Rough Cut Construction

We did the first but of filming for our media video yesterday, and are currently in the process of editing our video, we shot the performance part of our music video and here are some pictures of how it all went...

We used a projector to put the 'Foster the People' image onto the back curtain, we were going to buy a white bedsheet and paint on it but we figured that it would be cheaper and more effective if we used the projector because it would also light the stage a bit

We have used Final Cut Express to edit our video, we have used the speed control to add slow motion in our video and used the desaturate tool to make some of our footage black and white. Final cut has allowed us to ensure that our video is precisely timed and all the cuts are made on the beats and the miming is believable.

We borrowed a drum kit, microphones, a keyboard, a guitar and wires from the music department at our school and set them up for our music video, we used coloured lights that shon onto the stage which, we think, made the band look as though it could have been playing in a club

We asked our band to do a practice run before we started filming - especially our drummer - because he is an actual drummer so we wanted him to get the beats so that we could match them with the song easily whilst editing our video

The desaturate tool allowed us to make the middle section of our video black and white. We did this so that it would clearly separate the performance side of the video and the story side, this is the only 'story based' element of our music video and doesnt last very long but we wanted it to look like they were turning up to the venue.

 To create what we have of our music video we used:

• A tripod
• 2 camera's
• A projector
• A drum kit, guitar, keyboard, microphone and speakers
• A sound system
• Final Cut Express
• Youtube

Shot Composition Planning

In the performance part of our music video we are planning to have close up's of both the band, and specific instruments, medium close ups of the bands with their instruments and medium shots of the entire band playing. We also plan to have over the shoulder shots of our drummer and singer

We have taken ideas from some of The Killers' music videos as well as some from Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian, we looked at their videos that were performance based and looked at the way that the band and the instruments were represented and how the camera moved to flatter the band

We want some close ups of our band's faces similar to this one, we are going to film the close up from the front and side and see which one looks better and creates more of an effect, the main person that we are going to have close ups of is our lead singer so that is establishes him as the band front man.

We like the angle in which the camera looks down the bass guitar because it actually shows the instrument being played, we plan to do a shot similar to this but start at the body of the guitar then move the camera up to the neck to add camera movement into our video.

We want to have over the shoulder shots of both our drummer and our lead singer so that it offers a sort of point of view perspective to our audience, we want them to be able to feel what it would be like behind a drumset or microphone because even if you go and see a band live you dont get the availability of seeing everything.

 We like the close up of the hands playing the instrument and plan to get a shot similar to this in our music video, we would also like to have the lighting similar but will find it hard to recreate this with coloured lights so we are going to create an effect with white lights

Music Video Animatic

Clothing

The song choice for our music video is in the indie genre so the clothing that our musicians wear is important to how they will be perceived by their fans, fashion is a big part of the indie genre so we plan to make our band members look stylish whilst still fitting the indie genre. We want our lead singer to wear a harrington jacket and we want it to come across as though it would be his signature thing to wear, we are going to put all of the band members in skinny jeans, Tom in a plain t-shirt and Tom Mcmahon in a shirt.

It is harder to dress boys and give them more than a couple of outfit changes, we think, because you can easily put girls in a skirt or a dress or shorts but boys' clothing genereally centers around trousers and a t-shirt. Because of this we're going to add accessories such as Ray-Bans and, in Joe's case, a hoop in his ear, this will compliment the clothes more and give us more outfit changes. We kind of want a 60's element to the fashion side of our music video so we've been looking at mod clothing, this is also convenient for us because Joe tends to dress like this anyway so he can help us with the outfit choices.

We have looked at the clothes that are worn in a lot of bands in the indie genre, we looked, obviously, at Foster the People but decided that we didnt want to copy what they were wearing, we want every aspect of our music video to be completely different to the video that already exists for 'Pumped Up Kicks,' we also looked at Arctic Monkeys, Stone Roses, The Courteeners and mods in the 60's, we think that a combination of all of these clothes will be perfect for our band. We just want to take pieces from each band that we have looked at and create our own signature look.

Here are some screenshots from music videos, we actually looked at a Foster the People video and saw that they're quite casual when they perform, wearing t-shirts and jeans, but when they arent performing they dress slightly smarter. Because our video is performance based we want to encapsulate the casual clothing that they wear when they are performing. Many bands take the casual approach when they are performing - especially drummers - for comfort and ease.

