Music Video Ideas

Music Video Ideas

Here are some of my ideas for storylines of songs that have been recently released. I have tried to get across the narrative that I have in my mind and also shed a bit of light when it comes to the style of cinematography. I am certain that I want to pick a topic that picks up on the lives of ‘real’ people in the UK, so have chosen songs that would reflect that. I am also very keen to voice a political opinion. Whether that will make the audience question the views, or just learn something from someone else’s point of view.

The King Blues- Holiday

 Narrative: The narrative of the video will follow the storyline of the song. This is one that describes an old seaside town that used to thrive during the peak of the British holiday. This town is now not what it used to be in today’s world and has become a place that time has forgot. But even though this place is now worthless, socially and economically, it still has the spirit at heart. So the town in crumbling around a couple falling in love.

I would uncover all these things that make the town so much of a great holiday destination and the things that have made it so old fashioned. This will involve many short close up shots on many symbolic objects. To counter this, there will be parts of performance in some world famous places. One of them being the Great Yarmouth Britannia pier, followed by The Great Yarmouth Pleasure beach and Hippodrome circus.

Some inspiration for the style of cinematography would be that seen in the pictures by the photographer Martin Parr. I will also use the video ‘our house is dadless’ from the band, Kid British, as this creates the voyeurism to the real lifestyle up north and the video I want to create will do this with a defunct seaside town.

Labtinth ft. Tinie Tempah – Earthquake

Narrative: the narrative would be based around normal everyday people in London, going out and rioting. Whoever you are, white, black, male, female, old, young, rich or poor. What would be the symbolism bringing these people together are the stereotypical hoodie that is so frequently linked to riots and uncontrollable events led by young people.

The recent summer riots that took over London for three days rocked the country to its core, as the media beam images around the world of the looters who have taken advantage of some peoples very unfortunate situation, means that many have a bad opinion of young people in the UK. What the video would be about is looking at these riots from another point of view and looking at the people who did actually cause this disruption in such a good city.

To adhere to the codes and conventions of Goodwin’s analysis, linking the music and visuals would see that gospel chorus within the song, being sung by a ‘gang’ and their identities hidden. This would symbolise that these people are not people; they don’t have a heart so why should they have a face.

In true hip hop style the artists would sing from the rooftops, literally, in their full swag looking over a city in mass panic.

Kid British – Bookies

Narrative: Coming from an album about the northern stories, about the lives of those living in Manchester, it is important to capture the true spirit of the song with this.

Although we live in a time of the recession, bookmakers and bingo halls are still bursting with people, throwing their money away. But why are they doing this? Who is doing this? Well, the video for this song would get into the lives of the people that spend their Friday nights and their week’s wages on a night in the bingo hall, every week, but still don’t have enough money to feed themselves and their children.

The song states that these people have nothing else, but why has it come to that?

The style of the video will be an old 80’s style of film, of quick shots and pans that reveal the life of real people. Symbolic objects and props will dominate (bingo dabbers and the tiny bookies pens). I think that it is also useful to focus on the life of those that waste away in a pub.

We are spending more money on alcohol and betting than ever before and that isn’t just because of a price increase. This is because we are falling back into the social and political turmoil of the Thatcher days.

One thing that is for certain is that this band uses social commentary within their songs to give the political voice and this is one thing I want to emphasise. 

The King Blues

After putting together three ideas of music videos, I have made the decision to use 'Holiday' by The King Blues as it has the potential to involve everything I wanted. Also, being originally from a town like the one described in the song, I feel passionately about the subject and I feel that the work I do on this video will show that.


Another reason why I decided to use this song is because after analysing the already released marketing material (Below), I feel it wasn't truly reflective of the song and the campaign had some fundamental errors. As I can only do this once, I think it would be good to use something that didn't succeed the first time round, as I can identify mistakes of someone else, because I wont be able to rectify my own finished product at the end of the process. 


Holiday Analysis  

Click on this link to veiw the 'Prezi', bring the information below to life

Advert and digipack 

Before you listen to the song, this advert and digipack starts to paint a picture of the narrative and the themes. This is something that is done very well and is an important part of this campaign. On the flip side to that, this should be spread across all promotional material released. The inconsistency within the campaign means that the target audience will not always know that it is all linked.   

The advert used to promote the single Holiday by The King Blues does not follow any particular style or theme set out in the promotional music video, or any of their previous marketing material. By doing this they do not capitalise on the use of the video being bounded around or the posters being recognized and linked back to the single. This all adds up against the band and it is a possible reason for the record being unsuccessful in the UK charts.

