Another Song Change

When we tried to work with the footage we had, the true extent of the difficulties of our first day of filming presented themselves. What we had wasn't nearly enough and the footage we shot was full of errors. The lighting wasn't up to standard and the quality of the footage was poor overall. There was a general feeling of dejection and Jacob and Jake raised the point that perhaps our ideas weren't good enough and suggested another song change. Again, we had allowed ourselves to fall into the trap of a narrative piece and it simply wasn't good enough. The general feel was that we should pick more of an upbeat rock song, and have a purely performance-based video.

After some discussion, we chose "Times Like These" by The Foo Fighters. It is a fast paced song with a good rock feel to it. We felt that it would be suitable for a live performance and we decided to go away and carry out a small bit of research each, and come back and present any ideas we had. However, this needed to be done quickly because, again, time was running short.

I decided to take a closer look at the lyrics, which I had analyzed earlier, but in no real depth. I have also noticed that the lyrics I looked at before had a couple of inaccuracies.

I...I'm a one way motorway

I'm the road that drives away and follows you back home.

I...I'm a street light shining

I'm a white light blinding bright and burning off and on.

It's times like these you learn to live again

It's times like these you give and give again

It's times like these you learn to love again

It's times like these, time and time again

I...I'm a new day rising

I'm a brand new sky to hang the stars upon tonight.

I...I'm a little divided

Do I stay or run away and leave it all behind?

It's times like these you learn to live again

It's times like these you give and give again

It's times like these you learn to love again

It's times like these, time and time again

I've found that I really like this song personally and working with it proved a worthy experience. Like I said before, the lyrics suggest an independence, but also an uncertainty. The singer seems to be facing a time of great change in his life and is having trouble deciding where he should go. Despite this sombre tone, the music is very upbeat and I think it would be best if the video was energetic in it's feel. It has a fast-paced drum beat and the main riff running through the song is also played at a high tempo. I had images of a lot of moving shots. The editing should probably be fast paced as well, i.e. quick cuts etc.

Final Planning and Filming

Upon meeting with the group again, I found that the others had similar ideas to me, and that my own personal contributions were well received. The vision for the video was to have an older man, performing the piece, but also, reflecting the message of the song by attempting to be young again. To achieve this we decided to have him performing actions traditionally associated with children. We hoped that this would look comically ludicrous and reflect the vibrant feel of the music. By this point, beginning our filming was becoming a massive priority, so we decided to start as soon as possible. After making our final plans, we agreed to start filming on January 23rd.

Our initial filming was riddled with problems from the very beginning. By leaving it so late, we weren't available to get together to film, with our actor, until 3 o' clock. This meant that we couldn't film any exterior shots, because it would get dark very quickly. So we decided to start filming an interior performance shot at our first location. This location was a cellar used by a friend of ours as a music studio. The room seemed to have the right feel and was available when we wanted to film. However, more problems arose as soon as we arrived. Due to a limited amount of lights and space, it took a long time for us to set up our first shot. What we managed to shoot was fairly good, but we simply didn't have enough time to shoot a suitable quantity of footage. So, we returned to school with what we had, to see if we could do anything with it.

Planning

After finally deciding on a song, we got on with planning. Our first planning meeting was very productive, and our ideas came together well. Everyone had their own individual ideas and there was good contribution all round. However, we did run into several problems. Despite our initial caution, our ideas were largely narrative based. We decided to create a narrative based piece, with supporting performance sections. In themselves these ideas were good. However, we didn't feel they worked together as a whole video.

With this in mind we got together to discuss our options, and unanimously agreed that it would probably be better to change songs. If we stuck with "The Real Damage" we'd be too tempted to create a narrative line or basis to the video. We still thought that Frank Turner would be a good artist to stick with, so after some discussion, we selected our favourite song, "Photosynthesis". I personally thought this was a good choice, because it seemed like a good idea to stick to songs we liked so we still enjoyed working with it.

We agreed to look into the song individually and come back with our ideas. I chose to look at the existing music video for the song

In my opinion, this is a weak music video, especially for the potential that the music has. Although it captures the vibrant feel of the music, the content doesn't really reflect the meaning of the song. I envisioned an adult in an eternal chase of his lost youth, rather than interaction with youth in itself. The song suggests he feels out of touch, and even dislike for the youth of today, so seeing him interact with them didn't really make sense. With this in mind, I decided to present the group with my ideas.

