"The Wombats - Let's Dance To Joy Division" music video treatment

The first thing that springs to mind is aided by the first line "I'm back in Liverpool." As this song is mainly about dancing and being happy I wanted a mainly performance based video and the sense of "return" from the first line gave me a good idea. The band met when they went to college together at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. What better place for the performance to be set than there seeing as the song is about going back to Liverpool. Although most people watching the video would not realise the significance of this, it would be a nice bit of trivia that would mean something to the band and their original fans, helping to magnify the whole going back to their roots theme.

My video would follow a simple narrative;
A couple fight and break up and the guy becomes upset and depressed, but as he walks through liverpool he is guided toward the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and there he finds the Wombats playing and joins in dancing with them on the stage to an empty room. The idea of this is not that everything is brilliant and spectacular but rather that although he is still relatively "alone" he has found his cure for a broken heart, which is to dance and forget his problems.

The guy will be shown in black and white to show his sadness and depression, but throughout the video as he gets closer to the venue and to dancing he will gain colour to represent his happiness returning to him. When he gets to the venue it will be before the second chorus with the line about telling the DJ what to play at which point he will hand the DJ his iPod which will be playing Joy Division (shown with a close up on the track title and album art on the screen). Little things like this will be done just to make sure that the story completely ties in with the theme of the lyrics.

Another idea I had was that when it's talking about the cure for a broken heart, we can see an out of focus image of what looks like his ex-girlfriend at the door to the venue, but when he looks there it goes into focus and it's someone like the band's manager instead, showing how he still thinks about her, but is getting over it and moving on.

Throughout this narrative we will also have the band practicing and performing in the venue, using lots of close ups and mid shots to show what they are playing making sure the band are a main focus of the video (as it is a video to advertise them as icons rather than just the song).

The band will be wearing typical indie clothing;
Skinny jeans, tight v-neck t-shirts. jackets, trilby hats, scarves, ties etc in quite dull colours and each with one randomly clashing colourful item of clothing to represent the happy joyful feel of the song in contrast to the ironic depressing theme of the lyrics.

This is my rough treatment of my pitch for the video.

"The Wombats - Let's Dance To Joy Division" song interpretation

We are looking at this Wombats song to come up with a treatment for a music video. The lyrics have many deep and hidden meaning to look at and interpret which could lead to obvious choices in mise-en-scene, location, costume etc, in the video itself.

I'm back in Liverpool,
And everything seems the same,
But I worked something out last night,
That changed this little boys brain,
A small piece of advice,
That took twenty-two years in the make,
And I will break it for you now,
Please learn from my mistakes,

From this verse we see that the character has returned (as far as we can tell) home to Liverpool after being away and has decided that everything seems just how he left it. However the line "that changed this little boys brain" suggest the transition from boy to man, the character having grown on their travels and become a more mature and wiser person. The line "that took 22 years in the make" suggests its an epiphany he has been searching for all his life. The end of the verse "And I will break it for you now, please learn from my mistakes" hints to us that the chorus of the song will be passing on this advice to us. So overall this verse sums up the theme of the song quite distinctly and simply, showing a journey of personal growth and learning a new revelation which he wants to share with us.

Let's dance to joy division,
And celebrate the irony,
Everything is going wrong,
But we're so happy,
Let's dance to joy division,
And raise our glass to the ceiling,
'Cos this could all go so wrong,
But we're so happy,
Yeah we're so happy.

The chorus of the song is not only lyrically ironic but musically ironic (irony being a main theme in the song). The music is jolly and happy while he's talking about the irony of "dancing to joy division". Joy Division were a late 70s band who's lead vocalist Ian Curtis committed suicide. He suffered from depression and would often have fits on stage. This shows the irony of the Wombats song. The line "but we're so happy" refers to the fact they're all dancing to depressing and sad music and forgetting their problems ('cos this could all go so wrong). The singer is not suggesting that life is brilliant or perfect, but rather that you should be happy and get on with life as it's the only solution to the sadness that life regrettably brings.

So if you're ever feeling down,
Grab your purse and take a taxi,
To the darker side of town,
That's where we'll be,
And we will wait for you and lead you through the dancefloor,
Up to the DJ booth,
You know what to ask for,
You know what to ask for.

