Research
into music video location:
It is often that rock music videos are located in abstract
and obscure places because it makes them unique. We have discovered this through research of
other popular and successful rock/indie music videos. A lot of rock songs try
to accomplish some originality and part of this is down to the music video.
Through discussion, we decided that as a group the museum would be an
interesting possibility because they showcase a variety of extraordinary,
standout objects that can be made to look creative if filmed effectively. All
of the antiques on show are majestic, conceptual, and aesthetic. The example of
the art gallery is good because of the diversity of the paintings they have.
Some are relatively modern whereas others are quite archaic, dating back to
even the Tudor period. Also the objects that we film, including those
paintings, can be open to interpretation to the audience as to how the pieces
affect them personally. For these
reasons, the museum would be an ideal location for shooting the music video as
our piece of coursework. We are allowed to film in the museum as long as there
is no flash on the camera. Through research of other music videos, we also
found that social events like parties and gatherings seem to be popular.
Perhaps this is because it creates the image of recklessness and freedom. Being
surrounded by friends is positive and shots can be made about this through
dancing and congregations of friends laughing and having a good time. House
parties tend to be dark too with only flickers of light being shown and this
could be effective in the music video our group is making because it could
reflect upon the fact that even though it is a lively setting, there are darker
aspects to the narrative.
Our story:
The story and narrative that will support our music video,
“West Virginia”-The Front Bottoms, follows the scene of a party in which social
interactions and relationships are explored. Although the story is not
explicit, it complements the lyrics by showing the arguments between people in
relationships. At the party, there will be diversity shown between lots of
different types of relationships which can convey the realism of the story. We
have also decided that rather than having a narrative at the museum, some live
action shots of the band will be taken here too. This will include various shots
of the members from close up and afar. We thought that if we filmed some of the
museums artefacts, it would make for an interesting concept in the music video
so not as much to create a narrative but to convey some of the unique and
interesting objects in the museum. It was found through research that quite a
few other rock/indie genre music videos accomplished this successfully too. We
have applied our story to Hollywood’s classical 5 stage narrative.
1. Exposition – Setting scene and introducing characters.
This can relate to our music video because the narrative starts with the
introduction to the setting of the party, with the friends being trailed from
behind with the camera (a brief introduction to characters in narrative too).
2. Development – Situation develops, more characters
introduced. The main characters are introduced properly here so to develop
the situation through the argument that is beginning between them, a starting
point for the narrative.
3. Complication – Something happens to complicate the lives
of the characters. When the music becomes louder, so does the situation.
This only reinforces the argument further and makes the complication of the
situation worse.
4. Climax – Decisive moment reached; matters come to
head; suspense high. Here the narrative breaks out into violence towards
the end of the verse. This is shown through the body language of characters and
close ups of objects that have violent connotations, like alcohol and smashed
glass. There isn’t any dialogue because this will be told through the lyrics of
the song.
5. Resolution
– Matters are resolved and
satisfactory end is reached. Towards the end of the song the narrative is
resolved by the two girls being less resentful- although not entirely friendly
as at the beginning, a conclusion is made through the use of character facial
expression and body language being restored to how it as at the songs
beginning.
Research
into other music videos:
It is also important, before we start to film, that we
research other music videos of a similar genre and target audience so that we
have an understanding of how and what makes them successful. One music video we
researched was one by The Vaccines that I had previously watched. I remember
the beginning of the video to be situated in a museum type building with large
stair cases and golden rails, like the museum has in Bristol. It is also of the
same indie/rock genre that our music video is going to be so was useful to
analyse. The Vaccines’ music video was effective through its use of subtlety
and its conceptual design. We found this to be common amongst other music
videos of the indie/rock genre too. For this reason, as a group we collectively
have decided that the museum would be exciting and interesting to film at so
that our music video will create similar effects but in its own unique way. We
also looked at some other music videos for inspiration too, these can be found in the images displayed.
