MEST4 Linked production: Research and planning
Production brief
Music video of the track 'Sunkissed' by Mick Jenkins as a form of social commentary on the issue of police brutality.
Research
- Kendrick Lamar - Alright
Elements such as the monochromatic, black and white filter which is present throughout the entirety of the video only help contribute to this but the visuals in the video itself are what really strike as being quite powerful in terms of social commentary. One scene in it for example shows Lamar and other members of the rap group he’s in being carried by 4 policemen in a car as he raps along to a different track. What’s quite interesting to remark on here though is that the audience could either perceive this as in some way at least, a form of representing ascendancy above the injustices that the police force have made over recent years or the car that the officers are holding the rappers in is a casket and they’re the pallbearers for it. As all 4 of the rappers are black men, perhaps it’s just going to show that anyone despite their position in society or success can often be a victim to police brutality simply on the basis of their skin.
The final part of the video shows the artist himself being a victim the hands of the police. Standing on top of the lamppost a policeman can be seen ‘shooting’ Lamar down and we’re presented with a shot of him in slow motion hurtling back down to the earth. Just after he hits the ground though after he’s supposedly killed, a close-up shot of him smiling is shown and maybe this is done with the purpose of matching up with the hook/refrain that’s sang throughout the track which is ‘we gon’ be alright.’
- TI - Warzone
In this music video, the artist himself which in this case is TI takes more of a backseat just rapping along to the lyrics of the song. However what is really striking here is the narrative of the video and how it flips or inverts what we’re usually used to seeing in society where black people are the ones marginalised by other groups. Instead what we see is white people in this position through different walks of life.
Throughout the video there are clear re-enactments of cases of police brutality all the way from Tamir Rice evident with the kid playing around with a toy gun, Eric Garner as you can more or less tell he’s saying ‘I can’t breathe’ and also Philando Castile as we’re shown a shooting happening with 3 seated passengers, one of which being a baby and the other another of an adult filming the aftermath of the shooting for a live broadcast. The only difference in all of this though is that all of the victims were white and the police officers were black. It’s evident that this was done with the purpose of perhaps being a wakeup call to groups other than black people in America, to not just sit down and allow injustices like this to take place anymore. The audio extract of Jane Elliot asking a white audience whether they’d want to ‘be treated the way blacks are’ only helps further get this across as it really does work to galvanise audiences to stop being passive to things that they know aren’t right.
Throughout the video there are clear re-enactments of cases of police brutality all the way from Tamir Rice evident with the kid playing around with a toy gun, Eric Garner as you can more or less tell he’s saying ‘I can’t breathe’ and also Philando Castile as we’re shown a shooting happening with 3 seated passengers, one of which being a baby and the other another of an adult filming the aftermath of the shooting for a live broadcast. The only difference in all of this though is that all of the victims were white and the police officers were black. It’s evident that this was done with the purpose of perhaps being a wakeup call to groups other than black people in America, to not just sit down and allow injustices like this to take place anymore. The audio extract of Jane Elliot asking a white audience whether they’d want to ‘be treated the way blacks are’ only helps further get this across as it really does work to galvanise audiences to stop being passive to things that they know aren’t right.
- Vic Mensa - 16 Shots
Vic Mensa’s '16 Shots' presents the issue of police brutality in both a more graphic and disturbing way. Displaying Mensa being riddled with bullets by multiple police officers, the video really helps reflect the hard reality that there is with each case of police brutality. Helping to get this across even more is the inclusion of the dash cam footage showing the shooting of Laquan McDonald. This is aided not only with a monologue describing the events that took place in his shooting, but also in another scene that there are jumps between with an actor mirroring the body language of Laquan in his final moments. This was particularly effective in conveying what is often the case time and time again, with cases of police brutality.
- Ant Deko - Right Hand Man
'Right Hand Man' helps contribute to the production in terms of the location that it'll partly be set in. Being in Alexandra Road Estate, the aesthetics/connotations that we get are that of a place that is impoverished, grimy and to some extent run down. The chiaroscuro lighting that the location can offer is something that could be used to our advantage in achieving the visuals we want for the video.
Project schedule
The basis filming has been done. The filming including the cast should be completed by the break up of Easter and the editing will be completed by the first week of Easter with us coming into school on some days of the holiday to finalise it.
Treatment
Outline
Overview/concept
The production will be a performance-based video offering different takes and representations on black culture that have and do exist. This will be done of course through the very lyrics of the song itself but also things like clothing items such as dashikis which will be worn by different people at different points within the video. It'll take place over a number of different locations with some of them featuring people in the background which is something that we're used to seeing in hip-hop/rap music videos of today. The locations that are shown in it will exhibit more of an urban look which a place like Alexandra Road Estate exemplifies particularly again, fitting into the conventions that we see rap music videos have.
