Mood board

This is a collection of images that we feel are relative to what we aim to involve in our music video.

visual proposal

Visual Proposal 2

SMART Targets

M
Measurable;
We will do a survey using fellow classmates or family members or our own judgment to make sure what is required has been achieved.


A
Achievable;
As a group we will use ideas and techniques which are achievable given the time and budget that we have. In other words, we cannot use ideas which would cost alot of money or take a very long time.

R
Realistic;
Our music video can be completed to a high standard and is a realistic target.

T
Time;
We will make sure that we are very aware of time and that it is not endless. Our final cut must be complete by the 19th April 2010 and we must meet this deadline.

As a group we need to take into account time limitations and deadlines- Everything must be complete by December.

Digipak analysis 2

Digipak

Digipak analysis

Digipak 2

Analysis of Cocorosie's Lemonade

Analysis of ‘Lemonade’ by ‘Cocorosie’
Cocorosie are a cross-genre of Freak folk, Hip hop and experimental. I feel that it is important for artists to have their music video’s coincide with their genre which cocorosie have achieved extremely well.
The video opens with a melancholy piano tune and a long establishing shot of an old styled mansion. Immediately, the low key lighting and use of sinister and mysterious dark colour sets the scene accordingly. The accompaniment of the music with the dark mansion creates an ominous feel to the music video and makes the audience want to see what is inside.
The next shot is a long shot of two women walking away from each other along a banister. This could be to signify distance and loss or the theme of separation; again establishing the theme of the video and the song to be dark and morose.
There is then a birds-eye-view shot of the two female characters next to one another walking down the stairs. The birds-eye-view used in conjunction with a pan gives the audience the sense that the characters feel watched or followed. This makes them ask if they are the spectators or whether the characters feel watched by somebody within the space. Further making the audience want to find out if they are being observed by another character within the music video.
Next, the camera cuts to a medium shot of the characters/artists. This is a really important shot as it allows the audience to really see the characters’ costumes and make up. For example; Victorian styled dresses and accessories along with deep purple lip stick and drawn or affixed facial hair. Again, the whole demeanour of the costume hair and make-up follows the gloomy atmosphere. Some audiences may find such a video bizarre or difficult to grasp, however, their target audience would relate well to the emotions which are extrapolated by the effects and dramatisations.
There is not a distinct story line although the desired sentiment is reached which is what I aim to achieve when producing my own music video as this allows diverse readings rather than constricted ones. I feel that music videos and lyrics should be able to speak out to an audience and individuals instead of having a direct approach.
For example, more mainstream artists such as Taio Cruz have the tendency to rely upon expected story lines such as ‘boy meets girl’, ‘love’ or ‘relationship breakdowns’.

‘She’s Like a Star’ is a classic example of this which shows a male being in love with a female and feeling completely compelled by her. I feel that this is a clichéd approach and with my chosen song I will challenge the regular idea of what a music video should involve.

Analysis of 'The Knife' music video

Analysis of ‘You Take My Breath Away’ by The Knife;



As you can see, the opening of the song uses ambi-editing with the flashing disco lights. The colours in the clip are blue and amber. The significance of the blue could be to indicate a trance like feel or techno atmosphere. Further, the amber lighting contrasting with the blue lighting keep the eyes of the audience switching constantly so that they can really feel the pace of the song.
Shortly after this, the audience are introduced to the band members who are wearing colourful puffer jackets; one red and one orange. The band members are swaying to the beat of the music and have been done up in strikingly heavy make-up. The significance of the amber and red could be to signify the danger that the characters may be harmful. In addition, the band member in the red coat has the collar turned up in the style of Dracula which emphasises this even further.
The Camera cuts to a man dancing in all black with a black and red strip across his face. This is relevant to my song choice of ‘Pearls Dream’ as there isn’t a story line as such and the directors have chosen to create mystery rather than narrative.
As the video has been made using a small budget because The Knife are not a highly popular band, the effects, costumes and lighting that has been used appears to be amateur. Particularly some of the effects- they have used the fade effect which can be seen at 0.12 seconds.
The editors have then chosen to use basic special effects of neon lights flashing on the screen. I think the editors chose to do this to keep the audience interested as there is not much happening within the sequence.
‘we're in the middle of something
we are here to stay
and we raise our heads for the colour red’
These lyrics are key to the music video as the characters are centre screen with red lights above them- a perfect summary of the nature of the song.
The editors go on to use more basic editing techniques and the costumes of the performers do not change for the duration of the video.
It could be argued that as The Knife are an alternative/indie/electro pop group, the ambiguous and indistinct cheaply made video reaches out to their fans. Fans of The Knife would be disappointed to see a glossy American style music video and would appreciate the simplistic nature combined with music lyrics which can be analysed and interpreted in numerous ways which this video comprises.

Introduction:

Welcome to my blog.
This is where I will be documenting all the information I gather when going through the process of producing my A2 Music Video.