This verse is simply an expansion of the themes already put into place, that sadness can be overcome by being happy and dancing your troubles away. There is no more hidden meanings other than the slight reference back to Joy Division with "Up to the DJ booth, you know what to ask for," saying that if they want to rid themselves of their sadness that they should ask the DJ to put on Joy Division to dance to.

The second chorus has one difference in which the first line states "Go ask for Joy Division," rather than "let's dance" so that it carries on the narrative from the verse and links the song together.

So let the love tear us apart,
I've found the cure for a broken heart,

This is the first time in the song we hear about the singers own personal problem that he has had to overcome. It becomes obvious that this is a love song in disguise, talking about how the best way to get over a girl is to dance it off and stay happy because life will carry on regardless, which I see as the general theme of the song.

We can see from looking deeper into the lyrics that the song is not actually particularly joyful which is ironic due to the upbeat lively feel of the music. The song instead chooses to portray an important life lesson in the form of a happy sounding song, with quite deep and meaningful lyrics.

My Mirror Speaks (Death Cab For Cutie, The Open Door EP, 2009 Atlantic)

My third song to pitch is My Mirror Speaks by Death Cab For Cutie off of their 2009 EP, The Open Door. The song is of the Indie-Rock genre. The song is approximately 3 and a half minutes making it ideal for the time limit and the video project.

This song has a completely different mood to the other two chosen with a very calm laid back feel. However with a very walkable beat and catchy chorus it could very easily become a hit. Although being very soft it also has a very rocky feel to it which I like.

My main reasons for this song are;
-Yet again the band performance leaves us with something to have a strong emphasis on in the video
-The lyrics are very storylike telling a story of personal growth which we could use to our advantage and craft into a narrative to suit the theme of the song and to split evenly with the performance side of the video.



Lyrics:
With every sun that sets I am feeling more
Like a stranger on a foreign shore
With an eroding beach disappearing from under me

And when my mirror speaks it never minces words
That these eyes don't shine half as bright
As they used to do and they haven't for quite a while

'Cause I'm a man who hides from all that binds
In a mess of fading lines
And there's a tangled thread inside my head
With nothing on either end

I always fall in love with an open door
Or the horizon on an endless sea
As I look around the ones who are standing right in front of me

And then my mirror speaks with irreverence
Like a soldier I can't command
It sees the frightened child in the body of a full-grown man

And he's a man who hides from all that binds
In a mess of fading lines
And there's a tangled thread inside his head
With nothing on either end
There's nothing on either end

A new position for a different view
But nothing changes but the slightest hues
When I am standing face to face

With a man who hides from all that binds
And a mess of fading lines
And there's a tangled thread inside his head
With nothing on either end

To A Friend (Alexisonfire, Crisis, 2006 Distort inc.)

My second choice of song is To a Friend by Alexisonfire off of their 2006 album Crisis. This song is of the Post-Hardcore genre. The song is around 3 and a half minutes and therefore would fit the time limit perfectly making it good for multiple playbacks.

The song has a slower pace than dethroned and is a lot more melodic and singing based. However it still has that same energy and passion through the melodies and especially the chorus which is very catchy.

I have chosen this song for a few main reasons;
-The band line-up again means we can do a very performance based video helping create a very good atmosphere.
-The song is deep and meaningful and this is portrayed greatly in the pure passionate way that the vocals are sung, which we can use to our advantage to create a similarly passionate theme once we have better gone into the theme of the song.

Lyrics:
I'm thinking that it's time to get out
My patients are fading fast
mind bruises just a little bit easier
Dark times and shadows cast

What are you suffering for?
Your proud of some kind of personal war?
And will you throw it away?
For nothing more than a simple taste?

