For our music video, we have several influences that have the same concept as our intended idea - a house party. They all fall within the pop/RnB genre of music, therefore meaning that they all follow Andrew Goodwin's 3rd music video convention which is that particular music genres have their own music video style and iconography.
What A Night by Loveable Rogues
The video switches from the party to the band performing in a room throughout. It also involves a lot of close up shots of the party guests and extraordinary outfits which we were thinking of incorporating into our own music video. In terms of Andrew Goodwin's music video conventions, there is a clear relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as the song is titled and it is mentioned in the lyrics "What A Night" and it shows them having a good time. The band have developed a star iconography as the song is created by a ukelele which is the instrument they used to aid their success in the 2011 series of Britain's Got Talent.
One Time by Justin Bieber
There is a narrative at the beginning of the video setting the scene and the reason behind the party. Similar to the video for What A Night, the video switches to Justin singing in a room with a plain blue background. The party involves a lot of hidden props such as plastic windmills, silly string and beach balls used in the pool scenes. There is also a mid shot showing Justin and the video girl dancing whilst confetti falls which I think will be a nice touch in our music video.
All Night Long by Alexandra Burke (ft Pitbull)
This video uses low lighting to add to the intensity of the party. There are 50 different cameras used in this video to catch every shot from different angles, including the use of a handheld camera at the beginning and the end. During Pitbull's part of the song, he is shown on the big screen within the room of the party. The video also uses text at the beginning to set the scene and concept of the video as a whole.
Birthday by Selena Gomez
The video involves a series of props such as tiaras and other custom hats. The party was done in a dark room with very little lighting which adds to the effect of the video. The beginning of the video uses a fish bowl lens to capture the scene through a different view.
Do You Feel What I Feel by JLS
The video involves the typical shot type within house party themed music videos - a lot of close up shots highlighting the facial expressions of the party guests. This video also involves a short narrative showing that the party will take place due to a free house.
Get Busy by Sean Paul
The video differs from our influences because the location of this video is in a basement warehouse whereas the others are set within the main part of the house (e.g: the kitchen, living room or even the garden or pool area). Using an abandoned warehouse or space could be something we could explore when making our music video to make it slightly unconventional.
Different genre music videos have their own conventions
Thismusic
video portrays typical conventions for an indie/songwriter's music
genre. The video is kept minimal; the artist is seen lip-synching to the
lyrics, isolated most of the time, overall setting a lighthearted mood
of the video to fit in with the soundtrack and judging from the setting
is directed a young audience- i.e. teens.
There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.
Throughout
the video there are several key points where the relationship
established between the lyrics and the visuals can be clearly seen (e.g.
as the lyrics read 'I got my operation' a person wearing surgeon outfit
playing with a bandaged teddy bear is seen). This is done to illustrate
the lyrics in to a more light, childlike style, that again fits in with
the music genre.
Relationship between the music and visuals.
Similarly, as with the visuals illustrating the lyrics, there
is one key
point where there is stop-motion used of the girl wearing many
different hats, edited to match the pace of the beat. Another example is
when the video is speeded-up, creating the illusion that the person is
moving at very quick speed, only to be slowed down when the beat of the
soundtrack goes back to its normal beat.
Demands of the record label will include need for close ups of the artists to emphasise the image of the star.
There
are numerous close-ups of the star as she lip-syncs, this is fairly
common thing done in slow tempo music videos like this to establish some
sort of connection with the viewer.
Reference to notion of locking (telescopes etc) voyeuristic (sexual) treatment of the female body.
Unsurprisinlgly there is no reference voyeurismthis
music video as it does not link in with the music genre and style, and
so having it included could seem out of place to the viewer.
There is often intertexual reference (films, TV, music videos or popular culture).
The Elvis Presley's face cut out could be seen inter textual reference as it is a part of popular culture.
In the sister sledge music video, "We are Family" it provides basic camera work throughout the wholes video. Even though the camera is mostly stationary in this video, it's placed in many different position in order to vary the shot types.