Shot list
Mise-en-scene
Casting/model details
Costume and make-up
Props
Location scouting with photographs
The basis filming has been done. The filming including the cast should be completed by the break up of Easter and the editing will be completed by the first week of Easter with us coming into school on some days of the holiday to finalise it.
Treatment
Outline
- Artist name - Mick Jenkins
- Song title - Sunkissed
- Record label - Cinematic Music Group
- Genre - Hip-Hop/Rap
- Target audience - young people
- Style of music video - performance
Overview/concept
The production will be a performance-based video offering different takes and representations on black culture that have and do exist. This will be done of course through the very lyrics of the song itself but also things like clothing items such as dashikis which will be worn by different people at different points within the video. It'll take place over a number of different locations with some of them featuring people in the background which is something that we're used to seeing in hip-hop/rap music videos of today. The locations that are shown in it will exhibit more of an urban look which a place like Alexandra Road Estate exemplifies particularly again, fitting into the conventions that we see rap music videos have.
Equipment and resources you will need
- Tripod
- Camera
Shot list
Producer: Ladan & Abayomi
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Production:
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Shot No.
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Shot Type
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Details of Shot
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Timing
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1
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Medium shot
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Blurry tree coming into focus
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00:01
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2
|
Medium shot
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Cut to blossom tree
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00:02
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3
|
Hand Held shot
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Another cut to blossom tree
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00:04
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4
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Medium Shot
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Abayomi sitting on bench
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00:06
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5
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Right Angle shot
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Abayomi rapping
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00:09
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6
|
Left Angle shot
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Abayomi rapping
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00:11
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7
|
Long shot
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Abayomi walking while rapping
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00:15
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8
|
Panning shot
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Abayomi rapping
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00:19
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9
|
Tracking shot
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Camera following the cast
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00:22
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10
|
Rotating shot
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Abayomi rapping while walking
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00:25
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11
|
Handheld shot
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Abayomi rapping
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00:28
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12
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Medium shot
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Abayami sitting with cast/rapping
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00:32
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13
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Low angle shot
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Abayomi rapping
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00:34
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14
|
Handheld
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Camera following Abayomi
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00:35
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15
|
Tracking shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
00:37
|
16
|
Medium shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
00:42
|
17
|
Handheld shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
00:43
|
18
|
Slow motion shot
|
Abayomi walking
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00:44
|
19
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Long shot
|
Abayomi sitting down rapping
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00:47
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20
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Medium shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
00:49
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21
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Long shot
|
Abayomi sitting down rapping
|
00:51
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21
|
Slo mo
|
Abayomi walking
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00:55
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22
|
Low angle
|
Abayomi sitting down rapping
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00:59
|
23
|
Medium shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
01:03
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24
|
Medium shot
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Shot of cast
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01:02
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25
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Tilted shot
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Back to Abayomi rapping
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01:07
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26 |
Low angle
| Abayomi rapping | 01:12 |
27 | Hand held shot |
Camera following cast
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01:14
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28
| Tracking |
Abayomi rapping
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01:15
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29
|
Medium shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
01:17
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30
| Long shot |
Shot of London skyline at Primrose
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01:19
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31
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Close up
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Shot of one of the casts
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01:22
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32
| Medium shot |
Abayomi rapping
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01:26
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33
| Hand held |
Camera following Abayomi rapping
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01:29
|
34
| Close up |
Shot of one of the cast
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01:32
|
35
|
Long shot
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Shot of the whole cast/rapping
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01:34
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36
| Medium shot |
Abayomi rapping
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01:35
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37
|
Medium shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
01:36
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38
|
Hand Held shot
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Camera following Abayomi
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01:40
|
39
| Low angle |
Abayomi rapping
|
01:42
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40
|
Panning shot
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Camera following Abayomi
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01:46
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41
|
Medium shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
01:48
|
42
|
Panning shot
|
Abayomi sitting down rapping
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01:53
|
43
|
Medium shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
01:57
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44
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Long shot
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Shot of cast
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02:00
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45
| Medium shot |
Abayomi rapping
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02:03
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46
|
Left Angle shot
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Abayomi sitting down rapping
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00:04
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47
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Hand held shot
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Shot of cast
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02:07
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48
|
Hand held shot
|
Abayomi rapping
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02:10
|
49
|
Right Angle shot
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Abayomi rapping/with cast
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02:13
|
50
|
Medium shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
02:16
|
51
|
Close up
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Shot of character
