Costumes and Make Up Research

The clothing in music videos tend to be different between male and female as the males seem to be dressed more relaxed and casual whereas women wear more extravagant outfits which would be seen at a club. The casual wear can be seen through the wear of casual tees, but sometimes they wear more smarter outfits, for example the suits worn by Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke in the pictures above. The outfits worn by women are more classy than others, with Miley Cyrus wearing a netted top which reveals all, in contrast Katy Perry is wearing a longer elegant dress.


Clothing within indie music videos seems to have a darker colour palette than there is within the pop genre. The indie look that people go for is shown in these music videos. The middle picture in the bottom (Paramore) seems to go against the conventional clothing in alternative music videos as it bright and colourful. 







A white suits seems to be a favourite for the males along with the topless look which enables them to show off their bodies which attract all the women which surround them within the music video. Women are seen wearing outfits which also show their body off, in particular their bare midriff.

Ruby on... Costumes + Hair and Make-Up

Costumes:

We knew that we would need more than one outfit for our music video, we ended up using three. These were picked out a few days before filming so it gave us time to buy something if we needed to.

In Camden we used two outfits, as the location was outside and we knew that it would be hard to change outfits we tried to keep the changeover minimal. We also tried to keep the outfits thick and warm so that our model did not get cold or ill as the weather was cold and wet. For this reason, the bottom half which consisted of black boots and black decorated leggings stayed the same for the duration of the shots taken in Camden. What changed was the tops worn and her coat changed to a leather jacket or a proper coat.

For the performance we used an outfit of a pink floral skirt and a light blue denim looking top/shirt which was tucked into the skirt. Our model just wore socks instead of shoes because we did not want to get her feet in the shot so we knew it would be OK. 

A beanie hat was a necessity to feature in the music video as it just screams indie. In our case we used a black one with a bobble. 

Hair:

Our model has long blonde hair which is similar to Ellie Goulding's look. Our model's hair is dip dyed, which means the top half of her hair is a shade of brown and her bottom half is blonde.

Throughout the entire music video her hair stayed in the same style, although at times when filming in Camden it got a bit windswept, within the performance we were able to make her hair have slightly more volume and let it sit differently.

Make-Up:

The look we were going for was a strong bold look which would draw attention to the models eyes, but we still wanted it to be natural and soft looking. We aimed to get the balance of her eyes standing out but not overdoing them so that she looked like she was going to a party as that look would not be appropriate.

Rough Cut Feedback

Completed by Ruby and Amie 

We showed the class our rough cut music video and asked them to write down feedback. We received both positive and negative as well as suggestions.  

Our main issue was our performance which consisted of a closeup:
Differences in opinion about the close up performance; some said the closeups looks good, others say they look strange with the narrative, the performance shots should be varied, the closeup is too extreme, closeup gets repetitive.

What Went Well:
+ good lip-syncing
+ Camden Lock looks good and suits the song
+ reflection in the train window is effective
+ nice still shots
+ good walking shot
+ good use of mise-en-scene as it works with the song
+ lovely candle shot which works well
+ like the ending
+ good range of shots
+ some good ideas
+ good use of different locations
+ like the calmness of it
+ good British narrative for a British song
+ outfits work well 

Even Better If: - dodgy zooms and tilts
- don't like her stopping by the horse
- doesn't work with her staring at the camera
- didn't like the last shot
- don't understand the books relevance 
- some background sound still in 
- lighting for the narrative needs correcting
- some shots are too long
- not much narrative progression 
- have a better mise-en-scene
- don't like the tracking wood shot

Other Suggestions:
- include a piano
- more emotion in her face when she is singing
- use the light scene more
- performance should be more interesting
- show the man she is singing about

 

Rough Cut

Mood Board

Completed by Amie

A mood board is a good idea as you can creatively base your ideas together to get a sense of the style you wish to implement within your video. Ruby and I took a lot of inspiration from our original pitch and found pictures as we looked into different ideas.

Initial Call Sheet & Editing/ Filming Schedule

Completed by Ruby and Amie 

Our Initial Filming and Editing Schedule prepares us to get the rough due in for the end of January. Although the thought of getting it done is daunting as it so important we are more than prepared. We put together a schedule as Ruby and I have realised that weeks are turning into days and we are now counting down on lessons until the exams. A lot of the schedule at the moment remains blank this is because after our first trip as we begin to put together our rough cut we will notice issues that will arise so we have given ourselves enough time to iron this out before our final cut is due in so there is a lot of contingency time but it will cover ourselves incase anything goes wrong.

As Ruby and I begin to get closer to creating our music video we have started going over planning and listing together what props and items we are going to need to take with us as we go out filming.

• Camera
• Stereo
• Filming Schedule
• Maps
• Lyrics Sheet
• Costumes
• Make Up
• Memory Card
• Spare Batteries
• Lens Cleaner
• Money 
• Train Tickets
• Journal
• Flower
• Artificial Lighting 
• Microphone
• Fairy Lights

As plans develop props and equipment will be continued to add to the prop list.


Props are vital for our music video as we cannot rely on the location alone to bring our music video to life. When we go out filming the necessities are of course a camera with a memory card and back up batteries and a lens cleaner. We will need a stereo so that we can play the song and get a feel for it, it will also be needed to help our artist sing along. Another way in which we ca help our artist is by providing a lyrics sheet so that there will be no slip ups as we cannot afford to make mistakes. As we have pre-planned our filming schedule, we will have to bring that with us so that we can be confident that we won't miss any scenes out. In order to get to our locations we will have to bring a map as we don't want to waste time getting lost in busy London. In order for our artist to look the part, Amie and I will have to become make up artists for the day; the look we are going for is quite subtle and natural. We will also have to bring the costumes for the outfit changes which will take place during the day. As we are going up London we will need money and train tickets to last us for the whole day. 

Model Test Shoot

Before we made a trip to London and started filming we thought it would be a good idea to see how one of our models in question looked in front of the camera. Obviously, there were a few silly giggles but Ruby and I were quite pleased with the outcome. Our model Emily was a little shy but after a little bit of practice we made her at ease. By the time we took a serious test shot although she remained uncertain half way through she got quite into. Presenting our ideas to her using our story board etc she is seems rather excited about the concept and to be honest she looked the part according to costume etc without even being asked! She is willing to dedicate some of her time to this project and we think it could work really well. She did express nerves and excitement and suggested that she would feel better when she was given more sense of direction and was physically doing stuff as the test shoot was rather daunting but only because all eyes were on her and she was only to mime. 

Initial Planning Ideas