The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes (2006)
For this unit, I focused on creating a pure band performance video. Since this style of music video focuses heavily on band promotion and marketing, I am obligated to orchestrate my shots in a way that atones to band imagery and iconography. Shooting in this style, I have to be aware to keep the aesthetic as accurate to the genre and the type of music video as possible. One of the dangers of pure performance music videos is that they get more predictable as they progress, consequently losing interest from viewers as time goes by. To remedy this, I aimed to be equally as creative with my final piece by incorporating different types of lighting to entice the audience and keep their attention. Also bringing in conventions from different music genres would help me in keeping my shots entertaining and lively.
When choosing a song I decided to choose on a song that was sort of mellow but still aggressive which is why I chose The Raconteurs "Steady, As She Goes" as it fits exactly that criteria. I wanted to flaunt out how many different conventions of different genres I could tie into one rock music video and I felt that this song that has different moods evoked in it can aid me in expressing my ideas. Firstly I've broken up the song for ease of production to make sure I know what kind of visuals I will be working towards at certain points of the song. I listened to the whole song throughout imagining what my music video would like in cohesion with the music:
When choosing a song I decided to choose on a song that was sort of mellow but still aggressive which is why I chose The Raconteurs "Steady, As She Goes" as it fits exactly that criteria. I wanted to flaunt out how many different conventions of different genres I could tie into one rock music video and I felt that this song that has different moods evoked in it can aid me in expressing my ideas. Firstly I've broken up the song for ease of production to make sure I know what kind of visuals I will be working towards at certain points of the song. I listened to the whole song throughout imagining what my music video would like in cohesion with the music:
Introduction
The first eight seconds of the song features a simple eight beat count from the snare drum.
0:08 - 0:15 = The bass line enters in cohesion with kick drum, the mood is quite mellow.
0:16 - 0:24 = A haunting guitar melody is played over the existing accompaniment, consequently the mood is now more haunting rather than mellow.
0:25 - 0:35 = The guitar is now distorted, introducing the rock flavour of the song - still in a haunting rhythm.
Verse
0:36 - 0:42 = The verse begins with the following lyrics:
"Find yourself a girl, and settle down
Live a simple life in a quiet town"
Pre-chorus
0:43 - 0:52 = The pre-chorus suddenly breaks in to really drive the piece of music to a much faster and livelier mood with the following lyrics:
"Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
So steady as she goes"
Instrumental
0:53 - 0:58 = The mood dies down almost immediately back into a mellow atmosphere just for several seconds.
Verse
0:59 - 1:05 = The vocals come back into the music but still retaining a mellow atmosphere with the following lyrics:
"Your friends have shown a kink in the single life
You've had too much to think, now you need a wife"
Chorus
1:06 - 1:31 = The full chorus again drives in for a much livelier atmosphere, but is now extended with the second half the lyrics bringing a sort of soaring feel to the music with the following lyrics:
"Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
So steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Well here we go again, you've found yourself a friend, that knows you well
But no matter what you do, you'll always feel as though you tripped and fell"
Instrumental
1:32 - 1:37 = The mood dies down again but still retaining distorted guitar that evokes a distorted imagery in my head. Almost like a glitch effect would be appropriate here in terms of visuals, just by listening to it.
Verse
1:38 - 1:50 = Vocals come back in but again, still retaining a mellow/haunting atmosphere with the following lyrics:
"When you have completed what you thought you had to do
And your blood's depleted to the point of stable glue
Then you'll get along
Then you'll get along"
Instrumental
1:51 - 1:53 = Hanging guitar riff.
1:54 - 1:56 = The music quickly descends as the guitar depresses the mood.
Chorus
1:57 - 2:19 = The chorus again drives the mood forward in contrast to the previous instrumental break with the following lyrics:
"Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
So steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Well here we go again, you've found yourself a friend that knows you well
But no matter what you do, it always feels as though you tripped and fell"
Verse
2:20 - 2:25 = The mood dies die down yet again but still relatively lively with the following lyrics:
"So steady as she goes
Steady as she goes"
Outro
2:26 - 2:42 = The music now extends into the outro. The guitar and music in general is very layered at this point and might be a good idea to play around with overlays in the video at this point in time. The music leads into this outro with the lyrics:
"Settle for a girl neither up or down
Sell it to the crowd that's gathered round
Settle for a girl neither up or down
Sell it to the crowd that's gathered round"
2:43 - 2:50 = The music is now clearer without the vocals setting a kind of resolve to the previous mood depicted in the previous lyrics sequence. It consist purely of instrumental but builds up towards the end.
