Planning the setting and iconography - Miss Georgiou

Planning the setting and iconography

The location is an important aspect of a music video because it allows the audience to see where the characters are and what they are doing, and it also has the potential to make the audience feel as though they are there with the artist. Indie music videos are often filmed in places that are easily accessible to the audience because indie artists do not make a huge profit from selling their music due to the fact that the indie genre does not fit into the mainstream and only appeals to a niche group of people. The setting is often used to develop and make sense of the narrative because the audience can see what the artist is doing for every lyric that they sing. The setting can be used to tell a story in the sense that the audience can see the journey that the characters in the video take through the places that they visit.
The use of iconography is another important aspect of a music video because it often directs the audience to what the artist wants them to focus on by highlighting the most important aspect of the scene. Iconography helps to make a video look more realistic because it can be used to help the audience to understand where the artist is, for example, the iconography of plates and knives and forks would suggest to the audience that the character is in the kitchen.

Setting

We plan on using Amy's car for the driving scene during the montage near the beginning of the video, in particular, the breaking down of the car scene. When filming, we will have to be aware that there may be other cars on the road, and due to the fact that we plan on keeping the car stationary for most of the scene we will have to make sure the characters in the scene are safe in where they are positioned when we begin filming because it is likely that we will be more concentrated on getting the footage that we need, rather than what is going on in our surroundings, therefore to solve this problem we will need someone who is not filming to watch out for oncoming cars and to make sure that everybody is, both in and out of the scene are safe. Morgan, who will be portraying the male character in the video will be seen pushing the car to safety, therefore due to the fact that he is not actually in the car, he is more at risk of potentially getting injured, especially if there are other cars on the road with them. These visuals will link in with the lyrics "my salvation" due to the fact that he is represented as being her saviour because he is pushing her broken down car to safety. A limitation of this location is that we cannot control how many other cars are on the road at the same time, therefore a car passing by may get in the way of our shot and take away from the content of our scene.

We plan on beginning our music video in Molly's back garden, which is where the audience will be introduced to the character of the older lady. The audience will see her holding a photograph of the younger couple, the artist and a male character, which the camera will zoom into and lead into the main narrative of the video which revolves are the two people in the picture. We chose this setting in order to create a peaceful and homely atmosphere, which we want to mirror her emotions, due to the fact that elderly people are often perceived as being peaceful and content with life. This is conventional to the indie genre as you would not expect to see characters of their age in pop music videos which often include dance numbers and revealing outfits. This scene will be most effective if the weather is sunny because we want to show the older lady as being at peace with what happened, which the audience will begin to understand as the narrative develops. If it is raining on the day that we plan on filming on, we could always film inside the house instead and still achieve a homely feel. We also plan on ending the video in the same location because we feel that it will help us to tie the video together. By the end of the video, the audience will understand the elderly woman's importance due to the fact that the narrative is her story, therefore the visuals of her will suggest that she has finished telling it, and may make the audience feel as though she is the narrator of the video. The audience may feel as though the elderly lady is sharing a real life experience that she has lived through, which therefore gives the video more of a 'personal' feel.

The visuals of famous London landmarks including Covent Garden, Camden, Hyde Park, London Eye, Big Ben and the London Bridge will be seen during the time lapse scene towards the beginning of the video, as this will be used to show the audience the development of the relationship as we hope it will suggest to the audience that these two characters have been to all of these places together. These visuals will coincide with the lyrics "I never meant to fall for you", which will clearly tell the audience that she is falling in love with the boy, and that they have been spending a lot of time together. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie songs are often based on real life experiences about love and relationships, which the audience will be able to relate to because it is likely that they have been through similar experiences themselves. A limitation of filming in these locations is that we will not be able to control who else visits these places, therefore it is possible that people may get in the way of the camera and take away from the key aspects of the time lapse, which are the landmarks. Also, we cannot control the weather, and if it is raining on the day of filming it will be horrible to walk around in. Furthermore, we want the audience to feel as though the characters are happy to be together, therefore rain connotes the wrong message and emotions. The rainy weather may also prevent us from getting a clear visual of the landmarks which will make the footage look cheaper, and may mean that we are unable to film because we cannot afford for the camera to get wet.

