As The 1975 are the band whose song we have chosen to create our own music video I thought it would be important to analysis one of their previous music videos to see what themes, camera angles and ideas they use, which we could take for our own.
The song "Chocolate" was originally recorded by the band for their second extended play, Music for Cars, where it appears as the second track, and later appeared as the third track on their debut studio album, The 1975. The single peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, and the Music Video which has 2 million + views on YouTube was released on the 20th February 2013. In an interview, Matty the lead singer of the band says this song is about "me and my mates knocking around in my hometown. It is a kind of love letter to the kind of relationships we had with authority figures, be it our parents or the police. its kind of a story about small town boredom."
The first thing we need to consider when analyzing music videos is that everything that is going on in the video has been planned and is there for a reason, and by analyzing we can interpenetrate our own opinion on what the director has intended.
The very first shot in the music video is of the bands lead singer in the underground piped room. The camera is panning in on the main character as he is lighting a cigarette surrounded by smoke, it is notable that the camera is panning in slow motion which could be representing the slow death in which smoking could cause.
The music video is in black and white, and there are many reasons why this could be. After watching the entire video I believe that the director has shot the video in black and white to create an atmosphere and a era of mystery. The colour black also represents death, which could be referring to the lyrics in which they are saying they are never going to quit it - that if they don't quit it it will ultimately lead to death.
I believe the thing that is ultimately going to kill them if they don't stop it will be smoking, and I am led to believe this due to the continuous onscreen smoking - matching the lyrics.
The frequent cuts on the interment couple underground could be trying to portray that it is a dream, a thought or memory, and the reality is that the girl is now dead and all the male has left is his thought's. I got this impression by the location in which the video is shot, in an underground room with brick and pipes - it isn't the stereotypical place for a couple to be getting interment. There is also smoke surrounded the couple, again it could be possibly portraying the smoking or it could potentially be representing clouds if the girl is in heaven.
The video itself is take up with the 4 band members driving in a car. These shots could be a crucial in helping the viewer interpenetrate what the meaning behind the music video is - that the car is always moving and so is life, that regardless what happens, such as someone dying that life won't stop for anyone.
Something which I have also noticed about the chocolate video is that the cuts are irregular and are never in time with the beat. The director could have chosen this to compliment the black and white and the era of mystery in which that simple effect creates.
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Monday, 1 September 2014
Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love ( Music Video Analysis)
Sir has emphasised the importance of researching and watching Music Video's, so after watching several I decided to analyse Ed Sheeran's Music Video for Give Me Love.
It was released as the sixth and final single from his debut studio album + on 21 November 2012. The song was written by Sheeran, Jake Gosling and Chris Leonard. The single peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. The Video was released on 9th November 2012.
It was released as the sixth and final single from his debut studio album + on 21 November 2012. The song was written by Sheeran, Jake Gosling and Chris Leonard. The single peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. The Video was released on 9th November 2012.
The lyrics of the song Give Me Love show that someone wanting love, either from someone in the present or someone in the past. The music video show brings this message across to us, the viewers.
The main character in the Music Video is a young woman and the first thing we see is a crime scene, there is blood visible and an attractive police officer is on screen.
The music starts, and you can see the main female character watching couples who appear to be happy, in contrast to her, as she is alone and sad.
As the music begins to speed up so does the video and the woman grows wings. The process in which the female grows the wings looks painful, and traumatic. This could be symbolising that she is willing to die or go through pain for someone’s love, and therefore go through this transformation into what could be an angel.
In a shot of her at the café, where again she is alone, you can also see Ed Sheeran, the singer, sitting alone at a table. This is one of the only times you see the singer in the music video. Ed sits down, and allows the actress to be the spotlight of this video. The woman then constructs an arrow, and is revealed to be a version of cupid. Giving love to anyone and everyone by shooting them with an arrow, although she herself cannot obtain it.
This music video shows all sexual orientations, not just straight couple which we have come to expect in representations of the media. Usually in a music video about portraying love, it is shown to be between a man and a woman. But in the music video for “Give Me Love” both straight couples and gay couples are all represented. The music video also shows a combination of races, also breaking the stereotypes and not only showing white people. There are both black and white people being shot by cupid’s arrow. The music video shows that you can’t help who you fall in love with and that gender, skin colour, age, background or even religion should not affect love.
The end of the music video shows the attractive male police officer from the opening shot walking towards a door, then the room where the first scene takes place. Now the woman, who was portrayed as cupid in the music video, has killed herself, the final shot focuses on the woman’s eyes, with the rest of the shot blurred and out of focus. This could be showing that now she is in heaven, seeing things in a different perspective.
Summer Diary Entry
Over the Summer we have still been hard at work focusing on our A2 Media Task.
To be able to make our work the best it can be we felt it would be important that over the summer we researched to see if there was any suitable theories which would benefit our final product. We found that Carol Vernallis had a 4 point theory. The 4 points included, Narrative, Editing, Camera Movement and Framing Diegesis. After finding this theory we could begin to think about the different aspects we defiantly wanted to include in our own music video and one thing we all agreed on is the importance of the establishing shot - even though we didn't have a song choice at that point it was a point which carol had highlighted which all 3 of us agreed with. It is important to find theories as they show you what is expected as standard in a music video and we want ours to be as effective and realistic as possible.
