Other Inspiration

Magnetic Man - Getting Nowhere:

I like the element of the bmxing that has been included in this music video. The plainness adds to the narrative of the video, which is about the apocalypse. The location of the video is set in a dark and isolated block of flats, which sets up the narrative well. I will think about using the type of location and perhaps other elements of this video when storyboarding, as the clear ideas used in this music video, are something that I think would work really well.

The Horrors - Who Can Say:

This is performance based music video. I really like the lighting techniques that have been used in this video, in order to achieve a very bright and dramatic appearance to the music video. When storyboarding, I will think very carefully about what lighting I use and how I use it, in order to create the desired effect.

David Guetta - Titanium:

Although this particular music video is only narrative based and the plot is quite over the top, the parts where the boy is cycling works really well. The song fits in well and as soon as the song hits a faster beat, a quick montage of shots of the boy cycling are used. I will think about perhaps using quick shots within my own music video, in order to create a snappy and fast pace to the video.

The Maine - Misery:

Similarly to The Horror - Who Can Say, I really like the use of lighting in this music video. The video has a simple narrative, which is effective in emphasising the eerie shots of the guy tied to a chair. There also appears to be a slight sepia effect placed on all of the shots, which is interesting in creating a distress and despair in the main singer. I will again think about the lighting and different effects that I will use in my own music video when storyboarding, in order to get a specific appearance to the video, that fits in well with the song.

Taylor Swift - Safe & Sound:

The location used in this music video is extremely isolated and a white mist effect has been used over the location in order to create a bleakness to the video. I will think specifically about the locations that I will use when storyboarding, in order to create a realistic element to the music video.

Vampire Weekend - Oxford Coma:

I like the continuous, long shot used throughout the majority of this music video. Also, the humorous element that has been added, such as showing the equipment used for the tracking shot and also the film crew. creates a fun and care free sense to the video, which has been absent from the majority of the other music videos that I have analysed. I will think specifically about the particular shots that I will use within the music video, in order to make it fit in with the genre of the music.

Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks:

Although an animated music video, it is really interesting how the animation keeps in time with the song and works well with the beat. This video is bit extreme and mad but has been cleverly crafted to work perfectly with the song. I will think very carefully about making sure that I match the shots to the beat of the song. I will need to be very careful in editing to achieve a precise match between the song and video.

 

Naughty Boy (Feat Sam Smith) - La La La:

I like how unique and original this music video is. The use of eccentric costume and odd locations is really intriguing and definitely and element that I will look at using in my own music video. Some of the shots, for example, a shot circling the characters is also really interesting. I will look at using some similar shots in my video.

Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2U:

I like the atmosphere that is created within this music video. Sinéad O'Connor really conveys the emotions within the song and captivates the audience with a music almost entirely just of her singing. I am intrigued by the strong effect, that the plain black background has, and also how her simple black clothing and pale make up, accentuates her emotions and the overall tone of the song.

Hard Fi - Cash Machine

'Cash Machine' is the debut single by English indie rock band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was originally released on 24 January 2005 and there have been different music videos, produced for the song, one of which was a low-budget video for the original release, and an official version for the re-release.

Original Music Video:

The original video has Hard-Fi's boss "Mr. Big" telling the band that "the reason you boys are so skint is the record company hasn't paid us". "Mr Big" is very similar to Guy Ritchie's mobster character in the British gangster film, 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'. He orders them to steal the tapes from a courier at Heathrow Airport. The band, wearing masks of political figures such as the Queen and Tony Blair, end up mostly fighting each other, while lead singer Archer discovers the case, believed to hold the tapes.

The video is interspersed with shots of the band playing in a field near an airport as large planes fly overhead. It contains a sly reference to their idols 'The Clash', as during the performance in the field, Archer pulls a mask off of Stephens' face, similarly to the video for "Rock the Casbah", when Joe Strummer reveals guitarist Mick Jones' face. I will look at the locations that I will use within my own music video, to ensure that they are accessible and interesting.

Archer explains that "The budget was less than £1,000. The whole budget was pizza, beer and world leader masks. The rest was favours from friends, but for the second one we had much more money. When we made that single we weren't signed to a major label yet but a small independent. So we had no money, we'd made this little mini-album for just £300 in a lock-up in Staines on a mouldy old laptop that kept crashing. And we thought we needed a single and a video for it. But we had no money. A mate of mine was pretty good with a camera, and we decided to make a Heist movie, because we'd seen a documentary about a heist and the U2 "Beautiful Day" video - obviously that was done with CGI graphics and hundreds of thousands of pounds, but we thought 'Let's use our brains, our resources, what's round us. We live right underneath Heathrow Airport, let's go and do it for real'. So, we scouted the area, worked out which way the planes were flying, and got up early one morning, got the gear over the fence, set up and assessed the risks."