(screen shot of several positions)
Several times the audience see the camera using the zoom out technique An example of this is around 3.03; the camera starts to zoom out enabling the audience to see the skyline behind them.
Editing
Basic editing techniques have been used in this video, from the very start of the video we see a flashing effect being used. This is done in time with the music on the beat of the drum.
Sound
Throughout the music video the soundtrack is being played. This is suppose to be diegetic, because the singers are suppose to hear the music, however the music is placed over the video in editing.
Mise en Scene
Costume
The costumes used in this video are very simplistic. They don't change their clothes but each person in the video has the same outfit on but in different colours. In this video it is easy to identify the main protagonist because she is placed in the middle and stood in front of the others. Dancing
The people in the music video are simultaneously dancing the same moves which connotes that they are family together as one.
Michael Jackson 'Thriller '(1983)
Genre:Funk
Music Video Type: Narrative and Perfomance based
CameraWork
In Michael Jackson's thriller music video, it starts off with a 5 minute short film. The camera uses lots of techniques in this bit alone. At the start of the clip you can tell that a crane is used to track the movement of the car driving along the road. (screen shot of the tracking car)
The is alot of tracking movements like when they are walking in the woods. The camera pans upwards to the top half of their body whilst they are walking. Throughout the short film their is many different shots varying from close to long shots. However the camera is mostly stationary in these shots allowing a clear view of what's around. Their is aspects of titled shots ( when Michael is transformed into a werewolf.) When the actual music starts playing, their is a lot of tracking movements
Editing
The Editing in Thriller is more advanced than the editing in 'We are Family!' We see a lot of special effects (especially when Michael is transforming into a werewolf)
Sound
In this music video there is ambient sound unlike in the Sister Sledge's video and so you find variance in the video. You also get scripted speech involved into the music video which conjoins two pieces of media into one. This also supports the narrative side to things.
Mise en Scene
Unlike the Sister Sledge's music video, in Thriller we get different location changes, which helps keeps the music video interesting. There is still the sense of choreograph dance routines as in thriller Michael dances with the zombies and in Sister Sledge they have each other.
Hanson 'MMMBop'(1997)
Camerawork
In the hanson video 'MMMBop' the camerawork has many variations. There is a lot of panning and tracking closeups and more experimental shots. There is alot more combination in this video than in the thriller and sister sledge video. This keeps the audience interested especially as this is a performance based video. It gives the audience more variation.
Editing
In this video there is alot of editing techniques from green screens to slow motion. There is a use of stop motion at one point when they are playing their instruments. In comparisons to other music videos the green screen used in this video is used a lot. There is even a ascept of black and white, which hits back at the convention of the era.
Sound
There is just the soundtrack in this music video which is used just like the others. There is no ambient sound in this one though unlike the video in thriller
Mise en Scene
In the music video Hanson visits loads of locations. Unlike in the others their is alot more locations. You see them in a beach, their house, a taxi and using a green screen allows them to visit other locations. Unlike in the other music videos
The camerawork is very basic in this music video as the audience are restricted to the one room. So we see the normal panning and tracking shots but we also see some low angle
Editing
Immediately at the start of the music video you see a piece of editing. There is a blackout which fades out. The editing in this music video is very basic with mostly zoom. We rarely see cuts in the video as most of the shots are long shots; the lighting helps with the transitions.
Sound
The sound you hear in this music video is the soundtrack of single ladies just like the other videos.
Mise en Scene
The The location in this music video is restricted to a studio which doesn't change. Just like in sister sledge music video the people are wearing the same matching outfits and doing choreography. You see aspects when the background goes from black to white. The protagonist is recognised as she is wearing a glove which shows the audience that she is the protagonist in the video. The lighting is a big contribution to this video enabling the music video to look interesting. Through contrasting from black to white lighting.
Rizzle Kicks 'Lost Generation'(2013)
genre: alternative Hip Hop
Music Type: Narrative Based
Camerawork
The Camerawork in this music video has been well thought out through the
Editing
The editing in this video contains a lot of effective editing techniques. At around 00:37 you see the effect of slow motion and fast forward take place. In other videos we didn't see that in effect. You also see the a black and white effect through the lens of a camera. There is a lot of cuts used as transitions, not essential cuts on the beat but they are mainly used to cut to a different location.
