Lana Del Reys' 'Born to die' fits in with the indie/alternative genre of music. She has a very vintage feel about her and this is evident throughout the entirety of the video.
The video is a mixture of both narrative and performance - however, I feel the main focus is on the performance. The narrative follows a young care-free couple (Lana and her boyfriend) and their influences upon one another; Lana's boyfriend being particularly wild and encouraging her to partake in dangerous activities - drugs, smoking, reckless driving etc. Eventually, he ends up accidentally killing Lana in a car accident. In between clips of the two together, we see Lana in what I assume to be her own 'heaven', lip syncing whilst sat on a throne with two tigers by her side, enforcing her 'glamourous' image. I personally think the use of a narrative is particularly successful because not only does it give the viewer an insight to the lyrics, but it also makes the video itself more entertaining and worthwhile.
In addition to my prior comment about the mise en scene I also noticed the array of outfits and use of certain locations. Whilst Lana is playing her younger, 'in love' self, she is often seen in risqué clothing and featured within less glamorous settings such as a car park. However, when we see her in her heaven she is located in a grand mansion sat on a throne. She is predominantly dressed in beautiful gowns with a flower crown and elegant makeup suggesting that she is finally able to be her true self within her heaven. Alternatively, the costumes connote Lana as being mature and regal - something she brands herself as as an artist. The lighting between the different scenes contrasts massively - the scenes featuring younger Lana consist mainly of dark lighting in comparison to Lana in heaven where very bright light is used. I feel that the use of different lighting is effective in setting the tone and context of the video and this is something that we will consider for our music video.
A mass variety of shots and editing techniques are used within this video. The video has a lot of zooms within it which is something I found intriguing as I had never considered using such a technique in a music video, I assumed they were used mainly for television and film. However, I felt that it worked well and added an edgy vibe to the video - Lana isn't afraid to go against what is considered normal. Alongside the use of frequent zooms I also noted the use of regular mid shots and close ups. I felt these were effective in showing the lip syncing and facial expressions of Lana, something I feel is crucial in music videos in order for the viewer to grasp the true meaning of the song. The cuts within the video were very slow which I felt was fitting to the song, It wouldn't have made sense for the cuts to be fast and choppy because the song isn't fast at all. I also noted how the song was sometimes synchronised with the visuals, for example when the beat was heard - Lana's 'boyfriend' was featured making a shooting gesture. In conclusion I feel that this video is very successful and gripping and that we can definitely take some inspiration from it. However, due to the fact that Lana would have had a lot of funding for the video I do not feel we could include all aspects of it (for example the use of a mansion).
Shannon Saunders
Similarly to Lana's video, Shannon Saunders' video for 'heart of blue' is also included in the alternative/indie spectrum of genres. However, as Shannon is under her own, individual label and is not particularly well known - the budget was significantly lower for this video in comparison to Lana's budget. With this being said, I felt this was an appropriate video to analyse as it is applicable to us in the fact that our budget and equipment is fairly minimal.
This video consists mainly of narrative rather than performance. The lyrics outline the idea of Shannon being lost, quite literally within the city but also within her relationship. The video almost matches the lyrics - we see Shannon running around London, appearing distressed and lost - and I find that this works well. Although I usually think it looks unprofessional when artists try to literally match the visuals to the lyrics, some how this works. The use of quite minimal performance helps to keep the video professional and classy, she is more bothered about expressing the true meaning of the song rather than keep all the attention focused on herself.
Similarly, the mise en scene in this video is very basic. Shannon keeps to one simple outfit and little make-up, this is effective in connoting the idea that although she loves what she does - she isn't fame hungry. It also contrasts against the stereotypical views of music videos; When we watch them, we expect the artist to be very made up and have extravagant clothing. However, the fact that Shannon has gone against this makes her more relatable to her audience in a way, she shows that you do not need money and all those nice things in order to be talented and well liked. In addition, the setting is very easily achievable and this was something that drew me to the video as despite the lack of extravagance, the video is still intriguing and fits the song well. The only thing that I personally would change is the use of just one setting. Although London is a large, exciting city, the frequent appearance of it grows a little tiresome near the end. In response to this, I will ensure that my group uses at least 2 settings in order to change it up a little bit and keep the audience involved.
Regardless of the fact that this video is of a considerably lower budget than the others I have featured on this post, the camera work and editing is extremely well done and professional.
