Rundown of Lyrics

At the docks by himself sitting down looking at his legs looks sad-first 38secs

Oh well in five years time we could be walking round a zoo – high angle in park establishing to point of view in docks, walking around happy.

With the sun shining down over me and you

And there’ll be love in the bodies of the elephants too

And I’ll put my hands over your eyes, but you’ll peep through

Rapids cuts in-between music between time frames

And there’ll be sun sun sun –them happy in the docks

All over our bodies

And sun sun sun - switching back to him walking alone at the docks

All down our necks

And sun sun sun-happy couple

All over our faces

And sun sun sun- him alone

So what the heck

Cos I’ll be laughing at all your silly little jokes- This is set in the park playing tennis

And we’ll be laughing about how we used to smoke

All those stupid little cigarettes

And drink stupid wine

Cos it’s what we needed to have a good time

And it was fun fun fun

When we were drinking – them happy playing tennis ball bounces then cuts to him alone

It was fun fun fun

When we were drunk - him staring into the tennis court

And it was fun fun fun

When we were laughing -ball bounces back to them laughing playing tennis

It was fun fun fun

Oh it was fun – then him staring into tennis courts but we shoot him through the gate.

Oh well I look at you and say – Them playing hide and seek near the tree him hiding behind the tree

It’s the happiest that I’ve ever been

And I’ll say I no longer feel I have to be James Dean

And she’ll say – Them running down hill happy

Yah well I feel all pretty happy too

And I’m always pretty happy when I’m just kicking back with you

And it’ll be – Them happy playing still running up hill

Love love love

All through our bodies – cuts when he goes behind tree and turns around and cuts to him alone near the tree

And love love love

All through our minds – happy

And it be Love love love

All over her face - sad

And Love love love

All over mine - sad

Although maybe all these moments are just in my head – him lying in the road remembering times

I’ll be thinking ‘bout them as I’m lying in bed
And all that I believe might never really come true – she walks across but like a ghost and he sees her but she just vanishes

But in my mind I’m havin’ a pretty good time with you

Oh

Five years time – Them in the road and they are fighting

I might not know you

Five years time

We might not speak

Oh
In five years time

We might not get along

In five years time

You might just prove me wrong – you see her just vanish.

Oh there’ll be love love love – during this time is the different places that they were together (Christchurch, docks and the road) of them just being happy

Wherever you go

There’ll be love love love

Wherever you go

There’ll be love love love

Wherever you go

There’ll be love love love- by this bit you see him near the tree in Christchurch and him alone

Wherever you go

There’ll be love love love

Wherever you go

There’ll be love love love

Wherever you go

There’ll be love love love – this bit he scatteres ashes and we get a still shot (?) of the ashes coming out of the jar.

group Synopsis and Treatment

Synopsis

Song: "5 Years Time" by Noah and the Whale

This pop promo will be about a man remembering good times with his girlfriend. It involves two time scales, one when the couple are both happy together and the other when the relationship is over. This section will have a more melancholic tone. We will then reveal that his girlfriend is actually dead and he has been remembering some of their last moments together, some of which will be of them arguing. The video is about the man overcoming his grief.

We start at the docks for our first location with a high angle shot of the sun. At first we focus on the man wandering about aimlessly by the water’s edge and then sitting down and dangling his legs over the edge. We then cut to the two of them in the same location but at a different time after the man sees her reflection in the water. They seem happy and contented. During the chorus we cut rapidly between the two time periods to highlight the contrast of feelings.

For the next location we will be at Christchurch Park and we will witness the man making his way through a wooded area with the looming trees adding a hint of gloom in the promo’s tone. He will emerge and find himself looking on at an empty tennis court. We will then cut to the two of them playing in the tennis court beginning to have a slight disagreement. The girl will hit a ball away in anger and it will be picked up by the man in the next time scale. During the chorus we will once again cut rapidly between the time scales highlighting the contrast.