Sound
In this music video you get a sense of diegetic and non-diegetic music through the ambient sound and sound effects.
Mise en Scene
in this music video you see narrative at the beginning. This music video conveys a message to the audience one that the other music videos didn't do quite as much. You also see intertextual references of other media texts like Big brother, X Factor and Jeremy Kyle and Youtube. You also see many locations in this video, just like the hanson one and so it helps keeps the music video interesting.
Conclusion
Over all by looking at many music videos over the different decades i have concluded that the duration has been increased mainly due to the music video adding short films which extend the duration. I have also noticed many experimental shots in the camerawork and editing which helps bring in a whole original music video which hasn't been seen before; this helps introduce new ideas. What i have also noticed that film directors have been slowly introduce to make music videos.
I have started to see that a lot of music videos are starting to use a lot more non-diegetic music into their videos. It is also easy to identify the genre of the music through the music video as the genres have produced their own conventions for example, Hip hop is known to have fast cars, women, money and occasionally drug use.
Back in the day most music videos were performance based, but now narrative based videos are common now.
Costume - Animal heads, props or animal print clothing. Casual clothing. Simple clothing for main actor.
Make-up - Crazy face paint
Setting - It will be set in different rooms of the house with random objects lying about e.g. mannequins, bears, sparklers.
Lighting - To light the set up we will use fairy lights, torches, glow sticks, disco ball
Star Persona
The main man is trying to show that not every single player can get the results they want easily and that women have standards.
Location
Field
House
Garden
Camerawork
There will be a lot of movement. There will be some handheld shots and some stationary shots. There will be some high angle shots and low angle shots. There will be extreme close ups of faces and people having fun. There will be medium shots of groups of people and them interacting with one another.
Editing
There will be many cutaways from the main story to people having fun. There will be some cuts on the beat/ along with the music. There will be slow motion of the man trying to impress the women and people drinking and dancing. The lip syncing will mainly be for the verses and occasional lip syncing in the chorus. Split screens would be used to show the guy failing at trying to impress women e.g. three split screens; first on he gets a drink thrown on him, secondly he gets slapped, thirdly he gets hit by a someone's boyfriend.
Sound
In the music video we would have diegetic sound as the people would be singing along to the music and dancing to it as well.
Influences
We were influenced by Selena Gomez's, "Birthday" the ideas we got from that video is having a few handheld shots and the runaway in the middle of the room. We also got the idea of having randoms props in the background from this video e.g. mannequins, party hats, confetti.
From this video we were influenced by the narrative at the beginning.
Actors
The main actor is the guy who is singing. He will be trying to impress the women, but will fail and keep making mistakes.
There will be random people dancing in the background.
My group was introduced to the list of tracks we are able to use for our final project. We then narrowed it down to 3 choices:
1. In The Bag by Wiley (ft Labrinth)
Ideas discussed within our group included adding a comedic value to the video. That would involve a house party where the guests dress up as animals and the rapper will "have it in the bag" as the song suggests and turn up in normal attire. This would convey a different take on the lyrics making it more appealing to the audience of the song's genre. Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Conventions which we have studied closely in class would come into use in this video as we would amplify the lyrics.
2. Ten Thousand Hours by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
The idea for this project would be a group of people on a journey to a set place meaning it would be more concept and less narrative. It would highlight the lyrics in a creative way. The shots we would use would be a close up to hands to fit in with the chorus. However, this would involve filming several shots in several different locations at various hours of the day and could be quite time consuming.
3. Love and War by Rita Ora (ft J Cole)
This project would be like a typical post break up video. The protagonist in the video would be the singer who has had a conflict with her boyfriend which would end up in a lot of smashed glass in slow motion and close up shots highlighting her pain. The simple lyrics would allow us to create an easy story line making the video have a narrative which is a common factor in many modern music videos. We could also use a variety of effects and interesting locations in this project. However, the idea would clash with existing music videos of a similar style.
