Meeting Rosie May

On the Monday morning Rosie May came into visit our school and chat to our group about our ideas for the video. We ran her through all of our previous ideas that have had major flaws in them and therefore have been rejected. This was a helpful time in which we, as a group, could gauge her reaction to our previous as well as new ideas. Her feedback and our progression is as follows:

• She wants to be more modern in an urban way than Lana Del Rey and Amy Winehouse yet still encapsulate the timeless retro look they both portray. Since her style is quite similar to Lana Del Rey's this alteration to the star image would be advantageous as she will be differentiating herself from an already successful artist. Therefore another popstar which could influence Rosie's star image is the urban rooted Lily Allen who has, in recent years, altered her star image to become more retro!
• Rosie is still keen on the idea of stock footage, especially of the weather and in particular sunrise and sunset because of the song title 'Morning Blues' and references in the song lyrics. This idea recalls use of vintage film clips of the weather incorporated in Lana Del Rey's 'Summertime Sadness' video at the very beginning. As well as this Rosie loved the idea of the performance elements of her lip-syncing being shot against a wall occupied by projections of London in the 1960s or stock footage of the sunrise and weather. such as in the video below, as the Lana is filmed against a wall with projections of telegraph poles over her, an image conforming to the lyrics of the song. 

• On showing Rosie the video of Beyonce's 'Why Don't You Love Me?' she loved the idea but expressed her hesitation towards the age barrier as she is only 18 years old therefore may not be able to pull off the role of a housewife. However, she found the 50s style very appealing to her taste in style as well as the retro intro suggesting we could take from this idea by creating a similar intro to her video with the text of 'Rosie May' and 'Morning Blues' scrawling across the screen as a way of officially introducing her to the music industry in her new career. 
• Also I suggested we show Rosie the video of Paloma Faith's 'Picking Up The Pieces' due to the retro style she also showcases in the video, whilst also being set in the countryside at a manor house which would perfectly link to Leith Hill Place but is no long possible to use. On hearing this news Rosie instantly reverted to the idea of filming in London again due to the unattainable nature of Leith Hill. 

• However, our teacher expressed his worry to Rosie about shooting in London due to the unpredictable nature of the public around on the street as well as the weather and light constantly changing. Whereas at school we have a perfectly suitable studio offering constantly fixed surroundings and control for shooting. In the studio we could also incorporate shots of other people's lives such as a couple sitting at either end of a long table, sipping coffee in the morning, not talking to each other. Another shot of a girl crying on her own, as well as a shot of a couple fighting, which could all be conclusions of the activities from the night before. 
• However, Rosie then informed us of a connection she has in London to a warehouse area which her cousin lives in and owns. This could therefore easily be the setting for the video due to the fact that it is not completely out in the open like a street is. 
• From here on in the ideas for the video came flowing once the setting was partially decided on, as we still needed confirmation in writing to film in this area. Our thoughts now are to create a very simple video focusing on the feeling of the morning after a party, filming shots incorporating sunlight and natural tones and hues in Rosie's beauty shots. Rosie's lip-syncing shots could be a partially shot in silhouette form against blinding morning sunlight in London in the warehouse setting, possibly on a roof top to catch the light, using this as a cutting point for each shot. 
• In performance shots Rosie could be dancing and turning around during the chorus with the sunlight behind her. 
• However, the video is still too ambitious to shoot at sunrise due to the travel time needed to get up to London. 
• 'Morning Blues' is about the after effect of the night, experienced in the morning. Therefore there is no point in concentrating on the night before. 
• We have decided on the music video being one that concentrates on the location and therefore we can decide on shots based on the urban locations we will be situated in such as against brick walls, lying on rusty car bonnets, walking around empty rooms in the warehouse and dancing on rooftops. Therefore including shots inside and outside of the warehouse. 
• The warehouse location seemed to remind me of James Arthur's new music video 'You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You' which involves James playing a concert in a street to the public. The video obviously retains the artist's urban roots due to the fact that the setting lacks extravagance, ultimately being realistic and prioritising the music over anything else. I feel we can definitely get some inspiration from this type of video due to our location being similar, as well as our ideal target audience being the same age and style as James Arthur's.  

• Another image shown in James Arthur's music video which we had an idea to incorporate into 'Morning Blues' in the bonfire and the public gathered around it. The warehouse location can house a bonfire outside and we can gather the people living in the various warehouses to come together and enjoy the warmth which will ultimately create a sense of community for the video. The relevance of the bonfire may be that the depressing thoughts of the night before are simply being burnt away, preparing for a fresh start. 
•  With the imagery of flames, fire and sunlight being all sources of light and warmth the use of warm sepia tones as well as old fashioned filmic looks of added film specs and light leaks helping to create and include the retro vintage aspect of the video Rosie wanted to maintain. 
• A valid point our teacher made was that the extras must be on the same level as Rosie, socially, but they can't be above her in anyway as they may steal away attention from her in her own music video, therefore she needs to stand out. We also need a range of ages for the extras, which will be found amongst the residence of the warehouse, as to avoid the look of a kids music video, which would be achieved by having extras from school, all around 17 and 18 years old. 
• The projections on the wall we want to include will be stock footage of Brick Lane in the 1960s adding to Rosie's want of retaining her urban roots and love for London. This use of stock footage in projection form will be possible to do due to the fact we are using the videos in a unique way. 
• It could even be possible to include a time lapse shot of Rosie against a wall outside the ware house, lip-syncing, and the residence around the bonfire to be edited in high speed time resulting in a time lapse shot linking to the idea of the people of Brick Lane in the 1960s at their market stools and living their life day by day in anonymity, which the time lapse suggests, additionally allowing Rosie May to stand out against the crowd in her music video.