Primary Photography- Mise en Scene Settings

I have gathered images from holidays and from experiencing different locations and cultures, the following images are pictures of which I have taken myself. This shows how I am distinguishing between locations and what impressions they may give to an audience, as well what type of music video would it stereotypically link to. This PowerPoint is similar to the secondary photograph mise en scene settings piece of research, yet this PowerPoint uses my own photographs to show how I am independent to the extent of getting my own research in preparation for making my own music video. Other than looking through various existing past photographs, I have also purposely gone out to capture differing possible settings in my own town. This PowerPoint shall gain me in depth knowledge about possible settings which I could use for my chosen song, it will also show me of what resources I do not have for example a beach and therefore I am limited in areas in terms of what mise en scene settings I can use. When I have finalised my song choice I can then refer back to these PowerPoint's as a guideline of what type of location needs to be shot.

Example 1

Example 1 DiscussedThese pictures were taken on holiday and therefore I am limited in creating

the same scene for my music video, however it is important to find out what certain places portray to the audience. In my music video I need to create and plan scenes which portray what I intend them to and therefore if these primary images portray connotations which my chosen lyrics do then I can focus on looking and planning similar scenic impressions. The level of greenery is high showing how the song could possibly be quite natural and calming at times but at the same time it could convey loneliness as there is little there other than the wilderness: which is unseen exaggerating the loneliness through mystery. These are establishing shots of the scenes and therefore could be used at the beginning of the song so the audience can contextualise with the environment visualising the intertextuality between the place and the lyrics. A music video which is well known and used in the wilderness is Shakira and ‘Whenever, Wherever’, if I was to create a music video to this I would have to plan to find environments such as these despite being limited. One of the photographs of the scene is slightly sunny, the differences in portrayal is huge showing how weather is extremely important. The weather being sunny gives the idea of a holiday and romance yet besides it shows a much darker forest giving the idea of fear.

Example 2

Example 2 DiscussedThese images give the impression a song based on love and romance. I could

choose to film at a beach if my chosen lyrics fitted in with it, however, living in the UK means that the beach would not be sunny and would be quite dull which would be contradicting towards the audience with certain songs. However, the beach is romantic and represents natural beauty, peace and tranquillity and therefore music artists such as Leona Lewis would be well suited to these types of environments. When the beach is quite dark it could represent the opposite impressions as discussed before, a change of weather could exaggerate loneliness and how things have changed in relationships or could also represent being heart broken. The footprints in the sand are a technique easy to replicate if the meanings of the songs are not based on love, gritty songs could have footprints in the mud which are a lot of darker and fearful. Differences in the sky represent differing emotions, the cloud shows clouded emotions and thoughts and possibly doubt whereas a fully bright sunny sky on a beach could show and convey true happiness. Different angles could also help to create different impressions, the off angle scene of the sea could show how something is not right yet if it was straight then it could be more positive. I could complete a scene based on a beach but I could adapt it to my own song by making it black and white to create a mysterious more negative realistic outcome.

Example 3

Example 3 DiscussedThese scenes again are of which I have taken myself in more rural

environments, obviously they need to fit in with the lyrics and therefore could be quite negative with the black and white colour schemes and the isolation could mean many things and not just how the rural area is isolated but also how the lyrics are about being lonely or fearful. Stereotypically I would expect music singers such as Beyonce to sing in music sets such as these because the isolation exaggerates how they are female, insecure and vulnerable elaborating on their overall impression which they give through other promotional products such as their CD covers. As well, the nature of the environment represents the nature of the music artists such as Beyonce and Shakira, however I believe Shakira uses other reasons for these settings. Because of Shakira’s background and where she is from it shows how she is not a ‘city girl’ but different and therefore it can be unconventional in some ways to use environments such as these to emphasise the tribal ethnicity. The rocks and water represent tranquillity so link to love in some aspects. If I chose a song and needed a similar environment I would go to a local nature centre and video the empty areas of natural beauty and also I would focus on places such as woods and local ponds to capture the same natural essence.

