How To Analyse Music Videos

How to analyse … Music videos

(Taken from http://mrsmitha2musicvideo.blogspot.co.uk/)

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

A simple but fun video; something similar would be possible to recreate.
A lack of different camera shots/transitions/special effects etc. does not make the video less interesting to watch than if it had been heavily edited, due to the well-performed and humorous choreography.

Radiohead Music Videos

Both 'No Surprises' and 'Lotus Flower' focus solely on the vocalist of the band. 'No Surprises' is unchanging in terms of shot type, but is engaging because of the added special effects and the changing conditions surrounding the subject. 'Lotus Flower' on the other hand features several different shot types and transitions, though still only focusing on the singer, this time adding more movement into the film and shot in black and white.

'Karma Police' is interesting in the way that the camera pans back and forth, from the road to the vocalist, in order to create a transition of shots. I also like how the car starts moving as the song builds up and the drums kick in, along with the vocals.

The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?

Possible song choice - the tune is built around a guitar chord that rapidly oscillates in volume, creating a vibrato sound. The song also features a recurring and rather tangible, haunting sound, as well as a very distinct drum beat to match the fast pace of the song, leaving many possibilities open for editing and camera styles.

Top Tips

• Have a clear idea of what you want to achieve; storyboard to a certain degree, be realistic about what you can shoot in a certain amount of time
• Think carefully about who you are going to cast, pick the person who can give you the best performance and rehearse with them
• When shooting, keep it 2-3 takes

• Have a can-do attitude
• Planning your time carefully is important, making sure that you don't stretch yourself and you have a good team of people
• Storyboard everything, plan what you're going to do, research and develop your idea
• Keep it simple and do it well

• Prep; go through everything
• Make sure there is a big enough space to work in
• Assure that people are warmed up and ready to go so as not to waste time
• Practice and watch things back

• Think about which songs you have the most creative reaction to
• Be ambitious but don't try to be overly-ambitious, focus on simple ideas that are more easily achievable

• Bear in mind what your strengths are, e.g. good friends to use or the ability to create something animated on your own
• Pay attention to every tiny detail

• Keep it simple
• Make something with the tools that suit that idea

Music Video Ideas

I like the idea of having the band/vocalist plainly just walking around lip-synching, and then cutting to different scenes and building up a slight narrative in contrast.

The Damned - New Rose

I really like this song, and I think it would be more than possible to create a video of a similar style. I like the use of close-ups and the shakiness of the camera which matches the speed of the song.

The Who - I Can't Explain

I like that the video is in black and white, and I like the simplicity of it. I also really like the song.

Lana Del Rey - Found Footage

Carmen:

Video Games:

Million Dollar Man:

The Ting Tings - Shut Up and Let Me Go / We Walk

I like the way the hand gestures create transitions from scene to scene, and the way the door closes to end the video.

I think the use of duplicates and freeze frames within the video is interesting.

Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know

I like the visuals of sound waves that vibrate in synchrony with the voice of the band's vocalist and illustrate the beat of the song.

Nirvana - In Bloom

The video feels like it was shot by a TV crew in the '60s and is in black and white which I think is interesting, though has nothing to do with the song and its meaning. I also like the contrast between the 'nice guy' look of the band and the genre of the song. The video alternates between shots of the band playing and shots of the band trashing the set and goofing around wearing women's clothing, which is more typical of alternative rock music and makes the video seem humorous.

A-ha - Take On Me

I like the sketch effect applied to some of the scenes and the narrative element of the video.

will.i.am - Bang Bang

I love the 1920s feel of the video and the fact that it was shot in black and white; editing is slow to match the pace of the song and a crackling effect has been added to emphasise the concept of the video. The video feels like it should belong in the jazz era, but the song features elements of pop and hip-hop and still works, proving that this style can be brought up to date if done correctly and leaving room to experiment.

Bring Me The Horizon - Shadow Moses

I like the effect that has been added to make the video look distorted.

Found Footage

The Cure - The Lovecats audio combined with Top Cat - Choo Choo's Romance clip.

The All-American Rejects - Someday's Gone / Walk Over Me

The video focuses on the singer of the band and the destructive relationship between him and his girlfriend, therefore the filming is shaky to reflect the fast pace of the song and to stress the singer's physical and mental struggle. The video is edited mainly from the singer's perspective, as if the video is shot through his own eyes (signalled by the blackened areas around the edge of the screen, creating a binocular effect). The camera tracks the singer's love-interest throughout the video as she trashes his house, reflecting the concept of the song, but passes by other members of the band and closes with the band playing as a whole, combining narrative and performance.

I like the way this video contains elements of animation to enhance the song's twisted nature and also create an artistic value. The camera is always slightly off and never still, creating chaos rather than clean-cut shots and transitions.