Song Choice and Permission

The time had finally come for our group to choose a song. The general consensus was that Frank Turner would be the most suitable, since we had the most ideas. Our initial choice was the song "The Real Damage". We began our planning for the video straight away. The idea was for a performance-based piece, with a loose narrative backup. We planned for around three settings for live performances, which would form the spine of the video, with the narrative section filling in the remaining time. We felt an exterior setting would be appropriate to the music and general feel of the song. With this in mind, we brainstormed locations that we knew that would be possible. A park in Dartford was deemed suitable, as was a local riverside. For the interior shots we chose a friend's shed and a cellar.
To make the video, we would also need to try and get written permission from the copyright holders of the song. Frank Turner's recording label is the UK-based company "XL Recordings". I used the contact section of their website to email them to ask permission to use the song. However, after two weeks there was still no reply, and we couldn't hold off filming any longer. We decided to begin at the earliest oppurtunity.

Lyric Analysis: Frank Turner (Part 2)

When we realised that Frank Turner was the most popular artist for our group, we made a unanimous decision that it was a good idea to choose one of his songs. We agreed that his music was most suited to the ideas we already had, and thought that we could produce a strong peice based on his music. The general feel of his songs seemed to suit us all and the ideas we had. Initially the song we chose was "The Real Damage", the first track from the album "Sleep is for the Week".

LYRICS:

I woke up on a sofa in an unfamiliar house,

Surrounded by sleeping folks that I didn't know.

On failing to find my friends, I decided that it was clearly time to go.

So I made my way out of the door as quietly as I could - there was no one there I knew to say goodbye.

Squinting in the sadly sobering sunshine of the Sunday morning light.

I started the night with all my friends and ended up alone.

I started out so happy, now I'm hungover and down.

It was about then that I realised that I was half way through the best years of my life.

I scanned the local landmarks trying to find out where I was,

or maybe even find a bus back home.

I was longing for a shower, for clean sheets,

And a charger for my phone.

Suddenly it hit me that I got paid this friday last,

So I rifled through my pockets for some change.

But all I found was a packet of broken cigarettes and a sinking sense of shame.

I had to ask myself:

Is it really worth it? Is any of this worth it?

Well the whole things far from perfect,

But i've yet to figure out a better way to spend my time.

Too many suits and dirty looks made me rack my brains,

The real damage started to sink in.

It's been quite a heavy weekend but I can just about remember where I've been.

Well I started the night with all my friends and ended up alone,

I started out so happy, now I'm hungover and down.

I stood on a street corner and I felt a little sick;

It was about then that I realised I was half way through the first day of the week.

This song is particularly strong in terms of lyrics and theme. This is reflected in the fact that we chose the song and made plans for it. The song is a narrative of the after affects of a weekend's drinking and the revelations it causes the artist to have about his life. He seems to realise that the life he's living isn't doing him any favours. It's affecting his relationships and his health. The ultimate problem appears at the end of the music, when he realises that he's missed an entire day of his life, entirely due the effects of drink.

There would be a lot of things to consider in making a music video for this song. The thing to be avoided most is purely creating a narrative. A narrative-based video would be weak and unproffesional. So we had to make sure we didn't base the entire video on the lyrics, and more try to capture the feel of the song.

Lyric Analysis 4: Frank Turner (pt 1)

Frank Turner was one of the most common artists on our list. With three songs selected he seemed to be a popular choices. The songs we chose were:

- The Road

- Photosynthesis

- Reasons Not to Be an Idiot

THE ROAD

This is the eighth track on the album "Poetry of the Deed" and the first single released from the record.

To the east, to the east,

The road beneath my feet,

To the west, to the west,

Well I haven't got there yet,

To the north, to the north,

Never to be caught,

To the south, to the south,

My time is running out.

Ever since my childhood I've been scared, I've been afraid

Of being trapped by circumstance, of staying in one place.

So I always keep a small bag full of clothes carefully stored,

Somewhere secret, somewhere safe, somewhere close to the door.

Well I've travelled many countries, washed my feet in many seas,

I've drunk with grifters in Vienna and with punks in old D.C.

And I've driven across deserts driven by the irony,

That only being shackled to The Road could ever I be free.