On the 20/9/13 we were given our choice of tracks. There was several tracks that we were interested in
3. Love and War by Rita Ora
Love and War was a choice we chose because it had alot of meaning in the song which we could easily visually interpret into the video. We would be able to make it narrative and possess many ideas in which we could vary and input into the video. With clear lyrics it could produce a nice simple storyline which could be influential to us. Hence why an inspirational idea could be to have a the main protagonist as the singer who has had conflict with their boyfriend and whether they will resolve that conflict through shots of the protagonist singing and shots of them individually on their own. However due to it being conventionally similar to other videos, we thought that we wouldn't be able to explore other areas in which to produce a original music video.
2. Ten Thousand Hours by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
This song was our second choice due to being a song where we could express a more conceptual meaning rather than a narrative. A idea to mind was having the journeys of several people and them all reaching to the same place in the end.This would be supported by several exotic location shots and extravagant costumes. Although due to the limited time and locations we have access too, it would also be too big a budget to pursue. Although it would be interest to go through with this idea, it might be too be of a risk with the amount we have.
1. In the Bag by Wiley Feat. Labrinth and J2K
This is our first choice. Despite it being a male song, we could convey an idea around these lyrics. We had an idea of making it comical and to take place at a house party. This would be appropriate for the song as it's about getting a girl and parties is a common place for getting one. We would also be able to show Goodwin's conventions and amplify it visually.
My group and I listened to the tracks that were given and decided that our top 3 tracks were, "In The Bag" - Wiley Feat. Labrinth, "Ten Thousand Hours" - Macklemore and "Love & War" - Rita Ora
"In The Bag" - Wiley Feat. Labrinth
Ideas that our group discussed were to have a setting of a party and have one person who is trying to please women, but isn't succeeding or to create a story of a person who is having lots of fun with women. Another idea was to have a room full of people having a party, but they are dressed in animal costumes or have animal heads and then there is one man who is confused and is trying to communicate with the animals and the women animals. We thought having a party atmosphere would be good, because it fits the fast paced track and the upbeat vibe it has.
"Ten Thousand Hours" - Macklemore
For this music video, we thought we could have multiple stories of different characters and the audience follow each one of their stories and then at the end all of them coming together and loads of people holding hands and it looking like they have all reached their destination. In the lyrics it says, " Ten thousand hours felt like ten thousand hands", so there would loads of different shots of hands and shots of clocks showing different times.
"Love & War" - Rita Ora
The ideas that we came up with for this music video is loads of different camera shots of a woman singing in different locations in a house. Some of the shots would be her naturally singing and some of her singing whilst showing the emotions (sad, angry, upset) on her face. There would be cutaways from her singing to a story of a couple fighting and slow motion shots of items in the house being smashed.
We had picked this song as our first choice because we agreed it had the best beat and the right pace; allowing us to experiment with different camera shots, allowing us to do many shot transitions or even try and do stop motion in parts of the video. In addition, we thought that this song has the potential for a comical music video; the lyrics go ' got it in the bag' the visuals could contradict the lyrics.
2. Macklemore- Ten Thousand Hours
For our second choice we have selected this particular track as we could visualise a narrative to follow it, that could be told from a different selection of locations (as similarly done in his music video for 'Can't Hold Us'). However, filming on different locations on limited time may be straining and there is initial fear that we may not finish filming on time.
3. Rita Ora- Love & War Feat. J.Cole
We chose this particular song as our third choice as we thought the track is well paced and that the lyrics would be easier to lip-sync then the other tracks available. However, we initially thought that the song was too conventional and that the video would be to simplistic and typical to be memorable to the audience.
1) The relationship between lyrics and the visuals either illustrating amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.
2) Relationships between music and visuals either illustrating amplifying or contradicting the music.
3) Particular music genres may have their own music video style and iconography (such as live stage performance in heavy rock)
4) The artist may develop their own other iconography in and out of their videos which overtime becomes part of their star image.