Pixies - Where Is My Mind

Possible song choice?
There is no official video for this song and so, combined with the concept of the song (that of essentially "losing your mind"), I think that this would open up several possibilities for shooting a video, and create many different angles to work with. The song was written by frontman Black Francis and was inspired by his experiences scuba diving in the Caribbean, in which a small fish was trying to "chase him" - whilst the Caribbean is off the cards, it may be possible to illustrate this aspect of the song in another way, whilst combining performance and elements of narrative.

blink-182 - Always

I like the way this video is displayed as three horizontal panels, severing the onscreen participants and combining the three band members to make one character, whilst the woman is portrayed as being a fractured whole, reflecting the concept of the song. I also like the combination of both performance and narrative within the video.

Paramore - Anklebiters

A fully-animated video would not be possible to create myself, but it may be possible that I could include elements of animation or found footage in my video, along with separate filming. Other than the concept of 'anklebiters', this video is wacky and makes little sense, but that's what I like about it. 

The Cure - In Between Days

I like the overall quirky style of this video; the lighting is quite dark and adds a tinge of blue to the video, casting shadows on their faces, so as to reflect the band's 'gothic' image and dark lyrics - however, this is contrasted by the random outbursts of colour, thus accentuating the 'pop' sound. The camera work is also interesting as it twists and turns to match the performance of the video and the pace of the song.

(The single cover to coincide with the video.)

A2 Preliminary Evaluation - Post-Production

Once all of the filming was complete, we had to decide as a class which shots were most suitable for editing and which could be discarded altogether. Afterwards, we split into groups and edited individual videos with the same footage, so as to all take part in the editing process and gain confidence in using the software. We organised the shots in order of the storyboard and cut them down to match the correct time-span. Once shots were placed into the editing software, the audio had to be removed and replaced with the audio of the song. The editing had to match the audio and so most of the hard work was making sure that the lip-synching was in time and that the beat of the song matched the drumming etc. We added fading effects so as to create a smoother transition between shots, as well as including a starry background to close the video. A disco effect was added to open the video and a fading effect was also added to the audio to prevent an abrupt halt to the song when the video ended. The process was time-consuming due to the precision required to create a professional look about the video, but was worthwhile in tying the whole thing together and allowed us to smooth out all rough edges. Next time, I would take more care over the quality of filming and the quantity of shots taken, as this restricted what could be done in the editing process. 

A2 Preliminary Evaluation - Production

During the production of our music video, it was the director's job to organize what equipment was needed each day and who was to bring what to each lesson. The director would decide which parts of the video would be filmed when, and frequently referred back to the storyboard in order to make the filming run as smoothly as possible. Actors would be placed in the correct positions for each shot, lighting and sound would be chosen to fit the shot, and the cameraman would be informed as to what camera angle and shot type was best suited to which part. On one occasion, we asked a technician to help with setting up the lighting and sound so we knew how to use the equipment later ourselves. Some days were unorganized and people were off sick which caused problems either because we couldn't film certain parts of the video or because certain props were not available to use. To get around this, we shot which parts we could but sometimes had to stop and evaluate our situation so as to reorganize ourselves. Roles changed during the production stages due to poor decisions made in pre-production, which meant that time was wasted and certain aspects of our video did not look as professional as others and could not be re-shot in order to improve the quality of our filming. 

A2 Preliminary Evaluation - Pre-Production

Upon deciding as a class which music video we wanted to re-create, our task then was to storyboard, assign roles and comprise a list of equipment and props needed when filming. Assigning roles which most suited everyone was the first job in hand, which then gave us all something to get on with individually or as groups. For example, two people were chosen to storyboard due to artistic ability and began re-watching our chosen video and taking notes on the transition of shots, timing etc. A director was assigned almost immediately, and as George had a camera of his own and seemed the best person to film, he therefore took the position of camera-man. Others in the group again re-watched the video and took notes on costume choices, props etc., such as suits, helmets, drumsticks and guitars. We then arranged as a class who could get hold of said equipment and what day it was needed. After the storyboard had been completed and everybody knew which part they had to play, deciding on a location to film was next on the agenda. Our chosen video limited where we could film to a space with a dark background but which was also well-lit, and so we considered using either the main hall, the AV studio or the drama room if this would be accessible. The main hall seemed to provide the best space to work in as it was the biggest, enabled us to film in front of a dark background and gave us access to built-in lighting and sound, as well as the opportunity to use the stage. As the main hall is a space used by all of the school, we took it upon ourselves to book the space in advance during our lesson time so as not to jeopardize our chances of filming.

A2 Preliminary Music Video

A2 Coursework Schedule

A2 Media Studies Schedule 2013-2014 Lutterworth College.docx