We plan on filming on the Cow fields in Theydon Bois for the scene where the two characters meet for the first time, when the boy character is walking his dog, who runs off to the girl character, which is what causes them to speak. The location is relatable because lots of people walk their dogs in the park, and the artist is also relatable because she is shown as doing things and going to places that everyday people go to, and does not spend her time in locations that are considered expensive, such as destination holidays or award shows. The use of this setting is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists often have to use cheaper locations to film in because the indie is not the most popular genre of music, therefore artists do not make a huge profit from selling their music which they can then go on to spend on their next music videos. We also plan on filming the spreading the ashes scene in the same location which will appear towards the end of the video. The use of the same setting at the beginning and then again at the end of the video helps us to tie the narrative and love story together and will help us to show the audience how significant the location is due to the fact that this is where they first met and had the two characters not been in that specific place at the same time there would be no basis for the song. This idea links in with the lyrics "you are an avalanche" because it could suggest the idea of love at first sight due to the fact that avalanches are unpredictable, and she was not expecting to meet somebody in the park that day. The limitations that we will face when filming at this location will be our inability to control any other people in the park who may walk into the shot and may therefore take away from the key characters in the scene. Furthermore, we cannot force the dog to run to where we need him to go to, therefore it may take longer to film the scene and get it right. However, it is possible that we will be able to use dog treats in order to try and persuade the dog to run towards the artist as planned. When filming, we do not want the characters to feel uncomfortable or cold, which could happen if it is raining on the day of filming. We could solve this problem by using an umbrella and dressing them in outfits that are appropriate for the weather, or we could always film on another day when the weather isn't as bad, however, we may have a time frame during which we need to finish filming, and we run the risk of waiting to film on a sunnier day that never actually comes. We want for the weather to be sunny during the scene where they meet for the first time because it will connote the idea of their relationship being innocent, and will help us to represent the two characters being happy, due to the fact that the sun is often associated with happiness.

We plan on filming in my house for the performance elements of the video that require a piano because I am the only one in our group who owns a piano. In order to incorporate the romantic aspects of the indie genre into our video we wanted to place some candles on the top of the piano which we believe will create a more romantic feel to the video and help the audience to understand that the narrative is based on a love story because the audience will associate the visuals of candles with dates and romantic meals. However, we will not be able to use too many candles because it increases the risk and we must ensure that they are secure on the piano top so that they won't fall off, especially seeing as the piano is wooden. This use of performance links in with the instrumental which is where the visuals will appear because the audience are made to see that the artist is producing the music that the audience can hear herself on the piano, which helps to make her appear more talented and desirable to work with. The audience may appreciate how hard the artist has worked to be as talented as she is, but they may also envy her for the qualities that she has, which will keep them interested in her as they will be curious to see what else she can do.

We have planned to film the 'row scene' at Amy's house because we believed that she will feel more comfortable in her own surroundings, which will therefore make the video look more realistic and less forced. A limitation of filming at this location is that we need for the lighting to be bright enough so that the audience can see the characters and their facial expressions, but there also needs to be a low key about the lighting to show the audience that they are fighting. This can possibly be achieved through the use of editing and colour tints to make the footage appear darker that what it is. These visuals of the male character wearing an army costume while they argue will coincide with the lyrics "the darkest fairy tale", therefore the audience will understand that he is going to war and that she is upset about it, which could suggest that their "fairy tale" relationship is going to come to an end, and that the two characters are not going to have the happy ending that the audience would have expected them to. The audience may be able to relate to this scene because all couples fight and all relationships have there ups and downs, which also makes the artist more relatable because she is not shown as having the perfect relationship which would be unrealistic. The weather will not prove a problem for using during the filming of this scene because even if it is raining, it will only emphasise the darkness of the scene and the angered emotions that the characters are feeling.

