Final Idea

I have decided upon the idea of the progression of a band in their career, by showing the guitarist in his bedroom on his own, then the full band in a practice room, then up on stage in a pub setting, then up on a larger stage as part of a rock show. I will film the band seperately for the practice room shots, then splice them together. As for the shots of the band in a pub room setting and up on stage in a larger venue, I will follow them during their gigs and film them in these various places.

Film Locations

Possible places to shoot this video.

The Studio

The college stage

Red Dreams rehearsal space

College Film Studio

The Nursery Inn

List of actors

Here is a list of the actors I will be using for my video. The actors will of course include the band who are as follows -

James Pattison - Lead vocals/rhythm guitar

Danny Dixon - Lead guitar

Lloyd Tudor - Bass

Elliot Laws - Drums

I will add any extra actors I may need for narrative and such

Drafts of Ideas

I have formed ideas for my video, based around different themes.

My first idea is an 'on the road' style video with the band performing in different locations in preparations for gigs, with shots of the band jamming around ideas while the song plays in the background. It will also include things such as gig calendars as props.

Another idea is based on jamming in a rehearsal space. I will use the effect the song has as it builds up and breaks down when more instruments are added to try and reflect that in my video.

Another idea is to film the band in the locations of the guitarist's bedroom, a rehearsal room, a pub, and a larger stage. The idea being the start of a band in their careers, starting off as an individual, then as a group of friends jamming in a practice room, making their way to being a pub band, then making their way to being a band of better known status.

Analysis of "Superstition" by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

Superstition by Stevie Ray Vaughan

During the video, thought beats are retained by the visuals in the shots. The roadies assemble the drum kit and set up the stage to match the tempo of the music. Also, the band struts towards the stage in time to the beat of the song. As with most videos of this nature, the band is playing in synch to the music and the camera movements match the pace of the song.

The narrative is as such. Stevie is woken by a black cat, which he throws his boot at but misses, smashing the mirror. The band heads to the venue on Friday the 13th and Stevie gathers bad luck on his way, including stepping on a crack and walking under the ladder in front of the door. Roadies begin to set up the equipment as the band play on stage. The black cat is revealed to have followed Stevie, and begins to cause a series of ‘accidents’ that befall the band. It knocks over a cup of coffee that spills over a lead. The bassist walks over to turn his amp up, steps on the lead and is electrocuted. The cat then reaches to grab a lever so it can jump over it, and the lever causes the keyboard player to fall down a trap door. Finally, as a roadie is using a pulley to raise the stage lights above the drummer, the cat leaps at the roadie and the light falls, crushing the drummer. Although Stevie Ray Vaughan broke the mirror and gained all the bad luck, he is the only one to survive. As he leaves and the song finishes, we hear clapping and the cat is called back to its owner… Stevie Wonder!

For performance shots, the band is seen practicing for their gig on the night even while the roadies set up. As the band members are caught in accidents, the other members keep playing. Stevie even keeps on playing right until the song finishes even though he is the only one left on stage.

The star image is seen only a few times in the video. Stevie’s face close up is seen at the start of the video. We then see a high angle shot of the band walking in a row, Stevie in the centre. Shots of the band members are seen throughout the video during their specific sections of the song. The main focus appears on Stevie during his solos and when he sings. There is a close up of Stevie Ray Vaughan grinning at the end of the song, and the camera zooms in on Stevie Wonder at the end of the video.

The visuals relate to the song pretty well. The song itself is about bad luck and various superstitions. Symbols of these superstitions are seen throughout the video, such as the broken mirror, cracks on the pavement, the date is Friday 13^th, Stevie walks under the ladder, there’s a horseshoe above his bedroom door, and a black cat is the one causing all the havoc. When Stevie sings “Writing’s on the wall” the camera pans across the sign above the door of the venue. When he sings “Ladder’s ‘bout to fall”, we see the ladder in front of the door. When he sings the line “Devil’s on his way” we see the shadow of the cat that does look like the shadow of a devil with horns.

My song

The song I have chosen to do is 'A Soft Spot For Blues' by local hard rock band Hand of Aces. I have their permission to use this song as I am good friends with the band.