The song I have chosen is ‘Nights’ by Frank Ocean. Nights is a Down tempo dance track
which consists of repetitive beats and the pace is changed throughout the song
(especially after the 3 min mark- but I won’t be using that part as it doesn’t
fit with the brief). The tracks main message/ theme is about nightlife and how
people with low income work during this time. There is also references to
breakdown of relationships and drug taking. A lot of fans (including myself) of
Frank’s music believe that Nights is a sequel to ‘Pyramids’, another dance song
which is featured on Frank’s first album (Chanel Orange). Like Nights, Pyramids
is separated into two parts- a fast and a slow version. Towards the end,
Pyramids has a similar beat which is played at the beginning of Nights (sounds
like a phone ringing). The song also has a narrative of a couple on low income
so she girl stays strips for money at the ‘Pyramid’ strip club whilst the boy
stays at home un-employed. I used this narrative as inspiration to mould my own
interpretation and narrative for Nights.
Frank Ocean is a hybrid soul/dance artist from the
alternative R&B sub-genre which incorporates EDM music such as
synthesisers, auto tune, and repetitive beats. However, artists from this genre
have criticised this sub-genre as they don’t like to be put into a box, they
would like to express themselves freely with their music. Other artists from
this ‘sub-genre’ include Tyler the creator, SZA and Childish Gambino- finding
artist who fit into this genre can be quite difficult as they incorporate
different features from different genres.
My interpretation of ‘nights’ uses the ‘theory’ of the song being
a sequel to Pyramids. So, carrying on from that story of the couple. It the
girl is struggling to make ends meet financially so she strips to pay the bills
whereas the boyfriend just stays at home not helping their situation.
For my video, I
will use my interpretation above as my narrative, however I will tweak things
slightly. Instead of a stripper, she will be a prostitute as I think it will be
easier to suggest to my target audience (16+). For instance I will use cutaways
of her peering into a car on a road at night, her standing on the side of the
road (smoking?) and her on the bus at night. Thus, creative a sympathetic
representation of her as her life is difficult and the shots/ misce en scene I will
use will suggest she’s struggling. The video will be performance and narrative
based as well. It will also cut to ‘Frank’ singing- he will be singing in front
of a projector screen so he is identity is covered- highlighting Franks views
of being a reclusive and just focusing on the music rather than the person.
Playing on the projector will be a block colour (possibly blue) to highlight
the moody aesthetic of the video. As the song ‘picks up’, the tension of the
narrative will increase and there will be loads of fast cuts. Another shot I
would like to include is a 360 shot where the camera pans around the girl
(headshot) underneath street light to highlight the themes and aesthetic of the
song. Then, I will time lapse the video and do the same with the boyfriend. I will
need quite a few actors, not just for the main characters, but for extras to be
men who are driving near the girl at night who are interested in her.
The artist of my video will be a ‘parody’ of Frank as I want
to use a similar aesthetic to him and
I like his style (outlook and fashion). Thus, the name of the artist will have
a similar name, for example ‘Billy River’.
My website will have the same aesthetic as my music video as
they will synergise together. The website will consist of dark colours and
pictures of cityscapes to create an urban and gritty aesthetic. Furthermore, I
will incorporate pictures of my artist on the front page so audiences
immediately recognise that it’s ‘Billy River’s’ website. Furthermore, I will
add a ‘shop’ or ‘music’ page to highlight the artist’s professionalism and
media skills.
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