We have also planned to film in the forest in Theydon Bois for the running and goodbye scenes that take place towards the end of the video. During the 'running' scene, the audience will see the artist wearing running gear, looking as though she is meant to be running. They will also see the male character mimicking her actions in what we hope will look like a reflection, that will make it appear as though the two characters are running towards each other. We will attempt to film both of these separate scenes on the same day in order to ensure that the parallel scenes have a similar lighting, and therefore look as though they are taking place at the same time. A limitation of this will be that a change in the weather may cause the lighting to change, and that our lack of control over how long it will take to film or how quickly the sun will set makes it difficult for us to plan when the best time to film will be. These visuals will coincide with the lyrics "I'm making my way home again" because it will suggest to the audience that they are each other's 'home', and that they are running towards each other in order to be together. This may cause the audience to sympathise with the artist because they know that they can't be together and that the artist is upset about it. The use of the same setting twice will cause the audience to associate the location with the bad events that happen in the video, therefore they know what to expect if they see this setting again. All of the locations that our group plan on filming in are considered easily accessible for the audience because it does not cost to go to these places and it is likely that the audience will have been to these places before. The audience will perceive the indie genre as being cheaper because it does not fit into the mainstream, therefore indie artists may not make enough money to be able to spend lots of fancy equipment or green screens, however, the use of affordable locations will make it easier for the audience to relate to the video and view the artist and song as being more realistic.

Iconography

The telephone will be the most important piece of iconography during one of the scenes towards the end of the video where the artist receives a phone call to find out that the boy has died in the war. The audience will see the artist holding the phone to her ear, followed by visuals of the phone hanging from the phone cord, with the artist sitting on the floor beside it looking distraught. We want to use a vintage looking telephone because we feel that this will be more conventional to the indie genre which is often perceived as being old fashioned and as not fitting into the mainstream. The use of vintage iconography could represent the artist as having an individual style and as being stuck in the past. These visuals will link to the instrumental which is when they will appear due to the fact that they will cause the audience to focus more on the narrative and will help them to understand the deeper meaning behind the song. Also, the use of this iconography is significant to the narrative because it shows the artist finding out that the male character has died, which helps the audience to make an emotional connection with the song as they are likely to sympathise with the artist due to the fact that they will be able relate to the idea of loss.

The iconography of a dog will be significant at the very beginning of the music video when the two characters meet for the first time, the audience will see the boy walking his dog in the park, which is relatable because lots of people take their pets to the park, and they will then see the dog run off to where the girl character is standing. The use of this iconography helps us to introduce the artist and the main male character into the video, and makes them appear more relatable and realistic because they enjoy the simple things in life, such as dog walking, which shows the audience that her lifestyle is not as lavish as they expect it to be. This links to the lyrics "my make believing, while I'm wide awake" and the idea that he is too good to be true, that the whole thing was unexpected and such an unlikely thing to happen to her. The use of the dog as iconography will create a relationship with the narrative, due to the fact that the is the reason the two characters got to meet in the first place, therefore without him the song and narrative would not have been possible.

We also plan on using candles during the performance sections of the video during which the audience will see visuals of the artist playing the piano. This iconography links into the lyrics "my salvation" because it relates to the idea that the song is based on a love story due to the fact that candles are often associated with romance, for example, romantic meals. There will also be candles on the table at their first date to connotes the idea of intimacy, which helps us to show the link between the styles of performance and narrative in the video, which is conventional to the indie genre because the use of performance in the indie genre allows an artist to share any other talents that they might have with the audience other than their vocals, which may make them appear more desirable to work with and may also cause the audience to become more envious of the artist, which relates to Goodwin's theory that an artist must be extraordinary. Furthermore, the use of narrative to break up the sections of performance helps to make a music video more interesting to watch and helps the audience to understand the lyrics better because the visuals usually explain the deeper meaning of a song.

Another significant piece of iconography in the video is the car, which will be seen towards the middle of the video when the artists car breaks down and the audience can see the male character pushing the car from behind in order to protect her from oncoming traffic. These visuals coincide with the lyrics "my salvation" as the audience are made to view him as her hero because of the idea that he does not want any harm to come to her which is why he is pushing her broken down car to safety. The artist is represented as being more relatable because she is shown as being stuck, which therefore allows the audience to see that even she needs help every once in a while.

