My Chosen Song - (Bastille - Laughter Lines)

Below is the information, soundtrack and lyrics for the song I have chosen to make a music video for.

Name: Laughter Lines

Artist: Bastille

Release Date: 4th March 2013

Genre: Pop

Lyrics

You took me to your favorite place on Earth
to see the tree they cut down ten years from your birth.
Our fingers traced in circles round its history,
we brushed our hands right back in time through centuries.

As you held me down, you said:

"I'll see you in the future when we're older
and we are full of stories to be told.
Cross my heart and hope to die,
I'll see you with your laughter lines."

Changes on our hands and on our faces, oh, oh
memories are mapped out by the lines we'll trace.

As you held me down, you said:

"I'll see you in the future when we're older
and we are full of stories to be told.
Cross my heart and hope to die,
I'll see you with your laughter lines."

Ashen faces in cold breeze,
ashen faces in cold breeze,
all the stories you will leave,
all the stories you will leave.

I'll see you in the future when we're older
and we are full of stories to be told.
Cross my heart and hope to die,
I'll see you with your laughter lines.

I'll see you in the future when we're old.
I'll see you in the future when we're old.

Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin's music video theory is based on the universal elements that make a music video and comes in the form of 5 key points:

• There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals
• There is a relationship between music and visuals
• Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
• There is often intertextual reference to other works
• Frequent references to notion of looking (Particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body)
• The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist to create a 'Star Image'

Here are some examples of Andrew Goodwin's theory in practice within both the song 'Rude' by canadian band, MAGIC! and R&B Classic Low by Flo Rida.

1. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals

The song is about the artist asking his girlfriends father to have his daughters hand in marriage, only to be constantly rejected. The music video portrays this story, showing the artist asking the father wether he can marry his daughter, only to be rejected and have the door shut on him during the chorus. This is a great example of the relationship between lyrics and visuals, as they are both telling the same story, following Goodwin's second point of his music video theory.

2. There is a relationship between music and visuals

The relationship between music and visuals is also clear in this particular in this video, particularly as we see lead singer Nasri's eccentric dancing to the beat of the music. Goodwin's second point isn't hard to find within the performance aspect of this piece, as we see the band playing the song on their instruments and their subtle gestures like the nodding of the head and tapping of the foot complimenting the soundtrack.

3. The music videos demonstrate genre characteristics

Flo Rida's video demonstrates an array of genre conventions for R&B music, and is the perfect example for goodwins third point. First of all we see it is set in a nightclub, a typical scene for music videos within the genre. The most noticable convetion it clearly portray however is the use of women, particularly surrounding the artist. This is a very typical shot for the R&B genre with rappers in particular, as women are used as eye candy with their suggestive dance moves and clothing... or rather lack of it. This video proves many stereotypes surrounding R&B music, not to mention the Lamborghini sports car, and plays to almost every genre characteristic there is going.

4. There is often intertextual reference to other works

The video and soundtrack for Flo Rida's was in fact made for the film Step Up 2, which was released in 2008. For this reason, the music video shows various clips from the movie, and shared the whole club vibe as Step Up 2. Due to this, the video contains multiple intertextual references to other works, in this example the music video relating to the Step Up franchise.

5. Frequent references to notion of looking

The music video also gives a good account for another of Andrew Goodwin's points, this time of the frequent notions of looking, here shown by the artist looking down at his mobile phone. It is only one example of many that are found throughout, another being where the lead singer is looking at the father at his front door whilst in conversation. Despite often being unnoticed, the notion of looking is very common in any genre of music video and usually related to voyeourism or usually partnered with a close-up of the person looking like the example shown in the first point above.

6. References to voyeourism (Particularly to Women)

As previously meantioned, Flo Rida's music video has more than its fair share of intreguingly dressed women, with their very suggestive dance moves. The song and video seem to revolve around the female body, and we certainly get a sense that we are meant to be lavishing in the womens sexual behaviour. We are invited to watch on as these women show off their toned bodies and their boderline raunchy dance moves in order to capture the straight male's interest.

7. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist to create a 'Star Image'

MAGIC!'s Rude is riddled with close ups of the lead singers face, and its clear to see that the record label wants you to remember the face. The band is not currently very well known, and this is likely to be a ploy to get them recognised. Nevertheless it plays to Goodwin's 7th point that is the presence of many close ups of the artist(s) to create the 'Star Image'.

These are all of Andrew Goodwin's points within his music video theory. As we can see, these are applicable for various genres of music whether it be old or quite recent. It is important to note these theories and conventions both to analyse existing videos, and to develop my understanding in producing a music video, gathering ideas of what to include in my own. 

