Past Music Videos

(from 2011-12) 

The first music video is 13B-(Rewind.) 

This music video displays some good qualities, such as the concept behind the narrative, however, I feel that the idea was not very original and fell a little flat in places. I also think there were areas where they could have made it a lot better, the two girls at the end showed a spark of creativity that was not developed, they could have made the video more interesting if they had included the ideas of other people in the song consistently, rather than randomly which made the video confusing. I think that the person they used for the song fit though and the different locations worked and there were a lot of them, which kept it somewhat interesting.  The lighting was also good in all the shots; however, I felt that the students could have used colourisation on some of the shots, to give it a more moody feel. The music video also showed no interesting editing technique. What really let it down for me was the fact that not all the lyrics were synced to the music, and that occasionally the singer would look at the camera awkwardly, when he wasn’t meant to, this meant the performance looked a bit amateur.

13B3.

This music video, has occasional lapses where you can see a good idea, but the video is discordant in this. While the group used many different shots and locations, the music video wasn’t terribly exciting, again they went for a boy loses the girl style music video, which felt too overused. The camera work in places showed potential however the camera looked shaky in some shots. I like the ideas behind the music video, for example the rain part, but I think it could have been much better. 

13B4- ( Lost again)

This shows moments of creativity and originality however, the music video fell a little flat.  I liked some of the aspects of the video, the fact they filmed in Brighton, but again the narrative was far too boring. Individual elements worked and the camera was good, for example I liked the shot where we see the birds and the shot from the bath tub. However, the other elements like editing and lighting don’t work as well, the lighting wasn’t especially good, they had the sun behind her in the beginning shots, which means we can’t see her face well. They could have colourized the video in editing to make the colours more interesting: however what they have now fits the mood of the song. The girl they picked works well with the song though, however, her performance is lacking.

13B6- (Ike and Tina) 

This is by far the best that I have watched so far. They cover lighting, camerawork, performance, editing and mis en scene well, something that a few of the others were not so consistent on. However, and most importantly there video was enjoyable to watch, the narrative had enigma with use of different settings keeping you interested. Use of the children as police was also something that made me smile, and really demonstrated a good music video; it contrasted nicely with the adult themes and kept the video light. The performance was also particularly good, it didn’t feel at all staged and the actors matched the song. The only fault in my opinion shots of the protagonist from a low angle these to me felt slightly awkward.  

13E7 (12 Rounds)  

This video showed a good performance from the actor, who fits the role and had presence however, the others in the video didn’t add anything. There was also no narrative, and the video didn’t really add any new meaning to the song, there was only three different locations and I found myself wanting to turn it off after a minute. The lip syncing, camera and lighting was good, but the video generally had no spark. 

13E9 (Today I cried)

I liked the locations in this video and feel they matched the song, as did the actors. However, again the editing and lack of storyline made the video pretty dull to watch. The lighting wasn’t also particularly good, most likely due to shooting outside on a cloudy day but it gave the footage a grey feel. The editing wasn’t particularly good, I feel when there is no narrative effects are a must.  I liked some of the shots, in particularly the static shot where both actors are in shot.

(from 2012-13)

 13A1 (Sparks Fly),

This video again wasn’t the strongest it could have been, while I liked setting of the snow turning into spring, I didn’t feel that the actual setting was that different, and that the fact they had snow was pure luck as they couldn’t have planned that, I presumed the video must have been last minute.  Nothing is really added to the song, the narrative is predictable and cliché, and doesn’t really fit the song in my opinion. The lighting in some of the shots isn’t great, and the performance becomes a bit boring after a while. Some of the shots aren’t syncing perfectly with the lyrics and the effects such as the page turns look a little amateur. However, the colourization on some of the flashbacks is effective.