The poster advert is one that does start to capture the narrative of the song with the use of a melting ice cream, symbolising that the seaside town is disintegrating from the amazing thriving place it used to be. The traditional 60s British holiday is represented with the wooden like texture strips on the background, that represent that of a beach hut. The colours of these strips, add to this. These colours were popular in the times when the British holiday and tourist industries were in their peak. This peak is described in the narrative of the song, but again this doesn't link to the video.   

The poster follows convention by including the well recognised band logo that spreads across the top of the advert but, like many indie and rock promotional material, it doesn't feature a picture of the artists. The typography used for the song title is an interesting part of this poster as it is again easy linked backed to the times when the industry was in its peak times. It is typical font used in the adverts in the 50s and 60s.By doing this, the audience start to think about the story that inspired this song to be written.

Promotional Music Video Analysis 

The King Blues are a SKA Punk band from the London Borough of Camden and after a promising first album they released the single, Holiday, and the promotional video to match in 2010. The video is approaching 200,000 views on Youtube but this didn’t lead too much and the lack of success of the single led to it not being included on their new album ‘Punk and Poetry’

The video is mainly performance based with some shots linking it back to the narrative of the song, which is about a deprived, British seaside town and Holidays there. In my opinion the best parts of the video are when they remind us of the narrative using close up shot of certain objects.

The Music and the visuals do mostly link; being a performance video this is the main feature. The band are seen playing the instruments in many shots and Itch (the lead) lip-syncs the lyrics throughout, which is an effective way to have a close up of the artist.

I personally don’t think that the link between the lyrics and visuals are significant enough to say that they adhere to this convention. As I mentioned before there are moments and shots that sometime do link the visuals back to the song but the overall mise en scene lets it down. The video appears to be set in a derelict shopping centre, and the band use a bowling alley, fires, shopping trolleys and escalators, to tell this story. I think they could have done this more effectively by setting the video in the places that create the spine of the song. There is only one scene with a clown that is strong enough to class as a link to visuals and lyrics, but this is still very weak.

What I think the band and director have tried to do is make subtle suggestions of the songs narratives, but a song that has so much passion, they should have capitalised on the story and shown it how it is.

The dark lighting and the clothes worn within the video show that it is genre specific. Sleeveless shirts, tattoos and Dr Martens being synonymous with the Punk scene. Another example of its efforts to show the genre is things like the fire, symbolising defiance and the punk spirit.

Overall I think that although the video so adhere to some of the codes and conventions of a music video and does emphasie the Punk attitude, I think that the narrative in the song should have been championed more which could have made the story more poignant and therefore, talked about and in the long run more successful.

As I have been in this situation, in a small deprived seaside town, I feel I can relate to the song but not to the video. If, as I say they made it more about the narrative, I think they could have created voyeurism into the life of the people that thrive but also suffer in these situations.

  

Music Video analysis - Bruno Mars (Lazy song)

Bruno Mars - Lazy Song

This song is from the pop genre and has received over 178 million views on YouTube.
The song 'Lazy song' by Bruno mars is a catchy and upbeat tune, with lyrics we can all relate to, about the lazy days when all we wanna do is lay in bed! This video is mainly concept/narrative based with an element of performance.

The artist is a massive worldwide hit and has released some glamorous and interesting videos in the past, so at first i was very surprised at the amateur style that was adopted for this particular video. But after watching it again I understand and agree with the strategy used.

The video stars Bruno himself, and 5 men dressed as monkeys. It is a viral style video that uses a camera in a fixed position and shows a full length shot. The artists mimes the lyrics and him and the monkeys move and dance in sync. The movement is very upbeat and suits the mood of the song.

The movements and actions closely match the lyrics of the song. For example the lyric ' Don't feel like picking up the phone' is matched with the action of all 6 actor making the phone action with their hands. Here is a TubeChop of that example: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/200528

This is very much the same with the relationship between the music and and the visuals. For example during the chorus they all nod to the beat of the song and at the end of each chorus there is a whistling tune. All the actors move their heads with this. Here is a TubeChop example: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/200532
Also linking the music with the visuals is when Bruno Mars starts to play his guitar nearer the end, all this shows that it is not a short film to music.

A music video is traditionally used as a marketing tool to advertise an artist and their song. For this to be effective, it needs to feature many close ups of the artists. This is very much present in this video, as we see the artist, Bruno Mars, all throughout apart from 10 Seconds. This is particularly  important for this video as it has been sent out as almost a viral on YouTube. For it to be famous and talked about it, the successful, worldwide artist, would have to play a big part in it. The cast move around the performance space to ensure that the artist is the focus.

The only intertexuality that i can recognise is in the song and doesn't feature as a narrative in the video, but he says MTV. This makes it almost an advert for the TV channel, and when it is shown on other music video channels, it is censored out. Bruno mars was also nominated for 4 MTV music awards, coincidence?