5) Like it to be reference to voyeurism (the act of sexualised looking) this may explain the treatment of women in the media
6) Intertextual references either to other music videos, films or other media texts
In the Chris Brown's music video 'Kiss Kiss' it is clear to see Andrew Goodwin's conventions come to life.
Star image-
This music video enables Chris Brown to gain a star image as he has decided to take the position of two characters which means more screen time. The fact that there is alot of screen time, means the audience get a feel for what he's like. Already from this music video, we can tell that Chris brown is a talented dancer as their is a performance aspect as well as narrative in this music video.
There is definitely relationship between the music and the visuals because Chris Brown is always seen dancing to the lyrics when not in narrative mode which could suggest that the music is diegetic. As well as that when the bass comes in you see aspects where the camera shakes in time with the bass.
There is definitely alot of Voyeurism; a perfect example is when a girl walks past and all the male people stare at her behind. This is emphasised through the music stopping and the only sound to be heard is foley music of her shoes as well as the camera positioned in a way that draws the audience.
The music video uses interxuailty by focusing on character types(Jocks and Geeks) and then comically mocking that system by making the Geek win the hot girl. It also taking iconic parts from American High Schools film/ tv films such as playing football or bulling the mascot.
The music video is down the hip hop/ r&b route which uses the stereotypical cool cars and clothing, snapbacks and girls. This is more shown in the performance than in the narrative.
The relationship between the lyrics and the visuals is definitely clear through the narrative especially at the start when Tpain (who is featured on the track) starts at talking at a radio station.
In my music video i hope to use Goodwins theory. I want to try to contradict the lyrics like in Chris Brown's music video which add a comical side and also relate to point 3 on Andrew Goodwin's conventions using a location where most songs of that genres go.
This video opens up by establishing the location (one based); busy NY streets, the shot was speeded up to cleverly emphasise on the idea of life and movement of this particular location. In this video we meet the protagonist of the narrative. His unusual appearance may at first shock the viewer- a person with a dog's head and paws, creating quiet a surrealistic feeling as we would not expect to see that after gathering the normality of the location. The purpose of including this may also be linked to hidden identity theme, reflecting on the artists in this music video who are known to wear masks to conceal their identity.
As mentioned before, this music video is narrative based. This is shown through camera movement such as track; following the protagonist around the city. We also see some interesting shots such as the point-of-view shot, view through the protagonist's eyes; this is to allow audience to relate to the character.
The Chemical Brothers- Electrobank
Similarly to the first music video, the audience follows a narrative of a protagonist and them trying to overcome their struggle- school competition. Again, this music video is one location base; as it is established at the beginning the action takes place in high school sports hall.
Slow motion is used several times, particularly when a complicated move is performed; this is done so to create tension and suspense.
The picture of the monkey on the CD connotes the album title and how the band could be up to no good and are free and going wild with this album. The dark colours also suggest that this isn't a happy ablum but a mysterious one as the dark colours connotes the mystery.
Representation of genre
The dark colours also helps identify that this is a R&B type album as you would expect more brighter colours for a pop genre.
Branding
There is no obvious branding present in the digi pack apart from the fact that the band is selling themselves as they are part of the front cover.
A selection of song titles (usually the chart singles)
Name of album
Artist name
Star rating/reviews
Where to buy music/see artist
Chart successes
Price
Short interview with band
The representation of the artist/band:
The representation of Jessie J in this particular magazine advert shows her as quiet edgy, this is perhaps because it is her debut album and she wishes to make a statement and stand out amongst many other similar artists such as herself in the industry. The magazine advert itself however is quiet basic and typical, it displays all the typical information such as artist and album title, but other than that it doesn't really surprise or shock the viewer.
The representation of genre:
The black and gold colour scheme used in this magazine advert portray Jessie J as a typical Pop/RnB artist and gives it a harsh look. You can tell this by the neat layout and structure of the advert.
Branding:
Jessie J's signature hairstyle is shown in this advert. This is how her fans recognise her.
