Planning: Music Video Pitch for Biffy Clyro's 'Biblical'

To further my planning, I used Prezi to create a pitch for my current ideas for my music video. I will then present this pitch to a selected group comprised of members of my target audience. By doing this, I would get a better understanding on what the audience liked and disliked about my vision, which would help me create a better and more effective video.

Planning: Creating An Online Mood Board

I collected pictures associated with my chosen band and song, and used GoMoodBoard to create a Mood Board. This is a collage of pictures, which would help me in identifying key features to the band and their music, which would help me with my music video. I found that live performances were a key part of Biffy Clyro's appeal, as when I Googled Biffy Clyro, it came up with mostly images of them performing.

I also included pictures of Twitter's logo and a Rock Sound Magazine, as Biffy Clyro's target audience tend to use these types of Media to keep up with news on the band.

Click here to see my Mood Board

Here is a small screenshot of my mood board. I added pictures of all 3 band members performing live, due to it being one of Biffy Clyro's main appeals. This is also shown by the Reading and Leeds festival logo.

My Chosen Song

Research: Lyric Analysis of Biblical // Biffy Clyro

To give me a better understanding on the meaning of my chosen song I found the lyrics of Biblical online. I copied them into a Word document and analysed them without the accompanying music. By doing this, I got a feel for the mood of the song, without being influenced by the music. This will benefit me when I create my own music video, as I now know what message the artist is trying to convey in the song. Here is what I found when researching the lyrics: 

The interpretation I found, is that the singer has recently experienced a break up in a relationship. The song starts with the lyrics 'Baby if you could would you go back to the start?'. This suggests to me that Simon Neil, the lead singer of Biffy Clyro, is experiencing regret. The next line, 'Take any fresh steps of watch it all fall apart again' shows that something has failed, which I think is a relationship.

The last line in the 2nd verse says 'All that glitters ain't gold'. In my opinion, this supports the point that something hasn't gone as planned. It suggests that although the relationship looked like it would work, it hasn't.

The first line in the chorus is 'You gave me Magical, I gave you Wonderful'. This shows that once, the relationship was working well, and that both of the couple cared for each other. However, the next line, 'Cut the Invisible Cord', suggests that they have now broken up. I think that the 'invisible cord' is the connection they had as a couple, and that it has now been 'cut'.

Later on in the song, a line says 'Instead we might not make it to the end'.  This supports my point that the relationship never worked out. It implies that there was a plan for the couple, but it didn't reach the end.

Near the end of the song, the line 'Baby how can you walk away?' is repeated 8 times. This implies that the female has ended the relationship, and has 'walked away'. The fact that it is repeated 8 times exaggerated how hurt the singer is by this.

The final two lines are repeats of the two lines that opened the song. To me, this suggests that the lead singer is reminiscing on past events, most likely to do with the relationship. Overall, the lyric analysis shows that the song is quite negative, as the song is based around the feelings after a break-up.


I then used a website called WordItOut to create a word map of the lyrics to Biblical. This showed me what the most frequently used words in the song were. From the word map, you can see that the two most frequently used words are 'Wonderful' and 'Magical'. This suggests that the song is cheerful and based around happy emotions. However, the word 'fall apart' feature quite often, which implies a completely contrasting meaning. I think this will be good for creating a music video, as you can have two contrasting sets of shots. For example, one could feature fast editing and bright colours, while the other will be dark and slow, with not much camera movement.

Research: Who Are The Target Audience For My Artist?

Peter is 21 and lives in Leicester. He studies Music at University, as it is his biggest passion. He is very interested in the Music Industry and how it works. Peter tries to listen to Music at every possible opportunity. He listens to music on his iPhone when working, or when travelling. Because Peter plays Guitar, he listens to music with interesting and complex guitar riffs so he can learn them and play along.
Peter loves the atmosphere and feeling of live concerts. He also loves sharing new artists he has found with his friendship group, who share the same music interests as him. Because of this, he is the first out of his friends to suggest booking tickets. Peter's favourite genre of music is rock, as he loves the upbeat feel and the reactions of crowds at gigs. His favourite bands include Biffy Clyro, Foo Fighters and Nirvana.

To try and fulfill his passion for music, Peter plays guitar in a band. Although he finds time a problem, he tries to meet and play with his band every weekend. When not playing with his band, Peter likes to relax and watch interviews with his favourite bands on YouTube. From these interviews, he gains knowledge on what the band is up to in the current time, and any important dates. Although he doesn't post much himself, Peter also uses Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with his favourite bands and what they're up too.

Peter mainly buys CD's to listen to his music, as he thinks digital downloads are destroying the music industry. However, he also sometimes uses Spotify to listen to his music, as he finds the playlist creation feature useful, so he can store all his favourite songs in one place. He also loves the Spotify Radio feature, as he loves discovering new and upcoming artists, which he can share with his friends. To assist with this, he reads music magazines like NME and Rock Sound, which also help him to discover new music. 

Research Into Existing Music Video: Biffy Clyro / Black Chandelier

The existing music video I decided to research into further was Black Chandelier by the band Biffy Clyro. I chose this video, as Biffy Clyro are the band I have chosen to create my own music video for. By researching further into their existing video, I could find a few conventions that I could potentially use when producing my own.