Vernallis Analysis - (Dizzee Rascal ft. Teddy Sky - Love This Town)

My Vernallis Analysis chart of the hit single, Love This Town by Dizzee Rascal.

Watch Dizzee Rascals, Love This Town below:

Music Video Analysis - (The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition)

The Temper Trap are an Australian indie band formed in 2005. Amongst various other catchy songs, this number (Sweet Disposition) has been their most successful, making its way into the top 20 single charts across the globe including the UK. Released on the 16^th September 2008, it’s the centrepeice to the bands award winning album ‘Conditions’.

The song is about the highs and lows that come with being in a youthful relationship, and how we must endure the bad times to recognize the good. Through this we must not give in or in the words of lead singer Dougy Mandagi, ‘Don’t stop to surrender’. Although the music video only loosely represents the lyrics, I decided to analyze this particular song due to how the video has been edited to reflect the beat of the song and the use of slow motion.

The video begins by briefly showing us the various scenes in which we see in the video, introducing the contraptions that have been set up in an effort to destroy objects such as a mirror, drumsticks and what looks to be a kind of stool. Alongside these short clips is a close up of the leads singers face as he pronounces the first two lines of the song ‘Sweet Disposition’, the title of this particular number. While doing so, there is a very aesthetically pleasing pan-like shot, where the singer is the point of focus and moves very little, whereas the background is in motion. A simple but eye-catching shot, one of which I may try to replicate in my own work.

 

We instantly recognize that the lead singer Is the main focal point of this video, as shown by multiple close ups of the man singing the first verse opposed to the occasional clips of his fellow band members. It has been made clear that he is the centre of attention via the intimate camera angles and strategic editing, as the cameras seem to revolve around him. The fact that this is one of the first things I picked up from the video shows that the producers have done a very good job in making him the centre of attention simply via the frequent close ups of him singing. I too am likely to be putting emphasis on the lead singer in my future music video, and I believe this piece is a great example of how to do just that.

In the next few seconds, we continue to follow a number of events we can only call as acts of destruction. We see the build up to impact throughout the first verse, but with the use of slow motion and manipulation of the speed of these clips, we do not actually see any action until the beginning of the chorus in which a mirror is smashed to pieces by a guitar. This is a great example of how we can change the speed of clips to suit the beat of the song. The way that this has been done within this video is something I admire, as the slow motion shots are actually serving a specific purpose, in order to build up to the songs chorus. With the help of some clever editing and a camera with a high frame rate, I hope to also include slow motion elements in my own work in order to portray the music, similar to what has been achieved in this video.

As the beat to signal the beginning of the chorus hits, we see an extreme close up on the mirror as it smashes into thousands of pieces, triggering various other scenes of destruction. I particularly like the mirror shot however as it Is broken into tiny fragments, and we can see it being broken in a way that would have never have been possible without the help of slow motion shots. Much like the beat of the music, the editing also picks up pace to accommodate this change.  This again emphasizes how important the length of each clip is in adapting to changes in pace to the music when trying to create a visually interesting video that compliments the soundtrack

The second chorus features a similar master class in changing pace through editing alone, as we see yet another slow motion shot which shows drumsticks hitting a symbol perfectly in time to the music. However one of, if not my favorite scene of the music video is where the man is playing on the drums whilst one by one they start disappearing of an edge. Despite this he keeps going and plays with what drums he has available to him. I believe this is a reference to the repeated lyrics ‘Don’t stop til its over’, as he perseveres and continues to play no matter what the circumstances. Although potentially having no relation at all, for me this reinforces the message that the song puts across in that in a relationship there will be ups and down but you must keep your love alive through it all. This music video concludes as we see the drummer’s final drum fall down the edge, concluding the beat as he has nothing left to play on.

I really enjoy this music video not only for the interesting use of slow motion, but also for the messages that are portrayed through the visuals. It also provides a great example of how to use changing the speed of clips to your advantage and how it can ultimately compliment the song its with.

Here is the official Music video for The Temper Trap's Sweet Disposition of which this analysis is based upon:

Taking Inspiration from the Previous Year

As apart of my research and analysis leading up to the production of my own music video, I watched a collection of the last years work to see what they came up with. Overall I was greatly impressed at the standard of music video they produced, and I can only envy there efforts in creating a professional, unique and creative video to an existing song. Here is a look at my thoughts and first impressions of the previous year work.