On the 13/9/13, we did some digi pack practice. I found that using photoshop was hard as i was not use to that particular software. (screen shot of photoshop)
We took the pictures off the internet of the band lawson and found a picture of them standing in a background.
Then we put the saturation down in order to make it black and white. I found that turning the picture in black and white made the front cover more effective. We then copy the background by selecting the top part of the photo to cover the other backgrounds in the digi pack templates.
The back cover was easier to make as I got use to how photoshop works. We got another photo of lawson
With this picture we cut out the background with the magic wand tool and lasso tool. There was a function for a background rubber tool which we used to clear the background.
From previous digi packs I have noticed that on the cd part of the digi pack, they tend to have the title of the band or record on there, so we put the name of the band on.
I found the photoshop software very hard at first because it is a new experience for me so working my way around that made the task difficult. Hopefully now though when i come to do the project digi pack, i will be able to do it smoothly now i have had some experience.
The lyrics are "I am in misery" and in the video these lyrics have been illustrated and amplified by the lead singer being abused mentally and physically by his girlfriend/ex. This screenshot shows him being stabbed in the hand by his partner/ex, but because he is abused so much that he doesn't feel the pain anymore.
There is referance to voyeurism throughout the whole of this video. The main music artist is constantly touching the female and kissing her. The have also dressed the female in tight, cropped clothing to reveal her body and shape. They have extreme close-ups of her body parts for example in the picture below they show her stomach.
"Smooth Criminal" - Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson is an example of someone who has created their own star iconography. Something that has become part of his star image is his dancing and his unique dance moves. In "Smooth Criminal" he presented a move that seemed to define gravity. A few other things that are associated with Jackson are his shoes, his hats and the random words he says.
("Billie Jean")
"Burn It To The Ground" - Nickelback
In the rock genre many music videos are of the band performing live on stage. In this music video it shows the band playing live on stage and there are cutaway scenes to the audience or to a birds eye of view of the concert. At times it shows the lead singer singing along to the music.
Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines displays many typical music video conventions such as the sexualisation of women. This is portrayed through costume choice as the women appear barely dressed in intent to portray them as sexual objects. In addition, the camera scans and shows extreme close-ups over the female body parts in order for the viewers to see them as merely sex objects. In comparison the artists in the video are displayed in a conventional sharp, dressed suits masculine look which could be said fits in with R&B genre as it shows men dominating over the women.
Other music video convention that can be easily spotted in this music video is the inter textual references. That is the hash tag reading 'Thicke' appears occasionally across the screen, this is perhaps done to remind the viewer of main vocalist- Robin Thicke in the music video. It also promotes other brands such as an alcoholic drink 'Remi Martin' is seen being poured from a bottle with the brand name clearly visible, the company must have agreed to sponsor the video in exchange for recognition for their brand.
1. The relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics)
At 0:17, the lyrics amplify the visuals as it shows Example in a dark room as the lyrics say "I don't know where we are". As the lyrics carry on with "But can you bring me back to here again" as he turns around.
2. The relationship between music and the visuals (visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music)
When the beat drops, the editing is slower than the beat. However, the camerawork in this video is shaky at points which fits in better with the music.
3. Particular music genres may have their own music video style and iconography (such as live stage performances in heavy rock)
This song falls under the dance/electro genre. You can see this through the use of bright strobe lighting and the club style dancing/raving.
4. The artist may develop their own star iconography in and out of their videos, which overtime becomes part of their own star image.
Example wears a plain black t-shirt in this video and many of his previous videos. He also is known to wear them whilst performing. His 'e' logo is also shown in lights in the background.
5. Likely to be reference to voyeurism (the act of sexual looking). This may explain the treatment of women within the media.
None shown in this video.
6. Intertexual reference, either to other music videos or films and TV texts
How is a star persona constructed? - Justin Bieber
Movies - his documentary movie Never Say Never showed not only his fans but also others what he was capable of and what goes into his daily routine and what makes him the global star he is.
TV - his many TV appearances across a wide range of genres from interviews to cameos in hit TV shows project his star status through a different form of media to the internet.
