U13 FMP - PROPOSAL

The Henley College 62441

Isadora Larter 968122
Music Video - ‘The Pursuit
PROPOSAL
of Happiness’
Narrative and storytelling

RATIONAL
Before beginning this course I did a year doing 4 A levels, two of them being
creative subjects Photography and Art, within this I would produce work that had a
deeper meaning. Coming onto the course this was a subject I had not done or
experimented in before, this allowed me to gain new skillsets and learn another
medium to be creative in, this allowed me learn how to use more Adobe Software
(Premier Pro, Audition and After Effects) on top of the software I already knew how
to use (Illustrator and Photoshop). Doing a course in a subject unknown to me
allowed me to develop the meaning I produced within my art and photography
into visual narratives, allowing me to develop and illustrate the meaning I put into my
work further and in a different way.

PROJECT CONCEPT
Due to my enjoyment of producing stories and filming music videos, I have decided
to put the two together to produce a narrative driven music video. This will allow me
to demonstrate my storytelling skills through different format other than a short film,
which it is most traditionally done through. Producing a music video also allows me
to explore more artistic and more complex editing techniques than if I was to do a
short film.

My aim for this production is to create a music video that a certain target audience
can connect and relate to on an emotional level, as well as getting across the songs
meaning or my own personal interpretation of the lyrics. In order to successfully
achieve my aim, I will be developing my skills in after effects and premier pro and
will be using industry standard equipment to produce a product of professional
standards. To achieve this I will be utilising the feedback given by my tutors and
peers to progress the standard of my overall work.

EVALUATION
In order to reflect my journey through the final project I will complete a weekly vlog
on a Thursday, this means I have time to get feedback from my tutors and peers and
evaluate my work, but also have time to make amends and improvements before
my week is up. This will help me stay on track with my production schedule and not
be carrying on improvements into the following week. Doing it on a Thursday also
means I will be able to discuss what I have concluded with my tutors the following
day and then be able to make amendments over that day and if needed the
weekend.
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I will also reflect on my work by showing my teachers and peers and asking for
advice on elements that may need re-shooting, editing and within my research and
planning stages. This will help me because more brains are better than one and this
will allow me to broaden my ideas. It will also help me notice things that without an
outside perspective or an experienced perspective, I may have missed or not
thought about myself.

I will also be conducting primary research by conducting face-to-face interviews

with a range of people from my target audience to gain qualitative data. As well as
sending a survey out to people from my target audience to gain quantitative data
to see if I have achieved my aim of appealing to the target audience I have chosen
and if they connected to the production emotionally.

After I have created my production, for me to evaluate my work critically, I will be

looking at and comparing my work to different professional productions. I will be
comparing my production to different mediums to be able to critically evaluate the
different elements that have gone into my production. I will be looking at music
videos in general to look at how my editing and cutting to the beat compares and
looks to other professional music videos. I will be comparing my production to
narrative driven music videos as well as short films to be able to see how well I have
executed my narrative and if I have illustrated it in the right way and using the right
conventions of my narrative.

COMPETITION:

I will be producing a music video to be entered into the, under the category of live
action short films, which accepts the genre of music videos.

About: (Taken from festival website)

Underwire is the UK’s only film festival celebrating female filmmaking talent across
the crafts. Founded in 2010 by Gabriella Apicella and Gemma Mitchell with the aim
to change the face of the industry from the inside out, the festival has awarded
training and mentoring opportunities to over 40 filmmakers, and has screened over
300 films. Underwire is now a BAFTA recognised film festival. The Underwire Awards
are given in recognition of the teamwork and skill necessary to produce a film, and
aims to acknowledge the artistry and vision required in the key production roles.
These awards are open to films with women working in each specific category, and
we accept a mix of genres: drama, animation, documentary, music video and artist
film. The festival recognises talent across Directing, Producing, Screenwriting, Editing,
Cinematography, Sound Design, Composing, Production Design and Animation,
and any short film that has a woman in one of those roles is eligible.
 U13 FMP - PROPOSAL
With women making up only 21.8% of a typical feature film crew, it is clear that these
talents must be showcased early, to propel the women filmmakers of the future into
their feature film careers.