13A2- (Life Happens)

This video was one of the better ones. The music really suits the singer and you believe that it is really her singing. Her performance is very convincing. They use lots of locations which was really good because it fits the conventions of real music videos and shows they were organized in planning. The mise on scene fit the song as well. The camera work is good , and keeps you interested as the use a variety of shots. There is slight over exposure when they are filming outside in the park, they could have avoided that. However, on the whole the piece is well constructed.

(Nine2Five), 13E4

This another good one. The locations in this piece are well chosen, and the idea behind the video is really cleaver. I like the actors used and felt they match well. The video really adds something to the song. The piece can’t really be faulted. I like the locations, and the costumes fit well. The camera is good. The opening is perhaps a little cheesy but fits the piece. There are areas when the lyrics aren’t perfectly synced, which is a little frustrating.

Music Video Presentation

Music Video Directors:

Chris Marrs Piliero is an American actor, writer, producer, and director of short films and music videos. He is well known for his wacky, unpredictable and humorous style.

What makes a good music video?

Calvin Harris- Sweet Nothing

This is another music video that I really like, its by Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welsh, while both are featured in the video Florence and another man are the central focus. I like this video because of the narrative involved and how you can feel the emotions through the acting. I keep watching it because of the narrative, and because I want to find out about the realtionships between the character. At the beginning of the music video there are several enigmas created, the first being who is the girl and how is she related to the guy, and why does that guy get beaten up? The music video has used lots of different techniques, the first one is the editing, they have used the Kuleshov effect to show that Florence and the other man are linked by displaying clips after one another, and also there actions almost mirror one another at the beginning for example at "1.55" she spins round as he gets beaten up. I really like this matching of movement and thing it works well in the music video, this is something I would like to do in my music video. All the actors performances are
also very good and you feel involved in the plot. The camera angle has also been used to create effect, there are high angle shots on Florence showing that she is weak in comparison to the man. Closeups are also used on her to show her emotion and her relationship with the audience while she is performing. These shots are the first time that we she her face, this suggests that she is only comfortable expressing her feelings on the stage. Another technique used is the colorization and lighting, the girl is in a dim red and gold room, the red connotes love and the gold suggests wealth however, the room looks less the lavish and looks cheap, the dim lighting also suggests its not a happy place. The scenes with the man also are dark and blue suggesting sadness, and setting the tone of the video. In this particular music video she doesn't always sing the lyrics, this allows you to watch her emotions, I think that this works well and it also means that when she does sing you can highlight certain lyrics that are important. One of the things I also liked was the narrative bit and the beggining of the music video, although I would avoid lots of dialogue in this bit, as I couldn't hear what they were saying.

Beyonce- Countdown

The video I am analyzing is by Beyonce, perfoming Countdown, the genre of the music is R & B  I like this music video becasue it is very vibrant and fun. The interesting use of multi screens are something that we could do, each one has a different color eyeshadow, backdrop and costume. This change keeps the music video fun. The music video cuts to the beat and also some of the lyrics are amplified with dance movements or hand gestures, for example for the numbers Beyonce uses her fingers to demonstrate them for example at "0.35" with "Still the one I do this for"  these have been highlighted because the name of the song is "Countdown" and these gestures tie into the theme. The performance by Beyonce makes the music video good and keeps it upbeat as her performance is lively.  There are several close ups of Beyonce as-well as a mix of other shots such as long shots, medium shots, and medium close ups. The close ups help show that the music video is about her and helps to sell her. The image of Beyonce is different to what it would normally be, she is still made to look attractive, and is shown to be a sex symbol for example in one of the scenes she is wearing a large shirt and underwear, and displays her bra strap, and towards the end of the video she is wearing a sparkly dress and looking glamorous, but her overall image in this music video is more maternal which is illustrated through the shot of her belly at "0.36" and by showing her in more covered up clothing. There are several references to different eras such as the 60s and 80s in the music video, but there is also the new image of Beyonce as a mother and wife. This difference could be used to suggest old and new. The music video is also largely performance based.

