Music Video Analysis - Research and Planning

Research and Planning

We did lots of planning for when we shot the footage of the skate park in Alexandra Palace, as we had to research the area, how to get there and what kind of shots we would do. this way we were able to be fully prepared, as well as have plenty of time to get all the shots we needed. One thing we couldn't predict. however, were the other people in the skate park. However, we had to carry on filming despite some embarrassment. We also had to know what things to bring with us as well, such as video camera, tripod, Ken doll, oyster cards and I also brought my camera so what we would be able to have some good images of the location for our blogs. For this mid shot there is a distance between Ruby and Ken, which again shows that they are not getting on well. This is also emphasised by the way Ruby is 'looking down' on Ken. showing that she has the power in the relationship.

We also did lots of planning for the filming for the part in the video when Ruby is waiting for Ken after she has prepared a special valentine's day celebration for him. We planned on filming this a few days before valentine's day itself, as we knew that the sort of things we'd need for the shoot would only really be in shops around then. We bought things like red heart confetti, a red pretend flower, heart chocolates and a toast stamp that said the words 'I love you'.  This meant we were prepared for this shoot, as well as having the camera etc with us. For this mid shot we had to do quite a lot of preparation, such as light and arrange the candles. We also had to decide on the camera movement, which was a panning shot of the table. This adds the hermeneutic code to the video (Barthes), as we do not know where the shot is going until it reveals her sitting at the table. The fact that she is checking her watch is also a semantic code, as the underlining meaning to this action shows that she is waiting for someone, and as an audience we can work this out before it is revealed by Ken arriving, as that is how we interpret this action.

For this close up shot we also filmed at Alice's house, but we needed to prepare beforehand as we planned out the sequence, so that it made sense and was funny. We also had to buy the giant haribo beforehand, and make sure that Alice had eggs in her house. The bright spotted plate again adds to the colourful and youthful the video, and contrasts with the stripy tablecloth, which shows that Ruby and Ken are binary opposites  (Sassure), despite the fact they are getting in well on the shot. It also shows that there is an enigma code (Barthes) towards Ruby and Ken's relationship, as audience doesn't know exactly how they stand with each other by the end.