Preliminary Storyboard and

shot list:
Owl City - Fireflies
By Jordan Crookell

Owl City Fireflies Lyrics

You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep
'Cause they'd fill the open air
And leave tear drops everywhere
You'd think me rude
But I would just stand and stare
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake
when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head
A sock hop beneath my bed
The disco ball is just hanging by a thread
(Thread, thread...)
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake
when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
(When I fall asleep)

Leave my door open just a crack

(Please take me away from here)
'Cause I feel like such an insomniac
(Please take me away from here)
Why do I tire of counting sheep?
(Please take me away from here)
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep
(Ha-ha)
To ten million fireflies
I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes
I got misty eyes as they said farewell
(Said farewell)
But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar
(Jar, jar, jar...)
[2x]
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
(When I fall asleep)
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams

Shot 1) The first shot in the music video is a close-up of

Adams (From Owl City) hand adjusting the settings on they
keyboard. We see the notes light us and this gives the
audience the sense of a beginning as everything is just
starting up. The setting up of equipment and a slight focus on
the instruments in songs is a common convention in
indie/alternative music videos.

Shot 2) This shot is an extreme close-up of Adam setting up

the keyboard. There are a number of different in the opening
seconds of the music video of him setting up his keyboard.
This shot is used to help set up the scene and set the mood
of the song for the audience. In this particular shot, the blue
light on the piano is turned on. This is used as a symbol of
the beginning of the song and reminds the audience of a
classic narrative structure.
Shot 3) In this shot we see an extreme close-up of Adams
hand pressing the start/stop button on the keyboard. This is
a visual representation of the start of the song. It is used to
show the preparation that the musician is taking with the set
up of his keyboard. This is the final shot in the opening
seconds that show Adam setting up his keyboard ready for
the song.

Shot 4) The next shot is the first shot that establishes the
set and sets the atmosphere for the song and video. As it is
an establishing shot, the camera shows a long shot of the
room and set. From this we can see all of the props and set
of the room. This means that the audience can get an idea
for the mood that the video is trying to create.

Shot 5) After the establishing shot, we see a mid-shot of the

musician playing the keyboard and he sings You would not
believe your eyes. In this shot we see where he is based
throughout the video on his stool playing keyboard.

Shot 6) The 6th shot in the music video goes back to the
long shot of the room and set that Adam is in. Seeing the
props and set helps us as an audience to realise where the
musician is based. We can see that Adam is in a boys
bedroom. We can tell this because the props an toys on the
floor represent the setting of a boys play room/bedroom.

Shot 7) Here we see another mid-shot of Adam playing

the keyboard. His shoulders start to move in this shot and
this connotes to the audience that he is starting to get
into the song more.

Shot 8) This is an extreme close-up of Adams finger

pressing the magic button on the keyboard. This is a
visual symbol of what is to come next in the video. This is
because the next set of shots are of lamps and lights
turning on in time with the melody of the song.

Shot 9) This is a close-up of a lamp turning on. It turns on

in time with the melodic part in the song and cuts to the
beat in a fast-paced montage of shots in which all of the
lights individually turn on.

Shot 10) This is a mid shot of the lamp against a mirror

turning on in time to the melody. There is a slight zoom as
well just after the light has turned on. This pulls focus of the
audience directly to the lamp.

Shot 11) We then see another close-up of Adams hand

playing the melody in time with the actual music. The video
keep cutting back to shots of the musician. This is so the
audience fell closer to him and dont feel distanced from the
performer and the song. It gives it a more personal touch.

Shot 12) We then see a mid shot of another lamp turning on

to the melody with a camera zoon into the lamp and monkey

Shot 13) This is a close-up of Adam playing the keyboard

again in time to the music

Shot 14) This is a close-up of a taller lamp turning on in time

with the melody and keyboard playing in the song.

Shot 15) We then see a zoom in on yet another lamp

switching on in time to the beat of the song. The camera pulls
focus onto the lamp as it slightly moves to the left to put the
lamp in the centre of the screen.

