end of the bed which was vital as we already had limited space to work with.  It also helped to conceal the boiler in the corner of the room.  







Overview:   Filming went well overall.  I'm pleased with my choice of actress.  I remembered to take each shot from a different angle so I could experiment with them in editing.  Forgot to take a couple shots but this wasn't a major issue as I was still able to piece together the footage that I had got to create a strong enough sense of linear narrative.   This session did highlight the importance of a highly structured storyboard as this was the main reason I forgot some of the shots.  
Next time I'll have my storyboard fully organised so that I can plan the filming properly.  I hope to get all the shots I need finished in one day.  This will require good organisation because we'll have to travel across town to get to one of the locations.  What's more is that we'll be using public transport and filming in winter when the sun sets around 4 O'clock.  Therefore, a good storyboard is very important because if I miss a one vital shot in the location across town, it'll be a lot of effort just to go there again and film it.
However I'm satisfied with the way the day went, especially considering that this was the first filming session and that it's only for my first of several drafts.  I managed to get some good footage and I learnt from my mistakes.

Thursday 11 December 2014

H&S

Potential Risk
Chance of Risk
Preventative Measures
In case of injury
Maia falling back onto pillow could cause injury to head/back
Low - medium
Make sure area is padded, nothing to obstruct her fall
Apply cold compress/heat/plaster where necessary
Smashed porcelain could cause injury/damage to camera
High
Anyone present must wear goggles and stand back from the area where the porcelain is smashed.  Footage filmed from safe distance (zoom in) to decrease risk of damage.  Filming from behind a screen
Depending on severity, apply plasters, pressure to wound.  Worst case scenario take injured to A&E or call 999 for ambulance
Nell could fall from monkey bars in the park
Medium
Ensure someone is stood below (out of frame) to catch her if she falls.  Ensure she has a secure grip on the bars.  Try to use monkey bars that aren’t very high.  Ensure that the shot is planned beforehand so Nell doesn’t have to hold on too long.  Allow breaks between takes. 
First aid measures – plasters.  Worst case scenario go to A&E
Hypodermic needle presents risk of small injury
Medium
Handle with care
Wash with running water












Props List

Prop

Where from?
Cost
MISC PROPS
Lighter
Home
Free
Hypodermic needle
Pharmacy
Approx. £3
Spoon
Home
Free
Antacid tablet
Boyes
60p
Kaleidoscope lens
Handmade
< £5
Handwritten letter
Handmade
Free
Birthday card from child
Handmade
Free
Photo frames
Home
Free
Light up moon
Handmade
Approx. £5
Porcelain items
Charity shops/online
Budget £10-15
Ashtray
Home
Free
Cigarette
Home
Free
Mattress
Home
Free
White sheets
Home
Free
Fake blood
Handmade
Free
Lamp
Home
Free
Clothes rail
Home
Free
Beach Ball
Department Store
Approx. £2
COSTUME
Pink ribbon
Boyes
30p
Black nail varnish
Home
Free




I've put together a prop list with all the things I'll need to have during filming.  Each time I film a part of my video I'll write down all the things from this list that I need.  I'll keep this list to hand to ensure that I've got everything I need thus making filming more organised, efficient and easier.
I've also noted down the source of the prop and the price to help me calculate how much money I'll be spending on props and where I need to go to find them.  This way I can plan any necessary shopping trips to ensure I have everything I need before filming.

Friday 5 December 2014

DIY Camera Rig



I found this tutorial on how to make a compact, mobile camera stabilizer on a very limited budget.  This is extremely useful as it's probably easier to use this rig rather than the DIY steadicam made from the tripod, as it's more compact and looks easier to move around. The tripod stabiliser would be easier than this rig to use for extreme low angle moving shots, as using this for that type of shot would require me to crouch over while walking.  I can use both techniques as they are both extremely cost-effective and easy to make.