To the east, to the east,

The road beneath my feet,

To the west, to the west,

Well I haven't got there yet,

To the north, to the north,

Never to be caught,

To the south, to the south,

My time is running out.

I felt old before my time but now I keep the age away,

By burning up the miles and, yeah, by eating up my days.

And the nights a thousand nights of pain, a thousand more to go,

before I take a breath and steel myself for the next one thousand shows

To the east, to the east,

The road beneath my feet,

To the west, to the west,

Well I haven't got there yet,

To the north, to the north,

Never to be caught,

To the south, to the south,

My time is running out.

Yeah so saddle up your horses now and keep your powder dry,

'Cause the truth is you won't be here long, yeah soon you're gonna die.

To the heart , to the hearty there's no time for you to waste.

You won't find your precious answers now by staying in one place,

Yeah by giving up the chase.

To the east, to the east,

The road beneath my feet,

To the west, to the west,

Well I haven't got there yet,

To the north, to the north,

Never to be caught,

To the south, to the south,

My time is running out.

Yeah to the south, to the south,

My time is running out

Yeah to the south, to the south,

My time is running out

I face the horizon, everywhere I go.

I face the horizon, the horizon is my home.

I face the horizon, everywhere that I go,

I face the horizon, the horizon is my home

The song seems to be a reflection on the way the singer sees his life. He is addicted to the traveling lifestyle, and finds it hard to change his ways. He reflects on his experiences whilst leading this life such as drinking with "grifters in Vienna, and with punks in old D.C."

Whilst feeling trapped in the life he leads, he also enjoys the perks of such a life. He comments on the irony that he feels happier and more comfortable whilst travelling than he ever does when at home.

In terms of a music video, I could see this working very well. The theme of the song is travelling, and the experiences that come with it. With the right imagination and commitment this could become a very successful video.

Lyric Analysis 3: Paramore

As with Foo Fighters, only one Paramore song made it onto our shortlist, and that song was "Brick by Boring Brick." The song was released as the second single from their third album "Brand New Eyes".

She lives in a fairytale, somewhere that's too far for us to find,
Forgotten the taste and smell of a world that she's left behind,
It's all about the exposure, the lens I told her,
The angles were all wrong, now she's ripping wings off of butterflies.

Keep your feet on the ground,
When your head's in the clouds.

Well go get your shovel, and we'll dig a deep hole,
To bury the castle, bury the castle,
Go get your shovel, and we'll dig a deep hole,
To bury the castle, bury the castle.

Ba-da-ba-ba-da-da-da-da

So one day she fell to crying, coiled up on the dirty ground,
Her prince finally came to save her, and the rest you can figure out,
Well it was a trick, and the clock struck 12,
Well make sure:
To build your heart Brick by Boring Brick,
or the wolve's gonna blow it down.

Keep your feet on the ground,
When your head's in the clouds.

Well go get your shovel, and we'll dig a deep hole,
To bury the castle, bury the castle,
Go get your shovel, and we'll dig a deep hole,
To bury the castle, bury the castle.

Woah, Woah, Woah.

Well you built up a world of magic,
because your real life is tragic.
Yeah you built up a world of magic.

Well if it's not real you can't hold it in your hand,
Or feel it in your heart.
And I won't believe it.
But if it's true you can see it with your eyes,
oh even in the dark,
And that's where I want to be, yeah!

Go get your shovel, and we'll dig a deep hole,
To bury the castle, bury the castle,
Go get your shovel, and we'll dig a deep hole,
To bury the castle, bury the castle.

(x4)
ba da ba ba da da ba da......


The song appears to be a judgement on the way some people live the lives. I feel it is an attack on the lifestyle of building up a positive image of your life, to distract from the real problems. I feel the analogy to a fairytale is particularly effective and portrays the message of the song in a familiar way. It appears to say "even in a fairytale, evil can still catch you" and this reflects to the idea of a song: If you build up this fairytale world about your existence, it doesn't make the problems go away.

In terms of a music video, I think it would be interesting to make one for this song. As I have mentioned before, it is important to stay away from simply telling a narrative. This song would be ideal in relation to that idea, because while the song has a base of narrative, the ideas and messages take hold of the music alot more effectively. Indeed, even the narration itself is merely a metaphor for the message of the song.

With this in mind, even a literal interpretation of the lyrics could produce an effective peice. However, with our own interpretation this could be an extremely high quality video.