Official Music Video:

The second video that was made is known as the official music video for the song. It shows the interior of a cash machine staffed by miniature humans, including the four band members, who are working in conditions similar to coal mines. The images are similar to the Fire planet from season 3 of the science fantasy television series Lexx. The video shows these people involved in all steps of making the money, from cutting down the trees used for the paper, to painting the money, to pushing it through the slot when someone requires it. The workers finally rebel, and destroy the interior of the machine in a series of explosions. Life-sized Archer comes to the machine shortly after these events and, finding a message declaring the machine out of service, again proclaiming, "Oh knickers!" just like in the original music video.

There is typically a relationship between the song lyrics, the music, and the visuals in a music video. Most songs are about a certain item, act, or emotion, and this is normally portrayed by the visuals of the video, but in other cases the lyrics can contradict what is in the video, or have no correlation what so ever. Also, in music videos the lyrics and video can combine to portray and repeat a message to manipulate the audience. All four of these points are described and named by Andrew Goodwin,

Disjuncture: The video and the lyrics have no correlation to each other.

Contradict: The visuals of the video contradict with the song lyrics.

Illustrate: The visuals have some literal representation of the songs lyrics.

Amplify: Repetition of the key meaning to manipulate an audience. The visuals may be exaggerated.

The song Cash Machine, shows the image of a cash machine and them working in a cash machine, as the song repeats “working for the cash machine”, illustrating the message, and amplifying the message. This video is a more literal interpretation of the lyrics of the song than the original music video. Another example being when, Archer is using a mobile phone while singing "I try to phone a friend". I will look at how I use different shots and images, to represent the lyrics in the song that I choose, to use for my own music video.



All Time Low - Time Bomb

 Dirty Work is the fourth full-length studio album by American pop punk band All Time Low. The song 'Time Bomb' was released as part of the album on June 7th 2011. In this particular music video, there is a mixture of both performance and narrative. The song itself appears to be about two people torn apart by their own infatuation with one another. It’s about the struggle to hold a strong relationship together, and the fight and the desire to make it work. I think that the video effectively demonstrates the message of the song. I will need to consider whether or not to include the element of matching the message of the song to the video or to not match them.

Lead singer Alex Gaskarth, says that this song is about a couple trying to keep a dying relationship together, though they are being pulled apart by outside influences. The dramatic narrative of the video is used to symbolise this. Interspersed between the performance element of the video, there are aspects of the narrative, which have been taken from 'Iron Man'. - A budding Tony Stark has to build a heart-saving device before time runs out or a guns-blazing black ops crew shoots him down. And with a romantic element to the music video, the medical breakthrough saves the life of his girlfriend who lies waiting in a gloomy hospital bed. The song concludes with the pair reaching the rooftop and revealing her glowing chest as the band wraps up the song - a cliff hanger ending.

The punk style of music is often used in action sequences as it is fast and energetic, and therefore fits in well with the video. There is a mixture of both close ups and long shots, creating a fast paced video. The camera is also handheld in parts, creating a shaky element to some of the shots. This is quite dynamic and matches the music very well. In the performance element of the video, the editing is just as fast, with jump cuts on the beat of the drum.

There are some really clever elements to this music video. One of which being, 3/4 of the way through the video, the narrative suddenly enters the performance aspect of the video. There is a really interesting over the shoulder shot from a band member's point of view, showing the action of the plot taking place. I think that this combination of both the plot and the band playing on a rooftop within the music video works really well.

Also, the band are dressed in black, punky clothes and the hero wears a leather jacket, in order to appeal to their younger target audience. There are lots of close ups on the lead singer, in order to make him recognisable to the audience. There are also medium shots and close ups on the other band-members, though these shots focus more on their instruments and their musical talents.

30 Seconds To Mars - A Beautiful Lie

A Beautiful Lie is the second album by American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. It was released on August 30, 2005 through Virgin Records. The music video was shot in August 2007 in Greenland. The video was meant to be similar to a short film/documentary, showing the importance of global warming. Jared (the main singer) said that the video would be environmentally safe and for every download of the video, the money would go to an environmental charity. The video itself, features hidden frames of coal emissions into the environment, dead animals and a cemetery of white crosses.

