Post 2: Research pt. ONE

POST TWO: RESEARCH INTO EXISTING PROFESSIONALLY MADE MUSIC VIDEOS

Video 1 - Keep it Mello by Marshmello

Creativity: This video is creative as it is takes the name of the band and song and integrates in into the video using props and costume. It is a unique idea to have someone dressed up as a marshmallow and be constantly surrounding them in a normal very day environment so no one else seems to even notice, creating a new reality for the music and the narrative in the video. The video uses the band and their brand in a creative way by doing this, as it makes a character that would not usually be incorporated in such a way introducing the consumers to the song but also adding a sense of character to the band. The video lacks creativity in other areas as it is set predominately at a party and although that fits with the style of music it is also very stereotypical.

Setting/Location: The cross cuts between locations; going from a party to shots of the lead characters walking around different places, from a house to walking round city streets. The scene of a party fits into the style and beat of the music, giving it a location to be played as well as having it used in the video. The use of different locations makes the video more interesting as the setting is changing all the time so it doesn't get repetitive, as well as again fitting in with he fast moving pace of the music.

Costume and props: Costume plays quite an important role in this video, due to the person dressed up as the marshmallow being the whole premise for the narrative. This also is unique and ties in with the band and song; making it all one continued theme. Everyone else in the video is dressed realistically, including the performer, making the marshmallow stand out even more but also depicting how he is meant to fit in this reality as no one reacts to him. Furthermore, the props further this as marshmallows are used every where. The props also created a sense of verisimilitude as the scenes created use normal props, such as the red cups at the party.

Mix of narrative and performance: There is a mixture of narrative and performance, but the performance mixed into the narrative as the singer does so as he moves around the different locations. This makes the audience aware of who the performer is and his presence but not distracting from the  narrative. This also makes the video seem more continuous as it links the narrative and song together. The narrative of this video is quite fun and resembles the youth, as it is about the friendship between marshmallow and the main performer.

Editing: The editing in this video is very fast pace, tying in with the beat of the music. There is a lot of jump cuts which create a static feel to the video and also suggest a faster pace.  There is also use of colours and opacity, which have been edited to fit the pace of the music. They overlay certain parts of the footage to give a flashing effect and the colours are heightened in certain shots which add to the club vibe of the video and music. Some shots are also speeded up when they are going through the city which again adds to this fast pace also looks very aesthetic with all the night time colours of the city becoming blurred. Furthermore, the music is lip synced to the performer to allow this element of the video to seem realistic.

Camera shot angles and composition: There is a large variety of shots within this music video, which capture the movement of the people within it but also change frequently to keep with the fast pace of the music. The most prominent shot seems to be mid -shot, which focuses on the performer, letting the viewer know he has a large importance ands also allowing them to see his performance fully.  There is a lot of focus on the marshmallow props, thus there are close up of this.

What I liked/disliked: I liked the editing of the video, especially the use of colours and the overlaying of footage to create the opacity as I think that really fits in with the song and the vibe they are trying to create. I personally did not like the narrative that much as it seems very mainstream and unoriginal, but I think that the character of the marshmallow promotes their brand well and keeps a sense of continuity thought the whole thing.

Video 2 - Take on Me by A-ha

Creativity: This video is creative due to the mix of animation and real life acting. The way the comic book comes life and interacts with the humans is very creative and especially at the time the video was released this would have been a completely new idea. This concept is portrayed in a creative way as the comic book character and real life person interact so the two worlds mix, which is again is unique concept especially to contain within a music video.

Setting/Location: There are two main settings within this video; the location of the comic book and a café/diner within which the woman is reading the comic. This is cool idea because technically one location is within the other, as the comic book is in the diner. Furthermore they are two completely contrasting locations as they have a real life setting and one which is based around a fictional character, and the two characters switch between worlds which makes the video interesting for the viewer to watch as it is not something that can actually happen, and the juxtaposing settings emphasises this.

Costume and props: The costume in this video is realistic as the woman is wearing 80s clothes, which is when this video was made therefore would have been what people were expected to wear. The lead male character is dressed in the same kind of clothing, but his clothes are all darker shades than the female suggesting he is a more rebellious than she is, so therefore his costume reveals more about their personalities. There is not a huge amount of different props in this video, apart from the actual comic book which is crucial to making the narrative coherent and also the instruments when the band are performing.

Mix of narrative and performance:  This video contains mainly narrative; although there is a small performance element to it. This works well in the video as it does not detract from the narrative, which has a strong story line, but also allows the audience to be introduced to the band members and start to give them an image amongst the audience. This also works well because the lead protagonist in the video is also a member of the band so this adds a sense of continuity to the video.

Editing: The editing in this video is quite editing heavy due to the large amount of animation within it, which makes the narrative make sense as it contributes to the comic book world within the video. It is also quite a fast paced video, so a majority of the cuts a relatively quick, which fits in with the music and narrative of the video. There is also a square edited into the video to depict the difference between the two worlds as it shows the physical aspects so they can be seen in one shot, emphasising the gap between characters in the different dimensions.

Camera shot angles and composition: There is quite a large variety of camera shots and angles within the video, due to the nature of the narrative. During the performance element they are mainly mid shots so the audience can see the band members clearly but throughout the rest of the video there is a large variety to depict the narrative to the maximum quality. When showing the scenes in the comic book there are a lot of close ups to ensure the entire picture and detail is shown.

What I liked/ disliked: I like the concept of this video, and how it uses a mixture of animation and real life footage. I think that the narrative is interesting and fun, as well as fitting into the music and feel of the song. I do think that the ending with the couple is a bit cliché but on the whole it is a very different and interesting music video.

Video 3 - Lousy Connection - Ezra Furman

Creativity: This video is creative as it uses unique props and colours to display the vibe of the ,music and creative a kind of light hearted yet surrealist feel to the video. All of the people in it are unconventional, especially the lead singer, and they use this to their creative advantage by incorporating this into their music video through the quirky props. The way the video is edited in slow motion enhances this creativity as it really allows the view to watch the images they have created, so they can take them in fully.

Setting/Location: This is located in a blank, white room which appears to have no edges. This could be potentially quite boring as a lot of band use this as setting for their music videos; but the bright colours and use of props stand out better against this therefore it actually adds more than it detracts from the video. There is only one location throughout the entire thing, but this seems to work quite well as it keeps the video simple whilst allowing the performance and surrealism to take place via the props used throughout. It also adds some form of convention to an otherwise very different music video.

Costume and props: All the band members are dressed casually but in bright summery clothes, giving them some form on continuity between one another. This also helps them stand out against the white room and gives each person a character by how they have chosen to dress. The props play a large part in this music video as it is mainly just different shots of them. The performers get involved with the props as well making it link in some form. It is used in a unique manner; for example the chicken drumsticks being used as drumsticks in the video, and all the colours from smashing the eggs adds a sense of surrealism to the video, but it is done in such a way to almost have a sense of humour within it.

Mix of narrative and performance: Within this video there is only really performance and the use of props; there is not really any narrative that any coherence. This works within this video as the whole thing is different, and I think that not containing a narrative creates powerful cinematography due to the simplicity of the shots. Furthermore, the performance element of the video gives it some purpose, as without this it would just be a collection of random shots, therefore helps give the video some form of meaning, as well as helping the audience identity the band.

Editing: The majority of this video is in slow motion, allowing the images to be seen more clearly and thus have more of an impact on the viewer. The shots are mainly quite long, which fits in with the slow content and the pace of the video. There is quite a bit of cross cutting between shots of the eggs being smashed and those of the band members which makes sure it doesn't get too repetitive and boring as it mixes up the content of the video.

Camera shot angles and composition: The majority of the shots in this video are still; there is not a lot of camera movement. This allows the viewer to really see what is in the shot as it a single focus in the frame, which in this video is important as if it was fast paced the shots of the eggs and colours would loose its impact. There is a lot of close ups and mid shots to continue this focus, and this adds more to the headshot of the band as it really allows their facial expressions to be seen and helps the viewer familiarise themselves with the members. There is not a huge variety of shots but this seems to work as it fits in with the style and content of the video.

