Final Pitch Video

Storyboard - Rough Draft

This is our first draft for out storyboard, it includes our main idea's of the main narrative to the video. We have chosen to go for a variety of shots showing the characters morning, which will make more sense to the audience as the video goes on.

Our Song

Below is a YouTube link to our chosen song, by Jeffrey James - Carry You. The video is by the unsigned artist in which he has created a music video for his record.

Treatment/Pitch

Conventions Of A Music Video

Star Image: Ed Sheeran

Start image is extremely important to artists as this creates and builds them their fan-base, this is either clothing, advertising, personality, promotes, hobbies & interests. I have to talk about Ed Sheeran's star image and motifs, as I feel he has a very interesting image which is different to other artists today.

Ed Sheeran is known for his iconic ‘scruffy’ appearance of his ginger hair, hoodies and guitar, which all creates his star image motif. His iconic appearance represents him as ‘down to earth’ and by wearing this type of clothing his audiences can relate to, unlike other artists who wear expensive clothes and jewellery.

From his star image motif's he is represented to his audience as a calm, relaxed, but different artist, this is shown through his music videos, genres and slow pace of his music. I have said he is represented different when compared to other artist today, this is shown through his iconic album covers and lyrics of his personal songs. However, I feel this is specifically constructed appearance to target his fan-base. This is so his audience can feel a connection and relate to him through his personality, appearance and character.

Ed Sheeran - Advertisement, promotions & building a fan-base

In his early career he played at small venues such as small pubs, these were free gigs which he slowly created a small fan base. By performing in such places as London and around Suffolk he is seen as an artist who purely performs because of his love for music and not for the money and fame.

He then went onto appearing on the ITV show Britannia High to audience, this led to him being seen and noticed on national T.V. This helped him because he got his music and self out into the music industry through the T.V show.

Last year in May 2012 he has helped was involved in raising money for a charity which helped street sex workers for the charity One25. The gig which he performed at was in Bristol and raised just over £40’000.

He has also recently auctioned off some of his personal items, including his collection of Lego. Although he is giving all the money raised to charity it benefits for him as he is presented as someone who cares for others, but also by selling his Lego it promotes his record and music video ‘Lego House’. Helping raising the money then betrays him as selfless and wanting to help others. He can then benefit from this by creating a larger fan-base.

In his early career he performed at free gigs, this helped him slowly get his name out there and created a fan-base. By performing free he is not seen as doing it for the fame or money, he is seen as doing it purely because of his love of music which he can then benefit from.

He also performed for Nokia to promote the release of their new smartphone, Nokia Lumia, at a private concert in New York. This then links him with the smartphone which both advertise him and the smartphone, which he can benefit from by Nokia being such a large company.

He will also be performing at the free music day in Ipswich, Christchurch Park. As this is a free gig for people and fans to watch, which he also performed at the same day in 2010. This again presents him for someone who performs for his love of music, this promotes and advertise his records and merchandise, which he will then benefit from.

Textual Analysis: 2 Chainz - No Lie ft. Drake

2 Chainz is a well known American rapper, who's 'No Lie' video features the Canadian rapper Drake. Their music video 'No Lie' is a common rap music video, which includes a variety of conventions you would expect to find in a rap video/song. Firstly, from the album cover of 'No Lie' it shows the audience already what type of genre it is. The clothing 2 Chainz wears on the close-up cover, which includes a dark hooded top, dark sunglasses along with gold jewelry, surrounded in smoke. This represents his power and wealth to his audience through the mise-en-scene of the photograph/cover.


From the beginning of the music video I first realised that the whole video is shot in monochrome with a variety of slow-motion & close-up shots. The opening scene of the video starts with a vertical split screen transition which reveals the name '2 Chainz', which is already boldly advertising and showing the audience the artist. The lyrics which appear at the beginning of nearly all of 2 Chainz records says, "Mike Will made it" this promotes & advertises the producer Michael Williams, which is followed by the words "2 Chainz". This adds to 2 Chainz motif as the audience can quickly understand who both that artist & producer is through the style it is sung at the start of this record and many others.

The opening scenes then cuts to fast pace cuts of medium close-ups of 2 Chainz & a lady dancing in slow-motion, which has already included conventions for a rap video within the first 30 seconds. The next scene cuts to a close-up shot of 2 Chainz directing the audience. In this shot he fills the majority of the frame, while wearing some unique clothes, this represents his power from how he is placed in the frame and stands out & wears dark clothing to stand out from the plain background to put the full attention of the audience upon him.

Throughout the video there are several medium and close-up shots of voyeurism from a males perspective. This is another key convention you would expect to find in a rap video, which shows the type of audience 2 Chainz targets. This represents his power throughout the video from having these girls dance in the video and in some shots around him where he is seen as the dominant one. An example of this is in the screenshot on the left, the scene fades in where 2 Chainz is seen as the dominant gender from him sitting, whereas the girls are shown as weak & a possession  from the way they are both dressed and dance around the artist in a sexual way.

The voyeurism is seen in more the beginning and end of the video. I feel this has been edited in this way to accompany the main artist 2 Chainz, rather than Drake as the voyeurism and sexual dances mainly occur when 2 Chainz raps and not Drake. I feel this has been done to imply 2 Chainz is more dominant that Drake and this expresses his wealth & power through the chosen scenes.

There are several relationships between lyrics & visuals throughout the music video. This is shown at around 0.58 where the lyrics say, "And all I get is cheese like I’m taking pictures" which is when the artist 2 Chainz makes a hand movement to simulate a camera, this is a close-up shot where he dominates most of the frame and directs the audience. It is a fairly low-key shot in which there is a lot of contrast on his face, which directs the audiences attention upon the artist.

There is a straight cut to both 2 Chainz & Drake in the foreground of the scene, in a painted drizzled black & white room. As Drake is only featuring in 2 Chainz video, Drake is seen a less dominant through the height of the artist and his clothing. In the scene I have shown on the left 2 Chainz in seen at a higher height wearing dark low-key clothing, this represents him a more powerful & dominant than Drake as it puts more attention upon 2 Chainz.

The ending of the video ends in a two separate shots of both artists, this again similar to the opening of the video promotes and advertises both artists through the video, but in different ways. 2 Chainz appears to dominate the frame along with the font, he wears some unique clothing & sunglasses which he wears throughout the video which promotes his unique style, this is accompanied by lighting directing upon him, this puts your main attention on both him & the bold white font which is seen throughout this & other videos.

The next shot is similar within the layout and style, but advertises and promotes Drake. This shot of Drake contrasts with 2 Chainz closing shot from how it was low-key background, with the main attention put upon 2 Chainz and the bold white writing. This contrasts as he seems to be the opposite with a bright high-hey background. However, the attention in not so much upon Drake from his high-key clothing and how he is lit, I feel this has been done to contrast with 2 Chainz to show who has more authority as Drake is featuring in 2 Chainz music video.

The second from last closing shot is of a girl in very little clothing, which the attention put upon her from how she is lit and the 'BY DIRECTOR X' wording which advertises and promotes the director. From low-key plain background and how the girl is seen throughout the video this shows to the audience what type of music video's 'Director X' is involved in and their type of target audience.