Music video inspiration - black and white performance

Below are a series of music videos that include black and white effects in their performance side of the video to good effect.

 






Looking at the videos above, the use of a black and white effect often makes the video what it is. As such a crucial part of the video, the mise en scene portrays the overall mood and atmosphere of the video. By including this effect in the performance side of our music video, we will be looking to represent our band with a certain identity. On one hand, the black and white effect can add mystery to a song. This will be illustrative of the tone of the song which will work in line with the narrative. The use of black and white will create a certain aura to the band in the sense that they are authentic and 'indie' in the way that they dress in conjunction with the black and white effect.

Location and actor planning

St Georges Park

Link to 360 Image

This is a link to a 360 degree image of the location, this shows the surroundings of the location and gives us a good idea of what we are going to get when we visits the location.

This is the location that we will be using for showing the main character doing fitness routines and also shadow boxing. This location is a pubic place and this means that we would not need to email any one to ask for permission, but we would need to make sure we don't disturb the peace. This location is very green and also visually quite spectacular so we think it would be a good addition to the video as it would make it more interesting.

Synwell Boxing Gym

This our main location for our narrative in our music video. This being important for us to find the best location we can for what we want. We have already been in contact and arranged for them to allow us to film inside the boxing gym. This boxing gym is not too large, so it is difficult to find any pictures online to get inspiration from, this is why we plan to scope out the location before we film to give us a good idea of what we are going to get.

This image below is not from our location however this is the kind of images we want to create and we feel this location should provide us with what we need to create the shots we want for our narrative in our music video.

Performance Set

This location is variable as we only require a set/open space for this location. This is where we are going to shoot the performance elements of our music video and the kind of images we want to achieve is shown below:

The location we are going to use is our school drama studio, this is the only open space that we have available. The advantage of using this space is that we have lots of resources for lights and we will be able to creatively light our scene with different lighting techniques such as bouncing light and soft light. This is what some of the images as shown above and below have used to achieve this dark harsh look to their images. This is what we are attempting to achieve when we shoot the performance.

Main Actor - Boxer - Josh Rosevear

This is going to be our main actor/character in our narrative and will be in all of the narrative scenes but he will not be in the performance scenes as we want to keep the two separate. This actor will be available for all of the different locations, as it will take about 3-5 different days of shooting to finish shooting the all of the scenes for the narrative of our video, this is because we want to make sure we have a range of different shots.

Secondary Actor - Trainer/Partner - Will Romain 

This is going to be our secondary (2nd main character) in our narrative of our music video. The actor that we have picked will fit the role as will our boxer, and he has said that he is available for all of the different days of the shoots that we will need him. The trainer will only need to be on 1-2 days of the shoots as he is no the main focus of the videos narrative.

Fashion planning

Slides 1 and 2: In these slides, we have included images of clothing that we wish to use for the narrative side of our music video. We particularly want to use tracksuits for our boxer as this is one of the main stereotypes of a boxer - someone who wears clothing comfortable to workout in. In addition to this, tracksuits are often associated with working classes, thus, using it for our boxer will represent him in a clear way. From this, the audience will be able to get an understanding of his personality.

Slides 3-7: Within these images, we have included some images of a boxer training with a training partner or running alone. The consistency of the clothing is clear to see in these images. The boxer almost always wears branded clothing. This could either represent a sponsorship deal or just an understanding of the current fashionable labels. What is more, the trainer/partner is usually depicted in similar clothing. This will clearly show that the trainer is involved with the activities as well and perhaps create an understanding for the audience about the relationship between the two actors.

Slides 8-12: These slides contain images of what we want the band in our performance to look like. All of the images include people from the genre of music we are following - indie rock. The likes of Alex Turner, Van McCann and Jamie T are all pictured in black clothing which is typical of the genre. However, at the same time, they create a slick and fashionable look. From this, we will look to clothe our actors in similar outfits. The most important factor in this aspect of the video will be ensuring that all of the band look as if they will wear the clothes on a daily basis - so, not just dressed up for the music video.

Learning comment: From this piece of planning, we have learnt how important it is to understand what certain characters will need to look like. By ensuring that they are in the correct clothing, it will make it clear to the audience about their personality and position within the video. One prime of example of effective clothing will be ensuring that our lead singer in the performance will look like the lead role. By this, we will need to make sure that he looks slightly different to the rest of band. The lead singer in a band is often the most charismatic person and so accentuating this through the clothing will be key to showing this.

Pacifier - the song's meaning

In the video below, Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 6 DJ, interviews Catfish and the Bottlemen's lead singer, Van McCann on his inspiration behind Pacifier. 