There are some really interesting shots used within this music video, one of which is the match being lit at the beginning. The close up of this really emphasises the aim of the song and has strong connotations of global warming. The lit match is perhaps meant to represent the destruction of the earth. The shot is particularly effective in establishing the plot of the music video and contrasts in colour to the majority of the music video, as it is quite a dark and eerie shot. Although the shots of the band members in Greenland are quite extreme and lots of panning shots are used to portray the location, it is still effective in emphasising the message of the song. This will be something that I will need to think about when storyboarding my music video, to ensure that the video fits in with the song and explains the message of the song.

There are lots of really clever and interesting shots used of the band members playing, with a range of shots of them and their musical instruments. In particular, long shots of silhouettes of the band members are used, which is effective in creating interesting shapes against the stunning backdrop in Greenland.

The use of natural lighting really adds to the overall video and emphasises their silhouettes well. There are also lots of close ups of the band member's faces and the use of side and key lighting in these shots portrays the anger in the faces. The darkness within the shots as well, provides a mysterious element to the music video. One particular shot that was quite interesting, was a blurred shot of the lead singer's face coming into focus. This again adds to message of the song, about a lie coming into light. The elements of the use of lighting and also different shot types are definitely something that I will consider including in my music video as they provide another interesting aspect of the video and creates a natural atmosphere within the video.

One particular technique that was used in the music video, was slow motion shots. These were extremely effective in emphasising the anger of the band and it established the mood of the song well. The shots also allow the audience to focus in on the band members and their costume and makeup, which is quite gothic in appearance. There appearance contrasts a lot to the location of the music video, perhaps portraying a negative view of humanity within nature. There is also another point, nearer the end of the video, where a drop of blood splashes onto the ice. This is could be a symbol of the 'lie'. The close up shot is clever in emphasising the symbol. When storyboarding my own music video, I will look at using a symbol, to signify an important theme or element in the song. However, the music video does end with a long shot of the beautiful location, leaving the video on a high. This emphasises the original purpose of the song and music video.

The Script - The Man Who Can't Be Moved

'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' is the second single of an Irish band, The Script. The song was released 25th July 2008. In this particular music video, there is a strong plot evident throughout. Danny (the main singer) is sitting on a pavement patiently singing about how he is waiting for a girl to come and meet him. Crowds begin to gather round him and he makes the news, becoming something of a celebrity. Near the end of the video there are time lapsed scenes of days passing and the audience witnesses Danny in rain and snow, growing older with a larger beard, but still waiting on the pavement. The video ends with a close-up on Danny who is still waiting as the girl has yet to come to him.

 

The mise en scène of the performance element of the music video changes from the street location in which the vocalist was originally introduced, into a multi-story car park where the band are playing their instruments together. I really liked the constant switch between narrative and performance in this music video, with shots of the actual band playing, intertwined with the plot of the video. This gave a good balance to the music video and the shots of the band in a parking lot creates a clear urban atmosphere, similar to the urban city that Danny is walking around. The urban environment also perhaps portrays just how isolated and lonely Danny is feeling. The band are wearing casual clothing, similarly to the lead vocalist, Danny, which offers a slightly rough edge to the band, giving them a typical band image, which appeals more to their female audience. The appearance of the band playing the song together, produces an authenticity to their music. The element of switching between plot and actual singing is definitely something that I will consider when planning out my storyboard for my own music video.

There is a clear plot to the music video, with simple shots of Danny walking around and also waiting for the girl to come. Although simple, the video is still very effective in getting a message across about what the song is actually about. The simple plot is again something that I should think about when storyboarding my own music video. There appears to be an effect that has been placed on the shots, which again produces an urban feel to the music video. This is effective in creating a sense of desperation and failure, which is evident in the plot of the music video.

There is also a time lapse effect, which has been placed on part of the music video. It has been used to illustrate the story of Danny who doesn’t want to move. The camera at this point shows the audience, the progression through night time, into the next day. This is a feature in which projects ‘amplification’ – a form of visual which intends to amplify the song’s meaning by introducing a more creative sense during the production of the video. During this effect, the displaying of seasons, changing from summer to winter, large groups of the public walking very fast, clouds moving very fast etc. all show amplification techniques which exaggerate the story. A fast cut montage is also used alongside the time lapse effect, making it almost impossible to see every frame upon the first viewing. I will consider the speed of my own music video when I come to making it. I will need to look at what effect I want to create and how it impacts on the audience.
 

