Peer Marking

ENCODED
- Good variety of shots and locations
- Excellent use of lighting and props
-Main lip-sync performer didn't seem very suited to the role
- Odd editing at times

GRACE STARR
- Good variety of shots
- Clear colour scheme
- Good narrative
- Artist could be more enthusiastic
- Too limited in terms of set/location

MISTAKES
- Had a clear theme (colour, paint powder)
- Good performance
- Great locations
- Good variety of shots

HYBRID BEAUTY
- Liked the underwater shots - different to other videos
- Good variety of locations
- Editing was good, on the beat
- Performance was slightly weak

COSMO
- Very original idea
- Good editing
- Could have a wider variety of shots

Class song feedback

Class Song feedback

We played our chosen song for our class and got their feedback from it. We took the main points they made and create a list of what we need to look out for:

* The start of the song is very slow, so there needs to be something excited happening to make sure that the audience is kept interested.

*I like the idea of the switching between the artist and the producer but it needs to be kept clear who the main artist is.

Lip-sync task

In order to determine which role in our video would go to who, Phoebe and I each lip-synced to a section of our chosen song. We decided I would portray the main singer and Phoebe would be dancing and partially lip-syncing.

Music Video Pitch

Phoebe & Lucy - Music Video Pitch from LucyHocart

Song Ideas

My suggestions for our music video song included music from Wolf Alice, Paramore, Black Honey and Lorde.

I had two suggestions for Lorde's music - White Teeth Teens and Buzzcut Season. Both songs definitely showcase a lot of teen angst, which could be cliche when creating a video around them. However, I had a lot of ideas of how we could use lighting/slow motion for these songs, as they both have a very dreamy vibe and fairly slow tempo.



For Paramore, me and Phoebe both liked the idea of using their song Rose-Coloured Boy. It has a lot of lyrics which would be interesting to translate into something visual, but we felt it would need a wider cast than just us two and a really strong narrative, which could prove difficult to plan. It sounds very lighthearted and a lot like a pop song, but the lyrics themselves relate to feeling extremely sad and wanting to be left alone, which would be creatively challenging but fun to try and replicate through a video.


My Black Honey song suggestions included Teenager and Spinning Wheel.
Teenager is a favourite song of mine, and like the Lorde songs has a very dreamy vibe but is more upbeat. However, me and Phoebe were unsure of a narrative for this song.
Spinning Wheel has a really strong, fast tempo, but starts off slowly - this gave us a lot of ideas on how to use a variety of long shots alongside short, very quick-cut montage sequences.

Audience Work

I usually listen to music while walking to and from school, work, town and while travelling in the car or train. My favourite songs are arranged in playlists, with my most listeend to one being a "dance" playlist with upbeat and loud osngs - this includes tracks from Gorillaz, MGMT, Grimes and Scissor Sisters.
I have a broad music taste, with some songs remaining from when I was younger and listened to heavier/alternative music. This includes bands such as Fall out Boy, MSI and Hole, but I prefer listening to my more current music - this includes more indie/synth bands such as Wolf Alice, Empire of the Sun, Glass Animals and Two Door Cinema Club.
I share the same music taste with a few of my friends so I often help with song choices at parties as theres usually some songs we all like.
I listen to music via Soundcloud, Spotify and CDs on my radio at home.

No Rest - Dry The River (Analysis)

The beginning of this song is very quiet and slow, and makes a reference to King Solomom, which brings a Biblical theme to mind. This slow pace is reflected by the lack of movement and slow motion throughout the first 30(ish) seconds. The video itself also lets you know the song is a sad one, due to the performers nervous expressions and the grey colour scheme.
When the beat of the song finally starts, various people around the main performers begin walking across them and placing rocks around their bodies. Two dead birds are also placed in these rocks, with one being a crow, which has connotations of death.
The fire adds to the imagery of death and danger, but is then replaced by water being thrown over the performers during the bridge and chorus - this alongside the bright white light at the end of the video gives the end of the video a lighter feel than the start.
On the whole it is a very intense video and fits the song very well - when listening to just the music without seeing the video I had an image of rain pouring, so the concept of using water was definitely something that worked.

Banana Phone

This was a short task aimed to let us try out new camera/filming techniques, instead of relying on basic filming techniques.

Musical Timeline

Musical timeline from LucyHocart

Star Profile

Star profile – Gerard Way from LucyHocart

30 Second Breakdown

I have screenshotted and broken down the first 30 seconds of this music video to show how it establishes shots and settings - this music video  is "Walking On A Dream" by electronic duo Empire Of The Sun. This was their first single and video, so it was important in establishing their eclectic, cultural aesthetic which they have stuck with throughout their musical career.

The opening shot is of the main singer, Luke Steele, dressed in a old-fashioned, royal-looking gown and empirical headdress kneeling in front of a temple.

 

  

The shot fades into Steele walking towards the camera, shown in a full-body shot.

He then appears in a close-up shot, and begins miming to the song as the vocals start to play.

Steele, still in traditional dress is joined by a second man - producer Nick Littlemore - in a wide shot  surrounded by trees and urban buildings.

A wide-shot of skyscraper buildings is shown, establishing the setting as modern, in a city, which suits the duo's futuristic image.

In a mid-shot, both men are shown continuing to lip-sync the song.

More wide shots of the city and Littlemore are shown, with these last two shots shown at the 30 second mark.

Andrew Goodwin - Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin discusses six different conventions or music videos.

1. Goodwin states that there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals - that the visuals illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics. For example, "Season 2 Episode 3" by Glass Animals illustrates the lyric - on the line "My girl eats mayonnaise/from a jar when she's getting blazed", the girl in the video is shown eating from a jar of mayonnaise.
2. Thought Beats - Essentially seeing the sounds - the visuals illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics. Thought beats can also refer to when a video is edited in time to the music/pace of the song. For example, the music video for "Isombard" by Declan McKenna showcases this with shots that switch between each other on the beat of the song.

3. Genre-related style and iconography present - this is when an artist/genre has a particular motif that appears in all/most of their music videos and is recognisable as iconic. For example, Hayley Williams of Paramore is notable for her brightly coloured hair and makeup.

4. Multiple close-ups of the main artist or vocalist - this refers to the creation of a star image in order to promote a recognisable brand image. The video for "Love" by Lana Del Rey shows many cloe-up shots of Lana herself, showing her style and branding.