Brainstorming and idea – Research (related video’s)

We also decided to look at some other music video’s which incorporate the concept of cheating, we found that the most popular included;

1.) I heard it through the grape vine – Marvin Gaye
2.) Jolene – Dolly Parton
3.) Me and Mrs. Jones – Billy Paul
4.) Lips of an angel – Hinder
5.) It wasn’t me – Shaggy
6.) Secret lover – Atlantic Starr
7.) Cry me a river – Aerosmith/Justin Timberlake
8.) Careless Whisper – George Michael
9.) Before he cheats – Carrie Underwood
10.) Jealous guy – John Lennon

Although these video’s have the same topic as our video, they don’t really incorporate the same styles as our video, hence we then chose to look at some videos that where in the indie / rock / pop category. The video’s we chose to look at and explore, included;

1.) Arctic Monkeys - Fake Tales of San Francisco



2.) Kings of Leon - use somebody


3.) The Fray - How to Save a Life

Unfortunately i am unable to embed this video into my blog, but the website is; http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=UksIFm8Ru6s&feature=related

4.) Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend

unfortunately the embedding has also been disable on this video, but as before the website is;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIcDYJbpg6Q

from watching theses video’s we chose cretin conventions that popped up in all of them, that our audience might expect to see when watching the music video.

1.) Shot at life performances/on stage





This concept is often seen in an indie/rock video, it allows the audience to feel as if they have their own insight into the band as well as providing a way for the audience to experience the atmosphere at one of their live performances. Our research has shown that the majority of bands for this genre showcase themselves performing on stage, as you can see in the two examples below from the ‘Arctic Monkeys’ and ‘Kings of Leon’ although our audience research did prove that the audience is more than happy just to see the band during the chorus, so we are going to test our own editing skills by aiming to provide continuity whist bending the conventions to produce a original video that pleases the needs of the masses.

2.) Varying use of camera angles

using lots of different angles, being long shots, mid shots, close ups, extreme close ups, high angle shots low angle shots, two shots and so provides a more interesting feel to the video and it has somewhat become a connotation of a music video to alter the shots, as we can see in the examples below.

single shots







we have decided that having each band member show cased at different periods during the video, especially during a solo or particularly impressive section of playing will not only give them a little more lime light, that just having whole band shots, but it will help break up the chorus, so the audience don’t get bored.
In the examples shown above the close up on the guitars allow the audience to make a visual and auditory connection, as well as creating a mise en scene feeling.

Group shots – high and low angle
another highly used real media concept is incorporating group shots of the band, not only to give a collective feel, but to help you experience the chemistry between them. This is often used in pop/rock and indie music videos. We also found that angled shots and long shots help establish a setting for the band, whether it is on stage or playing at a gig or in a set up studio. This also helps to amplify the differences between the storyline and the band.







Close ups
close ups are also another very prominent technique used in these established conventions, these close ups are often done of the singers in the band; it’s a way to show case their instruments, just like the single shots, but in a more interesting way. This also helps the audience feel connected to the song as it allows the emotions felt by the singer to shine through.



We also learnt that special effects is a common convention used in music video’s:

At 0.56 seconds of The Fray, the image changes and a blur is created and the image starts to pulse, this is possibly used to represent that fact of tears, almost as if the audience is crying, the song is a very sad song about death and this effect if very effective



At 0.30 seconds of Kings of Leon a slow dissolve is apparent of the city, this turns the city into an image of the lead singer, during this point in the video the musical interlude is slow, hence the dissolve is as effective as it’s appropriate to what the audience are hearing. The close up emphasises the emotion of pain and frustration on the singers face.

At 1.59 of the Arctic Monkeys, the pace of the video is speeded up, then slowed down to read the signpost, then speeded up again. The music at the time has a fast tempo hence the pace of the clip represents the speed of the music, giving a feeling of continuity. It also provides the audience with the concept of being in a car.