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02:22
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52
|
Tracking shot
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Following Abayomi rapping
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02:24
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53
| Medium shot |
Cast saying a few words of the song
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02:25
|
54
| Medium shot |
Abayomi rapping
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02:26
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55
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Medium shot
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Cast saying a few words of the song
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02:30
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56
| Long shot |
Abayomi rapping
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02:32
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57
|
Tracking shot
|
Abayomi rapping
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02:34
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58
|
Tracking shot
|
Camera behind cast following Abayomi
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02:36
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59
| Hand held shot |
Camera shot of cast with abayomi
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02:39
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60
|
Panning shot
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Abayomi rapping
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02:41
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61
|
Medium shot
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Abayomi rapping
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02:43
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62
|
Medium shot
| Shot of cast |
02:45
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63
|
Hand held shot
|
Abayomi rapping
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02:46
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64
|
Medium shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
02:47
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65
| Panning |
Abayomi rapping
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02:49
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66
|
Hand held shot
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Abayomi rapping
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02:51
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67
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Medium shot
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3 of the cast members together
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02:53
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68
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Long shot
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Camden estate, cast walking away
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02:55
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69
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Hand Held shot
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Abayomi rapping
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02:57
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70
|
Low angle shot
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Abayomi rapping
| 03:00 |
71
|
Medium shot
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Shot of cast together
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03:02
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72
|
Long shot
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Shot of cast together
|
03:04
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73
|
Long shot
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Abayomi walking to camera rapping
|
03:05
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74
| Long shot |
Shot of location
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03:06
|
75
| Medium shot |
Abayomi rapping
|
03:07
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76
|
Medium shot
|
Abayomi rapping
|
03:10
|
77
| Long shot |
Shot of cast
|
03:12
|
78
| Tracking |
Camera following Abayomi rapping
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03:13
|
79
| Hand held |
Abayomi rapping
|
03:15
|
80
| Hand held |
Abayomi with cast
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03:18
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81
|
Hand held
|
Abayomi rapping
| 03:22 |
82
|
Medium shot
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Abayomi rapping
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03:23
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83
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Slo mo
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Black power fist pump with cast
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03:25
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84
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Long shot
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Cut back to Abayomi
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03:27
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85
| Medium shot |
Abayomi rapping
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03:29
|
86
| Medium shot |
Abayomi rapping with cast
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03:31
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87
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close up
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Close up of character 1
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03:34
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88
| close up |
Close up of character 2
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03:36
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89
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close up
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Close up of character 3
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03:39
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90
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Medium shot
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Back to Abayomi rapping
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03:41
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91
| Close up |
Close up of character 4
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03:43
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92
|
Long shot
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Cast walking out of Leake street tunnel
| 03:45 |
93
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Long shot
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Cast at black history monument
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03:47
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94
|
Long shot
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Abayomi rapping
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03:49
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95
|
Medium shot
|
Abayomi rapping
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03:52
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96
| Hand held |
Camera following cast
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03:56
|
97
| Medium shot |
Back to abayomi rapping
|
03:58
|
98
|
Medium shot
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Abayomi rapping
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03:59
|
99
| Slow motion shot |
Abayomi walking out
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04:00
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100
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Long shot
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All cast standing together
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04:02
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Mise-en-scene
Casting/model details
- Abayomi Atiko
- Rashida Dowding
- Sumeya Omar
- Masika Ismael
- Ladan Abdulle
- Julian Ntow
- Sharife Anderson
Costume and make-up
- Abayomi Atiko - wear clothing that is predominantly casualwear, however in at least one location wear a dashiki as a representation of the black culture we see the lyrics of the audio track itself describing
Props
- History book - 'I mean who's history's author'
Location scouting with photographs
Leake Street - the graffiti on the walls has connotations of more of an anti-establishment culture which is something that could be said to be inherent in the subject matter of the song. Also from a more visual standpoint, the location could help provide a change to what we mostly see throughout the video
Canary Wharf - a time lapse of a shot of the Canary Wharf skyline could help the video from an aesthetics standpoint and bring home this idea of a fast-moving city plagued with a problem that most refuse to pay attention to which is the 'routine' discrimination of black people by the police.
Gilt of Cain - sculpture in commemoration of the abolition of transatlantic slavery. This can be seen with the '17 sugar canes which rise dramatically from the ground surrounding a slave auctioneer’s pulpit.' These are too accompanied with a poem by Lemn Sissay which lends its name to the sculpture itself. Its appearance could potentially link into the black pride sentiment that the anti-police brutality topic could arguably be said to contain.
Alexandra Road Estate - aesthetically having looked at other music videos filmed here, a location like this could really help the video from a cinematography front with the more grimy look that the estate has.
Classroom - similarly to the Leake Street location selection, having a scene where the lyrics of the track are rapped along to in a classroom would help provide a difference to what see for the majority of the video. As well as this this, it could play into the line: 'Who's history's author, you was never right if you read it right,' if a prop like a history book was also used.
Primrose Hill - this location would act as a good complement to Walpole Park with the greenery that's present there. As well as this, the London skyline in the background could contribute to the whole urban look that the majority of the video has.