Music Video: Props Research

The props are a very important aspect in the construction of the music video. Everything that we present visually in the frame is contributing to our construction of Amanda Rogers's star image, therefore it is vital that the props along side with the costume are chosen appropriately. 

The items below are the main props we'll be either creating, bringing or buying for the shoot. 

1. Red String 

The Red string is absolutely vital we get right since it is the main concept running throughout our music video. We were inspired by the existing album cover of Amanda Rogers when coming up with this idea. The string will serve the purpose of a metaphor of a journey our main protagonist(s) embarks upon in the video- discovering her self-beauty. The red string will eventually lead to a heart constructed of this string inside a tree i.e. "Heartwood". Due to our group filming in a darker, wooded area, my primary concern when buying this string was if it would be bright enough to be seen on the camera. 

Specifications: 

• Must be bright enough to be noticed on camera
• Must be woven- no lose hairs to catch light and result in a "glow" 
• Must be red 
• String must be thick enough to appear on camera
• Must not be more expensive than £7 per roll

Most probably our first choice for red string

2. Woven Heart

The heart is the final destination of the journey our protagonist will embark upon- it is a symbol for natural beauty and will be discovered somewhere in the forest. The woven heart will most probably be constructed of the same string as displayed above for colour matching purposes. We previously decided that the most feasible option for something close to the ideal image below is cutting out a heart of cardboard to then wrap in red string. However, when I was purchasing these items I managed to find a ready made woven heart from straw and covered this in the purchased string instead to save time and money.

3. Photographs Strung on Trees

One of our ideas for this shoot was to present a comparison between the natural beauty our "Amanda" is discovering and embracing and the "unclear" constructed beauty the media presents, discussed in the lyrics. Ideally (once we go location scouting, we will decide as to whether this is a good idea), the photographs would be torn out of magazines and perhaps framed to look like polaroids then strung to some string on the branches of the wooded area where our protagonist would be walking. We also has the idea of several narratives going on simultaneously- all of the characters on the same journey of self-discovery. I think we  were subconsciously inspired by Taylor Swift's music video Mine in which she also strings up photographs. There is also a certain aesthetic appeal in having a set like this which fits in nicely with the lyrics as well as fitting into the "music video" genre. The question is whether or not it will look as aesthetically pleasing on camera.