2:51 - 3:07 = An extended chorus then drives the music forward again for a longer period, over driven guitar and all other instruments join in at this point for a triumphant atmosphere with the following lyrics:
"So steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
So steady as she goes (steady as she goes)"
3:08 - 3:22 = The beat gets much livelier and way more upbeat as the drums drive the tempo forwards with lyrics in quick succession. This marks the ending of the vocals. The upbeat and lively mood is sustained for much longer than previously but still has a haunting atmosphere to it. Similar overlays and fast cut editing can be used here from the lyrics leading into the outro as mentioned previously. However this section differs as it is much longer and fleshed out with the following lyrics:
"Steady as she goes
Are you steady now?
Steady as she goes
Are you steady now?
Steady as she goes
Are you steady now?
Steady as she goes
Are you steady now?
Steady as she goes"
3:23 - 3:35 = The vocals are now gone and the piece just leaves the listener with haunting instrumentals bringing the piece to an ultimate, menacing close.
In summary:
The music consists of mellow, melodic, haunting and aggressive moods all throughout. The piece constantly goes from two main moods; haunting and aggressive. What initially stood out for me in the song upon my first listen was that the verses were quite short and to the point, this allowed for longer and sustained choruses.
There are two distinct moods to the chorus - the first half is quite aggressive as all the instruments and drums play aggressively on the lyric "Steady as she goes". However, the second half of the chorus the begins in "...Well here we go again, you've found yourself a friend..." is less aggressive and gave me a more triumphant, soaring feel. Perhaps this is because the lyrics are more drawn out and the instrumentation is more upbeat in contrast to the dark aggressive feel of the first half of the chorus.
Verses are haunting and menacing whilst the choruses are aggressive. The verses always die down the mood of the chorus but the chorus always cuts in without buildup.
Breaking down the music in this way will prove useful when it comes to making my story board. I now have a clear structure to follow with my production and it will be much easier to sketch up visuals according to the moods and styles analysed above. I will be breaking up each shot and frame linking it with specific lyrics that I have analysed and will ultimately be effectively expressed in my final piece of work.
The first eight seconds of the song features a simple eight beat count from the snare drum.
0:08 - 0:15 = The bass line enters in cohesion with kick drum, the mood is quite mellow.
0:16 - 0:24 = A haunting guitar melody is played over the existing accompaniment, consequently the mood is now more haunting rather than mellow.
0:25 - 0:35 = The guitar is now distorted, introducing the rock flavour of the song - still in a haunting rhythm.
Verse
0:36 - 0:42 = The verse begins with the following lyrics:
"Find yourself a girl, and settle down
Live a simple life in a quiet town"
Pre-chorus
0:43 - 0:52 = The pre-chorus suddenly breaks in to really drive the piece of music to a much faster and livelier mood with the following lyrics:
"Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
So steady as she goes"
Instrumental
0:53 - 0:58 = The mood dies down almost immediately back into a mellow atmosphere just for several seconds.
Verse
0:59 - 1:05 = The vocals come back into the music but still retaining a mellow atmosphere with the following lyrics:
"Your friends have shown a kink in the single life
You've had too much to think, now you need a wife"
Chorus
1:06 - 1:31 = The full chorus again drives in for a much livelier atmosphere, but is now extended with the second half the lyrics bringing a sort of soaring feel to the music with the following lyrics:
"Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
So steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Well here we go again, you've found yourself a friend, that knows you well
But no matter what you do, you'll always feel as though you tripped and fell"
Instrumental
1:32 - 1:37 = The mood dies down again but still retaining distorted guitar that evokes a distorted imagery in my head. Almost like a glitch effect would be appropriate here in terms of visuals, just by listening to it.
Verse
1:38 - 1:50 = Vocals come back in but again, still retaining a mellow/haunting atmosphere with the following lyrics:
"When you have completed what you thought you had to do
And your blood's depleted to the point of stable glue
Then you'll get along
Then you'll get along"
Instrumental
1:51 - 1:53 = Hanging guitar riff.
1:54 - 1:56 = The music quickly descends as the guitar depresses the mood.
Chorus
1:57 - 2:19 = The chorus again drives the mood forward in contrast to the previous instrumental break with the following lyrics:
"Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
So steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Well here we go again, you've found yourself a friend that knows you well
But no matter what you do, it always feels as though you tripped and fell"
Verse
2:20 - 2:25 = The mood dies die down yet again but still relatively lively with the following lyrics:
"So steady as she goes
Steady as she goes"
Outro
2:26 - 2:42 = The music now extends into the outro. The guitar and music in general is very layered at this point and might be a good idea to play around with overlays in the video at this point in time. The music leads into this outro with the lyrics:
"Settle for a girl neither up or down
Sell it to the crowd that's gathered round
Settle for a girl neither up or down
Sell it to the crowd that's gathered round"
2:43 - 2:50 = The music is now clearer without the vocals setting a kind of resolve to the previous mood depicted in the previous lyrics sequence. It consist purely of instrumental but builds up towards the end.