Locations for our Video

There are quite a few locations that we need to go to to film the different parts of our music video. We want to have a kind of fun 'boys on tour' aspect to our video so want to film our cast just doing what a band would do if there were in London waiting until they have to play their gig. Although some of the shots that we shoot in London will be based around this idea, we also want some serious images that establish the band as legitimate. We plan to go to:

The Millenium Bridge - we have chosen to do some shots here because it is a very recognisable location and we think that it would look good on a winter evening. We plan to have the boys standing in the middle of the bridge and we will film it for about 5-10 minutes then in editing we will speed it up so that the boys are standing still but people are blurring as they walk along beside them.

Brick Lane - we have chosen to shoot in Brick Lane aswell because the surroundings and feeling of it generally fit the genre and target audience that we are aiming our video at. Brick Lane has been established as an 'Indie' locations because of the amount of vintage shops that are there, as well as this, the famous record label 'Rough Trade' has a store there which we think establishes Brick Lane as a place that musicians would be interested to visit

Charing Cross - underneath Charing Cross station there is a tunnel that leads to southbank, a lot of busking happens in this tunnel and we think the brick setting would be good to film some of our video in, because there are a few shops along this are this is kind of where we want to get our tour video type effect with the boys just laughing and looking around London. This is also a convenient location for us because its really close to Southbank and the bridge that we want to film on so it will be quick and easy to get some shots here

Pub Hall - to film the performance side of our video we are going to a hall that has a stage, we are going to put the boys on the stage with instruments and film them as though they are performing to a crowd, this is also where the opening part of our video is going to be set; we are going to film the boys setting up their instruments then speed it up and perhaps put it in black and white for the opening instrumental of the song. This adds to the authenticity of the video because it establishes them as an independent band.
 

Pumped Up Kicks Lyrics

"Pumped Up Kicks"

Robert's got a quick hand.
He'll look around the room, he won't
tell you his plan.
He's got a rolled cigarette, hanging out his mouth, he's a cowboy kid.
Yeah, he found a six shooter gun.
In his dad's closet hidden with a box of fun things, and I don't even know what.
But he's coming for you, yeah he's coming for you.


[Chorus: x2]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

Daddy works a long day.
He'll be coming home late, he's coming home late.
And he's bringing me a surprise.
'Cause dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice.
I've waited for a long time.
Yeah the sleight of my hand is now a quick-pull trigger,
I reason with my cigarette,
And say, "Your hair's on fire, you must have lost your wits, yeah."

[Chorus: x2]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

[Whistling]

[Chorus: x4]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

Although the song itself is quite upbeat and dancey, the lyrics actually add a really dark meaning to the song. It is basically about a psychotic teenager who wants to kill everyone and many have speculated that it is actually about the Robert Hawkings shootings. Mark Foster himself has said, "'Pumped Up Kicks' is about a kid that basically is losing his mind and is plotting revenge. He's an outcast. I feel like the youth in our culture are becoming more and more isolated. It's kind of an epidemic. Instead of writing about victims and some tragedy, I wanted to get into the killer's mind, like Truman Capote did in In Cold Blood. I love to write about characters. That's my style. I really like to get inside the heads of other people and try to walk in their shoes."

The phrase, 'Pumped Up Kicks' actually refers to the Reebok trainers that were popular in America in the 80's/90's which had a pump at the back which added extra air into the shoe for "an extra lift," the lyrics are saying that those who can afford 'pumped up kicks' should run from the psycho killer. Its an indirect threat.

So that our music video actually relates to the title of the song, we are creating a character for our music video that is slightly psychotic and as well as this we are planning to create a montage of different 'kicks,' our music video is going to be a mix of shots that are relavant to the story line behind the title/song, and some shots of the band touring and generally being laddish.

To create the look of the band touring, we are planning to take some shots of the boys in the car, we want it to look similar to the shots that are used in the Arctic Monkeys video to 'R U Mine'

We like the handheld effect of this video because it makes the band seem more independent and the simplicity of the band holding the camera and miming whilst still making the video entertaining to watch inspired us to want to use similar shots.

Copyright Permission Letter

Our group e-mailed Startime International, the company that manages the copyright for Foster the People, to ask for their permission to use 'Pumped Up Kicks' in our music video. We are yet to receive a reply but are hoping that they will take the time to e-mail us back.