I found this video by The Fray and I really liked how they have used tracking throughout to follow the artist. I think it gives a good emphasis on the setting and the main artist. I would like to incorporate this technique into my video because I think it would give it a veryprofessional look, I realise this will be hard because I do not have all the correct equipment but I would really like to somehow use it.
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded I know that I messed up a few times or watcha wanna call it I know if I fell down, you'd change the way that I saw it I put it on the line for this time only (Is that what you really want?)
I can't see that I got red hands, I'm colourblind singing (day-oh) Don't put the blame on me, child, the damn thing gone wild (day-oh) Never wanted to be fooling you, can't believe I was ruining you-oo (Is that what you really want?)
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand The fire burns, I'm not the one with the match, man That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
I've seen it all before, you back out, and everything's changing I needed something more, you stepped down, so what are you chasing? I'd put it on rewind for this time only (Is that what you really want?)
I realise that I got red hands, I wanna change this (day-oh) Don't ask me why I choose to lie, I stay blind, oh (day-oh) It's clear to me that you are fuming too, your accusations are burning through-oo (Is that what you really want?)
Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand The fire burns, I'm not the one with the match, man That gun is loaded, but it's not in my hand Oh yeah, oh yeah-ah, that gun is loaded
The highlighted sections of the song lyrics are the pivotal points that I want to bring out in my music video:
-The line "that gun is loaded" is the main basis of the story line for my song so will feature heavily in the beginning of the video and then subtly throughout to remind audiences of it. I will do this by showing quick shots of the gun in the characters hand. -The line "But it's [the gun] not in my hand" Will also be the main focus of the video as it re-enforces the idea of the band acting as the character's conscience. The line "what are you chasing" also ties in with the idea of the band reaching out to the character in the form of her conscience. -The line "I realise that I got red hand" will be the main visual focus of the video- I want to try to bring in a subtle hint of red in every shot (e.g. red nail varnish on band member, character wearing red shoes)
Idea: (Narrative/Performance)For this song I would take the lyrics in a literal sense- 'that gun is loaded but it's not in my hands' would symbolise the artist/ band accusing someone of holding a gun to somebody else (maybe in an abusive relationship). The band would almost take the role of the girl's concious as she trys to run away from what she has done but the band would always be there waiting for her. The colour red would be a subtle feature in this music video.
The video would largely consist of the girl running, however I will make it interesting by adding performance elements to it, use slow motion in places, use interesting scene changes and use the props and setting to make the video visually interesting.
I chose to do this song for my music video as I believe it has the potential for the best visuals. I did think the song 'Love in the 21st century' also had this potential however I decided that the song would have to get to the chorus before the concept of switching between the two time eras would make sense, and this would not work for my overall effect that I wanted to achieve.
Idea: (Narrative/Performance Based) Showing the love life of two couples, one would be in the 50s the other in modern times. They would be compared to each other.
e.g. The 50s couples laughing and having fun, the modern couple sat on they're phones not talking. The man of the couple will be the same in each- we will see his reaction of the two realities as he sees what he is missing out on by being in 'love in the 21st century'
Paramore- Ain't it fun
Idea: (Narrative/Performance) At first show all the fun things you can do alone, how you don't need anyone else to have fun, however I believe that at points this song is quite ironic/sarcastic, showing that sometimes it's not always great to be alone so I would also show this.
Possible Songs for Music Videos
Walk off the Earth- Red Hands
Idea: (Narrative/Performance)For this song I would take the lyrics in a literal sense- 'that gun is loaded but it's not in my hands' would symbolise the artist/ band accusing someone of holding a gun to somebody else (maybe in an abusive relationship). The band would almost take the role of the girl's concious as she trys to run away from what she has done but the band would always be there waiting for her. The colour red would be a feature in this music video.
Christina Perri- Burning Gold
Idea: (Narrative) This music video would involve two girls walking out on their homes to just do whatever they wanted to, the colour gold would feature a lot in the video, maybe in the form of the girl throwing gold glitter/confetti or a faint gold filter at times.
Possible Songs
Music Videos
Ingrid Michaelson- Be OK
Idea: (Performance) This would show the artist singing around lots of happy smiling people after a break up. She is singing the song to tell herself and others that she wants to happy like them and 'Be OK'
Representation of Gender: Males and Females are represented in very different ways in music videos, they conform to typical gender stereotypes which portray men and women in these ways: Males .Higher status .Dominating surrounded by submissive girls .Rich .Gang-oriented .Drugs .Violent .Follow genre trends, no quirky, individual styles
Main character types: .Macho/ Player .Gangster .Poet
Examples of these:
Macho/ Player...