To be able to make our work the best it can be we felt it would be important that over the summer we researched to see if there was any suitable theories which would benefit our final product. We found that Carol Vernallis had a 4 point theory. The 4 points included, Narrative, Editing, Camera Movement and Framing Diegesis. After finding this theory we could begin to think about the different aspects we defiantly wanted to include in our own music video and one thing we all agreed on is the importance of the establishing shot - even though we didn't have a song choice at that point it was a point which carol had highlighted which all 3 of us agreed with. It is important to find theories as they show you what is expected as standard in a music video and we want ours to be as effective and realistic as possible.
We also chose our genre and song choice over summer, we done this using texts and social media. Choosing the genre was an easy choice, as indie rock is something which we all enjoy and thought we could put the most effort into it and therefore get the most out of it. A song choice was the harder part, as we had so much variation in our favorite indie rock songs. In the end Jack who had more of a wider knowledge of the genre tweeted us, me and Rian, a list of songs which he himself liked and he thought we would like. We then exchanged a couple of texts and decided on Heart Out by The 1975. The song does not currently have a music video and we feel there is loads of opportunity to be creative.
After knowing the genre it was easier to find relevant research. I first wanted to broaden my knowledge on the genre itself creating a small moodboard, it contained a few pictures and some information on what's expected in the genre. I then continued to research looking up what are the frequent themes in indie music video's, I concluded on 'Black & White' 'Performance' and 'Costume and Lighting'. I even made a video on my findings.
After knowing the genre it was easier to find relevant research. I first wanted to broaden my knowledge on the genre itself creating a small moodboard, it contained a few pictures and some information on what's expected in the genre. I then continued to research looking up what are the frequent themes in indie music video's, I concluded on 'Black & White' 'Performance' and 'Costume and Lighting'. I even made a video on my findings.
Sunday, 24 August 2014
Genre
The other day we choose our Genre - Indie. Focusing on Indie Rock.
Together as a group we found a common theme in the type of indie music we liked, and in particular which artists, such as The 1975 and the Arctic Monkey's. We felt we would be able to make the best product possible by choosing a genre of music which we enjoyed listening to, and would enjoy creating a music video within the 'rule' or 'stereotypes' of a indie music video. Although I love listening to Indie Rock music I didn't know much about the genre itself so I done some extremely quick research and put together this simple moodboard.
Black and White
18 out of the 20 Indie Rock music videos I watched for my research was shot in black and white, which clearly indicates that it is a popular choice within the genre, and something that our group is going to focus on to make sure that the genre is clearly identifiable by the video. I believe a possible reason that the Indie Genre tend to produce black and white videos is to stick to their DIY attitude, in which the indie (Individual) genre is known for, possibly going for a homemade film look. Another idea why Indie Rock create black and white music videos could be on match their raw meaningful music that the genre is known for, wanting the viewer to focus on the lyrics and the on screen performance rather than any flashy bright colours, the indie rock genre simply doesn't need that.
Instruments (Performance Aspect)
Nearly every Indie Rock music video includes instruments, meaning a performance aspect in the music video is going to be crucial for our group to help the viewer identify the genre. The answer to why they include this is clear, as the indie rock genre has been created as their songs are far more meaningful or personal that any pop song they want the viewer to be engaged in the musical process, letting the viewer not forget that although they are watching a fancy video the song is the most important aspect. This is defiantly something we have discussed when talking about our music video, and we have decided to have possibly every chorus include shots of performance.
Costume and Lighting
This is an extremely notable theme when you watch an amount of Indie Rock Music Video's. The pattern is that the artists or the actor's involved the video hardly wear what you would call 'normal' clothes, but either extremely smart, such as a suit, or as a character set in a time period. This is something that I noted especially with The Killers, they are always flamboyantly dressed in biazarre and unusual locations. The lighting in almost every music video I watched was dull, dark and maybe one bright light used.
Together as a group we found a common theme in the type of indie music we liked, and in particular which artists, such as The 1975 and the Arctic Monkey's. We felt we would be able to make the best product possible by choosing a genre of music which we enjoyed listening to, and would enjoy creating a music video within the 'rule' or 'stereotypes' of a indie music video. Although I love listening to Indie Rock music I didn't know much about the genre itself so I done some extremely quick research and put together this simple moodboard.
After knowing a bit more about the genre and the artists associated with the genre itself, I needed to research what the common themes was in the Music Videos. The focused on 7 Indie Rock bands, The Arctic Monkey's, Arcade Fire, Rone, The Killers, The 1975, Oasis and Coldplay. I then watched a couple of there most popular music videos and found 3 common themes, Black and White, Instruments and Costume and Lighting. I documented my findings in a YouTube video.
