Ricky Bell's comeback will be illuminated through the magic of an Ed Sullivan style variety show. Our show will be on a cool sixties look, but be somewhat contemporary.

Our video opens on Ricky and dancers backstage with the stage manager and some other silhouetted figures. Ricky is on the phone with Jermaine Dupri, who is giving Ricky words of wisdom. We follow that with a montage of images of the studio audience, the busy control room, and ending with a shot of the previous act taking a bow. This sequence builds the intensity leading up to Ricky's performance. The other band mean mugs Ricky as he goes on stage.

He smiles at the girl because he can see that she is really into him. This creates some additional tension between Ricky and the guys of the group. Ricky's energy is seen through various points of the television station; the control room, behind some cameras as he enters the stage.

Meanwhile, outside the studio we see the overflow of fans that could not make it into the studio. We see a beautiful hand of one of the fans turn the tuning dial of this funky looking transistor radio, which is simulcasting the television show. We pull back to reveal them grooving to Ricky's song.

We cut to Ricky jumping off the stage to serenade a screaming honie from the audience, who is almost to the point of tears. Our lady from the other group is becoming more and more attracted to Ricky as she watches him perform and serenade the girls in the audience. At this juncture, we go into a double-speed playback sequence during Ricky's performance. This creates a dreamy element that segues nicely into Ricky's performance. Throughout this performance setup on stage we will shoot scenes of Riky and the dancers at both normal and high speed.

The Look
As I mentioned in the preface, we wish to have this cool looking television show with the sixties feel, as seen in the movie, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?," yet have a contemporary feel. This will be accomplished through the use of styling and artistic textures for the stage and the overall body to give it a timeless rich quality.

We see Ricky on a beautifully designed stage in a focal position with two other platforms on each side of him to accommodate the dancers. Ricky's position on stage, as well as a hotter light on him, we'll have pop out a little more to give him that star quality feel. These stages may have some type of flaring behind them that complements the dancers' movements, as well as give a great look to the show. The studio audience at times may be seen as participating, much like on a dance show. Our platforms for the dancers will have some type of lighting system that will give a little excitement to their movement in frame.

Also, the look of the 35mm film will be greatly enhanced to give a cool sheen (almost steely blue) to the overall picture without losing the details of the television show vibe. That is to say, have that black and white feel, yet maintain a degree of color. In addition to the look, a technical application of double-speed playback will give an emotional impact to the audience at home through heightening the interplay between Ricky and the band girls' interest.

With the uniqueness of the concept we will always have various angles and perspectives that will play up on Ricky's marvelous performance abilities. This will allow us to build on the excitement of a music video within the confines of a live television performance narrative hosted by the charismatic JD. This video will be a one day shoot on 35mm color film; very special attention will be paid to wardrobe, styling and casting.

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