During the final section we will see the man lying on an empty road alone. We will then cut to the other time narrative to view the couple having a big argument which culminates in her walking away. Our final shot is of the man lying hopelessly in the road and then the girl appears above him but when he blinks she disappears.

Treatment

Editing:

Our narrative consists of two time scales so it will be important to make it clear which scale we are in by possibly using visually arresting cuts such as swipe edits when we switch time scales. Apart from those moments I intend to stick mostly to conventional edits although I may employ a couple of jump cuts during the argument to create an atmosphere of chaotic friction. I may also use a couple of graphic matches during the rapid cuts of the choruses in order to show the breaking symmetry of the periods.

In addition we have also discussed using a super 8 type of visual colour for the flashbacks as it creates a sense of hyper reality as well as harking back to a time in the past. It will also hopefully further distinguish between the different time scales keeping the audience abreast of what is happening in order to avoid confusion. It is also important to point out that editing can play a more significant role in this project than in our film noir project as cuts are often more obvious, numerous and stylised in pop promos. It will also be vitally important to integrate all of our establishing shots to highlight our changing locations as they play a vital role in showing the characters' relationship, i.e the waterfront is when they are calm and relatively happy (the smooth elegance of the boats and water) whereas the park with its wintery and wooded almost gothic atmosphere is better suited for the slightly souring nature of their relationship. Also the tennis court, a place of rivalry and competition, is ideal to show the first glimpses of conflict in their relationship.

Costumes

Beginning of the pop promo – Girl – Normal clothing (jeans, shirt) Man- Normal clothing (jeans, top)… when he is by himself he can be wearing a different top and jeans and a jacket (he can have his hands in the pocket jackets to make him look more sad)

New paragraph, middle – Girl – Wearing sporty clothing (tracksuit) Man – Wearing sporty clothing as well (tracksuit). Whenever man is alone he is wearing the same Jeans and jackets and he normally has his hands in his pockets to make it look like it is colder weather and he is sad.

New paragraph, middle (where the tree is) – Girl- Normal clothing, but different clothing from the beginning of the pop promo (jeans, shirt and thin jacket) Man- Normal clothing (jeans and top and thin coat). Whenever he is alone he is wearing the same clothing of the jeans top and jacket.

End – Girl – Normal clothing (jeans, top and a thicker coat) to show that it is getting colder. Man – Normal clothing (jeans, top and a thick coat).

Whenever the two of them are together their costumes should be lighter, for instance they can be wearing white or brighter colors like blue, to try and resemble summer. And as time goes by they wear darker clothing for instance the man could start with a normal blue shirt then when it goes further down the song it goes to a navy blue colour,

Whenever the man is by himself he can be wearing neutral colors, so a neutral jacket co lour like muddy grass green, and his shirt can be a black same with his jeans, to try and show he is mourning.

Props

Beginning of the pop promo – A bench (when the man is alone) but the bench will already be at the docks.

New paragraph, middle – We need two tennis rackets and at least 3 tennis balls in case we loose any.

New paragraph, middle – No props required here apart from the tree which will already be in Christchurch Park.

End – We need a jar that looks like an urn, also we need ashes, which we will get from Josh’s fireplace.

Lighting

Whenever the two are together it will be natural light to make it seem happier.

And whenever the man is by himself we should try and use low-key lighting to make things moodier or we can add more shade to make it look darker.

Cinematography

For the synopsis, we have collaborated our ideas and the Treatment has been delegated to each member of our group, and I agreed to create the Storyboards and therefore the Treatment for the Cinematography of the video. This was going to be the Group Treatment, a collaboration of the Treatments for different areas that will be covered during this project.

For this task to be completed accurately I took into consideration various rules, codes and conventions used by professionals and expert cameramen in the media, when filming with any type of video camera system. These include the “Rule of Thirds”, the “180 degree line rule”, the “30 degree line rule”, “Handles”, “Match-On-Action” (continuity and flow of one shot into another), and “Framing”.

