Letter To Local Street Life Museum;

Natalie Greenley

350 North Road

Hull

HU4 6DD

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am a full time Media and Film student at Wyke College and am soon to be undertaking my A level coursework for both subjects. One of my assignments is to record a music video, for which my idea is themed around the 1930/40's. I am writing to enquire if it would be possible for me to arrange a meeting with somebody at the museum to discuss whether I would would be able to gain permission to film in parts of the museum. I am aware the museum is open to the public and would be very willing to accomodate around the museums opening times. I am able to provide legitimate proof of my assignment from my college tutor, John Hamlin (john.hamlin@wyke.ac.uk, 01482 346 347)

Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Natalie Greenley




I have since had a response from the museum giving me permission to film

'Hello Natalie,

9am-10am Wednesday 11th January and  9am-10am Friday 13th January will
be fine.  I will book you in and will be there, at least initially on
the Wednesday to talk it through with you.

Regards,

Robin'

I am having to film AFTER the Christmas due to my actors schedule.

Pre existing video analysis;

Laurel and Hardy Inspiration;

For parts of my music video, I have been inspired by this famous scene of comedy legends 'Laurel and Hardy' throwing pies in the city square. I am not going to include a pie fight in my music video but I will use the technique of speeding up the footage for comedic value like shown in the clip above (2.23-2.35).

I want to use this technique on the scene where my actor is splashing in the water and when him and my actress are dancing in the street, I believe it will add an authentic feel to footage and make it appear more realistic to the era.

For my hand holding scene when my actors are dancing in the street I will also replay the scene backwards in a sped up speed.

'Singin' In The Rain' Inspiration;

I decided upon my final song whilst on holiday in Greece. My iPod was on shuffle and it was one of the first songs to play, it reminded me of classic films such as “Singing in the Rain” and “On the Town”

For the majority of my music video, I have been influenced by the 1950's classic, 'Singin' In The Rain'.
Due to my song choice, I have a lot of le-way to be able to use a similar setting/style of footage. The song sounds as though it from an era before it's time due to the editing effects on the sound. When I first heard the song I was instantly able to picture what style of video would fit to it and I thought of Gene Kelly's charm and charisma in this extremely famous clip.
He gives off a sense of class and grace, despite being soaking wet in the middle of a street, that I believe instantly captures an audience.

I want my video to be noticeably inspired by this scene so I have requested permission to film at my local Street Life museum where they have an artificial street based in the 30's/40's, similar to 'Singin' In The Rain' and where I can create the most authentic atmosphere possible. As the music video is more complex due to the era it is set, by using the museum I would have access to sets and props I would otherwise not be able to use to due to cost.

Unfortunately, I can not use Gene Kelly as my star for my music video, so I have asked one of my friend, Phil, who looks very similar to James Dean, and also has access to a lot of vintage suits from eras such as the 40's/50's which is a huge help and benefit for me.

As my song also mentions a part of taking off shoes and dancing in the rain, I want to include a scene very much like Gene Kelly dancing in the rain, however, due to not owning the location where I will be filming, I will be unable to do so. However, after discussing with my tutor, I will be able to film it in a cobbled street outside of the museum (on a rainy day) and if I stick to mainly close up's of the characters feet, the location change will go un-noticed.

Target Audience;

My target audience is the Main stream audience, 15-25. However, the video on it it's own will be relatable for an older audience due to the fact it will be inspired by the class 'Singing' in the Rain'.
I am aiming my video towards this age range as the band I have chosen are typically aimed towards it as well.
Their pre-existing music videos are featured on music television channels such as 'Kerrang!' and 'MTV Rock' and they have played famous festivals such as the Leeds and Reading Festival, of which, a large majority of the viewers fit into this audience, I myself am one.
 As my artist already has a pre-existing base of videos, I will try my best to keep it within the style expected from their fans, keeping it similar to older videos but adding originality.