Narrative Theories

Tuesday 2 December 2014

Cast

Part
Actor
Picture
Protagonist ‘Porcelain’
Maia

Daughter (age 4)
Nell



Daughter (age 9)
Ella


I have asked a girl from my college, Maia age 19, who studies performing arts, to be the protagonist for my music video.  She has experience in acting which is something I wanted because a good performer in a music video helps to improve the level of quality of the overall product.  Not only this, but my finished music video will hopefully be helpful to her as it could be used as part of her portfolio.  She also has the type of image that I wanted for the protagonist, as she has a fairly slim build similar to the girl in the video for Give Me Love.  Admittedly she doesn't have pale blonde hair and porcelain skin (visual representation of the lyrics) which is something that I was looking for but this was far from essential as I can visually represent the lyrics in many other ways and I prioritise having an actor with experience who can perform well rather than someone who simply looks the part.
  I have asked two sisters who I know well to play the part of the girl's daughters (in the hallucinations and pictures).  I decided to ask these particular girls for a few reasons.  Because I already know the girls and their parents very well as they are good friends of my family, the parents trust me to take care of them both while filming.  It will also (hopefully) be easier for me, as a director, to direct the girls as I have interacted with them numerous times before therefore they will be more comfortable with me telling them what to do and vice versa.  I also know that the girls are both generally well behaved and like me so this will make filming a lot easier and probably more enjoyable!
  Obviously the 'right' image was essential for these roles because it needs to be visually obvious to the audience that they are supposed to be premonitions of her future daughter, due to the lack of dialogue which would otherwise clarify this.  The girls both share characteristics with my protagonist, as shown by the pictures, so hopefully it will be easier for the audience to identify the girls as her daughter. 
  The fact that they are sisters who look very much alike is very useful, as it's plausible that they could be the same person of different ages.
Due to the fact that they are both minors I've asked for parental consent to use them in my video and to post their photos on my blog.

  There are no laws against posting photos of minors online and I'm sure this will be fine, but I figured it would be a appreciated to just check in with her first before posting their photos on a public blog.  As you can see I've reassured her that their full names won't be posted and I've blanked out her last name so there will be no privacy and safety issues.

I will probably use Facebook messenger to make future arrangements regarding filming so I'll be posting more screenshots of this conversation in future.  

Monday 1 December 2014

Where the video may feature

The most obvious place I will post the video to is YouTube which is currently the main platform for music videos and online videos in general.

Statistics from https://www.youtube.com/yt/press/statistics.html
  • More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month
  • Over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube—that's almost an hour for every person on Earth
  • 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute
  • 80% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the US
  • YouTube is localized in 61 countries and across 61 languages
  • According to Nielsen, YouTube reaches more US adults ages 18-34 than any cable network
  • Millions of subscriptions happen each day. The number of people subscribing daily is up more than 3x since last year, and the number of daily subscriptions is up more than 4x since last year
The top 30 most viewed YouTube videos are all music videos barring one.  This demonstrates the prevelance of music videos on YouTube, which is why YouTube is my first option for where my video will feature as it gives the highest possibility for a wide range of viewers.  My audience is also probably very familiar with the site which is important as it means that they are more likely to find my video, as it will be easier to come by.  YouTube also allows convergence with hugely popular social networking sites such as Facebook (.35 billion monthly active users as of September 30, 2014) and Twitter 284 million monthly active users.  Average of 58 million tweets per day)  This is good as it means that my video could be promoted through such means by fans of the band or even the band's page itself, thus reaching an even bigger audience.  Another positive aspect of this is that it allows for feedback on the video through web2.0.  Furthermore, posting to YouTube is easy and free, and allows for 1080p quality videos.  This makes it an effective way of promotion.  The downside to YouTube is the sheer amount of other videos that are on the site.  This means there is more competition for views, as there is such a huge choice for viewers.  However, this may be overcome through means of external promotion on social media.




Tuesday 25 November 2014

Steadicam How-To



I found a way to stabilise camera movement with just a tripod.  This is helpful because I have limited resources and money to spend on buying expensive equipment, but I still want to make my product to be as professional looking as possible.  This will be useful for creating lots of shot types which will probably be used in my video, for example tracking shots, tilts, pans etc.  I will definitely be trying this technique and posting test shots.