 

The video begins with still, establishing shots to show the audience where the video is set. These shots last for around 12 seconds, with only quiet, natural sounds accompanying them. The first thing that I noticed, was that the location was very dark, with only very basic colours constructing the landscape. In my opinion, this is a convention that is common in a lot of rock/indie music videos, which is why I will keep this idea in mind when creating my own video. 

After the introduction, the song starts to play. The first lyrics are 'Drip, drip, drip, drip'. The next sequence of shots are of what appears to be black tar dripping off of musical equipment, like a speaker and a microphone, which illustrates the lyrics of the song. The use of close ups also shows the importance of the instruments and equipment to the band and their music. This is common in most rock music videos, as a lot of them feature the band playing instruments and performing. Again, the image features only basic colours.

A shadow is shown running towards the camera. The fact that the audience does not see who the shadow belongs to creates a mystery. It causes the consumer to wonder who the shadow belongs to, and what their role is in the music video. In my opinion, this is a very effective technique to keep the audiences attention. 


A few shots later shows a large group of these mysterious figures, jumping over railings and running towards the tower on which the band is performing. The characters seem to have an urgency about them, creating the feeling that they have somewhere they want to get to. Again, this helps create a sense of mystery and curiosity within the audience, making them want to watch on.




Throughout the music video, close-ups show the singer performing. This is one of the features stated in Andrew Goodwin's book, Dancing in the Distraction Family, and is a very common shot in music videos of this genre. This relates to my last point, that the band performing is the most important feature in the video. This is common in all rock music videos, as the majority of the video is the artist or band performing. This also promotes the bands live shows, as the video may make the consumer want to watch the band perform live more. Additionally, you can see that the singer isn't wearing a shirt. This also links to their live shows, as the band do not wear shirts when performing. 

Overall, I think that this is a very good music video. There are multiple conventions used that are common in lots of videos from this genre, like the dark colours and the amount of shots featuring the band performing. I think that these conventions are very effective, as they make the consumer want to carry on watching. I also think that it gives the audience a strong feel for who Biffy Clyro are as a band. The fact that Simon Neil, the lead singer, is looking sweaty and the band aren't wearing shirts suggests that the band would give a very strong and exciting live performance.

Research Into Existing Music Video: Don Broco / Actors

Another rock music I researched into further was the video for Actors by Don Broco. I chose this video, as Don Broco are of a similar genre to my chosen artist, Biffy Clyro. Additionally, it features both performance and narrative, which I plan to feature in my video. Because of this, I could gain ideas that I could potentially use in my video.

The video begins with mid-shots of the band preparing for a performance. This is shown by the props used, like a microphone and clapper board. These shots last for about 6 seconds, and set the scene for the rest of the video. Also, the song does not start playing until around 6 seconds. I found this common in the videos I watched, as there is often a short introduction in most of them. Additionally, mid shots are a common type of camera shot in Rock Music Videos. I will keep this in mind when planning for my own music video. 

The next sequence of shots feature the band performing. It uses fast paced editing and quick camera movements, like tilts, to represent the intensity and speed of the song. This technique is effective, as it engages the audience in the video, and gets them excited. This is also common in the videos I researched into, as rock music is often upbeat and exciting.

At around 0:55, the video cuts to a different location, which appears to be a room backstage. It shows the band members arguing and not getting on. For example, one member of the band has his ear flicked. This contrasts with the previous shots, which show the band performing together in sync. This represents the message of the song, that some people are sometimes not what they appear to be like. This links back to the title of the song, 'Actors'. 

Another technique used is that the backgrounds of the different shots alternate between black and white. In my opinion, this represents how people can often have two different personalities and can change in different situations, as black and white are contrasting colours.



Research into Existing Music Video: Foo Fighters / Best of You

I then decided to research the music video for the song Best Of You by Foo Fighters. The reason I chose this song is because Foo Fighters' music is a similar genre and has a similar audience to Biffy Clyro's, which would allow me to identify any similar conventions used. This would help me in the planning stage of my Music Video, as I could use some of the common conventions.

The first shot in the Music Video is a Close-Up on Dave Grohl, the lead singer in Foo Fighters, singing into a microphone. This is one of the features stated in Andrew Goodwin's book, Dancing in the Distraction Factory.  This type of shot shows emphasis on the band performing, which can help make the video more relatable and immersive. Additionally, the shot is much longer than other shots in the video. This is because none of the other instruments are playing, and it is quite a calm part of the song.

Another common camera shot in rock music videos is a mid shot. This was used in the 'Best of You' video, showing the band performing. This makes for an effective shot, as it emphasises on the performance and how energetic the band are when performing. Additionally, you can only see the bands silhouettes, creating a sense of mystery.






A difference between this video and 'Black Chandelier', the last video I researched, is that the 'Best of You' video features a lot of disjuncture. For example, a short shot lasting about 2 seconds shows just a small child in the sea. This relates in no way to the music video. This clip doesn't make a lot of sense, but can also create a whole different interpretation of the song's meaning.





In conclusion, I think that this music video is good, but I prefer the video for Biffy Clyro's 'Black Chandelier'. In my opinion, disjuncture can sometimes create confusion or damage the meaning of the song. Additionally, the music video didn't feature any narrative shots. I think that narration is very effective in music videos, as people want to watch on to see how the story ends.
However, researching this video has been beneficial. I have managed to find some common conventions in both music videos. For example, both feature the band performing. Close Ups and Mid-shots are also the most common type of shot. This will help me when I come to making my own music-video, as I now know what people are expecting so see in a rock-music video.