Our Costume

We went shopping to Primark in Hanley to pick up the features we required for our final costume idea. Here are some of the pieces we picked up before bringing the whole outfit together finished

Our Finished Costume Design

Final Costume Idea

Having considered various ideas for our dancers' and singers' costume, we have brought our preferred ideas together, creating a final costume design. We were inspired heavily by the contemporary band HURTS and how they use the dancers and costume in their videos to create mood and atmosphere. In particular, the HURTS video Wonderful Life caught our eye whilst exploring existing music videos and the use of costumes. The video is shown below: 

Looklet - Vogue Magazine

From the video, you can see predominantly the use of black clothing which is what we discussed in our initial ideas stage. The gloomy colouring in the sky, clothing, building all helps to create a very effective mood on the whole performance. 



The picture to the right was taken from the Vogue Magazine website within the 'Looklet' section where anyone can 'create looks' by dragging items of clothing onto a model on the screen. An online user of this website has created this look based on the HURTS video - Wonderful Life and the costumes used in that. We were immediately interested in looking at the clothing this person has chosen up close because the video does not reflect the individual clothing in detail or clearly. 
The use of the thin netting on the neck area, as opposed to revealing flesh, is something we will use in our costume because it draws away from the women being looked at as 'sexual'. This also applies to the use of tights on the models legs. The bow tie suggests an almost masculine appearance as is cuts the necks natural elegant length. We will not be using heals for our final costume simply because it will interfere with the fluency of the dance and movement. 
The close up image to the right nicely shows the facial and head decorations. This persons interpretation of the HURTS video has included a type of small hat with netting attached to it. The use of the head decoration distracts away from the females hair which is usually styled to look very feminine and sexy in music videos. It, again, revisits the idea of portraying the female dancers in a masculine light. 
We have used all these features to come up with our own costume design. Including our final make-up idea we have designed a whole styled look which we believe will reflect 
the meaning and connotations within our ideas 
for the music video. 

Final Make-up Idea

Film Reference
In order to develop our make-up design and perfect it to the standard we wished it to be, my group and myself researched and studied many concept music videos which included dramatic make-up and also looked at many films. A new film being advertised around this time was 'Black Swan', a ballet based film which tells the story of Swan Lake using humans (dancers). From adverts, we noticed how intense and powerful the use of facial make-up is and how is draws you, as the audience, in.

As shown by the picture, the visual impact this style of make-up has on a viewer is very gripping and almost intimidating. There is a great contrast between the pale, ghostly face and the shockingly detailed black eye make-up, it creates a slightly scary appearance. We have practised the use of white powder on the dancers' face's and the effect is very dramatic and what we were imagining when the idea first came to mind. The white, washed out face symbolises We will also use a bright lip colour so they don't get lost amongst the heavy use of colours. Overall I am extremely pleased with our final make-up idea because we are now able to use it to explain some of the connotations and hidden messages/ meaning throughout the video.

Final Digipak Design

We wanted to continue a theme of visual image recognition throughout our music video and ancillary products (website, poster, digipak etc). This would make our bands style and image link together and be easily recognised by audiences who are exposed to their products. Below are two picture. One showing our design for the front cover and one for the back cover of our digipak. 

Colour scheme
The colouring of the pictures was created by changing the contrast and lighting, using iPhoto, to give the images a golden tint and give the scene a warmer feel. We decided to do this because it also gives the image a surreal look, and further enhances the idea that the image has deeper implications and symbolic content.

Titles and headings 

The titles shown on the edge of the horizon, contrasts well against the sky making it easy to see by consumers. The font we chose took some time to choose, as it was important not to make the text look tacky or out of place. For this reason we used smooth text which made the writing easy to read and look 'classy' and professional to the eye.

On the back of the album cover the text shown is in the same font, however is much smaller as more information needs to be displayed. The text is in symmetrical positions in list form on the exterior to make it easier to read for the audience.

Images

We decided to use the images of the horse and the girl again as they are a memorable part of our music video, and probably the most symbolic! The horse is symbolic for the women in the relationship as it represents beauty rather than sexuality which is what we deliberately wanted to avoid, hence the use of a horse. We did not want Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory to come into practice when consumers thought of our video and when looking for our album.

