I've been interested in film for a very long time. I've seen on MTV and Fuse all of these horrendous music videos, and asked myself if I couldn't come up with something better? I've only seen a couple ones that have really impressed me: 1,2,3,4 by Feist, Stan by Eminem, Breaking the Habit, by Linkin Park, The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack by the Liars, Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve, Maybe Tommorrow by Stereophonics and (forgive me for these selections) Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day, and possibly The Saints are Coming by U2 and Green Day. The one common factor between all these music videos; they all told a story.
When I heard this amazing song by Phoenix, Lisztomania, I immediately had an idea for a music video. I listened to it over and over and the song like any other great song tells a story as well, and has a plot and a structure. This is all going to be basically one continous shot aside from one scene. I hate it when they fragment it, it shows poor editing.
Scene One 0:00-0:54
Setting: Background, black curtains, outdoors by the soccer stadium.
There is one guy in a full black suit, black shirt, black vest, black tie, black shoe(cover) white headphones, black hair, ala IPOD commercial. The camera is from the front, like a theater. When the music starts, he snaps his fingers to the beat, his opposite shoulder doing a kind of pop and lock to the other beat, his feet doing a jazz style step. His head is tilted down and bobbing side to side. He begins to lip synch the words. The camera is close enough to see his mouth, but far enough to see 4 body lengths on each side. When the word "slowly" comes in, his head goes upwards smoothly and he sweeps his leg outward while fanning his arms outward slowly, then immediately returns back to the rhythm and the original dance routine. He is slowly moving forward.
Scene Two 0:54-1:09
When the keyboard comes in, he switches to an air guitar routine and has a more exaggerated head movements and lip syncs. When the line, "not easily offended" comes, a very attractive blonde in a pink dress and high heels comes in from the right side and slaps him across the face.
Scene Three 1:10-1:24
The Blonde Exits to the right side with her head held up high, pompously, strutting off the stage. When the drums come in, the black suit comes off (The suit is attached by velcro, and when the music gets faster, he rips it off.) Underneath, he is wearing vibrant colors, Indie clothes, plaid shirt, yellow, red or green jeans, multi colored shoes. Also, via 1,2,3,4 (Feist) Video, four people who were hiding behind his back appear, two on each side, one girl, one guy, wearing similarly vibrant colors and outfits, and mimic his movements. He is still doing the air guitar and exaggerated lip sync. When the second "not easily offended" comes in at 1:18, a man in a vibrant pink shirt and tight blue jeans comes in from the right, walks daintily and slaps him and leaves from the same direction, while the four people immediately shirk away, then bounce right back in and everyone returns back to their old activities.
Scene Four 1:25-2:03
When the drums return, eight more people join the group. Everyone switches to a drumming motion, and every one is lip syncing, with the main one in the center, and the most exaggerated motions. When the word "discouraged" comes in, the main man stops and looks sullen while everyone takes one step away, then takes a sweeping motion, similar to the one back at the word "slowly" back to the center, with their inner leg and arm, while the main man croons backward. Then when they say "slowly" again, everyone takes their left leg and sweeps it to the left smoothly while arching their left arm around the same pace, while arching their neck back to the right, then returning to the drumming motion. Then, when then guitar comes in at 1:53, every other person starts air guitaring.
Scene Five 2:04-2:18
When the chorus comes in, the twelve non-main members take two graceful steps back and do a swaying motion side to side, while the main man lip syncs the lyrics. When the third "not easily offended" comes in, a little kid comes in from the left side and hugs the main man, then when the line "gotta let it go, he lets go with one arm and lets the kid slide out the hug, and exit back to the left. During this breakup, the main man is looking to the right and up, and lip syncing, with his arm raised.
Scene Six 2:19-2:32
When the music starts up again, fifteen more people join in and its a full fledged dance party. At 2:26, when he hits that high note, everyone takes a step back and the main man arches his neck back and really sells it. Ignore the fourth "not easily offended". When the line "from the mess to the masses" happens, everyone converges on the main man and he disappears from the picture, for now. He changes into an all white suit with white rimmed sunglasses that have an orange interior, with white shoes and a white vest, with black headphones. (You'll find out later)
Scene Seven 2:33-3:07
The remaining people all go into a synchronized drumming motion. A mascot shows up at 2:52 and everyone starts moshing.
Scene Eight 3:08-3:20
When the music gets slow it goes into a panoramic shot over the sunset, time lapse video of it setting over the field.
Final Scene 3:20-4:02
It's nighttime now. Back to the original setting. Black curtains in background again. But there's lighting galore like a stage. The main man returns, center stage, in the white suit and outfit mentioned before. He is holding an invisible microphone. He is joined by four new people: a person who is holding an invisible guitar, bass, keyboard, and a person on a stool drumming on an invisible drumset. They are all wearing white suits, no ties, sunglasses with different colors. When the drums start up, the main man goes back to the original routine of the snapping of the fingers and the shoulder rock, while the drummer beats to it. The bassist and guitarist and the keyboardist are rocking their heads to the beat and are playing. At 3:40 , when the lyrics start up again, everyone goes all out and rocks out. Between 3:50 and 3:53 the main man is really dancing and stomping his feet while singing, then afterwards he hits the high note while crooning his head back. The lights dim and everything is dark.
This is my idea for a music video. I have ideas for videos for Underdog by Spoon, Rich Girls by The Virgins and a mock video for Hey Lady by Thriving Ivory, but those only take a couple people. This is a very ambitious project and hopefully I could do it in September when the lighting conditions are ideal.
I need 34 people who would be willing to help out. And a kid.
One attractive blonde who has a fluorescent pink dress and hot pink high heels
A guy who is willing to dress in a tight hot pink shirt, tight jeans
4 guys with white suits and colorful sunglasses and black headphones, and one of them has to have a stool.
14 guys and 13 girls with colorful plaid shirts, not blue or black jeans, multicolored shoes, bandannas, scarfs, earrings hairpins or whatever colorful accessory you can find(not sunglasses) and be willing and have zen-like patience to dance for a couple of hours.
A capable camera man with a wide angle camera lens, and who knows how to do time lapse shots, also with zen-like patience.
A freaking adorable kid.
Hopefully we can get some theater majors to help with wardrobe with this project, so if you know any who would be willing to help out that would make this much easier.
If you can help, that would be amazing. My email is sumopdude@aol.com
Since I am new to all of this, and I'm not pompous enough to think I've mastered this at all, any changes or recommendations are more than welcome. Except for nudity, racism or violence. This goes out to you, Jake.
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