I will start by looking at a music video which achieved full marks. This is an astonishing achievement and upon watching the piece there is now under as to why it was awarded the entire amount of marks. Due to this, it serves as a great example of what it takes and the quality of work that needs to be produced in order for it to be successful. I believe that this particular video shares many qualities with that of professional music productions. The video is given a very sinister feel right from the outset, with its lack of colour, sense of entrapment and signs of insanity. The fact that red is the only colour we ever see really contributes to these sinister themes, as the colour often represents danger or even associated with blood. I especially like a collection of very brief shots within the video, much like the girl whipping her hair back, as it was played in reverse. Again I believe that this shot really added to the themes being portrayed, as it is evidently unnatural and almost paranormal. The shot reminds me of Loreen's Euphoria music video, which also took advantage of reversed shots to create a sense of a her being superhuman. I may use this technique in my own music video depending on what themes I am trying to create. Finally it is a prime example of quick shots and fast editing required in creating a visually interesting music video. All shots within the video were no longer a couple of seconds long before moving onto the next. In conclusion, I can take plenty of inspiration from this work in how it has generated its sinister feel and created a visually captivating sequence of shots. The only criticism I could possibly make is that some shots were so brief that at points in the video it felt like looking at a strobe light. Despite this, I admire the effort and attention to detail that has gone into creating the video and evidently so does the moderator.

The second music video I looked at was very hit and miss. Although I do not know the final grade of this piece, it will almost certainly be less than the previous video. Although it is evident that it is not as impressive as the previous video, this does not mean I cannot learn something from the production. What initially struck me was how much slower the editing was and how much longer some of the shots lasted. I found that the longer a shot lasted, the more it took away from the appeal of the music video. In contrast from the previous video, it was not as fast paced nor visually interesting. Ultimately I was surprised at how much the pace of each shot can add to or depreciate the viewing experience and feel to the end product. Despite its faults, I did enjoy the role of the little girl with the red balloon. The way that she was used to connect all of the characters toward the end of the song I found was an intriguing end to the video, acting almost as a symbol of innocence and happiness in a world of gloom. Overall, I don't think I will be taking much from this particular video apart from the effect that the pace of editing has on a music video.

The final music video was of Lady Gaga's Applause. The video demonstrates a good pace, visual effects and even the use of a wind machine! The work experiments with various effects, one of which involves blending two or three shots into one. This adds a new element to each shot, as their is no longer one point of interest in each frame, yet multiple shots overlaid on top of each other. This is definitely an effect that I intend to include in my own music video, as I believe it makes for a much more interesting result opposed to consistent unedited footage. Despite being a good display of multiple video effects and filters, I sense that it lacks in variety of camera angles, as I found myself noticing the same shots constantly repeating themselves due to the lack of filming locations. I also didn't like the fact that the camera was almost always focussed on the singer, and we saw little else rather than her face. This made the video at some points somewhat uninteresting. I enjoyed this music video regardless, and found that the editing complimented the song well.

With the help of these three examples and many other previous work I have analysed, I can gather some ideas and inspiration to take with me into planning my own music video.

Preliminary Task - Animal Character Music Video

Here is another music video resulting from my second preliminary task. This required me to organise existing clips that will compliment the music and create an interesting visual aid for the soundtrack, in order to get used to the fast paced editing that comes with creating a music video. Here is the result…

Album Covers and Artwork

Below are a variety of different album covers from a number of genres, artists and era's. As I will soon be creating album artwork for my upcoming song production, personally its very beneficial to look at existing album covers to try and take some inspiration.

 

 

The first of the seven album covers is of course the iconic artwork of The Beatles. This cover shows the band walking across a zebra crossing. Although it may be a simple idea, it was certainly effective, causing Beatle fans across the globe to visit Abbey Road (The location of the image on the album cover), in order to re-create this picture. The instantly recognisable album cover is well known the world over, and is almost as popular as their actual songs! 

The second cover is also another evident offering from The Beatles, although this one takes a slightly different approach. Instead of an image or any form of artwork, we see just grey text on a plain white background stating the bands infamous name. This minimalist design has too, been imitated by other modern artists, loving its simplicity and basic nature showing some of the best artwork is no artwork at all! 

The third album cover is another iconic piece of artwork, this time from Pink Floyd. A single ray of light enters the triangle and comes out the other side as a rainbow. It may not seem much, but this very image is commonly seen on posters  or even framed when put upon walls by fans of the artist and the English rock bands captivating artwork. 

Album cover number 4 is a more recent offering from award winning artist Adele, once again following the simplistic trend. The cover depicts a close-up of the artists face in a harshly under lit scene. Much like her previous album covers, It has a monotone feel to it, with the photograph shot in black and white and the little colour shown coming from the Album title '21'. The album received a whopping seven grammy awards, making it an all round overwhelming success. 