Due to the pictures importance, we decided to display two variations of the same theme, on the front and back of the digipak cover. Similarly to the website design we used a continuous theme across all three of the platforms to help create a connection between all three of our media products.

Final Website

Our website

When designing and creating our website, we obviously wanted to make it look as professional as possible.By using a free online website maker, we were able to adapt and create our own template, meaning that we were not restricted when it came to making the site how we wanted. We referred back to our answers from questions we asked and research to figure out what we would require to include on our website to make it a success and appear professional looking.  

Web address: http://www.ignitedantesinferno.moonfruit.com/

Name (web address) 
The domain name is of course the name of the band that we chose as well as the name chosen for the album combined. The idea behind this is to act as more of a promotional tool for their new album release. Of course fans would be redirected from the normal fan site if this was of course real.

Colours 
The colour scheme, although not entirely to the conventions of the standard Indie/Alternative genre's website, flows well against the backdrop which is again a promotional tool in which the album cover is shown clearly behind any text boxes. The text box's follow a continuous theme which consist of using a black background tinted with a dark green border, which combines our natural theme to match the album cover as well as meeting some conventions of real band sites of a similar genre.

Text 

The text we used was mostly to tell fans about the band, giving quirky facts such as how they got their name, how long they have been formed and additional information about the album. To give a more credible, as well as personal touch to the website, we often used quotations designed to be from the lead singer. This is commonly seen on real band websites, as it lets the audience receive a deeper link with the artists.

Images 
The images we used mainly show concerts that are supposed to be the band live. However we also created a sample picture of a limited edition album pack which contained several vinyls as well as DVD content, and a poster. The idea was again to promote the album's release as in the real music industry promotion is key to sales.

Pages
When creating the site we decided to make several different pages that fans could access. They are as follows;

Home - It is important to have a home page which fans will be taken to once they enter the website. This of course is to make them feel comfortable that they are in the correct place, and gives general information of the new album release, upcoming news and offers that they can receive!

Bio - The bio for the band gives additional, more detailed information about how the band formed, where they formed and of course, following the promotional theme, information on the release of the new album. It is designed to give its fan base a better understanding of how the band work, and make them feel almost as if they know them personally!

Pictures - Of course this is simply a gallery to display new images of the band and their recent activities simply to give the audiences something interesting to look at. Also by showing pictures of live performances which look vibrant and exciting Ignite are more likely to increase sales of their live tour in the music industry. By allowing a comment box below, fans are able to voice their opinions of photographs and give them the feeling that they are involved and are being heard by the band as well as other fans!

Interviews - The interview section is designed to be a constant feed which shows interviews as they happen, thus replacing the previous post. We have designed an interview with the music company, MTV, which with its name alone adds credibility t the interview as the business is so well established within the music industry. The interview is designed to achieve similar objectives as the bio page, and gives additional information to its audience but in a slightly different format.

Contact us - This really only acts as a support page for fans. It allows visitors of the site to email the band with their thoughts, feelings and support and in the music industry it would increase not only credibility of the website, but make fans feel valued. customer service is essential in any industry, however in this situation the product is the band and the bands music.

Pitch

Initial idea 
Our initial idea was to create a narrative music video which told the story of a couple who's relationship failed due to the main actor being hit by a car. However we decided against this as we would find it hard to make the video a professional standard which would mimic the conventions found in the industry.

Target audience

After resesrching into our target market we did primary research such as questionaires, focus groups and asked questions online which allowed us to find out that our target market was primarily an older audience with younger audiences not showing much interest in the genre of music. This is what made our group decide to change from a narrative to a concept video. This was due to older generations having more interest in this style of genre (alternative/indie). We also tried to incorporate intertextual references to further entice our targeted audiences. Our main concepts came from a combination of our primary research and they consisted of the use of an oak tree, a barn and a field with a horse.

Inspiration 

We got a lot of our inspiration from the musical group ''Hurts''. The ballet style outfits as well as the contempory dance moves fitted in well with our chosen genre and song. The Oscar winning movion picture ''Black Swan'' was the main inspiration behind our make up designs and final choices. This was because we wanted a bold image that not only represented our concepts but stood out on the camera and looks elegant.

Final idea

For our final idea we finally decided to combine a concept video with a performance style. We selected and used several key elements for our music video which were the use of the barn, the oak tree and the field with the horse. We also incorporated a dance which was symbolic of the womens role in the relationship.

Final Filming Location

Acorn Farm - Acton Trussell
Acorn Farm, situated in Acton Trussell village, was our final choice of location for filming our music video. As the farm belongs to my grandparents we could not pass up the opportunity to have access to the whole area, the farmhouse, gardens, fields, animals, barn etc. After speaking to my grandparents, I got permission off them and we were able to move any gates/fences to expand potential filming areas, drive cars onto the land to use lights, use any of the animals (if we required them), have access to the farmhouse and use plugs/ extension. This would put us at a massive advantage and would make our filming a much more enjoyable and easier experience as opposed to choosing a public location such as The Chase or Shugborough Hall because we would have to ask permission and risk not being able to use certain areas of the site. It would also lengthen our time filming if we had to stop filming and wait for people on the site to be out of our camera views. 


Specific Areas
My group and I decided to take an afternoon and go up to the farm to decide exactly where we would filming and to sort out any potential problems we could face on the day. This would also enable us the plan ahead in case of bad weather on the day we filmed. We could prepare plans for 'in case of' situations to save as much time as possible and enjoy filming without any stress.


The Oak Tree 
The Oak tree, just right of the farm house, is extremely tall and aged. From a distance it creates a beautiful pattern, especially against a clear sky. The trunk of the tree is around 2.5 metres wide meaning it is very sturdy and would not be any potential danger to any one or any equipment whilst filming. We decided to use the Oak tree as one of the main focuses in our music video. Our lead singer (mimer) will be positioned around the tree when we film the shots including him. We decided that by creating shots from various angles, this would show off different views of the tree as well as the lead male. The old Oak tree is also symbolic of something 'dying' - the relationship that is sung about in You Could Be Happy is over therefore we thought that the 'dying' aged tree could represent the recently failed relationship he is expressing about.
The Barn
The barn situated at the farm is also extremely old and dated. The walls are made from concrete and wooden boards which also depicts a 'prison' or somewhere one could feel 'trapped'. This is where the dance routine will be shot and will help to symbolise the women in the failed relationship before the break up as it is suggested through the lyrics that she was trapped, "Do the things you always wanted to, without me there to hold you back, don't think just do..." On the day of filming, we shall have to clear up the area where the dance routine will be performed for example we will sweep up the majority of the hay that is on the ground - we do still want a rustic, natural looking environment so we won't worry too much about the neatness of the area. We will also assess what could potentially be dangerous around and inside the barn and remove anything that could be a risk.
The Fields/Animals
The farm house is surrounded by 25 acres of land (fields) and has stunning picturesque views all around them. The fields are separated into different 'segments' creating lots of smaller fields. If we need to, we are able to move the fences which separate the fields to make larger areas to work in. The horses are in the 'main' field day and night so we can move them or even use them if needs be. There is enough room for the horses to run and walked in large shapes. To portray the freedom of the woman sung about in the song,after the breakup of the relationship, we have considered using one of the horses to being led around the fields by a person (who would resemble the man) and eventually have the creature running free on her own to reflect her new found freedom since being away from the ex partner. 


My group and myself are very happy with our final location choice as we are giving ourselves the best opportunity to not only enjoy our filming experience but to also have a stress free and easier time filming as opposed to if we were to film elsewhere. I feel that the hidden meanings and connotations within the song can be easily put forward and visualised using our location which is very important to us. 

Dance Routine

Constructing The Dance

Having settled on a final idea for our music video, we decided to begin to construct the dance routine. We had decided that two dancers would be enough, as we wanted to portray the relationship between the two people in the song through the dance.