The “180 degree line rule” will apply greatly to the continuity and comfortability of the video from the audience’s point of view. If the man walks from the right to the left of the screen and the girl from the left to the right of the screen, in shots to follow this known movement should be retained, unless otherwise shown by the camera, where the camera tracks from one side to the other. Then, once you have explained how the two characters have been moving and how we as an audience have ‘crossed’ that ‘line’, as a cameraman you can then begin to develop shots with a different point of view of the characters. Otherwise, a bad mistake and confusion can often lead to audiences becoming less interested in your production and your mishap is considered to be a moviemaking error and a bad piece of camerawork.

For the first shot, the establishing shot, we had discussed a possible point-of-view shot of the Sun. This is personification of the Sun because we are seeing what the Sun sees, if it had a point of view of our world. So, I took this as a consideration, and as a result I have decided that the first shot could either be a High Angle Shot from the Sun’s point-of-view, or indeed a Low Angle Shot of the Sun, then from the Low Angle the camera tilts down to look at the street, but at the same time elevating the tripod using the Elevate/Depress tripod controls, so that when the street does come into view we see the street as if it is from the Sun’s point-of-view, or that of a CCTV camera (as in the CCTV camera joke video above), but looking to the right of the street.

The second shot is a continuation of the first, so Match-On-Action is increasingly important here. We see the man walking, “wandering aimlessly by the water’s edge” as Josh had put in our Synopsis. I was thinking of maybe a High Angle Shot looking down to the left of the street, the camera on the opposite side of the street this time, and focusing on the man as he walks from the right to the left of the screen, continuing his movements from the first, establishing shot. I was hoping that to cut down on the number of shots we actually use, we could make these two opening shots into one long one, so that we are not worried about the flow of the cuts, but if we do film and edit these as two shots then we must pay particular attention to the “180 degree line rule” and the continuity and flow of the transition between the two shots.

The third shot is of the man as he sits down by the water’s edge and dangles his legs over the edge of the promenade, his legs dangling above the water. We could have a Wide Shot of him as he walks to where he will sit down, the camera panning left to give him some “looking space” in the framing of the shot when he sits down. As he has approached and sat down next to the camera, the shot changes from a Wide Shot to a Medium Shot. Originally I thought we could have only the man in focus (Shallow Focus) then when he crouches to sit down we re-focus the shot so that both the foreground and the background are in focus.

When he sits down, the next shot is of his legs dangled over the edge and his reflection in the water below. Because I wanted to show his legs at the bottom of the frame, I think this shot will be better shot as a handheld shot, and have a focus pull from his legs to his reflection, ready for the next shot of the water where we see him and his girlfriend reflected in the water. She isn’t really there, and the reflection of her is just one of his memories which sets us up for the shot to follow.

To be creative, I thought the next shot of the water could be in the past, still with their reflections in the water, only this time it is a memory, not so much an illusion. I thought we could have the shot of his legs and her legs dangling over the edge, only they are both in different clothing to his present - in summer clothes, and as they get up and leave happily from the spot at which they were sitting, in the next shot (a Long Shot), hand-in-hand, the real man in the present time still sits there, and sees his memory as if he is a ghost in another world, invisible to others but not to us, watching as their relationship together (in his past) progresses to the video’s climax. I reckon we can add this effect to the video in Editing, and only involves superimposing, or overlaying one shot onto another.

We had discussed, as a group and with our lecturer Jon, that we could use the effect on our video called “Super 8mm” which was an old type of camera. I researched this on various websites, and found a video on YouTube which was the best example I could find of this video effect. It comprises handheld footage with the style of watching a reel of negatives produced from, for example, a family holiday in the 1960s, viewed in the 21st Century. We agreed that if we could in fact create this kind of effect for our video on our Editing software Final Cut Pro (on the Apple Macintosh computers in our Editing suite), as the camera equipment we are using records onto Mini-DV Tapes, then we would use this effect to our advantage on shots where we see the man’s flashbacks and memories on-screen.

Concluding on the fact that our narrative is about a man who now has a sad life, remembering (through the use of flashbacks) the good times he had with his girlfriend, I thought of using mostly Wide Shots or Medium Shots, with a couple of Dutch Tilts here and there where appropriate and maybe a couple of Extreme Close-ups on their hands joined in his flashback. I want to include a shot where we are focused on a metal fence (in the tennis courts?) with them arguing in the background but out of focus, then pulling off a Focus-Pull so that when she leaves him after their argument (in the tennis courts?), we focus on him, alone, and possibly crying (or not).

Development of ideas

After playing around with several songs from the likes of David Bowie, Johnny Cash and Basement Jaxx we decided on 5 Years Time by Noah and the Whale. We decided on them because they were still relatively unknown and didn't have as fixed a reputation as the other artists we considered. This was important to us as we felt that it would give us more creative license that wouldn't be hampered by audience prejudices.

Furthermore after discussing story lines we came to the conclusion that the promo will feature two characters, a man and woman. Chris has agreed to play the man, following his highly acclaimed performance in our film noir project, whilst the girl will be played by our mutual friend Emily Halls. As an added point we have decided to film the scenes involving both characters from the point of view of the man in a similar style to the channel 4 sitcom Peep Show.

I should also mention that we briefly considered changing the song to another Noah and the Whale single, Blue Skies. The idea came about as we were talking about introducing more melancholic themes into the promo such as the death of the girl and the following grief of the man. I felt that Blue Skies was a more sombre tune than our original song and that therefore it may suit our story line better. However after further deliberation within the group we decided to stick with our original song and aim for the juxtaposition of the upbeat rhythm with the growing feeling of sadness in the mood of the story.

Research into band's marketing and promotions

Noah and the Whale are a British indie folk band. This is the cover for their second album The First Days of Spring which is also a film written and driected by lead singer Charlie Fink. He said in an interview on Radio Fivelive with Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode that he wanted to produce an album in a different way to other artists and this seemed an ideal way given his love of films (the band's name is taken from the film The Squid and the Whale). For the album the group were interviewed by many major media outlets such as Radio 1 and leading newspapers such as the Times which furthered their reputation.

Many publicity shots of the band, such as this one, play on their image as alternative to pop culture but not in a rebellious way like a rock band like Kasabian or Green Day might do but rather a slightly quircky even possibly quaint band. Most of their songs are about love and relationships and they cite their lyrical poetry to artists such as Bob Dylan however the band has yet to divulge into more socio-political agendas like Dylan did (civil rights being his biggest message).

They have made relatively few television appearances concentrating more on live gigs and have played gigs in place like Bristol, London, Leeds, Reading and Manchester as well as performing at the V festival and Glastonbury.

The band started out on the London pub scene and up until last year included vocalist Laura Marling in their lineup. They slowly built up a good reputation around London which culminated in them being signed on to Cherrytree Records and Vertigo in order to record their debut album, Peaceful the World Lays Me Down.

Included on that Album was the single 5 Years Time which was marketed as the 'Summer Single of the year.' It received many positive reviews from publications such as NME, the Guardian and even the BBC News website which all suggested that it was the tune everyone was whistling that summer. The band became a success almost overnight.

Target Audience and Fan Base (Star Construction)

As you can see the band deliberately portray themselves as slightly offbeat and quirky and still have a relatively small fan base. However this small fan base is very positive about the band, for example their is much enthusiasm for the announcement of new singles and tour dates on blogs such as Absolute Radio, Amazon and of course the band's official blog:

noahandthewhale.forums.umusic.co.uk which also includes entries from the band themselves often commenting on how their tours are progressing or if they are recording any new material.

I would suggest that the target audience for the group is a relatively small group of people who have an existing passion for indie and folk music and are part of a community of friends that does. They will probably also have a general interest in music of an alternative genre to that usually in the UK Charts which is usually dominated by Pop, Metal and Rap. The band however has discussed in interviews about moving towards a more punk rock sound which could possibly alienate some factions of their fan base.

A major factor in the band's image is how they dress, they appear to deliberately dress in an alternative fashion disregarding many modern conventions and they employ bright colours and scarves highlighting their quirky side.

Analyses of other pop promos by our band

Blue Skies by Noah and the Whale (Director Charlie Fink, 2009)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqBwZYrrg4E

The single Blue Skies is taken off the band's second album, The First Days of Spring. It is essentially a trailer for the band's film that is partnered with the album. The pop promo begins in the style of a film with credits showing the production companies and we then move to a continuing two shot of two bearded men having a conversation about when was the last time the man, pictured above, had fun. There is only dialogue during this section and the song only begins to play after about 30 seconds. There is then the reveal of the title of the film and album in a font that resembles handwriting which suggests that the film is intending to be quite elegant.

Following this the lyrics kick in talking about broken hearts and we see super 8 film footage of a woman playing by a tree which indicates that the song is going to be about broken romances. There is then the introduction of several storylines via cross cutting with heavy use of slow motion in order to emphasise the movements of the characters which involve, the two previous characters riding their bikes, an old man on a porch swing and a man carrying the urn containing the ashes of what we assume was somebody close to him. I believe that the locations of each character are also important. For example, the two men going on a bike ride switch from mid shots in street pathways into the open countryside suggesting that they are looking for an escape from the town. Interestingly, at one point there is a cut from a long shot to a mid shot which implies that the man is becoming more important as he goes on his journey.

There is then a conventional edit to the man carrying the urn as the instrumental chorus kicks in and there is further cross cutting across the various storylines all of them in slow motion which may also be to suggest that the people are existing in a kind of hyper reality. After the chorus there is the juxtapositioning of locations, the forset for the urn carrying man and the beach for the two men. The forest is shot in mostly wide shots with subtle camera movements in order to establish it as an elegant and maybe even slightly mythical aesthetic location which ties in with the theme of grief. In contrast the beach uses panning shots to show the full breadth and apparent emptiness of the location and there is then a two shot from behind the two men which shows that they are cut off from the rest of the world. The beach is a sanctuary after personal difficulty. There is also the close up of one of the man wandering towards the sea which may be intertextuality to the Robert Altman film The Long Goodbye.

Finally there is the section of music featuring heavy use of trumpets which create an atmosphere of triumph and this coupled with the long shot of a red car, being driven by the man who deposited the ashes, indicates that this particular character is moving on with his life.

Love of an Orchestra by Noah and the Whale (Director: Charlie Fink,2009)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQDI5ra16Nw

The pop promo begins with sketchy super 8 film footage of the same girl that appeared in Blue Skies who once again looks happy and contented in the location of the forest. In the background soft barely audible orchestral sounds are heard on the beginning of the track which helps create an atmosphere of tranquility. We then dissolve cut to a man in what I estimate may be his mid sixties. The last remnants of the super 8 film footage plays out on the projector screen behind him giving the impression that the footage was his memories coming back to him.

It is also important to note that there are no cuts for almost the rest of the promo. Indeed there is just a mid shot of him sitting at a desk which contains a glass and bottle of alcohol which indicates that he has been drinking which may have been the catalyst in the recollection of his memories and for his later actions. More orchestral music begins (heavy use of violins and cellos) and it conjunction the man begins to put on a white tie. As he does this the camera gradually begins to move in closer and we see an expression of what can be described as liberation. These factors contribute to suggest that the man is reaching an important point of self realisisation in his life.

Finally the orchestral music climaxes and the beat of a brass instrument we see the first cut in nearly 90 seconds to a close up of the man. Lyrics of a choir like orientation are heard and instanstaneously we see the man miming the lyrics which is done in a comedic fashion. After he has done this the desk parts in two via some sort of mechachnised joint and he moves onto a stage illuminated by low key lighting and he is seen making conductor movements whilst the first lyrics by the band's lead singer are heard. They talk about never being lonely because, "I've got the love of an orchestra." These lyrics tie in with the theme of the album which is that taking comfort in other aspects of your life in order to move on from other personal grievances. During this section of the video the man dances exuberantly defying his age and sending out a message that he has received a new lease of life.

There is one final cut that which is that to a close up of the back of his head almost in silhouette as he is walking away. His ears seem unusually bright compared to his surroundings and this may be a representation that his ears are powerful conduits for music which creates intense energy in his being.

Shape of My Heart by Noah and the Whale (Director: Charlie Fink, 2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7Q2b2uTlHY

The pop promo is a homage to the horror and sci-fi movies made from the 50s to 80s by Mexican wrestler El Santo as the band are fans of this type of alternative cinema. It is shot with what appears to be super 8 film making the promo look homemade and therefore more intamate with little desire for vain self-publication and the location is on a deserted beach which is very windy and seemingly cold. These conditions immediately create a feeling of isolation and possibly sadness because of their negative connatations. After a couple of establishing shots we have close ups of each member of the band via the camera panning across from left to right.

For the first minute only two members of the band are shown with musical instruments with the rest holding sound recording equipment and appearing to be making a film within the pop promo. There is also a zoom out from a little hollow on the beach to reveal the band and this technique may have been used in order to showcase the appearance of the band on the beach and giving them an almost mythical quality. Simultaneously bright yellow text appears at the bottom of the screen saying things such as 'Boom Recording' which ties in with the idea of the band making their own film within the pop promo. Also during the slower portion of the first verse the camera slowly moves to follow the violinist but then cuts directly at the point when the melody jumps to a more up tempo chorus as wee the rest of the band skinny dipping.

We then see a close up of a brightly coloured kite and we then cut to an over the shoulder shot in order to show the kite begin to fly. This shot is very close to a point of view shot and it helps to show the audience the height from the beach at which the kite was flying. There then follows a montage of all of the band playing their instruments as the kite scatters around the sky and it gives the effect that the flight path of the kite is directly influencing the rythm of the song.

During the final section we cut to another location which appears to be a house in the middle of a seaside town and in it is a single individual who has a sound receiver and picks up the recordings made by the band. This runs concurrently with the high tempo music at this point which is heavily driven by the use of trumpets. The man arranges the sounds in what seems to be his bedroom which has the mise-en-scene of a classic science fiction film because of its low key yet multi coloured lighting and the various gadgets attached to the main computer which gives it the look of a technological hub of activity. The final shot is of the band on the computer monitor which signals that they have achieved their ambition of creating a film out there on the beach.

Initial Ideas

I had the idea to make a pop promo using the song Five Years Time by Noah and the Whale who are a fairly low stream indie folk band.

My initial thoughts were to involve a narrative of a man and woman who were ending their previously happy romantic relationship. The lyrics of the song indicated future doubts about the relationship of the lead singer and his girlfriend so it dawned upon me that actually showing that breakdown would be both suitable for the song whilst also being a different take or angle if you like. My main inspiration came from the Woody Allen film Annie Hall which I thought captured a breakdown of a relationship in a very funny bittersweet and alternative way. I was also influenced by the fact that the band's next album, The First Days of Spring, deals with a similar theme.

Treatment:

Editing: I thought that there could be flashbacks between times when the relationship was in effect and then when it was over creating contrast. There would also possibly be shots of a brief performance possibly of Chris playing guitar or maybe miming. This would be useful for not making the jump between time frames to become too repetitive during the video.

Cinematography: I thought that the girl would be mainly shown in mid shot and possibly occasionally out of focus so that the audience would get the impression that the man is remembering her in a slightly hazy way almost as if he is trying to create a new person in his memories (one that won't leave him). The man would be shot with lots of close ups in both time frames in order to emphasise his differing feelings from one time to the next.

Mise-En-Scene: I thought that good locations for the 'happy' times would be a park as the autumnal conditions should provide a warm and hopefully dreamlike romantic setting. Whilst the harbour may be a good location for the moodier sections how storytelling has a tradition of using the sea and other bodies of water to create a sombre tone. Finally the performance elements would hopefully be shot in a small space (a studio for example) with low key lighting but with the possibility to create strange maybe sometimes colurful light to reflect his conflicting emotions.