Music Video Treatment: A

Better World- Magikstudio

Chloe Reynolds

The structure of this music video according to Lynch (1984) will cover three key elements,
narrative, performance and concept.
The video will encompass an enhanced performance that will blend performance
elements with other visuals through narrative and abstract forms 0f motivation. There will
be some special effects, however I will ensure these dont overshadow the performance.
This subverts Gow (1992), as he identified that many music videos use a special effects
extravaganza in which the humans performance is over shadowed by spectacular
imagery.
My video will conform to some of the typical codes and conventions outlined by Andrew
Goodwin, for example, there will be a clear relationship between the music and the
visuals. With this particular style of music, it involves iconography whereby the video is
most typically structured around the narrative and concept.

Treatment
This video is about a woman who has wanted to travel around the world all her life but
unfortunately a serious medical condition has prevented her from fulfilling her dream.
The cinematography introduces the audience into this dream like world, through
fluidity of movement of the camera, as she dances in various familiar locations around
world, the sense of freedom, escapism, adventure. The audience question whether this
is a dream or reality, did she actually go on to fulfil her destiny. This cinematic imagery
compliments the true meaning and narrative of the song being portrayed to the
audience.

As the song begins, through a long shot we see a girl come through the front door of her
house, cut to a medium wide shot as she picks up the post from her doorstep, there is a
letter from the NHS, seen from an over the shoulder shot. She walks upstairs, reading
the letter as she goes the camera tracks her movement. The pace gradually speeds up as
she reads through the letter to her running up the stairs to her room crying. The camera
cuts to a close up to an over the shoulder shot as we enter her room. The letter from the
NHS is laying on the floor by her bed, the camera zooms in and gradually focuses on the
text. We see the girl on the bed from a high angle long shot zooming in, she is wrapped
in a blanket, used tissues laying beside her as she cries herself to sleep. The camera pans
around her to a close up.
The props within her room include a map of the world on the wall upon which she has
pins in the places she wants to visit, seen in a long shot which cuts to a low angle shot
before tilting upwards and zooming into to specific countries and destinations. Holiday
brochures of various beautiful places are scattered across the floor of her room, seen in a
high angle shot zooming into an extreme close up of a scrapbook and her laptop.
Through a medium shot we see holiday bo0oking site displayed on the screen. The
camera cuts back to a medium shot which gradually zooms into a close up of the girls
face, we see an extreme close up of the tears running down her face, this cuts to a close
up which slowly dissolves. The editing will contain long takes within the bedroom scene.

Reference: Shots, styles, props and

lighting.

As the music reaches its climax, we enter this dreamlike world where we
see through a panning shot of time lapsed clips, the sky, rocks, sea and the
woods. The girl appears in a beach location where her performance begins
before cutting to different locations including the woods and fields. These
will have a filter on them added in post-production as after effects. We see
her running into the frames resembling the idea of exploring, adventure
and freedom. Completed through tracking and POV shots. The dance
continues throughout as we see her journey grow.
There will be a variety of shots for the audience to be connected with her
and feel her emotions. This will enable the audience to understand the
narrative through close-ups, pov, tracking, panning shots, high and low
angles as the girl is performing her routine. The editing of these shots will
be quite quick to enhance and compliment the beat of the music therefore,
demonstrating a relationship between the two. The lighting will be a
mixture of high and low key with glimpses of expressionistic lighting to
enhance the mood and tone of the imagery. This will allow the audience to
interpret particular meanings and emotions that relate to the visuals of the
main protagonist.

Reference: shots,
lighting, location,
texture and
colours.

As the video draws to a conclusion, we see the girl on a beach in a floaty dress,
the wind blowing gently through her hair, her back towards the camera facing
the sea, watching the sunset seen through a long wide shot. The camera zooms
in on the girl from a low angle, tilts upwards and pans to the left so the
audience view the side of her. Cut to a close up of the girls face. Over the
shoulder shot looking out onto the sunset, the camera zooms in from a medium
shot to a close up, the shot is blurred. The camera cuts to a long shot of the girl
who is blurred within the frame as if we are focused on the imagery beyond her.
The shot fades out.

Techniques and Production Details

The costume designs, locations and production are clearly important to the making of this
video. Amis bedroom will be ideal for the opening sequence due to the lighting, space,
colours of walls and textures that will complement the ideological representation of the
character being portrayed within the video. I will utilise this space by adding specific
effective props to emphasise particular signs that are significant to the storytelling of the
video and to enhance its interpretation by the audience. Other locations included are close
and convenient due to the low production values and budget for this video. However, they
still represent the key themes, messages and values that I would like within my video.
Ami who has been casted as the main protagonist within the video. However, I have also
secured the services of another dancer who is of similar height, appearance and ability to act
as an understudy and back-up in the event that Ami injures herself whilst performing. No
other actors are required for my video.

The video will be shot on a Cannon camera, tripod and a dolly loaned by the college.
This will allow me to capture still footage that is in depth, create low light and
natural light shots. The filming within A better world will utilise natural, high and
low key lighting to create a distinction between reality and the dreamlike world.
On-set the audio will be played via portable speakers to allow the dancer to keep in
time with the music during her performance. However, the disadvantage is that onset there will be a lot of verbal communication to direct the choreography and
cinematography. It will be critical to ensure the direction is clear and precise to avoid
unnecessary re-takes and the performer could tire very quickly.
To ensure the production timetable is achievable, I plan to undertake the shoot over
the course of two days during half term. This should allow for any re-shooting,
editing and any adverse weather conditions, particularly as perfect weather and
lighting conditions will be vital to the success of the shoot. The time allocated for
filming will be used to choreograph the sets, walk through routines etc. The ideal
shooting length for each day would be 11 hours.

Reference: Mood and lighting

Reference: Colour & textures