Imagine Dragons - Radioactive

Radioactive is a song recorded by American Indie Rock band, Imagine Dragons. Radioactive is an indie rock song with elements of electronic rock and dub step, while containing cryptic lyrics of apocalyptic and revolutionist themes. The music video was released on December 10th, 2012. It was directed by Syndrome and features puppeteers by the studio Puppet Heap. The video revolves around a mysterious female drifter who is on a quest to save her friends (Imagine Dragons) from the perils of a sinister, underground puppet-fighting ring.
 

Although the plot of the video is quite strange, the locations that were used for the music video were really interesting and created an urban feel to the music video, something which I may consider to include when storyboarding my own music video. The shots of the main singer hitting the drum are effective in producing an eerie yet intense atmosphere. This prop (the drum) is something that I could think about using as it provides the musical element to the video as well as adding to the plot.

The close up shots of the girl, arriving at the underground puppet-fighting ring, are effective in producing clear and mysterious shots. These shots add to the plot, as it provides suspense for the audience, who are waiting to find out who she is and why she is there. Her costume also fits in well with the apocalyptic theme as they are quite dirty and dark looking. This provides a sense of the need for survival, and rescue in this case. Her costume is also similar to that of the band members, who are trapped in the underground prison. This implies that they are on the same team and that the female is there to save them.

The puppet element to the music video is quite strange and defies audience's expectations of what the video could have been. Although a serious song, the puppets provides a humorous aspect to the music video, which perhaps takes away from the message of the song. However, the humorous element does create an interesting video and definitely holds the audience's attention, which is a main aim of a music video. So in that respect, I feel that adding humorous elements to a music video can grab the audience's attention and ultimately becomes more appealing to a wider audience, including younger teenagers/children, who would be more enticed by the puppets than the actual music.

Speaking of the video to MTV, Reynolds said "We read through a ton of scripts from really talented directors, and we came across one that stood out to us in particular, because it put into visuals the general theme of the song, which is kind of an empowering song about an awakening, but it did it in a way that was very different,". "A lot of people probably see a post-apocalyptic world when they hear 'Radioactive', understandably, but we wanted to deliver something that was maybe a little different from that ... a lot different from that".
 

A-ha - Take on Me

The first music video that I am going to analyse is from at least 20 years ago. I have decided to choose this particular music video, Take on Me, to give me an idea of how music videos are produced and the clever techniques and effects that can be used to producing an interesting overall appearance. Take on Me is a song by a Norwegian band called A-ha. The song was released in 1985 and the song combines synthpop with a variety of instruments, including acoustic guitars, keyboards and drums.

The video features the band in a pencil-sketch animation method called rotoscoping, combined with live action. Basically, live-action footage is traced-over frame by frame to give the characters realistic movements. Approximately 3,000 frames were rotoscoped, which took 16 weeks to complete.The video's main theme is a romantic fantasy narrative. It begins with a montage of pencil drawings in a comic book style representing motorcycle sidecar racing, in which the hero, played by Morten Harket, is pursued by two opponents. Towards the end, shots of Harket, show him trying to break out of his comic-book frames. At the same time, his image appears in the girl's hallway, seemingly torn between real and comic form, hurling himself repeatedly against the walls as he attempts to shatter his two-dimensional barrier. This scene is largely patterned after a climactic scene in the 1980 film 'Altered States'.

This music video appealed to me in particular because of the interesting mix of fantasy and reality. The clever combination of a cartoon and the real world creates an interesting storyline and captivates the viewer's attention. I have found from watching this music video and some others, that having a storyline to the music video is more interesting and holds the attention of the audience more effectively.

There are many other different films and TV shows, which also incorporate a mix of cartoon and reality into their storyline. Some of these include, 'The Phantom Toll Booth', a 'Family Guy parody' of 'Take on Me', and 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' (1988), which broke new ground with its advanced special effects and 'realistic' portrayal of the interaction of animated characters and live actors.

In the Family Guy episode, Breaking Out is Hard to Do, Chris gets dragged into the music video while in the grocery store. This was extremely effective in recreating the video, with an almost shot by shot exact comparison. There have also been other covers of the song. One particular version was Dustin McLean's literal version cover of the song, which was the first known example of the 'literal music video' meme.

The music video is iconic in portraying the band A-ha in a certain way, in order to grab people's attention. The video perhaps appeals slightly more to the younger generation as it is intriguing and eye catching. It definitely interests this type of audience, as it has an compelling narrative and the rotoscoping technique holds the attention of the audience throughout the entire video. The band, A-ha also have a certain appeal to the female audience, which is portrayed through their 'cool' clothing, including denim and leather jackets and also, the way their hair has been styled. The band have been styled as idols for a younger female audience.