Overall I think it is a unique music video and has many qualities that I have been inspired to think about when planning my Music Video.

These are things like the style of the Viral video. This is becoming a big thing all around the world and supports the theory of WEB 2.0, where we create the media. YouTube gives us this platform and it would be interesting to look at the benefits of using this as a promotional tool for a music artist.

I also like how simple it is. Dressing 5 actors up as monkeys are asking them to perform a song in a performance space is very effective in this video, and is very simple. it suits the meaning and mood behind the song.

As a whole campaign, here are the promotional materials used. This is an insight of how i will need to link the video with my digi pack when it come to creating the products.

Music Video Analysis - Example (Kickstarts)

Example Kickstarts

He can't decide whether hes a singer in the pop scene or a underground rapper, so example has decided to put them both together with this song, Kickstarts, his first massive hit that has received millions of views on Youtube.  

It follows the narrative of the song about the on and of relationship that every couple faces and has been cleverly directed and edited to show this. 

The lyrics and visuals are consistent throughout and the video has a good mix of literally showing the lyrics and the narrative and subtle hints about what they are talking about, here are some of my favorite examples:

The lyric "Go to talk then we choke it's like our necks in a noose"

Spaghetti is usually connected with love and a couple on a date, but here it is used in a twist. It has been shaped into a noose, suggesting that that is where their love is heading.  I like this because it has taken something quite cliched, and turned into something relevant and visually interesting. 

The Lyric, "Start to think it could be fizzling out"

This is not a lyric that has been forced in front of your eyes and has been shown literally. Its a suggestion at the lyric, Fizzling. Like their love is fizzling out, so is the Drink, Its fizzling up.  

 

The Lyric, "You get bored and I get cold feet"

This is maybe a bit more of a literal lyric and visual connection but just as interesting. Its obvious that bare feet on tiles will give you cold feet, but it is used a metaphor. 

From this i have learnt that there are many ways you can make a connection between lyrics and visuals.

The next  Section i am going to address is the relationship between the music and visuals. As this video is more concept and narrative based, we don't see things that we do in a performance based video, like Instruments. The artist does mime the lyrics throughout which i will go into more deatail  about when talking about the close up of the artist. 

The links i can see between the music and visuals are show in my TubeChop example below. 

Here we see that the artist is tapping his foot in time with the beat and this is then added to by other actors, getting more and more as the beat gets faster and hits its climax.

Throughout the video there is close ups of the artist and it has been cleverly edited to show Example in as many shots as possible. The way this has been done is very good because when watching it a few times you don't realise he is in every shot, but you still feel the desired affect that this is his promotional video, to his song, off his album. What is also clear and an occurring theme in Example's music videos, since launching his pop career, is that he is the actor playing the part in the main narration. This then enforces how the video is showing the story of the song.

Here we also see another promotional plug for the artist as his logo has been added to fit in with the video in the first few seconds.

The genre of the song is pop and i think that the video reflects this perfectly. Its colorful and full follows a narrative which is more likely to be seen in Pop videos as appose to rock and  Hip-hop.

Overall this is one of my favorite music videos as it is visually enjoyable to watch. I also think is shows many elements of Goodwin's theory of music video analysis.

They way this video has been directed and edited is something that i will take as inspiration when it comes to creating my own music video.

 I like the way they have used many images in the split screen mode that shows that it can be related to many people. I also like the way they have used the split screen to show the artist miming while telling the story of the lyrics on the other side of the screen.

Looking at the whole media campaign of this single, there is a link in style in the video, album cover an promotional poster.

Love is fun and games

Love is fun and games

Love is fun and games.

Here are three pictures that i think like the campaign together.

Music Video Analysis - Ed Sheeran (You need me, I don't need you)

Ed Sheeran -You need me, I don't need you

Ed Sheeran has been catapulted into the world of pop after working hard for years as an unsigned artist, doing small gigs here and there and building a gathering of fans. He was signed early this year and brought out his First single The A Team. The video was a massive success and followed a complicated narrative.

This song is the 2nd release and The video has been again very popular but is very simple, and almost has nothing to it.

Thinking about it in detail it does have a concept behind it. I think it's about how he has grown into an artist and how its not just being the great brand and face, you need to be a good songwriter and musician too. The way I interpret this has been shown, is the man in the spotlight is the man with no musical or song writing talent but he can look good and move to make the song look good.