Merchandise - his merchandise sells by the bucket load all across the globe promoting him in a different form whilst creating profit and a keepsake for the fans.
Twitter fanbase - his large following on Twitter helps him promote his latest releases at the click of a button and helps him connect with his fans in a more intimate and personal way.
YouTube - the platform of his success! By uploading videos from his years in the industry, it allows the fans to look back at him in the beginning to now and watch his improvements go from strength to strength.
Personality and appeal - having a good personality and charm is very important in the modern music industry. If you can't appeal to an audience, you won't make it big. Justin's appeal to his fans is the only thing that matters to him and as long as his adoring fans are happy, that's all that matters.
Touring - touring regularly is a good way for him to promote his music and also give the fans the ultimate concert experience.
Albums - the consistency of his albums keeps people interested. It leaves people to wonder what he has up his sleeve next and by varying the way you promote your music is both creative and appealing.
Charity work - helping out those less fortunate than himself is something close to Justin's heart as he knows what it is like to not be able to afford the necessities as he came from quite a poor background.
·To
make it easier for the listener to understand the song through the narration
·To
help identify the artist and to gain an identity about them
·To
promote the music and artist either viral marketing
·To
entertain the audience
There
are different types of music videos
Narrative Based
Videos
Narrative based videos contain mostly footage that tells the
story through moving imagery as it plays along to the lyrics. This is supported through the actors and
mise-en-scene like the props and location.
Typical narrative for music videos usually has a subjective
character (wide range of character stories) or an objective character (one
character’s story is shown.) The artist or an actor usually plays the fictional
protagonist.
Performance based videos are generally of the artist/artists
performing their track, commonly over different backgrounds. This can produce low
budgets.
Bruno Mars- Locked Out of Heaven
Concept based videos
Concept based music videos are generally ideas that have
been developed and have no connection to the song. They need to rely on the
mise-en-scene and camera angles in order to create the video. Although some
concept based videos have some aspect of performance where it would cut away
back and fourth from the artist to the concept ideas. Overall if there is no
performance at all then they don’t have any relation to the music and make no
sense.
In 'Otis', by Jay-Z & Kanye West, Spike Jonze has directed the camera by tracking the artists when they are singing or doing something important e.g. driving the car. The video starts of quite slow and the camera is being moved in towards a car. The artists are then directed to walk into shot while the camera is still moving in on the car.
Throughout the whole video I think Jonze directed Jay-Z and Kanye West to act naturally and look like they are having fun. He also directed it to make the artists not centre of the screen, but to explore the different areas of the screen.
To create quite a fun atmosphere to the video Jonze has used low angle shots of the car while its moving and these shots are shown when the music speeds up during the chorus. These shots show the car wheels turning and the car driving away.
He also films low angle shots from behind one of the back wheels and shows sparks flying out towards the camera.
There are low angle shots of the artists singing and Jonze makes this angle his signiture angle throughout the whole music video.
Jonze also allows one of the artists to direct the camera however they want, again recreating that fun and free feeling for the music video.
In "Get Back" by Ludacris, Jonze has used low angle shots of the artist singing. In some of the shots the camera is stationary and in some shots the camera is tracking the artist at a low angle.
(stationary)
(tracking)
Jonze has directed the camera so it is laying on its side and has rotated the whole scene. This creates a change in types of shots and gives more of variety for the audience to view. Because the camera is laying on its side it makes the artist seems more powerful and bigger than the rest of the people in the video.
The artist has been allowed to direct the camera however they want and hold the camera themselves, producing alot of handheld close up shots of the artists face.
To conclude with I have found out that Spkie Jonze likes to give an opportunity to the artists to direct the camera however they want, and he wants the artists look like they are the most important things in the video, because the camera is focused on them for most of the video. Low angle shots are constantly used throughout most of the videos he has directed, this makes the artists look bigger than they actually are and make them look powerful, because they look so tall, because of the angle of the camera. He likes to direct the camera, so it is tracking the artists, this allows the audience to follow the artist and gives more movement to the music video.