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Research
into target audience:
To understand who
our target audience is, we needed to see which types of people were interested
in rock/indie music. It came to our understanding that a lot of people
interested in it are younger people because it is most appealing to them. In
particular, newer rock and indie music found on channels like Radio 1 or
Kerrang were viewers predominantly between the ages of 15-25. Perhaps this is
due to the trendy, almost fashionable, music scene surrounding rock and indie
genres. For this reason, we are going to aim for our music video to appeal to
this target audience too.
Extract from BBC Radio
1 remit- “The remit of Radio 1 is to entertain and engage a broad range of
young listeners with a distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech. It
should reflect the lives and interests of 15–29 year olds but also embrace
others who share similar tastes. It should offer a range of new music, support
emerging artists – especially those from the UK – and provide a platform for
live music. News, documentaries and advice campaigns should cover areas of
relevance to young adults. The remit of 1Xtra is to play the best in
contemporary black music with a strong emphasis on live music and supporting
new UK artists. The schedule should also offer a bespoke news service, regular
discussion programmes and specially commissioned documentaries relevant to the
young target audience (15–24 year olds), particularly, although not
exclusively, those from ethnic minorities.”
Camera
Shots in Music videos:
Very Wide Shot- This is where the artist is still visible
(barely) but the emphasis is still on placing the artist in the
location/setting.
Wide Shot- A wide shot is where the artist is shown taking
up more of the shot, but the focus is still on the surroundings.
Medium Shot- A medium shot shows the artist from his/her
waist to head and is able to show their expressions. It mainly focuses on the
subject, but still giving an impression on the location/setting.
Medium Close Up- This shot is halfway between a medium shot
to a close up shot, showing the artist from chest to head.
Close up shot- This is a shot where the camera focuses
clearly on something. Usually displaying the artists face, but it can also
centre on an object that the artist is holding.
Extreme Close up- This shows a part of the artist’s face
extremely close up, for example eyes, or mouth to identify something that can
have an effect of showing the audience the artist’s thoughts and feelings. It
could even be used to see the artist singing/lip syncing to the music that is
playing.
Over the shoulder shot- This is a good shot to be used,
specifically in narrative based music videos. Usually when the artist is acting
or speaking to another character you tend to see an OTS shot to display the
conversation or to show something the character is looking at.
Cut in- This shot can be used in music videos to show
something that the lyrics might be saying. It shows and object in detail and is
similar to an extreme close up, but used very quickly and has an object that
relates to the subject or narrative.
Camera
Angles:
Camera angles play a huge part to emphasising the artist or
to show emotions and expressions.
Eye Level – This is a very common view being the real world
angle that we are all use to seeing; it shows subjects as we would expect to
see them in real life.
High Angle – This is where it shows the subject from above,
and the camera is angled down towards the subject. This has the effect of
making them appear less powerful, more submissive and even less significant.
Low Angle – This is where the artist is shown from below,
making them seem a lot more powerful and dominant.
Bird’s eye view – Bird’s eye view is showing the
subject/scene from directly above. This can be used for a dramatic effect or
showing a different spatial perspective. It can also be used to show the
different positions and motions of characters, enabling the viewers to see
things the artist might not see.
Slanted – This is when the camera is slanted also known as a
Dutch angle where the camera is purposely tilted to one side so that the
horizon is on an angle. This is creative in making interesting dramatic
effects.
Camera
Movement:
Pans – This is where the camera scans a scene horizontally.
The camera is place on a tripod, which operates as a stationary axis point as
the camera is turned, often to show the moving object which is kept in the
middle of the frame. This could also be used as an establishing shot in the
beginning of a trailer, so that the viewers know where it all takes place.
Dolly/Tracking – This is where the camera is mounted to a
cart which travels along tracks for a very smooth movement. This would take
place while one/two people are walking from one place to another, and the
camera moves with them making it more fluent.