Free Lensing/Lens whacking test 1



This is just a rough test shot of an attempt at lens whacking.  I notice that there is quite a lot of camera shake, something I will try to control in my next attempt.  However, I was just trying out the different effects that I could create with this technique, therefore I was moving the lens a lot to shift in and out of focus.  I will try to create smoother footage next time by being more gentle with the camera movements and trying to 'hinge' the lens more smoothly.  However if there is still a little bit of shakiness it shouldn't matter too much as in the final product there will only be short cuts of this type of footage, therefore the shake won't be as noticeable.

Research into themes

Because I'm going to be making my video with a sensitive subject as a main theme, I want to ensure that I portray it correctly and sensitively so as to reduce the chance of offending people who decide to watch my music video.  I understand that there's the potential that people who have been affected by drug use may watch this, not forgetting those who are vulnerable and sensitive such as younger people.  It's important to consider this because media texts can influence people.  I don't want mine to be likely to have a bad influence on watchers.  I also want to be sensitive to the experience of those who have actually been in this situation or know somebody that has.  Furthermore, I want to make the video obviously anti-drugs, so I want to portray the negative effects, however I don't want to make the video too offensive and explicit or people won't watch it.  I also don't want to be too 'soft' in this portrayal as this may appear as romanticising drug use.


First of all I looked at the actual effects of heroin use.  I know that heroin is a class A drug and has serious effects on users.
The image of the boy in the screen shot above is an extreme example of these effects.  My protagonist has become addicted to heroin but the point of the plot is that there is still hope for her; she has started her downward spiral not hit rock bottom completely.  This will be apparent by the fact that she's pregnant as it says that long term users have reduced fertility.

The short term effects mentions a 'rush' and 'drowsiness' but nothing about hallucinations.  I want hallucinations to be included in my video because they are key to the plot.  Therefore, there will need to be a separate cause for these, such as a hallucinogenic drugs e.g. LSD, ecstasy, cannabis or magic mushrooms.  The easiest and most realistic one to recreate in my music video would be ecstasy.  This is because ecstasy isn't as much of a psychedelic drug as LSD and magic mushrooms (this would be too unrealistic as my protagonist's hallucinations are based more on distorted reality rather than a dramatic 'trip').  Ecstasy and cannabis cause more 'mild' hallucinations, rather than psychedelic trips.  However, it would be more difficult to recreate the smoking of cannabis because my actress doesn't smoke, and I wouldn't want to make her do so unnecessarily.  To replicate taking a pill is easy, as all my actress has to do is swallow a sugar pill or a sweet that looks like an ecstasy pill, for example an antacid.
ecstasy pills
antacid tablets

"Lens Whacking" - Close up shots, light leaks etc.



This is a tutorial on lens whacking, a technique used to get extreme close-up shots in focus, create artistic light-leak effects on the footage and have a double plane of focus.
This technique will be very useful to be because some of my shots require extreme close-ups, and some of the dreamy hallucinations. I already addressed the issues of focusing on close-up subjects e.g. glitter in water when filming my test shots.  I initially thought that I would need to use a macrolens to achieve these types of shots.  However, with lens whacking technique, all I have to do is take the lens off my camera and focus manually.  I will experiment with this technique and post a few test shots.

This shot in the tutorial has inspired me in the direction of my character's hallucinations.  I could have a shot of my protagonist in the foreground, and a shot of the daughter in the background, still in focus, implying that she's visible in the character's peripheral line of vision.  Then, the little girl could run away/disappear as the protagonist turns to look at her, and the focus will quickly shift to only the protagonist, creating a sense of isolation.   This will probably be quite difficult to achieve so I will need to practise this shot.  However, if I can pull it off it will hopefully achieve the effect that I want, and will create a visually striking shot.
















Here is an example of the dream like effect that this technique creates.

Friday 21 November 2014

Inspiration & Influences



I have been influenced by other media texts in the development of my ideas.  I have covered the inspiration that I took from Give Me Love and Shake Me Down in my textual analyses; this slideshare highlights other smaller pieces of inspiration that I've taken from various other texts.

Thursday 20 November 2014

Outfit moodboard


Here is a moodboard for how I want my main character to look.  Overall, I want her to have the look of being run down, poor, apathetic and drab.  This will be achieved through the chipped nail varnish, smudged makeup, ripped clothes, messy hair and dry lips.  The colours are also quite dull, reflecting her emotional state.  I have chosen the white, thin top, which she will be wearing while asleep, to reflect her vulnerability and fragility. 

However, I want her past to be shown through the locket and the hair ribbon; symbols of her youth, innocence and happiness. The locket symbolises her yearning for the happiness of her past as they normally have photos of loved ones in them.  In her locket there will be a photo of her mum/parents and her partner, linking to the lyrics 'are you missing the love of your kin?' which I have already picked apart in my lyrics analysis.  The locket could also connote luxury (considering how poor the character is) implying that it was a present or a keepsake from a happier, better time. The pink hat reinfoces this as pink is a rosy, youthful colour, also representing this side of her character in a subtle way.

Mise-en-scene Moodboard

I have created another moodboard to further consolidate the type of imagery I want to include in my final product as my ideas have developed.
Moodboards help me a lot because it helps me to create an overall image of how I want my product to look as a whole through the use of lots of individual images.  This way, I know the types of specific imagery and shots I need to include in my video to achieve the whole desired look.

I have covered most of the elements of mise-en-scene and a few which inspire how I'm going to have the cinematography.  For example; close ups of the crying eyes to put emphasis on the emotion of my character while also creating a visually pleasing shot; different angled shots of a girl sleeping (bottom right) which is possibly how I will film my character when she is dreaming.  I also quite like the costume of the girl in these shots.  The delicate fabrics make her seem more vulnerable and delicate which is how I want her to be portrayed. 

The shots of the glitter and the kaleidoscope images and the images of the burning cigarette and the skull represent the abstract shots within her hallucinations.  The nice shots show how the drugs are making her feel, temporarily, where as the shots of the cigarette and the skull represent the obvious horrible, permanent consequences to her lifestyle. 

First Test Shots




Here is the first edited cut of my first test shots.  They're not in any particular order and don't follow any storyboard; they're just test shots that I've done to become accustomed to using the camera, editing software, and to see how well some of my ideas work and how they can be improved.  I learned a lot in the making of this and identified quite a few obstacles that I need to overcome while both filming and editing.

What I've learnt

  • Shooting at a high frame rate requires good lighting because in low light conditions, there are bars that move down the screen. 
  • It's nearly impossible to achieve a smooth shot without a track, tripod or a dolly.  I tried to create a smooth shot by holding the camera on the tripod but the shot still turned out shaky and looked very amateur
  • How to make and use split tone effect, how it affects the mood of the footage and how save them as presets
  • The finished project needs to be saved in the correct format so it can be uploaded to YouTube


Things I need to improve filming
  • A macro lens to film the abstract (e.g. glitter) shots 
  • A small tripod for filming the abstract shots, as hand held camera was far too shaky (as I anticipated)
  • A dolly/track which I can borrow from college if I book it out.  I will hire it for more test shots and for the days of filming

Location 1 - Bedroom


This is a shot of the first location I've secured; the spare room in my house.  This is for several reasons
  1. The decor (or lack thereof) is good as I want a drab, bare room to portray the poor living standards of my protagonist
  2. It's in my own house, meaning that it's easily accessible and there are no real obstacles for filming.  
  3. The only 'issue' would be getting my actress there, as she doesn't live near me.  However I will pay for her transport to my house on the days of filming.  I'm also hoping to get the bedroom scene filmed in one maximum two days so this should be no major issue.  
I will obviously have to make the room look more like a bedroom, so the right props will be used.  I will probably use my mattress on the floor next to the radiator as a bed.  This way I will have natural light coming in through the window for the scenes filmed during the day, helping to achieve the Li Hui inspired look I'm going for.  I also have a stand-alone clothes rail which will be better than putting a wardrobe in there.  This will save space which, as you can tell by the photo, is limited.  It will also create more verisimilitude as the girl is poor therefore probably can't afford a proper wardrobe to hang her clothes in.  Furthermore, all her clothes will be visible to the audience, so I'll just hang a few items on it to show that she has few material possessions.  I was considering having a kettle and gas camping cooker in there too, to show that this room is all she has as she can't even afford a proper flat with a kitchen (similar to Give me Love).  However, I realised there is no water outlet in the room so this doesn't make any sense as she wouldn't have water to boil in the kettle, hence disrupting the verisimilitude.  

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Shooting in Slow Motion



This tutorial was helpful because some of my footage may be in slow motion.
Having more frames per second means that when the footage is slowed down, it is still of a good quality and doesn't appear jittery.  Because some of my footage may be extremely slowed down, maybe even by 5 times, I will probably try to use the highest frame rate possible to retain good quality.  This may mean that I will have to borrow a camera with the ability to shoot a very high frame rate for some of my abstract footage,

Survey

I decided to conduct a survey as part of my audience research.  (Link below)  I only have 9 responses to far but there will be plenty more to come.  I will shortly make a post about the results when I have some more relevant responses.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KWXKVVP

The first questions of my survey were more general and became more specific towards the last questions.  This way I can eliminate any information that is irrelevant e.g. if the responder doesn't like Rock or Indie and only likes Pop and Dance music then I don't really need to know their preferences for music videos as they are not my target audience.  Conducting the survey in this way helps me to get relevant responses more accurately.

Questions 1 & 2 were about age and gender.  This was to determine the music tastes that were most common among certain age groups and genders, and to establish any certain patterns between these three factors.  For example, if females were a big part of my target audience and their specific preferences were different to those of males, then I would want to try to appeal to females more than males in order to make my product more successful.

In questions 3 & 4 I asked about the responder's favourite genres of music and their favourite artists.  I did this mainly because genre can be a fairly fluid and subjective thing, for example there are a lot of different styles of artists in 'pop' and, more importantly to my specific research, many different interpretations about the definition of 'Alternative Rock' and 'Indie Pop'; the two main genre audiences to which I am trying to appeal.  Asking about their favourite artists gives me a more clear picture of exactly what type of music they like, therefore how much I should consider their preferences when it comes to appealing to my audience.

Question 5 asked about how the responder watches music videos.  The answers help me to decide how would be best to distribute my product in order to appeal to my target market.

6-10 asked about their personal preferences in music videos so I can determine exactly what my target audience likes and dislikes in music videos.  I also asked about the most memorable music videos they had seen.  This will tell me about the kind of things that my target audience finds memorable in music videos, which is something I want to strive to achieve with my product.  A memorable music video is a successful one because if people remember the music video they also will remember the song.  Therefore, the music video was a successful promotional tool.

Friday 14 November 2014

Prop idea; "do you carry the moon in your womb?"



Accidental Shock Therapy: Blue moon ...



here is a link to something I may make myself to use as a prop in my video.

One of the lyrics in the song is;



"Do you carry the moon in your womb?"

For some of the abstract/non narrative shots, I wanted to have the protagonist sat on her bed with this 'moon' as her pregnant tummy as a literal representation of the lyrics.  Instead of using blue LED lights to illuminate it, I would use white/yellow ones to make it look more like the moon.

Wednesday 12 November 2014

Filming tutorials



Due to my low budget, I thought it would be useful to know how to get the most out of my limited resources.






I wondered how film makers shot long tracking shots without getting the tracks in the frame.  This video was useful to see how tracking shots are done, and I might attempt it myself.

Textual Analysis 2

A

Monday 6 October 2014

Texual Analysis 1 - Shake Me Down by Cage the Elephant

  The song 'Shake me Down' is about nostalgia, regrets, and phases of happiness and sadness in life.  The message of the song is, that despite how testing life may seem, you have to have try to stay strong and positive, grasping onto a glimmer of hope no matter how hard it is to find. // ''Even on a cloudy day, I'll keep my eyes fixed on the sun''  

The video's narrative is closely linked with the lyrics, telling the story of an aged man's death, showing his life flashing before his eyes in a series of memories, before he reaches the end of the vision and meets his deceased loved ones 'on the other side'.  I've decided to analyse this video in particular for several reasons.

i) There are overlaps in the genre of this band and RHCP, therefore I can identify conventions within the music videos of the 'alternative rock' style of music, and apply them to my own product.



ii)  The two songs' meanings play on a similar theme; having regrets in life, reflecting on things, death and loss, nostalgia etc.  Furthermore, the moral of Shake me Down is something I would like to incorporate into my video. Through analysing this video I can find interesting ways to represent these themes.