From watching this interview, I feel like I have a much richer understanding about what the song is based on. Obviously, we will not be trying to follow the lead singer's own story behind the song but we will try to identify key themes running through his inspiration and the song itself. The most obvious theme to identify is that of extreme emotion. Whether it is good or bad, the feelings throughout the song are always prominent. Therefore, when creating our music video, we will be looking to create a narrative and performance that justify such a emotionally-fueled song.

Videos for genre research

Below are the three videos watched in order to complete valuable genre research prior to our storyboarding and more detailed planning.

Music video - initial ideas

Mind map of initial ideas

Learning comment: From this planning, we have clearly engaged in a systematic way of getting our ideas into a particular order. Hence, our ideas can be clearly presented in the two images above. What is of most value to us as a group is the ability to get ideas into an orderly fashion. By doing this, we will be able to storyboard and create shot lists much easier than if the original ideas were skewed. One way we ensured the planning of our initial ideas was clear and coherent was by going through each scene we wish to shoot individually. By doing this, we have four separate scenes that we can treat as projects within themselves. Matters such as fashion, props and actors can subsequently be planned for different filming days. This makes sure we avoid any confusion with arranged dates for actors or locations. Therefore, we can plan each scene individually and bring them all together in the editing process.

Genre research

Details on Catfish and the Bottlemen and Island Records

Learning comment: From research on our chosen band, I feel we now have a better idea as to what makes the band who they are today. The history of how they got to where they are today is very important as it could explain the meanings behind some of their lyrics. Their upbringing, too, is important to note as this could also be a reason for their current sound today. What is most important, though, is the overall recognition of the band. Although they are a band with recognition within the indie scene, they are rarely known by people other than those interested in the music. As a result, we will attempt to heighten the recognition of the band. 

Permission to use chosen song

Through asking for permission from Island Records to use their band's song, we have ensured that no copyright infringements have been met. If audiences were to think this was our song, we would have to contact each viewer individually to tell them that it is not our song. Therefore, we have made sure that we do not reach any infringements.

Official music video and lyrics

Catfish and the Bottlemen - Pacifier



Lyrics

Music video inspiration - narrative ideas

One of the most important parts of a music video is the narrative. With almost anything available to our selection for the narrative, we have spent a lot of time finalising our narrative ideas. As shown below, we have adopted a style of action. More specifically, we are going to base our narrative our the trials and tribulations of a boxer training for a boxing fight. From now, I will regularly post videos that have inspired us to explain the significance of each video in relation to our narrative structure.

* To make narrative inspirations explicit, I will be titling each post with the same title. 

Slow motion inspiration 

In this video, there is an effective use of slow motion (72fps at times) to accentuate every single movements of Louis Smith during routines. This makes the footage both fine in detail and easy to watch. In my opinion, the slow motion during the action shots is very effective in the light that it exaggerates the skilled movements the gymnast is doing. In our video, we will look to create something similar to this when filming our boxer working out.

In addition, the slow motion works very well at setting a scene in the beginning of the video. This is very important as the use of slow motion allows the audience to see the setting in great detail. From this, each person watching the video has an idea of the setting and where the gymnast is in relation to certain apparatus. Furthermore, the slow motion effect works well to show the audience each piece of equipment. This is something that will also work well in a boxing gym. This is because it will show the audience just how many parts of equipment the boxer is required to train on in order to prepare for a fight.

Lyric analysis

Pacifier - Catfish and the Bottlemen

Learning comment: Through analysing the lyrics of my chosen song, I have found it incredibly useful to read into each and every lyric. This is because, through understanding the lyrics in greater detail, I now have a better understanding of the song. With what I might have previously overlooked in the song, I now have an idea as to why particular lyrics are included. As well as this, understanding the lyrics means that I can now visualise certain events throughout the song. Off the back of this, I can now begin the imagine what narrative structure may fit in relation to the song.

Music video inspiration - performance-based

In our final product, we will try to replicate something that most music videos do - a performance from the band (singer) and narrative as well. With narrative ideas yet to be finalised, here is an example of what we are going base our performance on.


Catfish and the Bottlemen - Soundcheck

Throughout this music video, there is only the band playing the song live, but does this make it a boring music video? I think not. There are several elements to the music video that make it innovative and engaging. First of which is the video's variety of camera angles. They have a range of extreme close ups, longs shots and medium shot - all of which are pictured below.


The low key lighting is also an element that I will take from this video. It's use of white and black makes the music video rather ominous yet symbolic of the lyrics and atmosphere of the song. In addition to this, the camera movement is predominantly hand held. This makes the video much more immersive - as if you are actually with the band. As a result of this, the music video is very unique and manages to create an intimate feel between audience and band.

