*** Overall, this is a completely new concept, but some of the basic thoughts behind the last concept are still in here, so some of this revision may sound familiar.

THE LOOK
The idea here is to make it seem as if this video could actually be part of the film. Most movie videos tend to have a definitive line between performance and the film footage, I want to get rid of that line in this clip. It should seem as if Aerosmith could actually be playing at some location somewhere in the film and not in some completely separate performance location.

We will use similar colors and tones as the film footage so that there will be a continuation within all the different footage. I will also shoot this in a theatrical 1:85 aspect ratio to keep the cinematic feel and the framing that the filmmakers intended. If it blends in style-wise and location-wise then we're set. I don't want to just throw the footage on TV screens here, I want to give the video the feel that it is actually part of the film thematically, emotionally and stylistically.

THE CONCEPT
Heroism...Emotion...Scope and Universal Patriotism... These are the words that best describe this clip.
There is a scene in Titanic where the band decides to continue playing their music even though they know they are going to die. It's a moving scene because of the band's bravery, courage and pride in the face of death. This is the emotion that I want to capture in this clip...only AEROSMITH will be the band and ARMAGEDDON will be the movie.

As the first notes of the violins begin to hit us, we fade up to a beautiful space-scape. Bright stars fill the inky black sky, and the almost unreal blue of the distant, large earth glows underneath them. Suddenly a darkness starts to creep over the blue...at first it's hard to tell what it is...a shadow...another planet...a spaceship...but it's not any of these...it's the asteroid. The rough and craggy surface fills the frame with tones of copper, brown and black. It completely overshadows the globe as it hurdles closer and closer to the blue planet. (I don't think that the real asteroid should be shown for marketing purposes, but maybe we can just show the shadow or silhouette of it just to set up the story for the video.)

Suddenly the camera takes a dive for earth...it rockets through the stratosphere...into the atmosphere...through clouds and down toward solid ground. Suddenly it lands on a close-up of Steven Tyler. He looks directly into the lens as he begins to sing. The close-up is direct and emotional... His performance engages us...we want to listen.

Suddenly we cut to a reverse shot to see a camera lens pointed directly at him. The lens slowly rotates, controlled by its automatic servo motors. We see a television monitor. Steven's image appears on it...in the same close-up we saw earlier...again his performance is powerful and engaging...but where are we?
We start to see a little more. Control panels, mixing boards, more cameras, microphones...we get little hints until we finally realize that he is being taped and broadcast. A crew of people work diligently at the machines. But there is a strange air about them...they seem serious, melancholy and a bit pensive...something is definitely up. But at this point, we still don't know Steven's exact location...we get a feeling that it's a little high-tech...well art directed...cool.

What I'd like to do here is to start cutting around to the Americana footage that is used during the President's speech. But the trick here is that instead of using the President's speech, we make it seem as if everyone in the world is listening to Aerosmith. They're listening to them on the radios and we see them on the people's TV screens. It's as if Aerosmith's performance is actually a scene from the film.

Amidst all this film footage, we also start to show the love story between Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck. This footage is key to the emotion that this video has to show from the film...but it also has to remain in the context of the whole story to be effective.

As the first hook slams in, the location lights up revealing a dramatic space and the rest of the guys of Aerosmith. I'm taking my inspiration for this location from a location in the film. I believe there was a large room at NASA where the drilling machine was located. The room was a large hangar, but was completely covered by large foam spikes. It has to be one of the coolest looking spaces that I've ever seen. Behind the band are huge hanging flags with the film's "MISSION PATCH" logo on them. A worldwide, universal logo. But the cool thing about this place is that instead of being just a NASA hangar, it could also pass for some completely tricked out recording studio or performance setting...but still, there is more to be revealed...

We now see the entire band performing and being taped and broadcast for the entire world to see. Again, this has to seem universal in its scope. I want to use all the footage of people listening, watching and waiting that I can. Especially if Michael and Jerry travel around the world capturing cool stuff in France, Istanbul and/or India. This has to seem huge!

The idea here is to also let the video build and give the video a visual and emotional arc to go along with the film footage. So, as the next hook kicks in, we get a little bigger. The giant flags with the mission patch insignias drop, revealing a giant orchestra just as a squadron of international jets soar over head. We should get some international insignias to put on some of the planes to give the feeling that different countries are all involved together. The engineers and workers behind the console even stop to watch...the moment is too amazing even for them. We now also see that this location is not entirely inside...but that it is, in fact, a large structure somewhere outside.

There is also something different about this orchestra...it has to be the most immense one ever seen. Imagine if everyone in the world has stopped what they are doing to watch or listen to an event like this...it would be massive. In fact, so massive that it would move even the most stone cold person.

During this part of the video, I think we should start intercutting the astronauts getting ready for flight. We have already seen some of their training and camaraderie...but now it's time for action...

At this point, I was also thinking that we could even put some of the Aerosmith footage on the screen in NASA. Even the NASA guys could be watching...remember, this footage will have to feel like the film to make this work. It all has to work together as one unit.

The countdown has begun for the space shuttle to launch... The pacing of the song is rising...the rockets flare...the smoke plumes and then we get our real surprise...

The smoke...the light and the fire...all start to simultaneously appear at Aerosmith's location. Just as they're busing out the song with all they've got, the elements start to kick in as we realize that they are performing at the base of the shuttle launch...this is what everybody has been glued to...it's been the final moments leading up to the launch of this worldwide mission to space.

We then start to see some of the cool space/action footage intercut with Joe Perry and the guys as the guitar solo rings out. Here, the energy of both the guys in the band and the film footage is high. This is the climax of the clip as we watch our fate, right along with the rest of the world.

The ending of this clip is going to be tricky because I don't want to give anything away from the movie... I think it might actually be more powerful to end on a really cool, but somewhat ambiguous action shot in space...one in particular is the shot of Ben in his astronaut gear with the sparks flying by the glass visor of his helmet in slow motion. It is dynamic, visually engaging and it looks like he is in trouble...what will happen next? The audience will have to see the movie to find out.

We end on a final shot of a television screen as the lights in the giant performance space dim down, leaving only Steven in a close-up, just as we started. We hold for a quick moment as he gazes right at us and, zap...just like static on a TV, the image disappears.

FILM FOOTAGE
I want to tell the story of the film with the footage used in this clip. I don't want to blow any of the story here, and you can see that I have actually left the ending very open.

The idea here is to introduce the characters and the settings...show the relationships that everyone has, especially the romance between Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck. This song is a romantic song and it should focus on their relationship during this disaster.

But as the tension builds so should the tension in the footage. As the clip proceeds and the timer is counting down, the footage should become more action-packed and exciting.

CONCLUSION
Again, I want to use the same color palettes that the movie uses so that it will all feel as one unit. But we will give the performance a real photographic/music video edge. Something that I feel would be really cool is to shoot the guys in mostly lock-offs. The performance, the location and the soul in this clip will overpower any kind of fast camera action or crane moves that would be put in. The key here is give it that somewhat cool, abstract and graphic quality that will keep it updated while still matching the look of the film.

This concept is great for both the film and Aerosmith. Because the video is made to work for the movie, all the greatest moments and footage from the film can be utilized. But because the location is so cool, Aerosmith can remain themselves and not be forced into something that they are not. We can get into some cool styling here and the look will be bold, graphic and visually stunning.

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