The link between the lyrics and visuals is very subtle at times, but at others, flashing shots of objects make the song and the video connect and have relevance. For example here is a TubeChop that shows how the director has incorporated flashes of items that are relevant to the lyrics. It also shows the actor's hand movements and how he uses them to support the lyrics. http://www.tubechop.com/watch/201472

We see the artist Playing his guitar at beginning and at parts throughout the video but we don't see a massive amount of links between the music of the song and the visuals shown in the video. This is different considering it is mainly a performance based video. Although the actor that shows the narrative throughout the song is almost using sign language to get the best and rythem of the sing across to the audience as well as showing the message behind the lyrics. Here is my TubeChop example: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/201477

The song is of a hip-hop/pop genre and the video shows many elements that make it specific to its target audience. For example, its simply set in a dark studio with flashing lights. This may seem like a small element, but the environment has shown how it has mixed hip hop with pop. The stereotypical Hip-hop Setting would be in an empty dark space with not much character, whereas a pop video, would be all glamorous and set in luxury enviroments that make the artist and their company look big and rich. I think they have managed to balanced the 2 genres well.
The artist appeals to mainly young people, so by using a young actor, and a funky new twist, it has made it young and exciting. therefore it appeals to its target audience.

Ed has only just recently signed and this is only his second single, so I am surprised by the lack of close-ups of the artists that feature in this music video, which is used as promotional material to promote the song and the artist. On the other side of this, The label and artist would argue that he has for many years worked hard to build up his massive fan base that sent his début single to number 1. The way that I have interpreted the narrative, it wouldn't work and would contradict the song. We do see the artist and his ginger locks Twice, at the beginning and the end. We also see the artists signature guitar, that I recognised by fans due to the distinctive Paw Print Logo on it.

Overall I think this is a very good music video and doesn't necessarily follow the recognisable codes and conventions of this type of media.
I am particularly interested in the mise en scene and lighting. They have used a dark set with very strong Flashing lights that create the mood and set the style of the pop and hip-hop style they are going for. I also like how they have used significant objects and put the spot light on them when the lyrics are appropriate to that item.

Music Video Analysis- Kid British (Our House Is Dadless)

Kid British - Our House Is Dadless

This 2009 track from Manchester, Modern SKA/Pop band, Kid British, received 527,856 Views on YouTube.

The band members grew up on council estates in Manchester and were keen to let everyone know this with there first single, Our house is Dadless, which samples the famous Madness track, Our House.

The video is mainly concept based and follows the life of how it is to grow up in these areas. They have used many different shots to show this. In my opinion i think that the most effective are the first establishing, aerial shots. They show that the song applies to many people, all over. It also introduces the story of their chaotic houses on these massive estates.

The lyrics suit the visuals in the video and tell the story well. An example of this is the lyrics 'I can smell that bacon cooking, And mum's downstairs doing that weekly washing, Singing along she's got that Motown rocking. And i'm shouting out ‘mum turn it down', Cos i'm tryna sleep right now, Argh forget it I was getting up anyway, Man I can't get a lie in any day.'

Here is a TubeChop clip to show how the narrative and visuals in the video, represent those of the lyrics. http://www.tubechop.com/watch/200602

The beginning of the video shows a relationship between the music and the visuals, when one of the band members, turns the radio off that is playing part of the sampling track 'Our House'. Here is the clip that explains this, http://www.tubechop.com/watch/200604 

The video is almost very genre specific. It adopts the style of some madness videos, mixing the narrative and performance very well. The genre of SKA is all about being real and looking about the real society. This video is very much about that. Its not about showing the glamorous pop-star life, its about showing things like the social-economic conditions and making them acceptable. 

Kid British show the good and bad parts of living on a council estate in Manchester in the modern era, so i think that they have managed to create a Genre Specific Video.

There is not a lot of intertexuality to analyse apart from the obvious sampling and the adopted style of film, following from the madness style. 

We are invited into a world that some people don't understand, or who cannot relate to. 

Overall i would like to use some ideas from this and use it in my music video. I think the way that they take a midshot of each character after their particular scene is a good technique to focus on the detail of all the different characters. 

Preliminary Task

Before Starting to plan and create our own music videos, we were given the task to put together a music video, using the song by Annie Lennox, A Whiter shade of Pale.


We were given the lyrics and The song and then we had to plan the narration and shots. looking at the lyrics i thought of modernizing the downbeat song with a twist. We thought of the idea of a prostitute that has nothing else but  making money through having sex with strangers. We then thought of ideas of how to portray this in a music video using Goodwin's theory, before constructing a storyboard of all the different shots.

the storyboard looked like this...


We then made a plan of how we were going to get these shots, organising actors, props, costumes, location and equipment.

Here is our plan of these things:

After getting all of the shots we needed, we used final cut express on the Mac, to edit the footage and this is our final product: