Video Five

Ke$ha "Die Young" 

Genre: Pop

"Die Young" is a song by American recording artist Kesha. It was released on September 25, 2012 as the lead single from her second studio album, Warrior. The pop song was written by Kesha, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Cirkut, and fun. singer Nate Ruess. Recorded in July 2011, Kesha wrote the lyrics after traveling around the world and embarking on a spiritual journey.


Mise-en-scene
The location of this video seems to be set in a run down temple/church. The costumes and make up used in the music video are punk/rock style as they are wearing leather with studs. Also, Ke$ha is wearing heavy black make up which is unusual for a pop music video. Both leather costumes and dark heavy make up are normally expected to be seen in a rock music video.


Camera Angles
There are different camera angles used throughout the music video but the main one that stood out was the close up shots and extreme close ups of kesha's lips showing her singing the to emphasise the lyrics of the song.

Editing
There is a lot of editing done with this music video. One editing technique that is used is jump cuts, the cuts are really quick this is effective because of the fast tempo of the music, if the jump cuts were slow it wouldn't fit in with the song. 

The kaleidoscope effect is also used in the music video, making different patterns and converging two pictures together into a shot. Futuristic lights have also been edited on to the music video. The kaleidoscope and futuristic lights create an illusion effect to the video. 

Video Four

Rizzle Kicks "When I Was A Youngster" 

Genre: Alternative hip hop 

"When I Was a Youngster" is the second official single released by British hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks, from their debut studio album, Stereo Typical. The single was released on 21 October 2011 in the United Kingdom. 

Mise-en-scene
The location changes throughout the music video but the main locations are in a school, park, bedroom and in a field. All the different locations in the video are used to represent different ages. There are also a variety of different costumes used throughout the video they are used to show all the different jobs they wanted to be when they were little, which shows the real meaning of the lyrics. The different costumes include; astronaut, fireman, cowboy and indian.  The use of props is also used to represent age which is the main story of the song. The main props used are a toy bow and arrow and water guns when they are dressed up in cowboy and indian costumes. 

Camera Angles
There is a variety of different camera angles in the video such as upwards and downwards shots, the shots could show a contrast that they are getting older and have no idea about what they want to do as a career and they are still a kid at heart and want to do jobs like be a 'cowboy' and 'indian' even though they are both unrealistic.  

Lighting
 
The lighting used in this video is mainly natural lighting as the locations in the video are mostly set outside in a park or a field therefore there isn't really a need for anymore lighting.

Video Three

Gabrielle Aplin "Home" 

Genre: Folk 

"Home" by English singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin. Home is from the album 'English Rain' which was released on 13th May 2013. 

Mise-en-scene 

The video is about a girl (Gabrielle Aplin) who gets robbed by a group of men who steal her car so she has to walk and find shelter and food. At the end of the video she finally finds a big and starts to interact with some locals.  Its when this happens that she comes to realise that it's not necessarily her home she's needing, but company of other people. The locations in the video are landscapes that are quite remote and bare therefore it makes the audience really understand her struggle.  

 

Camera Angels

One camera angle that stands out that was used in the video was when the camera was looking down on Gabrielle, this shot might suggest that she is feeling  depressed about her situation and makes her seem vulnerable. 

They also use an establishing shot to show the location of where they video is set, the landscape look deserted and lonely which makes the audience feel sorry for her because shes on her own in the middle of nowhere. 

Close ups are also used throughout the video to express her emotions which are mainly unhappy however towards the end it shows her emotions change as she finds a place and feel content and shows she is finally happy.

Editing 

Jump cuts are used throughout this video but stands out near the end of the video when it shows flashbacks of her journey whilst being at the place where she is happy and has meet people and seems content with the place that she has found. 

Lighting

I think lighting is important in this video as I think it is used to it shows her struggle throughout the video. At the start of the video the lighting is quite gloomy which represents the mood of the video until the end of the video when the mood changes. 

Also a lot of natural lighting is used in this video which is expected as it is filmed in deserted locations therefore would look out of place if it had spot lights.

Video Two

Ed Sheeran - "Give Me Love"

Genre: Indie pop

"Give Me Love" is a song by singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released as the sixth and final single from his debut studio album + on 21 November 2012. The song was written by Sheeran, Jake Gosling and Chris Leonard.

Mise-en-scene

The video is about the idea of 'cupid'. She is seen watching over couples, using her bow and arrows to ignite people's love for each other. Throughout the video after watching many couples come together cupid becomes overwhelmed with the need to find someone of her own to love. 

The use of blue, desaturated filters convey the cold and lonely emotions she is feeling. This is further enhanced by the distorted effect created by the smoke and blur in which she is concealed by. This is also shown through the clothes she wears as they are plain, colourless and bland which may reflect her view on life. 

 Camera Angels
Close ups used in the video focus on significant objects, such as the wooden mannequins, they are used to help to illustrate the plot line for the audiences. At the beginning of the video the shots are longer and use slow panning and dolly shots. But when the song reaches the climax, the shots are much shorter with rapid editing, which builds suspense. The cuts between the different shots seem to be random and are not in sync or in a particular order, which also conveys her disillusions and confusion. 


Lighting
The use of bright artificial lighting used throughout the video emphasises the lack of happiness that she feels. The lighting used in the video reflects the narrative of the song and the emotions that cupid expresses. 

Music Videos

Music Videos

Why are music videos made?

Music videos are used by music artists to help promote their music and recordings to boots their cd sales all over the world. It is said that music videos are purely a marketing device for the artists and record companies in order to help promote songs. 

Where can they be accessed?

Music videos can be accessed on the internet on websites such as YouTube. YouTube is more popular to the younger generation as they are seen to be accessing the internet more than ever using websites such as YouTube and social networking sites. 

Music videos can also be accessed on several different music channels in which people can easily access and watch music videos.  These channels include MTV, Channel 4 has created '4Music', it is the only channel under the box television network that is owned by channel 4.

How are technical (micro codes used) conventionally?

Mise en scene: this includes the location of the music video for example in a hip hop music video you would expect the location to be somewhere abroad, by a pool with loads of girls in bikini's. The location depends on the genre of the music video.

Lighting: the intensity, direction, and quality of lighting can influence the audience’s understanding of the themes and mood of the music video.  

Video One

As part of my research, I looked at a variety of music videos of the same genre I am focusing on and a few different genres just to get an idea of what is expected to be seen in different genres. I will also be interpreting their meanings and analyse them to get an understanding of each one. By using the website youtube I will look at several different videos and analyse each one. 

Video One - Kanye West "Runaway"

Genre: Hip hop

Runaway is a song from Kanye West which was released on October 4th 2010. Runaway comes from the album 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'. The video to Runaway was directed by Kanye West as well as Federico Fellini and Stanley Kubrick. 


Mise-en-scene
The video shows a group of ballet dancers dancing whilst Kanye West plays the piano and starts singing. The ballet dancers represents the lyrics and how the Kanye's emotions. 
The location of the video is in a big warehouse. The setting/layout is very simple as its just a big empty warehouse, with a huge table with guests sitting around it and a white piano. 

The mood at the beginning of the video is quite relaxed and due to the ballerinas come into the shot and start performing in the video, as well as the sound of the piano. However, when the lyrics come in at 1.20, the mood of the video changes as it expresses personal things about failed relationships and his acceptance of the media's perception of him. I think that the basic setting in the warehouse is used to portray the emotions of the song.

Camera Angles
One shot that I found intriguing was a mid-shot when the main tune of the song comes in and the ballet dancers begin their performance to the 'guests' to the dinner party. The mid shot shows the formation that they are in and shows each dancer moving separately.

Another camera angle that is used in the video is a birds eye view shot of the ballet dancers formation separating out in different directions. The birds eye view shot helps the audience to capture the delicate movements which the ballerinas are portraying in contrast against the lyrics which are about a failed relationship.

There a several mid shots looking downwards on Kanye throughout the video. I think these shots show Kanye to be quite the venerable to emphasis the lyrics of the song.

Editing
There are not many cuts through the duration on the video because the song is quite slow therefore, if they had had quick cuts it wouldn't of matched the tempo of the song and also the meaning. However, there are quite a few cuts between the ballet dancers and Kanye playing the piano. The cuts are used to shows the link between Kanye and the ballet dancers, showing that there routine reflects his mood. The mid shots to close up shots are used to show Kanye's emotions.

Overall, I think Kanye West has gone against the stereotypical conventions that audiences expect to see in a hip hop music video. Which I think is what makes the video stand out from other hip hop music videos as its unique.

Song/Genre Choice

Song Choices

I looked into what artists and bands I will be taking inspiration from to create my music video. It will also help me create the genre that I will be portraying. I have looked at a variety of different artists and bands as well as different music genres I could base my music video on. I have concluded that I will be creating a music video on the genre: Indie,Indie pop, Acoustic and Folk music. The artists/bands I have considered to look at are:

Ed Sheeran

Gabrielle Aplin

 Imagine Dragons
Kate Nash
Bat For Lashes
Ben Howard
Mumford And Sons
Amy Macdonald
Bombay Bicycle Club
Frank Turner
The Lumineers
The Other Tribe
Nina Nesbitt

Conventions

Conventions Of Music Videos

For part of my research into making a music video I looked at the different conventions that are expected to be seen in music videos, to get some sort of an idea of what the audience would expect to see in a music video and what makes it effective.

Mise-en-scene:  this includes the location of the music video for example in a hip hop music video you would expect the location to be somewhere abroad, by a pool with loads of girls in bikini's. The location depends on the genre of the music video.

Costume: costume used in music videos are quite important as they are used to reflect the mood and emotion of the song. The costumes depends on the genre of the music video. Costume is an important feature in a music video because its audience will copy and conform to what the artist is wearing and will be seen as a role model.

Make up and hair styles: the make up and hair styles used in a music video also depends entirely on the genre of the music video. For example, in a heavy metal music video the artist is likely to have dark black make up and coloured spiked up hair.

Lighting: the intensity, direction, and quality of lighting can influence the audience’s understanding of the themes and mood of the music video.

Props: props play vital role in aiding the scene in music video, they can be used to create significance on a particular object or people. However, not all music videos will include props. For example in a indie/folk music video an acoustic guitar might be a prop that they use.

Camera Shots: music videos include a variety of different shots. These may include long shots, close ups and mid shots. These shots are used to emphasis the artist, the location of the video or the emotion that the song it portraying. For example, in a rock music video a close up shot is most likely to be used to show the artist playing his guitar.

Camera movement: the movement of the camera is used to follow the trace the artist or the band. Camera movements include mostly panning and tracking camera movements.

Editing: jump cuts is the predominant editing technique used in a music video. This is because it shows a sudden change from one scene to another. Two other transitions used in music videos are dissolve and fade as they create a variety of different effect to cuts. For example in a hip hop video it could include a jump cut to show a change in scenes from a pool party to the night time when they are in a night club.