Jason Derulo- Trumpets
This video shows the complete sexualisation of women, with inappropriate amounts of voyeurism the artist just sits there looking at the women. This plays up to the macho/ player stereotype who objectify women.
.Gangster...
Eminem- When I'm Gone
This shows the typical 'gangster'/ rapper image through his baggy clothes, chain necklaces and his body movements. Although the song is talking about someone's daughter the artist is still portrayed in rehab showcasing the typical gangster image
Poet... Ed Sheeran- Thinking Out Loud
This video, and many other Ed Sheeran videos, showcases the typical 'poet'. He is ballroom dancing with his love which portrays a 'soft' and loving nature that appeals to his target audience. However even though this passive, soft video it still portrays men as
dominant- men lead in dances.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Females .Dance/ Performance (Stereotypically women things to do) .More experimental/ More individual .Sex Appeal-focus on sexuality (None of these characteristics are shown in males which suggests that women have to 'do more' to be noticed) .Usually focussed on relationships/ men
Main character types: .Sex objects .Heart broken/ emotional .Vulnerable
Examples of these:
Sex Objects... Pitball ft. G.R.L- Wild Wild Love
Even the setting of this video ('Playboy Mansion') shows that women are just going to be objectified in it. Throughout the video we see women bending over the main artist, twirling their hair, close-ups of feminine areas and costumes that accentuate these areas. By doing this shows the sexual objection of women, dominance of men and portrays the women as stupid, image obsessed women that are only there to 'please' men.
Heart broken/ emotional... Rihanna-Stay
This video shows the artist crying in a bath for the duration of the video whilst the featuring artist (male) sits on the side. The contrast between the two shows how women are stereotypically more emotional and sad when there is a break up.
Vulnerable:
Attempts at counter-typing these representations:
Mainly in female videos there is a attempt to break away from the stereotypes that they face and they produce songs about female power however most of the time the music videos that go with these 'powerful' songs are still twisted into the main character types again...
Examples...
Lily Allen- Hard Out Here
This video is a perfect example of what I was saying above. The song's lyrics are all about the pressures that women face and how men have it easy in comparison. However the artist then gets up with a group of women who then proceed to dance and shake their 'feminine areas' which completely falls back into the sexual object character type again.
G.R.L- Ugly Heart
In this song the band is saying that they don't need this man anymore because of his 'ugly heart' which implies that they are strong willed and independent, however the basis for the video (or at least that is what it looks like) is that they are being arrested for being prostitutes which again is portraying women as sexual objects that rely on men.
Camera shots .Lots of medium/extreme close-ups of the main singer or/and main protagonist of the video which allows the audience to connect with them and the story the are telling.
.There are also lots of mid-shots to allow the audience to take in the artists image (costume)
Camera Movement.Music videos use lots of zoom in and outs to focus on a subject. .Pans are also use frequently to show the mise- en-scene of the video which sets the scene for the video. .Quick, jerky movements are also used to change the scene or quickly focus on a subject. .Music videos use both shaky and steady cam. to give a different effects/ tone of the music
EditingPace-The pace of the editing differs in music videos usually depending on the type of song, if it is a slower song the shots are longer, however if it is a faster song the editing is usually much faster meaning the shots do not last as long. Transitions-Most music videos use 'invisible' editing, meaning each shot immediately transitions to the next. However some do use fades or white flashes to transitions the scenes. Some also use fast camera movements to transition to the next scene to give the effect that the camera is spinning. Parallel action- Parallel action is used in lots of narrative based music videos as they usually swap between the character and the band. Post Production Digital Effects .Subtitles are often used in videos to different effect. Sometimes this adds an extra layer of meaning to the video, which sometimes adds humour to the video.
.CGI is also used in some music videos to add a big budget look. .Filters are also used post production to give the video a different feel e.g. old, bright/pure
.Post-Production effect are also often
used to show the name of the song
or/and the band name. This clearly
tells the audience who/what they are
listening to.
Lighting .Lots of different lighting techniques are used throughout music videos, usually depending on the genre of the music. .Lighting is used very effectively to create a mood/tone to the piece e.g. Shadows create a sinister effect, half light and shadow creates a secretive mood- something that needs to be discovered. .Soft lighting is also used in some music videos to portray going back in time/ earlier times.
Mise-en-scene Costume (hair and make-up)-This is very important to each artists image therefore is thought through a lot to bring out the right response from the audience. Although these images should be unique and original there are similarities of artists images genres (I will talk more about this in my next post). Setting- This, again, differs between each genre. The videos could be set anywhere depending on the what the artist wants their image to be, outside, in urban setting, underwater, night time, day time. Props- One of the most common props used within music videos is the instruments as they show off the artists talents and sometimes style if they have unique instruments to them which may even have a back story which fans can find out.
