Planning - Storyboard

Planning - Props and Costumes

I have wrote down the main props and costume I will need for each scene. I have chosen a very simple outfit for the character, however the use of the Pretty Green jacket creates a link to the style of the mid-90s as this was very common of bands such as Oasis and The Stone Roses to sport this sort of clothing. In addition to this, the brand itself is directly related to Liam Gallagher, front man of Oasis, thus creating a sense of nostalgia for the audience. Furthermore, the use of Adidas shoes is reminiscent of Ian Brown's style as he is almost always seen wearing Adidas.

Planning - Locations

These are some of the locations I may use for my video shoot:

House - Liam's House (Newton Hall)
Various Misc Roads
Angel of the North
Forest - Durham Woods
Etihad Stadium - Stone Roses Concert Footage
Undecided Arena/Stadium - Possibly Metro Radio Arena/Stadium of Light
Penshaw Monument

It won't take long to scout these locations as a majority of them are fairly nearby and have been visited before by myself and my cast member. I also have been able to take a picture of the bedroom which I will use for the introduction of the video. This will be ideal to shoot in, not only because it suits the narrative of the video, but it is accessible and will be easy to shoot in. Furthermore the decor in the room is very typical for a 17-18 year old who acts as the protagonist.

Planning - Shooting Schedule

Here is shooting schedule I will be following whilst I am filming my video. It is a slightly rough plan but gives me a clear idea of what shots I will be doing and where.

Planning - Casting and Lyrics

For my music video project, I have asked my friend Liam Bell to star in my production (he also starred in my movie opening sequence last year). I don't feel as if I need to cast any other people in this music video as I have envisioned it to be a solo performance by Liam.
Initially, I didn't want my music video to take a narrative approach; however with the issue of not having the appropriate equipment or musicians to perform a performance-driven video I must change my initial course of action. I will, however, incorporate some performance into the music video with a few shots of Liam playing the riffs in the song.

The song I will be doing is 'The Hardest Thing In The World' by The Stone Roses.
My initial plan for the lead track was the song Elephant Stone, however I changed my mind because I believe this song and its lyrics provide a greater structure for a narrative. Furthermore, Elephant Stone has been released as a single meaning that it is accessible as a song; yet using The Hardest Thing In The World, which was released as a B-Side to Fools Gold, allows for a 'rare' track  to be exposed to the audience.

The hardest thing in the world

Holland fades, it don't please
I never wanted to leave
Searching for a perfect day
It never happens that way, a hey, hey, hey

I'm sick and tired and so obscene
Will Heaven help me be clean?
Searching for a perfect day (a perfect day)
It never happens that way, a hey, hey, hey

Cut away
I know your world wants you around

You never heard a word I said (a word I said)
It seems simple to me
That if you knew you wouldn't say (you wouldn't say)
It never happens that way, a hey, hey, hey

And the impression I get as the story unfurls
Is that you're the hardest thing in the world

Cut away
I know your world wants you around

What you feel it might not be
It seems suffer to me
I cannot climb to touch your spire
I'm getting higher and higher

Cut away
I know your world wants you around

The hardest thing in the world

Research - Album Sleeves: Research into minimalistic album covers

Storm Thorgerson

Storm Thorgerson was an English graphic designer born in Middlesex, known for his work on rock album sleeves. Perhaps most well-known for his close work with prog-rock band Pink Floyd and their album sleeves. Thorgerson founded the art design group 'Hipgnosis' and continued to work with Pink Floyd under this label; though the group dissolved in 1983, Thorgerson continued to work on album sleevs and music videos until his death in 2013.

• Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

This iconic cover was designed by art design group Hipgnosis, with Storm Thorgerson as creative director. Record label, EMI, were initially skeptical with Storm's previous album sleeve designs (Atom Heart Mother and Obscured by Clouds) because of Storm's decision to go against the traditional design conventions of the album name, band name and a picture of the band being at the forefront of the sleeve. However, since Thorgerson was directly employed by the band, he was able to disregard such criticisms. Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright instructed Thorgerson to design a sleeve that was 'neat and clean'. The contemporary sleeve design was said to be inspired by three primary factors: the band's vivid stage lighting and effects, the album's lyrics and Wright's request for a clean design. This album sleeve is heavily regarded as one of the greatest and recognizable of all time, due to its striking and memorable nature. I think this album cover is effective because of the simplistic, conceptual design. I believe the juxtaposition of the bright colors against the black background would appeal to the audience as it becomes a very striking, memorable. I envision my digipak cover to have a similar simplicity, whilst still remaining an abstract piece of graphic design. The contemporary nature of the album cover is appealing and inspiring to me because I would like the audience to see the cover as a separate expression of art to the music itself.

• Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

Another iconic cover, Unknown Pleasures was designed by artist Peter Saville. The design of the cover itself is based on the first radio pulsar discovered; the exact same picture can be seen in a Cambridge encyclopedia, with the colors reversed. Again, I feel like I take inspiration from this album sleeve because of its minimalistic tone. Furthermore, the direct contrast of the colors is very striking to the audience. I particularly like the solid black coloring to add to the minimalistic tone of the cover. I plan to take inspiration from this cover through the use of few colors and a striking symbol, dead center in the cover.

• The Beatles - The White Album

Perhaps the most minimalistic album cover ever, The White Album, designed by Richard Hamilton and Paul McCartney, is a white sleeve with the band name embossed upon the cover with the serial number below. In stark contrast to how vivid Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was, The White Album's plain white sleeve is still recognized as one of the greatest album sleeve ever. Similar to Unknown Pleasures, I plan to draw inspiration from this cover through the use of minimalistic covers, thus creating a simple conceptual design.

• The xx - Coexist

Though not critically acclaimed for its design like the previous covers, The xx's Coexist has a very minimalistic, conceptual design that includes the big X that is symbolic of the band. For inspiration, I plan to take ideas from the large symbol in the middle of the cover that is iconic for the band. No band name, but an icon that lets the consumer know who the band is.

Research - Pinterest

https://uk.pinterest.com/luketiplady/album-covers/
https://uk.pinterest.com/luketiplady/minimalistic-album-covers/

I have created these two Pinterest boards to help with me research into album covers, particularly minimalistic covers. The minimalistic board allows me to draw inspiration from some conceptual designs. Covers I have already taken inspiration from range from The Beatles' 'White Album' to Pink Floyd's 'The Wall'.