Creation Of Props

As my music video isn't based on a genuine relationship it meant that the actor in my music video doesn't actually have memories with her 'boyfriend' and isn't really in a relationship with him, so this meant that I would need to create props myself to make it look as if the two individuals really were in a relationship, but also to make it believable for the audience. I used about four different props in my music video - however, only two of them were created myself as the others were real items that already existed, like the use of the guitar. The two different props that I created myself were the memories box and the photograph of the couple together - again, I needed these to create verisimilitude and to make the narrative seem real for the audience. Below I have demonstrated how I created these props and why I made them in a certain way.

Memories Box

The very first prop I decided to create was the memories box as this was going to be included in the first shoot I would be doing, so I needed to ensure that I had everything I needed. For this prop I wanted to create a box of memories which is seen as stereotypical for girls as they often like to keep everything that reminds them of what their relationship was about and to remind them of their partner. The use of the memory box enables the audience to see that the actor has had a lot of good memories with her boyfriend and they were once perfect for each other - however, it has all changed now and everything seems a lot darker as they are no longer happy with each other. Below is a slideshow I have created which presents how I created this prop:

In this slideshow you are able to see that I have made just a simple box into a memories box which is an important prop in my music video. When I decided to create a memories box I knew that I didn't want a bright and colourful box that would have a range of different decorations on it as this would not be conventional to the genre and wouldn't suit the actors personality, so this is why I decided to make a memories box myself and design it in the way I think it should look. 

Below is a presentation which demonstrates how I created this memories box:

Including this prop in my music video is very important as it helps the audience understand what the singer is going through in her relationship and presents everything good that she once had with her partner. The use of memories may present that she is still not over the relationship - however, when the audience see her throw the box away they will hopefully understand that she wants to get away from it all and wants to do what is best for her. I also think that the use of this memory box creates a narrative and enables the audience to understand what the whole story of the music video is, which is important from an artists perspective as they want their audience to understand their feelings so they will feel sympathy for them and will hopefully then become part of their fan base. 

Before I created my own memories box I did look at a range of others from google images which would hopefully inspire me as to when I began to create my own and I believe that they did inspire and help me in creating the memory box. Underneath are some of the images I looked at which helped me in creating my own memory box: 

Couple Photograph 

The other prop I needed to create was a photograph that in a way would look like a Polaroid, but again I needed this prop for the first shoot that I was doing, so had to make sure I had it ready when I would be filming my first shoot. This certain prop would mainly be used to address to the audience that the whole of the music video revolves around the boyfriend and is about what he has done to their relationship. This photograph will be seen inside of the memory box, so again presenting that it was one of the happy times that she spent with her boyfriend, but while sat on the bench the singer will take the photograph out of the box; will look at it and begin to rip it up which demonstrates to the audience that she has had enough with the relationship and knows that she will be able to do better elsewhere or it may present that she is still confused as what to do because of the situation she is in as she knows she is no longer getting enough from the relationship and doesn't know whether she should end it or not. 

Below are some images to present the process I went through to create this prop: 

The first thing I did when creating this prop was to actually get an image from Laura which I would be able to use and as I wanted an image that looked like Laura was in a relationship with someone, this is exactly what I asked her for and she presented me with the photograph that can be seen in the image above. I believe that this was a perfect photograph to use as both of the individuals look happy and are hugging each other which makes it look as if they are a happy couple, but also Laura is wearing dark clothes so it conforms to the genre and helps express the singer as an individual. Once Laura had provided me with this image I decided to print four copies off where I was able to fit two images on one side of A4 just in case I made any mistakes either when creating the prop or filming, which would enable me to start again without wasting any time. 

After getting all of the photos together I then got white card, a glue stick and a pair of scissors which would enable me to create the Polaroid and photographic look I want for the image. During this process the first thing I did was cut out the images from the A4 piece of paper they were attached to which I would then be able to put onto the white card. Once all of the images had been cut out, I then needed to fold the white card in half and put one image on the left side and another on the right side of the two pieces of card I had available to me. Once I thought I had the images in the centre, I then just had to glue all four images down onto the card which would then enable me to begin cutting out the card. Since I wanted to create a Polaroid look I needed to make sure there was a bigger gap of white at the bottom of the image as this is the way that Polaroids are portrayed - although I knew these images were too big to represent a stereotypical Polaroid, I still wanted to create this look but wanted the image to be big to ensure that the audience would be able to see it behind the screen. In addition, I decided to put the images on card as when the photograph is seen in the music video the audience would be able to tell that it is just on paper because it would look really floppy - however, if I put it on card then it wouldn't flop as much and would look more like a professional photograph as it would be hard and would look as if it couldn't break easily. Once I had measured out where I was going to cut, I then began to cut all of the images out from the white card and ended up with four different photographs which looked like a happy couple together. 

Again, this prop plays an essential part in my music video as it creates a narrative and enables the audience to understand why the singer is acting the way she is. The photograph allows the audience to know that all of the singers issues reside in her boyfriend and she is unclear on what to do with her life at that moment in time as she is not getting enough from her boyfriend, but doesn't know if she should end the relationship or not. Moreover, when the singer is seen ripping up the photograph, the audience will understand that she is angry at him and wants to get away from what she is trapped in.