Preliminary exercise: Research and planning

Research and planning blog tasks
Create a blogpost called 'Preliminary exercise: Research and planning' and complete the tasks below. 

Now complete the following tasks:

1) State the song you have chosen for your preliminary exercise.

Fair Trade by Drake

2) Choose at least three music videos similar to your concept and watch a clip or more from each. Make bullet-point notes on everything you watch, commenting on camerawork, editing and mise-en-scene.

Drake – God’s Plan

Camerawork: handheld shots, documentary-style realism, close-ups on Drake with wide shots of environment.

Editing: quick cuts, moments of slow motion for emotional emphasis.

Mise-en-scene: everyday people, real-life locations (streets, shops, schools), emphasis on authenticity.

Travis Scott – Goosebumps

Camerawork: distorted lenses, lots of close-ups, experimental shots with surreal colours.

Editing: fast-paced, strobe-like transitions, jump cuts to match beat.

Mise-en-scene: night-time settings, psychedelic visuals, dark lighting with neon highlights.

Future – Life Is Good ft. Drake

Camerawork: mix of performance shots and storytelling (working-class settings like restaurants/garages).

Editing: split-screen editing, changes in tone and pace depending on who is rapping.

Mise-en-scene: urban backdrops, casual costumes, props linking to work life vs. luxury life.

3) Write a short music video treatment for your extract (this is basically a script for your TikTok music video). You can find an example of a treatment here. If you are making your real coursework then feel free to use the treatment from your summer project.

Concept: A moody, introspective performance piece blending urban realism with stylised visuals. The TikTok extract will focus on Drake’s reflective lyrics about trust, personal growth, and relationships.

Visual Approach:

Performance: shots of the artist lip-syncing in moody lighting (bedroom, empty street, car interior).

Narrative visuals: a storyline of isolation → connection → reflection (walking alone, scrolling phone, meeting friends, pulling away again).

Stylistic features: jump cuts on the beat, split-screen moments, overlays of city lights, and plenty of close-ups to capture emotion.

Tone: Atmospheric, introspective, stylish.

4) Write a shot list containing EVERY shot you plan to film AND additional shots to create flexibility when editing (in a music video you will find you need FAR more shots than you think, particularly close-ups). These additional shots can be close-ups, alternative angles or something more creative. I advise using a simple table on Microsoft Word/Google Docs to set out your shot list - you can find an example here (this is from narrative filmmaking but the same format can be used for any video project). 

Shot list

5) Plan your mise-en-scene: what iconography are you including to ensure your audience understands the genre and style of your artist? Plan your settings, costume, make-up, props and lighting.  

Iconography (hip-hop/rap genre): urban setting, moody lighting, performance-focused shots, everyday realism mixed with luxury aesthetics (car interior, street lights).

Settings: bedroom (intimate), empty street at night, car interior, city street corner.

Costume: casual urban wear (hoodie, cap, sneakers) → communicates authenticity, aligns with Drake’s brand.

Make-up: natural, low emphasis (focus on realism).

Props: phone (symbol of connection/disconnection), car, street lighting.

Lighting: mix of natural night lighting + LED/neon-style glows to create mood.

6) Plan a shooting schedule that will ensure everything is filmed by the deadline. Include when, where, who is required, planned equipment and any other aspects you need to arrange. 

Day 1 – Bedroom performance shots

Home/bedroom setup

Me

Phone camera/tripod, LED ring light

Lip-sync close-ups, reflections in mirror

Day 2 – Street/night shots

Local empty street

Me

Phone camera, handheld stabiliser (if available)

Walking shots, wide establishing shots, sneakers close-ups

Day 3 – Car interior + city cutaways

Parked car + city centre

Me

Phone camera, lighting (use dashboard or portable LED)

Lip-sync in car, neon lights, reflections, B-roll

Editing Week: Import footage, cut to beat, apply effects (split-screen, overlays). Export TikTok-ready vertical format.