With a clear objective to improve the statistics in front and behind camera, there are
also awards for female crew members Under 25, actors, and for onscreen
representation with the XX Award that is open to all films that foreground female
characters and stories from filmmakers of any gender. Underwire continues to
promote collaboration and nurture new talent throughout the year, bringing its
community of female filmmakers together at our Time of the Month networking
events.

Dates and Deadlines:

Feb 1st – Opening date

June 15th – Regular Deadline

July 15th – Late Deadline

September 24th – Notification Date

November 16th – Event Date

Categories:

 Short Film UK
 Feature Film UK
 Feature Film International

Genres Accepted - drama, animation, documentary, music video and artist film.

(I will be applying for the Short Film Category with the genre being a music video)

Awards & Prizes:

• Best Director

• Best Producer

• Best Writer

• Best Editor

• Best Cinematographer

• Best Actor

• Best Production Designer

• Under 25: for outstanding work by a female practitioner aged 15-25

• XX Award: for the best onscreen female protagonist

 U13 FMP - PROPOSAL
(I will be aiming to accomplish or be eligible for either one of the awards they give:
Under 25 Award, Best Director, Editor, cinematography

Submission Rules:

Eligibility

• Underwire looks to showcase all kinds of film. We accept drama, animation,

documentary, music video and artists' film of all production techniques, forms and
budgets.

• The primary contact completing the submission process must be authorised to

submit the film for consideration. This includes permission from a distributor or sales
agent representing the film and the applicant must have obtained necessary
permissions for the inclusion of any copyrighted music and/or images used within the
film. With this submission, the applicant confirms that they possess all rights necessary
for the screening of the submitted film at Underwire Festival.

Underwire awards

• Each Underwire Award category is eligible to female heads of department. For

example, a film where all the crew is male but the production designer is female
would be eligible for the Production Design Award.

• The nominees for each award category will be determined by the Underwire
selection panel.

• The winner for each award category will be determined by the award partner or a
judge of their choosing.

• The XX Award is eligible for both male and female directors. The Award is for
onscreen representation of women, for films which put interesting female characters
at their centre.

• Apart from the XX Award, films are only eligible for the category that they have a
female creative for. For example: if your film was directed by a man, but has a
female production designer, you can submit and be eligible for that category; if
your film has an all-female crew, your film is eligible for all the categories.

Submission fees

• There is a submission fee to enter your film. All submissions are final and there are
no refunds. Underwire Festival is a non-profit organisation and submission fees help us
with festival costs.

Selection process

• All submitted films are viewed by two or more members of the selection team.

• All programming selections are at the discretion of the Festival Director, whose
decision is final.

• All submitted films will be notified of the Underwire Festival’s selection in advance
of the festival via email.
 U13 FMP - PROPOSAL
• Full delivery instructions will be provided on notification of selection.

Festival screenings

• All films at Underwire Festival screen from DCP.

• If selected, there are no fees for participating in the festival. Filmmakers are not
entitled to claim rental or other fees for the screenings of their films at the festival.

• Films screened at Underwire Festival may also be included in other public

programmes, subject to the submitter’s permission.

Publicity and marketing

• Submitting a film gives us permission to use publicity stills provided and up to

1minute of footage for use in all Underwire Festival marketing and publicity.

Short films

All short film entries must be:

• Up to 25 minutes long including credits (25 minutes must be the maximum length of
the short)

• Completed since November 2016

• Filmmakers must be British or Irish nationals and/or the film must be a UK or Republic
of Ireland production, including student/graduation films.

• Films that do not fall within our criteria will NOT be watched.

Why I think I can win this competition:

One reason why I think I could potentially win in this competition is because my
project will be open to a variety of types of awards, not just one you have to pick to
apply for like most festival competitions. This competition allows me to be nominated
for a variety of different skillsets that I will have in my production, from the actors
being potentially nominated, to best director and cinematography.