The fith cover is Chris Brown's Fortune. What at first looks like a bunch of random symbols and signs toward the middle of the cover is in fact the word 'Fortune' encrypted in code, a simultaneously interesting yet confusing album cover. The background also includes the word fortune, this time in a collage of different languages, a subtle addition to the cover that I believe adds to its appeal. The centrepiece is of course a typical vein shot of the artist himself. 

The penultimate album is by popular boy band Take That. On this occasion, the album artwork related to its title 'Progress'. The image shows several men each represent a stage in life very similar the images related to Darwin's theory of Evolution. This heavily links to the albums title as it is essential portraying the progress of man. 

Finally the seventh Album is from recently split pop boy band JLS. I chose this cover as I find it is  suspiciously similar to that of Adele's 21 released in 2011. Same monotone style, similar portraits of the artist(s) and the same hint of colour within the text. Despite this potentially being a coincidence, I would be inclined to believe that Adele took some inspiration from this cover released 2008. Although I cannot fault the album artwork, the album quite rightly did cause some confusion as the title of the album is 'JLS', the same name as the band. 

Regardless, I can still take inspiration from this artwork along with the 6 other albums listed here and thousands more out there. They have sparked my imagination and got my creative juices flowing as I begin to plan what I want my album cover to look like.

Music Video Analysis - (OK GO - The Writing on the Wall)

The writings on the wall is OK GO’s latest released song of their collection coming out on the 17^th June this year (2014). They are fast becoming well known just as much for their amazingly creative music videos as they are for their actual music. This video is no exception, incorporating various optical illusions, challenging your perception and the way you see things. The video begins with a rotating piece which at certain angles can be seen to spell out the bands name ‘OK GO’ before we see the title of the song using your point of perception to make text painted on 3D objects seem 2D.  It seem to be simple overlaid text at first, but the band members soon move to reveal the clever trick of the eye.

We soon find another very interesting and unique feature to this video, as we begin to notice the lack of jump cuts, transitions and change of camera angle. This is due to the video, like many other of the bands productions, being filmed in a single shot. This means what we see is effectively in real time, and they only have one shot of getting it right before having to start the entire video again. This is a big risk that has evidently payed off for the band, in this video and ones previous. Without the aid of transitions, the video has an almost home-made feel to it and we see each band member filming themselves and attaching the camera to various pulleys and mechanisms to keep the video flowing and prevent it from becoming static. This is done to perfection in this video.

The music video provides the user with plenty of mental stimulation, as the band use a number of optical illusions to fool your perception. 1:26 into the video is a perfect example of just that as we see 9 seemingly normal boxes, until yet again the band prove that looks can be deceiving. It can only be seen to be believed! It is possible that this is one of the core meanings of the video, that things are not always as they first seem, especially when it comes to love.

We watch on as the camera is strapped to all sorts of mechanisms in order to captivate the watchers interest and spell out words or sentences strategically placed amongst the set. This is even extended to faces as we see an interpretation of one of the band members created entirely out of a collection of common household objects like staplers, a VHS video cassette and even a spare tyre!

Nearing the end of the video they showcase another clever trick using mirrors. As we see the man filming the scene perform a handheld tracking shot, we notice that there is a different band member appearing each time someone emerges from the back of the mirror. In the reflection of the mirror we see the men frantically getting into position so they do not miss their cue. This highlights how important the management of the music video was in the sense of getting everyone where they needed to be at the right time. Whilst this scene management is on quite another level, I too will have to put good management skills into practice in the creation of my music video later on in the year.

The finale of the music video present yet even more impressive illusions, including no existent steps, very realistic fake band members and last but not least a disappearing and beard, a shot that could have only been filmed once!  The video ends as it started, with the title of the song, this time painted across the entire room.

After the song finishes we hear the director shout “Cut” before a crew of about 40 people emerge from the background. Not only does this show how good they are at keeping out of the shot, but also how many people it takes to create such a masterpiece. Each person played a part and would have otherwise not had any acknowledgement of their achievement.

Like many other modern music videos, OK GO’s The writing on the wall video can be hard to relate to the actual song and its meaning aside from the literal writing on the walls. Despite this, it is yet another captivating piece from he geniuses behind the OK GO film crew. The video is unique in various ways, not least for being filmed in a single shot and the inclusion of expertly executed illusion. Personally I find this music video a slice of brilliance. The piece becomes even more special when you think of the time and effort that went into making and shooting the entire set-up. Unfortunately for this reason it rules out the idea of creating a video alike. On the other hand I can learn a lot from this video, and whilst ideas of creating a single shot music video are unlikely, they are not necessarily out of reach.

Here is the official Music video for OK GO's The Writing on the Wall, of which this analysis is based upon: