Final Major Project Proposal

For this project, I am pitching to create music video styled short films based upon
songs from my favourite musician called dodie Clark. I’ve known her for about 4
years and first started listening to her music in October 2017 and her music is
special to me so having the chance to make a project based on her is going to be
something dear to my heart.
At the start of idea, I just wanted to create dance pieces to a few of her songs and or
take photographs following some of her aesthetics e.g., dodie yellow (#fef65b) which
was the aesthetic she was in when I first started watching her channel. But as the
idea developed it slowly morphed into wanting to make music videos that
incorporated dance, art/animation and location filming or items/things that I linked to
the songs. In the beginning I chose three of her songs, but I have narrowed it down
to my two favourites as they relate to my life more than her other songs and I have
more ideas of what to film. I have many ideas for the two songs, and I am excited to
expand on my filming skills during this project. I have been lucky to attend two of her
concerts from her world tours and I would like to use some of that footage within my
project, even just a snippet.
Research wise I would like to investigate her music video directors/producers works.
She doesn’t have music videos for all her songs, but you can see their transition
from them being recorded in her bedroom to some of them being professionally
recorded and put on EP’s and now she has an album coming out in early March
2021. I will also research other people that have made music videos. For some
inspiration I will also look at other people's music videos that use her songs.
I am proposing to complete my filming by the end of March as I would then have
plenty of time for editing everything together.
To conclude this project is going to be music videos based on two of my most liked
songs by my favourite musician. They will explore who I am as a person and have
themes of love and a relationship.
Project schedule
th
Start of project- week beginning 20 January. Given brief.

Week beginning 25th January 2021.

project mood boards- show on February 1st
Proposal-1st February-informal hand in
Quick edit of already filmed clips-7th February - she music video
Week beginning 8th February 2021.
Sunset shoot 1- 10th February 2021- uphill hill- she music video
Sunset shoot 2- 12th February 2021- uphill hill- she music video
Week beginning 22nd February 2021.
Block out parts of the video- (She music video) dance section and video calls- plan where
they are. Will help me to know what parts need to be filmed.
Week beginning 1st March 2021.
(she music video) Try out other locations at sunset? Depends on weather, if not possible
move to the following week.
Research, find academic pieces and talk about them -colour theory. LGBTQ+ representation
in music videos. Rotoscope research and write up. Start looking at putting completed word
documents up on blog. Research other filmmakers that film music videos? People that have
worked on dodie music videos.
Refilm some clips- don’t like how they look.
Week beginning 8th March 2021.
Filming of video call parts (she music video)- Thursday 11th Edit into video.
Sunset filming if not completed already.
Continue researching.
Week beginning 15th March 2021.
Start filming ideas for Rainbow- even if I decide against using it as my final creative
hand-in. Can still film as I will get more used to the camera and premiere pro. Use mind map
to plan out what to film, refer to mood boards for inspiration.
Continue research and sketchbook/blog pages.
Week beginning 22nd March 2021.
Continue filming rainbow music video and working on the she music video too.
Potentially film dance section- waiting on news as to when I can use the studio space.
Week beginning 29th March 2021.
Mini edit of rainbow music video
If I haven't filmed dance, it will be this week.
Week beginning 5th April 2021.
make sure all clips have been filmed and edited into the videos.
Week beginning 12th April 2021.
finalise editing of rough cut.
write up about the editing process. - would have been adding as the editing process
progressed but make sure everything is included.
Week beginning 19th April 2021.
rough cut to show for group critique. If needed make changes after group crit as there is
still one month till final hand in
Week beginning 26th April 2021.
start writing critical evaluation (1,500 words)
Week beginning 3rd May 2021.
Complete editing of both music videos.
Week beginning 10th May 2021.
Screenings of final work.
Finish evaluation.
Ensure all work is on blog/in sketchbook ready for hand in.- make and last-minute
changes, grammar etc.
Week beginning 17th May 2021.
Hand in week- deadline 19th at 2pm.
Moodboards

Idea development
January 20th, 2021
● Delivery of brief
● I know that I want to do a dodie related project.
Initial ideas list
Photography project ideas
● I could also follow her aesthetics through the years. EG dodie yellow (hashtag
fef65b) grey charcoal, sage green.
● Could recreate her hairstyles ‘dodie’ bun, pigtails, half ponytail with bow, half up
half down pigtails.
● Things related to her ‘dodie dots’ (eyeliner dot under her eye), fairy lights, triangle
banners, starry makeup by eyes or on cheeks, circle glasses, chalkboard.
● I could recreate some of her photos and display them side by side.

However, I am leaning more towards creating a film because I would like to learn more about
it, and I think it will make the project more original.

Filming project ideas

● YouTube screen around the film?
● A full dance or snippet of dances to certain songs of hers
 ● She makes a lot of YouTube videos where she uses split screen or has little
doodles over the videos.
● I could draw on some scenes. Blooming flowers? Or rainbows?
● I could use videos that have sentimental value to me.
● Add in old concert videos of her.
● I could recreate some of her photos and display them side by side. However, I am
leaning more towards creating a film because I would like to learn more about it,
and I think it will make the project more original.

January 25th, 2021

She
The song ‘she’ has some strong visuals from the lyrics. For example, the musician talks
about birthday cake, fall, polaroid pictures and I would like to film stuff to accompany those
lines.
The song can have a different meaning for a lot of people for example the musician wrote it
about having a crush on this girl she knew but the girl not felling the same because she is
straight, and the musician is bisexual. The musician had all this infatuation with this girl
which then led to heartbreak.
I'm not sure if it's weird to feel colours when listening to a song but the song to me screams
the colours yellow, pink, orange and green. It also gives me the sense of being home- home
is a person. It reminds me of sunflowers and laughing, it's delicate. It’s the innocence of
falling in love. It reminds me of stumbling into love and just being goofy with them. Its picnics
and ice cream and museum dates and watching the sea.
But also all these happy memories turned sad because the feelings of the other person
quickly change, and they fall out of love. And then you're just left with all these feelings and
nowhere to place them. Its lost safety, the memories are all tainted. There is anger and hurt.
She - original song || dodie

The song was first posted to YouTube on 27th September 2014 but since then dodie has sort
of revamped it and sung it in concerts and added it to EP’s. It’s the song I remember the
most listening to when I first got to know dodie through her YouTube. I was in a time of
questioning my sexuality and this is a song that resonated with me. It allowed me to feel
valid.
Some very basic- Shot ideas- January 25th
● Hands around the mug of a drink
● Taking a polaroid
● Panning across sunflowers?
● Sunset
● Writing a letter
● Post letter?
● Burning said letter at the end of the music video.
● Scrapbooking?
● Birthday candle transition into letter burning.
Due to covid restrictions I am limited in what I could film for these music videos. Originally,
for ‘she’ I wanted some shots of two girls sitting on swings and taking little walks with each
other, I wanted to create a little journey between the two which would end in heartbreak. But
I had to adapt this idea due to the UK going into lockdown. I had conversations with one of
my teachers and one of my friends from the class and my friend introduced me to the idea of
using a video call to connect the actress in a covid secure way. I really liked this suggestion,
so I'm going to use it in my music video for ‘She’.
Also, I started thinking about colour theory and how I could play around with colour in the
music videos.

6th February 2021

Try out a few different areas for the sunset's clips.
● Uphill hill
● Beach
● Ashcombe park
● Cecil road- overlooks Weston, a nice birds' eye view.
● Prince's garden? Above old pier
●
Although trying out various locations would mean I’d have a different sunset each time. I
would like a Pinky/orange sunset as I think that fits the music video well. I would have plenty
of footage to choose from.
As it’s a music video, I won't be using any dialogue so I will be relying on the song and the
visuals to tell the story.

February 7th
Video call idea development
Talk to someone online and then have it ending with slamming the laptop because the
relationship is one-sided, and they don’t answer.

22nd February 2021

Stop motion section.
Set up the camera in the same spot and take lots of images of the arrangement of the pieces
of paper with lyrics on. Can use photoshop to create a wiggle gif and then put it into the
timeline of the music video in premiere pro or can import the images into premiere pro
timeline and adjust their duration to make it look like stop motion.
Rainbow.
This is more recent music from dodie. She posted it to her YouTube on July 1st, 2018 and
has since reworked it and it's going to be on her debut album called build a problem and she
has added a 13-piece string section too.
To me this song is the epitome of pride and feeling okay with who you are. It shows a
struggle with how people feel with being a part of the LGBTQ+ community but It's also about
learning to be proud and not caring about other people's opinions because it's your life and
feelings.
rainbow - original song | dodie

Music video shot ideas- ‘rainbow'

As the song is about being queer and being scared about it but then realising its okay, I
would like to film things that I associate with the LGBTQ+ community. It would be nice to
start off subtle and shy and then get more confidence as the music video goes on.

Cuffing jeans
Pinning a rainbow pin onto beanie -close up
Confetti cannons
Drawing rainbows
A physical sky rainbow. This may be hard to film due to the fact it's all down to the universe
and whether there is a rainbow where I live.
Flannel shirts
Pride flag
Longboard

Further idea development

For a while I focused on filming and editing for the she music video but towards the end of
March a substantial portion of It was finished so I shifted my attention over the things that I
wanted to include in my rainbow music video
25th March 2021
Rainbow music video idea development-
Homey video type of atmosphere, date around the edge of footage. Show passage of time
from 2013-2021.
2013 was the first time I realised I was attracted romantically to girls, but I hid it away till
2018 which was when I started talking to people about it and coming out. I still wasn’t fully
comfortable with labels, so I didn’t really use them until 2019. Music was one of the factors
that helped me realise that being LGBTQ+ is okay.
I always wish that there was better representation for the LGBTQ+ community so even if this
one music video helps one person feel comfortable with who they are then I will be happy
that I was able to make a difference to their life.

Typewrite a letter in the music video?

Example of the letter
‘To the person I used to be.
You're scared I remember. You don’t think how you feel is valid, but I promise you things will
get better. You're about to go on a journey (17 years old) . That guy you just ‘dated’ is a part
of that journey. But I promise you won’t feel trapped soon. Music helps. You’ll find love, and
people just like you. You will be happy and comfortable with who you are. The first time a
friend calls you a lesbian you’ll smile so big and all the scared you have felt will dissolve like
candy floss in water. The first time a girl calls you pretty will stick with you for years, echoing
around your head. And when a girl calls you hers, you’ll feel ever so proud. I’m proud of you
for taking this journey.
From older you’

I wonder if the words would get confusing considering the song is singing at the same time,
I'll try out this completely and see if it's too chaotic. I might have to reduce the words so that
it doesn’t clash with the lyrics.
th
30 March 2021
Beth McCarthy- ‘she gets the flowers’ lyric video.
I like the framing and the text size and the flower petals that drop behind her and the way it
ends with her crying because the song is about lost love. Beth has used a very simple shot
with her lyric video, but it conveys such emotion which I would like my music videos to do.
The theme relates more to the song ‘she’ that I am using but this video sparked an idea for
the music video rainbow. In a beginning clip I can set up a shot of me crying, reflecting on
my younger self because I'm unsure whether being LGBTQ+ is okay and then have a similar
shot at the ending where I am happy, maybe with a rainbow on my face? I think the
repeating of the shot will tie the video together well and help people understand the story
that I am telling.
YouTube, Beth McCarthy She gets the flowers, (2021) Beth McCarthy - She Gets the
Flowers (Lyric Video) Accessed 30th March 2021.
 8th April 2021.
Today while writing about my filming plan, I realised that I am using letters in both music
videos, so let's look deeper into why?
I think that letters have been lost through technology. Everything can be sent electronically
and it's much quicker and people get replies sooner.
There's something about letters that I adore. In a past relationship of mine I started giving
letters to the girl I was dating this turned into something we did often. We would give each
other ‘open when....’ letters which was really fun on both sides of writing and receiving.
So much of my past creative work has been based on my childhood memories and my past
because it's something I miss, I now realise I miss sending a significant other a letter. They
are just so personal and can contain so much personality. So, I wanted to use letters in the
music videos for this project.