Initially we had asked two dancers who looked similar to each other to perform, and we would have them dancing simultaneously throughout the entire video. However, a week before our chosen filming date, one of the dancers were unable to do so meaning someone else had to fill in. Hannah had previously had dancing experience so she decided to do it.

As the other dancer, Beth, and Hannah began to choreograph the dance, after consulting with the group we thought it would be a good idea to use the dance as a symbolism between the couple in the song. Since the two dancers are polar opposites in our facial features we decided it would be a good idea if Hannah symbolized the man and Beth symbolized the woman.

In the beginning of the dance Beth started off in a very submissive position and Hannah would start off above - showing her dominance over Beth. The style of dance (inspired by HURTS – A Wonderful Life), is very angular, to show the break up of the relationship and the emotion. Normally, dance is very fluid and beautiful to watch, this dance however in deliberately disjointed, to show the relationship falling apart. We have deliberately shown moments of almost balletic style of dancing, this is to show the relationship wasn’t always how he describes it and how there were moments of beauty, we have tried to make intertextual links to the recent film Black Swan.

During the dance, Beth and Hannah go out of synchronization and more into a duet; this to show the relationship falling apart and finally, the dance is repeated in cannon to show that they are no longer together. The end position is vital as it shows how the roles have fully reversed; the man, (shown through Hannah) is dominated by the woman, (shown through Beth) who is set free and no longer trapped.

Below is a short clip of Hannah and Beth devising the dance; it is sped up by 300% so you can get an idea of what we were trying to accomplish.

Finalised Idea for Music Video

Concept

After conducting both our primary and secondary research into the target audience we realized that the best way to access our market would be through something a bit more artistic and possibly directed towards the concept side rather than a narrative. However, we would not dismiss the narrative entirely, by having short clips of narrative that go together. Also, we are going to try to incorporate the performance element through dancers and the lead guy through saying the lyrics.

Our main concepts in the video are freedom and lost love, showing the two sides of the failed relationship. We interpreted the lyrics of the song to mean that the man is unhappy about the break up, whereas the woman has finally gained her freedom.

We plan to show these concepts in several ways; a baby mobile, a horse, a dance routine, the location, the day we choose to film on, burning of letters, crushing of a rose and getting rid of a ring. The baby mobile is going to show his hopes and dreams. The reason we have chosen to incorporate this in as a lot of the market research indicated from our questionnaire said that the twinkling and 'child-like' music in the background reminded the audience of the sound you hear when you wind up a baby mobile. A possibility is starting with the front man winding up the baby mobile.

We hope to try and convey the woman through the horse. A horse is known as a beautiful and gracious creature much like a woman, so at first we will have the horse tethered and this will symbolize the restrictions the man put on her. Towards the end of the video, the horse will be running free which will represent her newfound freedom.

The dance will symbolize the relationship its self. To begin with the dancers will start in synchronization, then part way through the song the dancers will start to dance more of a duet and then eventually start to dance in cannon. This symbolizes the break down of the relationship that is described in the video.

The locations we have chosen are mainly outdoors, which are to represent the new found freedom. The barn (where we hope to film the dance), shows both the outside pressures and the feeling of being trapped in the relationship.

We hope to film the scenes of him singing on a miserable day to try and convey his emotions of hurt and anguish. Also, on the days we film the horse we want quite a bright day to symbolize her hope and newfound independence.

The burning of the letters is to show the deliberate cutting all ties with the relationship. We have chosen letters because it gives a connection to one of the iconic love films ‘The Notebook’, where the letters play a significant part. Similarly the getting rid of the ring shows not only how serious they were but the loosing all ties.

The crushing of the rose, roses are obviously symbolic of love and the crushing of a rose shows the destruction of their love. The concepts used to resemble the broken relationship are not meant to be our of anger or hatred fro the ex partner. The connotations are more about moving on and letting the love go.

Next
What we will do next is begin to look into what we will need to make our music video happen the way we have planned it out to be. This will include researching existing concept/performance based music videos and understanding how moods, atmospheres and effects are created. Here are just some of the things we will be questioning are Location? Make-up? Costume? Lighting? Budget? Filming timing?