A lot of the camera work is handheld and this particularly caught my eye because not only is it achievable for us to copy, but again,it also goes against the stereotypical understanding of music videos. We would normally expect for the camera to be steadied. However, I thought the use of a hand held camera was very enticing and added a personal touch to the video - it helped me as a viewer to feel more involved. The video also features a lot of mid shots and close ups of Shannon singing directly into the camera, again, involving the audience and making them feel as though Shannon is singing to them. The editing is very precise and there are a mass amount of fast paced shots moved. I found this interesting as the fast cuts act as a juxtaposition to the slow song, despite the contrast, I don't think it takes away from the music video, in a way it just sort of hightens the action involved within the video.
Kate Nash
Kate Nash is an English singer/songwriter who, like the other artists I have used would be classed as an Indie/Alternative artist. I chose to analyse her video for 'Do Wah Doo' as it differs from the others I have chosen and offers an alternative to what I would normally expect from a music video from her.
The video is a mixture of both narrative and performance, however the real focus is on the performance. I got the impression that the video was made to look a little like a film as well as a music video. The video opens up with edited titles "Kate Nash In..." etc and ends in "The end" - highlighting the fact a film like theme has been incorporated within the video. I personally do not feel that this is particularly successful, the credits do not add anything to the video and the video would still be successful without them.
The costumes and makeup featured are very 'film star' like and Kate is made to look almost like a pin-up girl with the classic red lip. The costumes are beneficial to the video and not only just help to set the scene but are also successful in attracting viewers. e.g. males would be likely to watch the video regardless of whether they like the song or not purely because Kate looks attractive.
The setting of a plane is unique however, similar to Shannon Saunders video - the use of just one setting grows a little tiresome. However, something that did capture my attention was the CGI of the plane in the sky. CGI is not regularly featured within music videos yet within this video it is captivating and matches well with the context. Despite this, I don't feel CGI is something that I personally would want featured within our music video as although it works well within this particular video, I don't think it would look as good within ours as we would only be able to achieve it at a less professional standard which may make our video look cheap and tacky and this is something we do not want to run the risk of happening.
One particularly successful element of the video was the use of multiple camera shots. The thing that stood out to me most was the use of focus pulls; for example, at the beginning of the video when Kate is looking over enviously at the pretty air hostess - the focus goes from Kates face to the other air hostess talking to one of the captains and then back to Kate's face to show her disgust at what she is witnessing. The use of the focus pulls connote the impression that the video was thoroughly thought through and it makes the video look very professional. Alongside the use of focus pulls, multiple close ups were used to display Kate lip-syncing. The use of such close ups were compelling, allowing the viewer to get a feel for Kate's bubbly, comical character. This helps to keep the video interesting but also gives Kate that likeable tendency that will attract new fans and please older fans. Lastly, I noted the use of numerous wide shots. I feel that these were used in order to set the scene. Seeing as the setting was on a plane, it may have been difficult to achieve an overview of it without the use of the wide shots. These shots allowed for the 'passengers' to be seen and also allowed for full vision when the air hostesses and Kate were dancing.
Florence and the Machine
A striking element of this video is its individuality, the band clearly aren't afraid to be a little bit different and colourful and to an audience, that is attractive to viewers because it is intriguing. The video focuses predominantly on narrative rather than performance. The lyrics connote the idea of not reminiscing on the bad days and appreciating life for what it is and what it can offer. The video follows Florence waking up in a wood, assumedly holding onto negative thoughts, however; the comically dressed characters influence her to enjoy life and let herself be free.
The costumes used are extremely effective in setting the scene, the majority of characters are dressed as clowns and are almost a visual representation of what happiness should look like. Although I think this is effective, I feel it works well personally for this song yet I don't think a similar idea could be applied to all songs. For example, this type of costume would not match the narrative of the Kate Nash song. We would only consider this type of costume if it matched our song, otherwise it would look out of place.
The setting of the woods is something that stood out to me because it is quite a basic setting however is broad in the fact that you can bring whatever you want too it and it's free - this is something that is suitable for us as students. The editing is also very well done in this video. A prominent feature to me was the use of synchronised editing. Near the beginning of the video, the beat of the song is matched to the visuals of the clowns clapping - this is something that is very pleasing for the audience too see, it is clear to see that a lot of thought has gone into the making of the video and this makes it more appealing. If possible, I think I would like to include this within our own video as I feel that it shows advanced skills and will give the video a professional feel. Similarly, the camera work is interesting. I noticed that a lot of the camera work looks hand held. This stood out to me as I believe it gives the video a personal touch and allows you to see it from a different perspective - to me the video could be interpreted as being almost like a visual diary, someone is following Florence round and capturing all of her memories on film.
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