What I liked/ disliked: I like how simple this video is and how there isn't any narrative but still works due to how aesthetic the shots are and the overall style of the video. I also like how each band member seems to have a character even though they don't actually do anything in particular to project it; it is just captured in close-ups of their faces. I think the whole concept of the video is very abstract and therefore isn't to every-ones taste as it is quite surreal; but I personally like how quirky and random it is.

Video 4 - Lousy Connection by The Stripes

Creativity: Within this video creativity is used in different ways. It has all the normal conventions of a music video but it has its own unique twists to make sure it is different. The use of mirrors to make the band members cross over one another in different parts of their body makes the performance element of the video entirely different from the normal, also adding a sense of creativity due to the fact this has not really been done before. Furthermore, the use of the location is creative as although they take a normal studio setting; the mirrors which are present throughout also make this unique. The bands image as well is taking an old fashion and bringing it into the modern world and also to a younger demographic, adding the bands personality and thus their creativity with their branding and image within the video.

Setting/Location: It is set in a music studio; which is quite normal of a music video but the colour and layout of the studio makes it unique. There are lots of bright oranges and yellows which immediately makes the location stand out be of more interest to the viewer simply because it is more eye-catching. This is then continued throughout the video which ties the entire thing together and gives it a sense of continuity. Furthermore, the band are all dressed in dark colours which makes them stand out against the studio as a background, giving them more presence in the video.

Costume and props: The props used in this video consist of normal instruments and items you would expect to see in this environment to the use of the mirrors, and also in the black and white cross cuts some more unusual props such as the skeleton and a hammer which continues to build the creativity of the video. The use of instruments introduces the audience to the band members and their roles. The costume within this video is the band suits, they are all dressed smartly but with their own personalisation through badges and shoes which adds a sense of individuality to each person, but due to their overall appearance being smart they also have one unified brand and image, giving the band a personality.

Mix of narrative and performance: This video is nearly completely performance with a little narrative of being behind the scenes that are filmed in black and white. This works well in this video as due to the performance being unique due to the creative use of mirrors during the performance that makes it more interesting to watch; without this there is a possibility that the audience would get bored as pure performance can be quite repetitive. The cut crossing to the band behind the scenes adds a bit more to the video; although there is not a lot it is enough to make sure there is enough going on to keep people watching. The cross cuts are also quite quirky footage; again adding to the interest of the video.

Editing: The editing in this video is mainly continuous; the shots flow into one another to give the video continuous feeling. There are a few mum cuts or it seems like a camera flash as the position of the camera changes which adds texture to the video. The sound is edited to it is lip sync with the band members to make the performance realistic, and the cross cuts are put into black and white which makes sure that the audience realises that it is different from the rest of the video; as well as adding a sense of nostalgia. It is almost like the band is looking back on them having fun by making this clips seem older than the rest of the video. All the shots are fairly lengthy as well, again making the feel of the video very smooth. The shots are also edited to fit with the music which ties the whole video together.

Camera shot angles and composition: Within this video, a majority of the shots are mid shots which allows the audience to see the band members and also the moving mirrors clearly without being too close or far away. This makes the shot inclusive enough to allow the audience to understand what is going and giving them a good perception of the mirrors, adding to their effect. However there is a range of close ups and wide shots to add variety to the video so it isn't overly repetitive. There is also a large amount of camera movement, such as panning shots and zooms. This again makes the video seem smooth as it cuts between shots as well as keeping the focus on the band members.

What I liked/ disliked: With this video I like the over all aesthetic as it gave the whole video a feel and purpose that fit the band and the music; I also thought that the movement with the mirrors was really interesting and unique; making stereotypical conventions more creative. I also liked the editing within the video as I think that made the whole thing flow really nicely and makes it interesting to watch without having to do anything too extravagant. I think perhaps that the video does get a bit dull towards the end as it is the same thing for the entire song but they use enough creative combinations of the band members to make this not too much of a criticism.

TL & LR