Music video - song choice - 4

Catfish and the Bottlemen's Pacifier is the fourth choice from our shortlist. The song creates an anthemic atmosphere throughout the song with big guitar chords. As a result of this, the song has a slightly aggressive feel to it. Defiance and aggression is at the forefront of this song through the four-piece band. As well, the variety in tempo throughout the song makes way for a clear narrative structure. The strong guitar chords at around 3 minutes would be a perfect time for a resolution to the problem encountered earlier on in the music video.




Verdict (Yes, finally!): After much deliberation between all four songs, this song looks to provide the most suitable conventions to what we aim to achieve. For instance, the tone of the song will be illustrative to the narrative structure of the music video (we will be looking to follow a boxer on the journey of training for a fight). As well, the fact that the band is made up of four young men means that it will be easy for us to replicate on the performance side of the song.

Audience research - focus group

Here we interviewed two media students on their own thoughts and opinions on music videos:

Audience research - theoretical analysis

Hozier - Take Me To Church





Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang




Learning comment: Upon completion of this task I have identified key ways in which audience members consume different types of music videos. This is important to consider when I come to shoot my own video because elements, such as the mise en scene, will be vital in way that audiences perceive my main character as well as the setting around him, Furthermore, I will look to satisfy the needs of the audience members. So, for example, Blumer and Katz's theory of uses and gratifications states that audience members watch television for a certain reason. In this case, I will be look to add an element of diversion away from everyday life. Whilst the video will be in humble surroundings, I will also be looking to fixate the audience on the narrative as way of diverting them away from their everyday life.

Music video - song choice - 3

Of all five song choices, this song is undoubtedly the most indie of them all - you only have to see that Eliza and the Bear do not have an official music video for the song to see that. As an extraordinarily indie song, it has several advantages over an iconic song such as Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars.

Firstly, the fact that only 69,000 people have viewed the song on YouTube implies it is reliatively unknown. This is a clear advantage as audience may be curious to see what the music video is about once they hear a song they are unfamiliar with. Also, the music video we would to create would not be a replicate of something that people have seen before. As a result, the music video we would create would shape the listener's interpretation of the song.



Verdict: Despite there being many positives and advantages to the song as I have stated above, I have decided to not choose it for my final idea. This is because the song is one with lyrics that do not exactly make a narrative easy to produce. As well, the song does not hold a big sound to it. With narrative ideas at the forefront of my mind, this particular video does not hold the tone required for my narrative ideas.

Media student's opinion on past videos

From this task I have learnt how important it is for the music video to look credible in terms of camera angles, editing and mise en scene. The video I create is most likely going to be watched by media students and will therefore need to demonstrate high levels of camera work and editing in order to make the video look good.

Audience Research - Music Consumption

From the interviews above, it is clear to see a difference in individual consumption of music videos based on demographic.

The first interview shown includes a 13-year-old boy's own consumption of music videos. A clear aspect from the interview that i picked up on was his clear focus on consuming music videos on mobile phone apps. As he states in the interview, his main source of music videos is PlayTube. The fact that he watches the majority of music videos on his phone suggests that he does not purposely go out of his way to watch a music video; like someone who would watch a video on TV. As a result, i have learnt that the music video has to engage the consumer right from the beginning of the film to stand any chance of having them watch the entire video.

My second interview was with an adult (35-50) and shows similarities to the under 16 demographic.

They both hold similar consuming preferences with the mention of the pop genre being their favourite genre of music video. Reasons for this from both demographics lay with the feel good factor of the pop genre. As well, there was a clear preference of a narrative-based music video rather than a live performance. That in mind, i will aim to appeal to both demographics by including an uplifting and inspiring narrative structure that will entice a range of audience members.

Thinking of a concept/song

Below is the link to the whole mind map, technical reasons prevented the map from enlarging:

https://atlas.mindmup.com/2016/09/8b968260622701344bc615fd7eff1865/thinking_of_a_concept_song/index.html

Music video - song choice - 2

The second song that I identified as a possible choice for the final product was a song by the Vaccines named 'If You Wanna.' This song is one of an incredibly high tempo right from the beginning. The use of a high tempo in songs often captures the audience's attention in a positive manner and it is no different here. Despite the fast start, the song seamlessly varies in tempo throughout and it is that which makes the song so inviting for a music video.

Not only does it have a positive feel throughout, but the slight variety in tempo allows the music video the chance to follow a narrative structure (i.e. equilibrium-problem-resolution.) Therefore, there is a high chance of using this song as my music video.