Bloc Party- Ratchet

The music video I am analyzing is Rachet by Bloc Party, the genre of the music is Indie Rock. The music video has been directed by Cyriak.
I really like this music video because of how different it is, and I keep watching it because of some of the interesting techniques they have used in editing, I really like the faces being altered with the multiscreen like effect. The effect has also been matched with the beat, which works really well in the music video because it matches perfectly to the audio. The instrumental bits have also been illustrated in the video for example at 2.07, again this shows the realtionship between the music and the visuals. The content in the video is of the band playing the song, what makes it intresting is the different locations and editing. I think for this kind of song no narrative is needed and I think that what they have done works well. One of the most important things I noticed in my music video research is the lip syncing, even when as in this video there is moving screens. Another thing is making sure that the visuals match to the audio, this is the central part of any music video. This music video is a mix of concept based and performance based.

Everything Everything- Cough Cough

This videos is one of my favorites, I think one of  best things about it is the faced paced editing that matches with the beat of the song as it links the two together perfectly. I also like the theme of oil in the video, the oils journey to the band members is a central part of the video and I think it is very cleverly done. I also think you keep watching to see where the oil is going, the faced paced editing helps in also keeping you interested. The techniques they have used are things that we could use in our own music video, the slowing down of the footage when they are at the drums displays the performance well as does the camera with its different angles as this displays all the band members, I also really like the black and white into color effect at each chorus, and I think that it is very effective in showing some of the emotion of the song as it is so vivid and bold and comes from nowhere. Another technique we could use is the mirror camera effect where they have taken a section of the face and mirrored it, I think this would be realistic in what we could do and works really well.Another technique they used was the text on the screen, this could for parts of the song that really stand out to emphasize them, or lyrics that are particularly poignant to the song, for example the track name "cough cough". From this video I've also learn that it can be important to have lots of different settings or shots, for example there is one of the band together, then several of the oil (its origin and journey), one of the lead singer with stripes on his face etc. This keeps a music video visually interesting.  

Lana del Rey- Summertime Sadness

I really like this music video as it tells a story, and is reminiscent of an old film with the techniques they use such as the flashing of the different frames, and the possible scratches on them.
The music video is done as if it was hand filmed, this makes it very personal and creates a summer holiday feeling. While I like the narrative element to the story it is also vague, it doesn't entirely make sense meaning that its open to interpretation to the viewer, I think a narrative can be very important in a music video, but I think it should only be a lose one, so the audience can create their own meanings. As well as the old film effect there is also colorization on some of the frames to create the appearance of a lens flare, the color adds further effect and adds a summer feeling through the color. As well as the story, there is bits inter-cut where Lana is singing the song, this is important as it is a key element of a music video. The performance of both Lana and the other actress is good and convincing. The camera shots are a mixture of long distance and close ups, the closeups are the majority and are very important as they show the characters emotions. The music video fits well to the song as it has a similar vibe, I have learnt that is key in all music videos. One of the aspects of this music video  that inspires me is the cuts to Lana in smoke, I like the way it moves, so it can cover her as well as show her. The only thing I would try and avoid is the grainy effect on the video, I am not sure what caused this, but it can make the video hard to see at certain times.

Marina and the Diamonds: Mowgli's Road

I really like how different this music video is compared to some the other ones on the internet. It is effective as you keep watching it and  I think that is largely due to the interesting techniques they have used, the use of green screen and editing has allowed them to create concertina limbs for Marina which is interesting and makes you wonder how they did it. Her performance is also good, and the camera captures her movement well, the range of shots from longshots, medium shots,medium close ups and closeups keeps the performance exciting and allows you to focus on her facial expression, singing and dancing. The video focuses on her alone as well as her with dancers, the dance routine adds an extra element to the video and also keeps you interested. Ive learnt from this music video that its important to have a "U.S.P" element to the music video, something different that keeps you interested, and make sure you editing is well done. I think you should avoid sticking to too many rules, as this creates a much more entertaining and well done video.