Shot 16) This is a close-up of a talk and type and a snow

globe. Is this shot we see the words hello typed out onto
the talk and type n blue letters as the camera zooms onto
the screen of it.

Shot 17) This is a close-up of a spinning record player with a

figure on the top. There is a crescendo in the music and as it
gets gradually louder, the figure spins round and then
record player speeds up until the drop of the song.

Shot 18) There is then an extreme close-up of a robot figure.

This shot lasts a couple of seconds and is completely still
focusing on the face of the robot.

Shot 19) The video then cuts bac to a close-up of Adam

playing the keyboard again. He is playing in time to the
music making it look realistic for the video.

Shot 20) The shot then cuts to a image of the talk and type
typing out fire flies. This is a visual representation of the
song title and the song.

Shot 21) This is a close-up of a disco ball. At the start of the

shot the disco ball is not on but as in all the other lamp and
light shots it turns on in time to the melody of the song.
Also, it spins round sending colourful light around the room.

Shot 22) The video then cuts back to a mid shot of Adam
playing the keyboard and singing along with the lyrics in
time to when they are actually sung. This makes the
audience feel like he is actually singing and they can
engage more with the video.

Shot 23) We then see a close-up of a TV turning on. This

shot lasts a few seconds as we see the TV being turned on
and then on standby. The camera slightly zoom in on the
TV.

Shot 24) This is another close-up of the disco ball. However,

this time the disco ball is on and is in full motion. This
symbolises to the audience that the song has progressed
along as everything is more lively and all of the lights are
beginning to turn on.

Shot 25) This is another mid shot of Adam playing the

keyboard. In this shot he is moving his body and shoulders
more as he plays connoting that he is getting more into the
song and this illustrates his passion to the audience.

Shot 26) This is another shot of a light being switched on in

time to the melody of the music. This shot lasts about a
second or less.

Shot 27) The video then cuts to another mid shot of the
disco ball. We see it on the ledge this time and the camera
zooms slowly onto the disco ball pulling focus.

Shot 28) This is the first shot the we see of the set and
room that we can see where all of the lamps and lights are
turned on and all of the toys are starting to move.

Shot 29) Here we see another mid shot of the TV on

standby. This shot lasts a few seconds and the camera
stays still throughout the shot.

Shot 30) This is a close-up of Adams hand playing the

keyboard in time to the music. We see his hand more
animated than before. This shows the passion of the
musician and allows the audince to be able to engage with
the video more.

Shot 31) This shot in an extreme close-up of the notes on

the keyboard. The focus of the camera moves from right
to left as it pulls focus across the notes.

Shot 32) We then see a mid shot of Adam playing the

keyboard. He is singing along in time with the music and
moving his body more meaning that he is showing
passion.

Shot 33) This is an extreme close-up of Adam pressing the

Rhythm button on the keyboard. This shot lasts a few
seconds and symbolises the build up of the song again as
the music starts to get louder and develops more.

Shot 34) After the rhythm shot, we then see another shot
of the set and room with all of the light on and toys moving
around the room.

Shot 35) The editing then cuts to a close-up of a snow

globe that is still and with no snow moving in the globe.
Later on in the song (after a minute) the snow globe is
brought to life and we see the snow moving quickly around
the globe.

Shot 36) This is another mid shot of Adam playing his

keyboard and singing alone, in time to the song. In this
shot Adam is moving his body even more as he is getting
even more into the music.

Shot 37) This shot is a close-up of the talk and type again.
We see the typing of slowly on the screen. This is a direct
relation to the lyrics in the song.

Shot 38) This is a close-up of a small light turning on. This

shot is edited quite quickly and it only lasts about about a
second or less.

Shot 39) This is the final shot in the opening minute of the
song and video. We see a mid shot looking down on two
keyboards. This shot lasts about two-three seconds and
there is a straight cut to the next shot in the video.