2:51 - 3:07 = An extended chorus then drives the music forward again for a longer period, over driven guitar and all other instruments join in at this point for a triumphant atmosphere with the following lyrics:
"So steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
So steady as she goes (steady as she goes)"
3:08 - 3:22 = The beat gets much livelier and way more upbeat as the drums drive the tempo forwards with lyrics in quick succession. This marks the ending of the vocals. The upbeat and lively mood is sustained for much longer than previously but still has a haunting atmosphere to it. Similar overlays and fast cut editing can be used here from the lyrics leading into the outro as mentioned previously. However this section differs as it is much longer and fleshed out with the following lyrics:
"Steady as she goes
Are you steady now?
Steady as she goes
Are you steady now?
Steady as she goes
Are you steady now?
Steady as she goes
Are you steady now?
Steady as she goes"
3:23 - 3:35 = The vocals are now gone and the piece just leaves the listener with haunting instrumentals bringing the piece to an ultimate, menacing close.
In summary:
The music consists of mellow, melodic, haunting and aggressive moods all throughout. The piece constantly goes from two main moods; haunting and aggressive. What initially stood out for me in the song upon my first listen was that the verses were quite short and to the point, this allowed for longer and sustained choruses.
There are two distinct moods to the chorus - the first half is quite aggressive as all the instruments and drums play aggressively on the lyric "Steady as she goes". However, the second half of the chorus the begins in "...Well here we go again, you've found yourself a friend..." is less aggressive and gave me a more triumphant, soaring feel. Perhaps this is because the lyrics are more drawn out and the instrumentation is more upbeat in contrast to the dark aggressive feel of the first half of the chorus.
Verses are haunting and menacing whilst the choruses are aggressive. The verses always die down the mood of the chorus but the chorus always cuts in without buildup.
Breaking down the music in this way will prove useful when it comes to making my story board. I now have a clear structure to follow with my production and it will be much easier to sketch up visuals according to the moods and styles analysed above. I will be breaking up each shot and frame linking it with specific lyrics that I have analysed and will ultimately be effectively expressed in my final piece of work.
Storyboard
Below is a rough visual of the intended cinematography I plan to convey to my audiences. I've meticulously planned out each frame appropriate to the mood of the music whilst also hitting conventions of other music genres (e.g. high angle close up shots that are iconic in the rap/hip-hop genre):
Costume
In most music videos and from what I've seen, costumes are quite one-dimensional. Costume rarely ever changes throughout the music video and I felt that I wanted to change that convention in my final piece of work. Since the piece goes back and forth between mellow/haunting and aggressive moods I wanted the costumes to also change in accordance to the mood reflected at that time and moment. I split the piece into two moods; light and dark - and here are the ideas for costume I had for each mood.
Lighting
I wanted to be quite creative with my lighting and therefore I've done appropriate research on the different creative lighting effects I've seen in some music videos. I wanted to feature energetic lighting such as strobes and colour gels; contrast light was also an idea I wanted to play around with.
Here are examples of lighting set-ups that I wanted to replicate:
Here are examples of lighting set-ups that I wanted to replicate:
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Props/Equipment
Below will be the equipment I will be needing for my music video filming process:
Below are the following props I will be needing for my music video:
Colour Scheme
Depending on the colours already available to me in the venue and in equipment, I wanted to provide a contrast in mood using different colour schemes. As I have divided the song to having two moods - I again wanted to continue the trend of reflecting these moods visually. Below are the ideas I have for the colour scheme which I will be implementing in the colour grading process:
The black and white coupled with expressive lighting connotes a dry and melancholic mood which is perfect for the beginning and ending sections of the music. It adds a dramatic flair to the music which is an effective technique to grab the attention of an audience. It also provides a strong contrast to the other colour schemes that gives other moods a more substantial "kick" to the audience that otherwise wouldn't be as pronounced if they weren't exposed to that contrast.
Blue colour schemes serve as the first contrast to the black and white. It still aims to retain the melancholic feel but is less dry and now more captivating as the audience is now exposed to some sense of colour. I plan to use this colour during the verses and any kind of down time heard in the song. The beauty of the colour blue is that it has both negative and positive connotations - moods of sadness can be expressed but I aim to use it more as a catalyst for tension. Like the calm before the storm that audiences will be aware of.
The next colour scheme serves as the final crescendo, visually. The general idea is to portray as sense of aggression and explosiveness directly to the audience. Obvious colour of choice was red but I wanted to mix in other colours such a blue and violet to make the visuals much livelier compared to the monochromatic scheme of the previous ideas. Combining these colours with lighting effects such as strobes and flashes will really bring up the energy of the scene before dying back down.
Location
I plan on using a stage setting for my music video particularly for the band performance footage. I wanted to simulate a concert show environment with difference lighting effects, colours and movement. To my advantage, the school campus possesses a performance stage in the main hall - complete with a lighting rig and colour gels attached to it. To utilise these facilities effectively, I needed to create an additional plan for the lighting crew.
Lighting Plan
Relevant Documents
Here are the relevant documents, forms and templates to ensure a successful shooting process: