First Draft: Statement Of Intent

[ Statement of Intent Plan: Structure of Statement of Intent -

Applicant Name: Lucy O’Donnell

Design Activity: OCR A Level Media Studies Component 3: Coursework

Project Title: ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ Music Video

Overview of the project; defining the question which frames your research interests; defining the aims and outcomes of your proposed research; describing how your research relates to a specific aspect of contemporary creative practice.

Description of intended work; detailing what you want to make; describing the significant qualities of the material outcome you will produce; describing how the outcomes relate to your previous work.

The research; defining the key idea or proposition that you will focus your research on; describing how you will use research (the interpretation and evaluation of information and ideas) to inform the development of the work; listing the key reference and other important sources (which were used to locate the research).

Methodology; detailing the methods that you intend to use; detailing the equipment that you intend to use; explaining how your background gives you the ‘scholarly competence’.

Presentation; must look professional, paying particular attention to the clarity of expression and structure of the statement of intent.

Things to Include:

-      Narrative in the video

-      Multiple settings in the video

-      Multiple representations in the video

-      Lip sync in the video/ other performative element

-      How it has attracted the stated audience

-      How it has produced a clear sense of branding across the two products (music video and website)

-      Logo and title in the video (how it will be implemented)

-      The two original images in the web pages

-      The logo used on the web pages

-      The text content which introduces the artist to fans on the web pages ]

Product 1 – The Music Video

With the song ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ by The Wombats for my pop music video, I hope to present a lively and energetic piece in order to appeal to a 16-24 year old young demographic. I aim to create this atmosphere through a light-hearted and potentially humorous amplifying narrative.

In regards to the performative elements within the video, although I am going to structure it to focus primarily on the narrative, I will include aspects of lip-syncing in order to engage with the audience. In terms of the aesthetic structure of the music video, I hope to employ typical conventions within music videos of the genre, including vivacious and bright colouring, lighting and costume, symbolic of the fun-loving nature of the targeted viewers. Moreover, I will cast predominantly young characters of both gender, of similar age of the audience, so that a range of viewers can identify and actively engage with the on-screen plot and visuals and to be widely representative.

Because of the fact that within indie-pop music videos, costume is vastly not a predominant part of the visuals, resulting in a more naturalistic fashion approach, I intend to place my characters in more casual clothing to heighten the sense of verisimilitude in opposition with the supernaturalism of the narrative. Moreover, to promote the ‘effortless’ image we commonly see within indie and indie-pop media products, in regards to makeup and hair, I aim to create less intense looks for the characters.

Although the music video will be shot in mid-late evening, I aim to counter-balance the darkness with spots of bright and colourful artificial lighting in order to create an upbeat atmosphere, typical of the pop genre, to nullify the potentially gloomy visuals.

In order to meet the requirements within the brief, sections of the music video are planned to be filmed in a benign town-alley setting in combination with a more suburban field-like area. Though contrasting filming locations, a constant is that they are generally recognisable settings to heighten the verisimilitude in order for the audience to relate to and thereby engage with.

Though presented in a jovial tongue-in-cheek way, given the thriller-like narrative and dark background, I am going to amp the saturation of the shots to retain the fun-nature of the music video to interest the young, fun-loving target viewers.

Given the high-energy sound of the song, fairly fast-paced editing will be used, a technique in order to keep the audience engaged and suitably match the feel of the music video. I am also thinking of adding brief sections of diegetic sound to bridge certain visuals and the song.

As a reference to another media product, I have chosen to emulate the iconic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ under-lit chin shot. I have chosen this as it is an image easily recognised and accessible, not only to a 16-24 year old demographic. Furthermore, the chiaroscuro lighting will deepen a sense of eeriness I hope to evoke as well as integrating well with the darkness of the rest of the shots.

Consistent through a large amount of other music videos, lip-syncing is an element I will include within my own to engage the audience and cement the key messages within the lyrics and visuals in which I hope to promote successfully.

Product 2 – The Website

In order to create a sense of synergy and cohesion between my two products, in both the music video and images I plan to employ the same tone and lighting as well as any typography included. I am planning to take separate images from the music video shoot which are exhibit the artist and elements from the narrative.