The iconography of the urn towards the end of the video can be used to tell the audience that the male character has died without them actually needing to be told. This coincides with the love story and the idea that something will always get in the way, which will make the video feel more like a mini film because there is usually an event that prevents certain characters from developing and that draws the audience in because they want to know whether they can overcome it. The audience will make an emotional connection with the song because they will be able to relate to the idea of death, and they will therefore sympathise with the artist because if the video is based on a true story the audience will know that the artist has once felt the exact emotions that she is expressing in the video. This piece of iconography links in with the lyrics "darkest fairy tale" because fairy tales are known for their love stories and happy endings, however, the idea of darkness suggests that the two characters do not get a happy ending, which could foreshadow the death of the male character that appears towards the end of the video.

The piano is also an important piece of iconography, especially during the performance sections of the video, as it helps us to show the artist as having other talents, other than just being able to sing, which links into Goodwin's theory and the idea that an artist will be portrayed as being extraordinary in order to make the audience feel envious of how talented she is, which will keep them interested in her and her music because they will want to see what else she can do. The use of performance links into the instrumental sections of the music video because in order to prevent from becoming a product of the music industry, indie artists often produce their music entirely on their own, therefore they have complete say in what happens to their music. Also, the use of both performance and narrative styles within a music video makes it more interesting for the audience to watch because they allow the artist to switch between the past and present, and the performance allows the audience to just focus on the music, giving them a break from concentrating on the narrative.

The iconography of a rifle will be seen following the male character being deployed into the army which will therefore emphasise the idea of war that we have decided to base our narrative on. The audience will see the male character wearing an army costume, running through the forest holding the rifle until he suddenly falls to the ground. These visuals will helps the audience to make an emotional connection with the artist because she does not know yet that he has died, therefore they know more than she does and they can only anticipate what her reaction is going to be when she finds out. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists often base their songs on real life experiences in order to create a deeper meaning and force the audience to make an emotional connection due to the fact that they feel like the events that they are watching have actually happened, therefore the emotions expressed by the artist are real. This narrative links into the lyrics "my salvation" because the audience will view the male character as being a hero in the sense that he died fighting for his country and protecting the people he loved, similar to the way he protected the girl when her car broke down towards the beginning of the video.

At the beginning of the video during the instrumental, the audience will see the iconography of a photograph of a young boy and girl, which will help us to introduce the two main characters into the video because the camera goes on to zoom into the picture which begins the narrative and the song. Due to the fact that the elderly lady is the one holding the photograph, it will suggest to the audience that there is a relationship between the older lady and the younger girl in the picture, we which hope will draw the audience in to wanting to know her relevance in the story. The iconography of the photograph links into the lyrics "a psychedelic silhouette" because similar to a silhouette, a photograph is just an outline of something, it is not actually the real thing. The artist is singing about a person as if they were only a memory, which compliments the visuals of a picture because a picture is just a memory. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie music videos are often based on real life experiences and indie artists create emotional connections in their songs in order to draw the audience in and make them feel something. This iconography could foreshadow the death of the male character which happens towards the end of the video, because at the time of singing he would have been dead, and she is only singing about the memories she has of him. The audience may feel as though the artist is sharing a personal story with them, which may help them to feel closer to her and appreciate how honest she is being with them, which further suggests that she trusts them like she would a friend. The photograph helps to set up the narrative and gives the audience as basis regarding what the video is going to revolve around. The same piece of iconography will be seen at the end of the video because we felt that it would help us to tie the story together, in the sense that the video begins in the present, goes back to the past and then returns to the present. The audience will feel as though the artist has told them everything they need to know about that experience, and that she was being completely honest with them.

The use of setting and iconography will help the artist to build a relationship with the audience because they will be able to turn their music video into a short story that engages the audience and allows them to understand the song better. The use of setting allows the audience to see exactly where the artist is and what they are doing, which therefore makes them feel more involved in the story and makes them feel as though they are sharing a personal experience first-hand with the artist. The use of setting and iconography allows an artist to create a narrative within their music video because they can show their audience specific events and specific places as opposed to just showing the audience visuals of themselves singing in a studio or on stage.