Example 4

Example 4 DiscussedThese images are similar to the other slides with no people in and can also

be perceived as very tranquil and calming. The connotations of being on holiday are given creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere and therefore pop bands such as The Pussycat Dolls could use settings such as these for an upbeat possibly love song. The scenes of the mountains and the sea could give impressions of romance and love but under a more serious tone and therefore if there is a change in the sounding of the songs then there could be a change in the environment such as this which fits well with the lyrics. Simple characteristics such as the Palm trees show how the place is hot and give immediate impressions of where the place could be, people can therefore relate to it as a holiday destination or a destination they would like to go. The sun beds are girly and feminine reinforcing the idea of using girl pop group songs and girls for a music video with this environment. However, because the UK is not a warm place to be and there are no holiday tourist destinations of this kind, compromising would have to take place to attempt to create a similar image. This could be generated by capturing the sun at the highest point in the sky in romantic environments which girls depicted having fun reinforcing the upbeat lyrics and song, which would be best suited to places such as these.

Example 5

Example 5 DiscussedThis environment is something which is almost impossible to plan under

such limitations. However it is vital to understand what impressions are given and how intertextuality between the lyrics and the mise en scene are key to making an effective music video. The clouds are peaceful and it is breathtaking scenery as the images are taken from a mountainous point of view depicting the clouds at the same level as well as the lush green vegetation. From my point of view, a love song would be best suited to this environment, this is due to the romantic side of it being remarkable images. Because the images are unrealistic to most peoples lives then the music video using this type of environment is unique and distinguishable. As well, it shows how the music video would then be glamorous contrasting against other music videos which are also common. Being high up also would portray the music artists importance and bring even more focus on them. I could go to the top of some hills to create a similar impact on the audience and have the person in my music video to be the main focus in the midst of the nature.

Example 6

Example 6 DiscussedThese environments are what I would expect music artists such as Taylor Swift

to use in her music videos. This maybe due to her being a country singer and therefore there is a deep essence of this in these images through the natural beauty of the area. It gives a calm impression and therefore songs such as rap and hip-hop would not suit these surroundings. The natural habitats and the lush vegetation represents Britain which is filled with the countryside and therefore I am not limited in attempting to film a music video in this type of setting. It gives a peaceful impression and in my opinion the target audience would be to females rather than a male audience. This environment reinforces a vulnerable attitude of being alone surrounded by nature again giving a feminine impression to the watching audience. It reminds people of their childhoods and playing in fields and therefore it gives connotations of innocence. Because the sky is blue it gives a representation of happiness interlinking again to childhood or possibly positive emotions. Due to these settings being empty it would allow the focus of the music video to be on the music artist and the surroundings themselves. Animals are rarely used in music videos but can be quirky and unusual to catch attention, they can also be metaphorical for the lyrics.

Example 7

Example 7 DiscussedThis is the environment collage of images which is the most negative and dull.

The impressions received from visualising the images are less positive but give a gloomy scary portrayal and could be representing emotions such as despair and anger interlinking to lyrics. This environment would be very easy to film, there are churches everywhere and the weather which will soon be winter will help to exaggerate and create the eerie atmospheres. As well, the spooky photograph of the pool behind the dark ominous trees could be replicated. Therefore, it would seem more sensible to choose a song which is less upbeat because of the limitations which I face and the weather being typically British and bad would reinforce this ominous atmospheric environment. The church conveys desperation and lack of hope and therefore when lyrics relate to these types of emotions buildings such as Churches or even inside a church or possibly a derelict building. Water can represent many things such as romance in beach scenes, but the water here because of being dark and dank it gives the rhetorical question of what lurks beneath. After looking through these various images which I have photographed and then analysed it has given me knowledge about connotations and the importance of the settings in relation to a music video.