I'll stay in time and watch you pass by
paranoia woven deep beneath my skin
I'll draw this line
and hope you'll take my side (breath slow, breath slow)
you shouldn't have to fight alone
you shouldn't have to fight at all
its nobody's battle but your own

panic holds me like a gun
firm and steadfast bleak and cold
I think its time to kill the drama
This life style's getting old

whispers behind closed doors
eyes spy from dark windows
plotting minds that seek to harm me, or maybe not
I don't really know

There is something waiting for me
in the darkest part of my imagination

I'll stay in time and watch you pass by
paranoia woven deep beneath my skin
I'll draw this line
and hope you'll take my side (breath slow, breath slow)
you shouldn't have to fight alone
you shouldn't have to fight at all
its nobody's battle but your own

This is just self-induced terror
there's more to come
this is just a glimpse
I tell myself it's all in my head
but I'm pretty hard to convince

Oh, there's no relief
Oh, this world can offer

I'll stay in time and watch you pass by
I'll draw this line
and hope you'll take my side
You shouldn't have to fight alone
It's nobody's battle but your own

Dethroned (Architects, Hollow Crown, 2009 Century Media)

My first choice of song for the music video project is Dethroned by Architects off their 2009 album Hollow Crown. This song is of the hardcore/metal genre. The song is just over 3 minutes and therefore the perfect time for a music video.

The song is fast paced and heavy from the start, with a full band line up. It has a very raw sound and definitely an obvious edge to it. All of this mixed with the huge change of pace with the singing bridge creates a truely momentous song, that will be hard to forget.

I would like to do this song for a few main reasons;
-The band line up makes it easy to do a performance based video, and with the energy of the song, we could create a really convincing and passionate performance.
-The lyrics are deep and meaningful, talking about false idols who fail you and therefore could inspire some very good imagery and help create a good narrative to go along with the performance.



Lyrics:
Another cold dark night, left alone
Your arrogance will lead to the death of you
I'll be the one to pull your head back down
Remove your hollow Crown
So far from the truth you hide away
I'll be the one to pull your head back down
Remove your hollow crown
I'll die happy knowing that I will never be anything like you
What gives you the right to silence me?
All my life I've wanted just to fell like this
You came, you conquered you gave it away
And how does it feel staring down on your idol's grave
The one you once looked up to has fallen into dust
The one you once looked up to has fallen away
What's left for you in this fickle world?
Remove your crown

Song Pitches

In the next few posts I will show some of my song choices for the Music Video project. Obviously they will have to be discussed with the rest of the group but I thought it good to have some pitches to make when the groups are decided. Although I wish to do some of the songs more than others I would be willing to do any of them if the group came to the same decision.

For each song I will list the qualities that I like about it and why I think it would be good for a music video. I will do three song suggestions and ask the group (once it is chosen) what they think about each one.

Genre Research

To start off my individual research I am going to look into the genre of music video for the songs I am interested in doing. To do this I am going to look at music video director Adam Powell who has directed videos for artists (such as Architects and Gallows) in the UK.

On his personal website he has a clear and simple pitch;

"So no marketing patter or clever words. That's not who I am or how I work. I do film. Period. I've been a film maker ever since I first picked up a camera and I'll be a film maker long after I'm dead. I live and breathe it.
-If you want your music video to be as passionate as your music
-A documentary of your event/tour that captures more than just refractive light through a lens.
-A corporate video that defies convention.
Drop me a line"

I love this pitch as it is simple and effective and also captivates what we as student film makers are trying to achieve. With such a low budget we cannot hope to produce some ridiculous high quality, special effects crammed, work of art that would be considered a technical wonder. Instead we are forced to create a music video that captures the passion and deeper meaning behind the music and lyrics through style rather than through stunning visual effects.

Adam Powell is an independent director and has worked on many videos that I regard as favourites, especially the Architects videos. Therefore I will later go in depth about the use of shots and editing in some of his Architects videos and hopefully incorporate some of his filming techniques into my own work.

Back to school for A2 media and more fun times in edit suites...

It's been too long since we last got to blog. I do love spending ages making a flashy blog to try and hide my lack of media finesse when it comes to marking!

Have to say, very excited about the music video project! I have been wanting to do it ever since starting A Level music. I feel it should be a good project for me, what with my passion for music and also being in bands myself. Hopefully at the end of the project I'll have a brilliant music to show for all the hard work I am determined to put in over the next few months.

For today however, I have created a background for my page and put in useful links that may be helpful throughout the course. At the top of the page is a youtube clip of the song that Simon, Matt and myself wish to do for our music video; let's just hope we can pitch it well enough!


So long for now

Nick