I feel my video could win because it is a feel-good storyline. Most age groups can
relate, its relatable for anyone in education as it reflects their current situation,
addresses the stress of school, but has a positive outlook showing you that the good
memories outweigh the bad times. Older people and anyone who has been in
education can also reminisce/reflect on the good memories of when they were at
school. I also have a wide diversity of characters within a friendship, meaning It is
relatable to different types of personalities/characters. I am filming in the
summertime and I have an adventurous outside trip planned for the story so the
cinematography will be key to create happy feel good emotions.
 U13 FMP - PROPOSAL

IDEA:
Idea Generation:

My first idea was to produce a music video to the song ‘I fall apart’ by Post Malone,
my stories concept was about a boy and girl’s relationship that’s deteriorating, drink
driving and the consequences, illustrated through a non-linear narrative including
the conventions of flashbacks, parallel editing and other narrative techniques to
keep the narrative interesting and so you don’t know if it was the boy or girl who
crashed until the very end.

After going forward with this idea, I quickly found that I didn’t have the enthusiasm
and passion for the idea as I have had with all my previous production ideas. This
made me re-think and look over different songs, narratives and genres I could
potentially do instead.

I then came up with my second idea to produce a music video to ‘The Pursuit Of
Happiness’ by Kid Kudi. The concept of my story is about a group of students who
decide to go on an adventure when the school day is up. Playing on a ‘work hard,
play hard’ theme, you see the stresses and difficult times you go through, but then
contrasted with the good amazing times you have through friendship and being
young, and the memories you make. It’s a feel-good music video that is very
relatable.

After coming up with this idea and noticed the change in my motivation and
creativity towards this unit. I’ve realised that my first idea I have done before so I was
losing interest in the subject and it wasn’t pushing or challenging me as I have done
and achieved in that narrative and genre type before.

Outline:

6 Students, work hard play hard, but will they make it back in time for class?

Detail:

Firstly, my theme and message I am trying to get across is breaking the stereotypes
shown within a diverse friendship group. I am playing on the ‘work hard play hard’
message. I illustrate the struggles and stress caused by education and the want to
succeed and be happy. And the working hard in school but then having an
amazing time making amazing memories when the school day is over. I want the
video to give people a feel-good feeling, allow them to relate if it’s their current
situation or relate and reminisce about the times they were in school and growing
up, and for both audiences, for them to be feeling good about their experience,
and to see that although it is a difficult and stressful time, you aren’t/wasn’t the only
one and that regardless the memories and experiences you have far outweigh the
struggles.
 U13 FMP - PROPOSAL

You see a class of students, but the focus is on 6 students in particular who are a
group of friends, this is not made clear when you see them in class, and in regard to
stereotypes, you wouldn’t assume they were friends, you only see that they are a
group of friends when the school day is over and they come together to go on an
adventure.

You see the students hard at work, smartly dressed and working hard, the school day
is then up, and the 6 flee the room full of excitement. They then go on an adventure
up to a location either London or Brighton. You see their strong friendship, having an
amazing time together laughing and enjoying themselves. You see them take part in
classic activites, such as the car journey together, sneaking someone in the back
because theres not enough room, going to the fairground (Brighton) and exploring
(London/Brighton), having some drinks and relaxing ones the sun sets and the days
up.

Throughout this at the appropriate lyric times, flashbacks occur to the stresses and
struggles of each of the 6 students and then cuts back to them happy in the
moment and enjoying themselves. This will include arguments with parents about
grades, working late, nightmares, waking up with cold sweats, the stress of exams
etc.

I then plan on their being a situation that occurs that means they don’t think they
are going to be able to make it back to school on time. You see them getting closer
and closer to the time they need to be at school and trying to get back. The just
manage to make it to school that day in the morning. You see them rush in and sit at
their seats, quickly correcting their uniforms and parts that are out of place so they
look like nothing happened and are presentable. Everyone out of the 6 manages to
do this. Except for Zak, who is sat there smiling thinking he’s all good, the camera
then pans down below the desk and you see that he still has his heels on from the
night before. The song and story ends on this note.

WHY MY PRODUCT SHOULD BE MADE:

Because:

 I think I am capable of winning an award in the competition

 I want to highlight my filming, editing and cinematography skills
 It shows off my ability to put a narrative together even within a different
format (Not a short film)
 I feel it highlights all my skillsets
 My idea helps me to develop and explore different editing techniques