Black and White
18 out of the 20 Indie Rock music videos I watched for my research was shot in black and white, which clearly indicates that it is a popular choice within the genre, and something that our group is going to focus on to make sure that the genre is clearly identifiable by the video. I believe a possible reason that the Indie Genre tend to produce black and white videos is to stick to their DIY attitude, in which the indie (Individual) genre is known for, possibly going for a homemade film look. Another idea why Indie Rock create black and white music videos could be on match their raw meaningful music that the genre is known for, wanting the viewer to focus on the lyrics and the on screen performance rather than any flashy bright colours, the indie rock genre simply doesn't need that.
Instruments (Performance Aspect)
Nearly every Indie Rock music video includes instruments, meaning a performance aspect in the music video is going to be crucial for our group to help the viewer identify the genre. The answer to why they include this is clear, as the indie rock genre has been created as their songs are far more meaningful or personal that any pop song they want the viewer to be engaged in the musical process, letting the viewer not forget that although they are watching a fancy video the song is the most important aspect. This is defiantly something we have discussed when talking about our music video, and we have decided to have possibly every chorus include shots of performance.
Costume and Lighting
This is an extremely notable theme when you watch an amount of Indie Rock Music Video's. The pattern is that the artists or the actor's involved the video hardly wear what you would call 'normal' clothes, but either extremely smart, such as a suit, or as a character set in a time period. This is something that I noted especially with The Killers, they are always flamboyantly dressed in biazarre and unusual locations. The lighting in almost every music video I watched was dull, dark and maybe one bright light used.
Wednesday, 20 August 2014
Group Meeting Genre and Song Choice
Yesterday afternoon Jack tweeted me and Rian a list of what he thought would be appropriate songs.
Then this morning me and Rian confirmed over text what we thought would be an ideal song choice.
Therefore we as a group have decided our genre is going to be indie rock, and our song is going to be Heart Out by 1975.
Monday, 14 July 2014
Carol Vernallis
Today in class we learnt about Carol Vernallis and her 4 point theory. The 4 points include, Narrative, Editing, Camera Movement and Framing Diegesis.
Narrative
Carol Vernallis when describing her theory suggests that the video is avisual response to the narrative. Therefore whatever is happening on screen reflects the choice of lyrics that the artist is singing. However Vernallis then goes on to say how the narrative may not always be completed and can be partial with the video appearing disjointed, disconnected and appear in fragments. The video has something driving it forward but this may not necessarily be the narrative, it could be the music itself or other elements in the video. However if the video is left uncompleted it can lead to many questions about the narrative that wont always be answered throughout the video. Finally although the video may have a theme or narrative, it is probably displayed in a montage style, rather than in one clear focus.
Editing
Carol Vernallis states that a clear convention of music editing is that the video may disrupt or break the conventions of continuity editing. The editing may also be brought to the foreground, become visible and not hidden apposed to the invisible style of continuity editing. Meaning the video will have a style of editing running throughout that is distinctive to that video.
Camera Movement
Carol Vernallis states that establishing shots are one of the key camera features of a music video and are used frequently throughout a music video as well as close up shots. The style of framing of the video again is quite distinctive to the video and also the camera may move in time with the lyrics. Extreme shots also known as master shots are also very common.
Framing Diegesis
Diegesis in terms of media the diegesis is the world of the music video. Carol Vernallis explains how the diegesis will be revealed quite slowly. The actions in the video wont always be completed and may be disrupted in someway. There will be many repetitions throughout the video and some frames will appear more important than others due to the way they have been shot/framed.
Narrative
Carol Vernallis when describing her theory suggests that the video is avisual response to the narrative. Therefore whatever is happening on screen reflects the choice of lyrics that the artist is singing. However Vernallis then goes on to say how the narrative may not always be completed and can be partial with the video appearing disjointed, disconnected and appear in fragments. The video has something driving it forward but this may not necessarily be the narrative, it could be the music itself or other elements in the video. However if the video is left uncompleted it can lead to many questions about the narrative that wont always be answered throughout the video. Finally although the video may have a theme or narrative, it is probably displayed in a montage style, rather than in one clear focus.
Editing
Carol Vernallis states that a clear convention of music editing is that the video may disrupt or break the conventions of continuity editing. The editing may also be brought to the foreground, become visible and not hidden apposed to the invisible style of continuity editing. Meaning the video will have a style of editing running throughout that is distinctive to that video.
Camera Movement
Carol Vernallis states that establishing shots are one of the key camera features of a music video and are used frequently throughout a music video as well as close up shots. The style of framing of the video again is quite distinctive to the video and also the camera may move in time with the lyrics. Extreme shots also known as master shots are also very common.
Framing Diegesis
Diegesis in terms of media the diegesis is the world of the music video. Carol Vernallis explains how the diegesis will be revealed quite slowly. The actions in the video wont always be completed and may be disrupted in someway. There will be many repetitions throughout the video and some frames will appear more important than others due to the way they have been shot/framed.
Sunday, 6 July 2014
Diary Entry Week 4
We had to complete our preliminary task analysis, something which I spent alot of time on because I want to be able to look back at it while working on our actual final product and make sure I can work and learn from my mistakes. I typed the whole thing out on blogger, in a block text. Which is something I am not going to do in my actual task - it is important to use all aspects of multimedia.
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