Verdict: After much reflection, I have decided to rule this song out of contention for my final music video song. Despite the song's high tempo and ability to adapt a narrative structure, the lyrics of the song are very limited. Repeated lines throughout the song make it fairly one dimensional and therefore I feel the music video could follow suit if we were to choose this particular song.

Music video analysis - part four

Music video analysis - part three

Upon completion of the three posters pictured above, it is clear to determine between each genre by the codes and conventions they hold. Grime, for example, has a clear emphasis on the lyrics relating to the artists. It is also fair to say that they want to be true to themselves - which is often shown in their music videos with locations in working class backgrounds. Pop, on the other hand, is a genre very much dominated by women. On the whole, the genre is clearly based around appearance over any sort of talent relating to their singing ability. What is most important to remember when completing my final product is that each and every genre of music has a different purpose. Therefore, my final product will be based around research I have carried out on my chosen genre.

Music video - song choice - 1

As part of my ongoing search to find a song suitable to that of the genre of indie rock, I will be posting regularly to show my thought process behind choosing (or not choosing) particular songs. Below is the first of my possible inspiration post:

Blossoms - Getaway

Blossoms are a band who have only recently burst on to the scene as an indie band. Their rise to fame stemmed from this song which is a tail of love between two people. This is song is especially suitable to the type of music video I am looking to create because of its overall sound. By this I mean that the song is the type of song that is unoffensive and easy to listen to. As a result of this, I think that the it would be fairly straightforward to make a music video for. Unlike the random nature of their own music video, the lyrics would allow me to construct a narrative structure that would illustrate the words sung by the lead singer.




Verdict: Although this song is very much in line of which I aim to find a song from, I think the lyrics to this song can often be ambiguous and irrelevant. This could result in the music video following that style and it would make the overall narrative structure very hard to keep as simple as possible. As well as this, the song is rather mellow, perhaps lacking an element of tempo after the beginning of the song. This makes it incredibly hard to choose the song as there are other songs that can create a much more uplifting atmosphere that will make the music video far more engaging.

Music video analysis - part two

Catfish and the Bottlemen - Twice. In this music video, we see a very simple but effective video. This video is most effective in the way that it uses multiple camera movements to eccentuate the location of the camera in relation to the band performing. Through the use of pans and zooms, the audiences view of the band performing is much more intimate than it would have been if the video was solely focused on medium shots and close ups. Therefore, these camera movements bring in Bulmer and Katz's theory of uses and gratifications. Due to the real sense of realism in this video, audience may use this video to feel as if they are part of the band's performance. In doing this, the band create a much more personal and intimate feel to their overall appearance. Moreover, what makes this video even more interesting is the use of fact that it is completely performance based. Subsequently, the video is much representative of the band's ability to perform live.





Ed Sheeran - Don't. In contrast to Twice, this music video by Ed Sheeran contains a mixture of both performance and narrative. In comparison to other videos, the performance side of this video does not include the artist. Instead, there is an actor playing the part of a dancer. The video follows the dancer throughout the video on a journey through his life's problems. In showing a distinct dancing style throughout the video, audiences become enticed with his every move. As a result, the video proves to be very engaging and interactive with the audience in the sense that every thought expressed by Ed in his lyrics is emphasized in the dancer's performance which not only creates a distinct feel to the song as well as an innovative music video.





 Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand.  This video creates a great deal of camaraderie around the people of New York. This is done through a compilation of  50 or so different New Yorkers singing along to the song. The use of medium shots throughout the video give a clear indication that each and every person in New York is on the same level - hence, no close ups are used to represent someone as more important than someone else. What makes this video most interesting is the variety of people we see on camera. From young children to an 80 year old man, the song is clearly admired and adored by everyone in the city. As a result of this, the video achieve two main goals. One, it creates a standout feature to the song - i.e. it becomes memorable. And, secondly, it ensures that the video keeps to the positive tempo of the song itself.



Martin Solveig - Hello. In Martin Solveig's video for 'Hello,' we see clear a following to Vladamir Propp's 'character types.' With the whole video being based on a narrative, the distinguished character types are a focal point to the video as a whole. For example, we see Novak Djockovic represent the 'hero' in the way that he saves the tennis match finishing from an incorrect call. As a result of this, and many other character types represented, the video has a clear narrative structure to it. In the footage presented above, we see the 'resolution' take place as the protagonist begins to fight back. Overall, this makes a terrific music video as it takes the audiences on a journey of the underdog and will certainly make sure that they remember the song in years to come.


Skrillex and Diplo - "Where Are Ü Now" with Justin Bieber. This music video is predominantly performance based in the way that Justin Bieber is most often pictured singing or dancing for the camera. The reasons for doing this are quite obvious. In respect of the female attention Bieber usually attracts, the lengthy duration of himself on camera are quite simply to attract female audience. This opposes Shuker's theory of 'male gaze' that states women are often subject to objectification. So, by doing this in the video, the audience is primarily female based. The slight narrative structure, however, attracts male audiences through the use of on-screen graphics and a heavy theme of art. As a result, the video is therefore aimed at a wide range of audiences stretching across both genders. This is a key convention of pop music that needs to be aimed at a wide range of audiences given its generic genre. 

Music video analysis - part one

Indie Rock: From watching Catfish and the Bottlemen's video for 'Pacifier' I have found several codes and conventions for the genre. Firstly, it was clear to see that the genre is very much fixed on following similar costume types to that of the clothing they wear in live shows. In this case. Catfish and the Bottlemen wear black clothing to further their identity of a band who do not use their fashion sense to stand out. Instead, the opposite most likely happens in the sense that their clothes are one of the last aspects you are likely to notice from the film. Next, their use of a working class location works in line with many codes and conventions of indie music. This is true in that indie bands are often made up of young adults. Therefore, their location as a student type of age might be unknown and they are therefore resigned to the warehouse in this video to make the music video. At the same time, the narrative to the video can also convey that their young age leaves them vulnerable to situations in life that could compromise their danger.

Pop: In contrast to Pacifier, James Bay's 'let it go' offers many different aspects to his music video that lend themselves to the codes and conventions of pop music videos. For example, his video has a clear presentation of a narrative surrounding love. From this, it is fair to say that his music appeals to a much wider demographic than Catfish and the Bottlemen. As well as this, the video contains many areas that focus on himself singing (performance). This is a key convention of pop videos that shows just how competitive the industry of pop is - i.e. he has to show himself singing as a marketing tool. Finally, his video primarily contains low-key lighting, this is also shown in the aforementioned indie video. More than just the codes and conventions, videos can often relate to each other in the way that it wants to create a certain mood and atmosphere to the video and song.

Grime: Perhaps the most recent music genre to exist is grime. Having only been around for 15 years or so, the genre is largely unknown by many people. However, Kano adheres to many codes and conventions shown in grime music. For example, the location of a working class background shows just how poor his life used to be. In doing this, Kano represents himself as very humble. Another main convention of grime is the way they look. He is often depicted in a full tracksuit or branded clothing - both of which are fashionable in their society.

Dance: With arguably the widest bracket of codes and conventions comes dance. The genre is almost always upbeat and fast in tempo but the narrative of dance is very rarely followed to any sort of trend. Nevertheless, Sigma follow the genre's codes and conventions throughout the video when they use two attractive female actors in their music video. This works in line with Shuker's male gaze theory which suggests that women are depicted as objects in media to attract a heterosexual male audience. Overall, then, the dance genre is one that aims to please a largely male demographic which is clearly present in this music video.

Analysis of student videos, digipaks and adverts

Grading: The first video I analysed was the best of the three I watched. The reasons lay mainly with the camera work throughout the whole video. For example, there are several camera angles such as an extreme low angle that signify the emotions on the character shown. This is a main focus throughout the video that show the characters experiencing their varying emotions throughout the video and, therefore, the audience can match the song with a clear narrative.

For the reasons mentioned in the presentation above and the factors just mentioned, I have judged this music video to be of A grade standard. Not only does it boast a host of strengths, but it also proves very difficult to find areas for improvements.


Video 2: In comparison to the first music video, this one is far less impressive. The lack of camera angles and very limited narrative makes it hard for me to find areas worthy of marks. As as result, I judge this video to be C grade standard.

Video 3: One of the only differences between this video and the first one I analysed was the camera quality. However, to determine a grade between them I felt that this video proved to be a little less engaging than it's A grade counterpart. Consequently, I judge this video to be of B grade standard. If little improvements were made in terms of a slight development to the narrative, it may push for an A.

Learning comment: Through this research, I have become aware that it matters very little as to what genre of music you pick to use. The only factor proving vital is that there is a need of understanding as to what that genre entails. For example, indie music often includes young adults in their music video.

The first music video I viewed was the one of best quality and is certainly something I will look to take ideas from. For example, an abundance of extreme close ups to ensure that the narrative is clearly established to the audience.

Moreover, I feel that if my final product is to work to the best of its ability it will need to include some high quality camera work that captures the narrative to finest detail. On top of that, the video will therefore need to include an engaging narrative that is likely to entice my target demographic of that music genre.