Music Video Evaluation

I started this unit by researching music video theories (Andrew Goodwin and Carol Vernallis) and analysing 4 music videos of my choice. This gave me a better understanding of how to make a music video of my own. I was unsure on what approach to take at first but finally decided on a narrative based video for the song We Could Be by The Hunna. After planning out for this music video I realised that the idea and concept just wouldn't have worked for me with limitations I had with people willing to be in my video, and time to get everything I wanted filmed it wouldn't have been possible.

So I changed my song to Sweet Creature by Harry Styles and planned to do a narrative music video following the main character through everyday life and they infatuation with a passer by they see all the time. I wanted to leave the love interest open to interpretation in the terms of gender and sexuality so that it would be relatable to wider audience.

But after I started filming and editing this video together it wasn't fitting the idea I had for it in my head and no matter which clips of footage or which way I edited the footage it didn't work for me making me frustrated with myself and the video so I felt it would be best to scrap this idea and start over again. Also I had chose a song I really liked so I wanted to make it the best I possibly could and because it wasn't turning out right I was beginning to not like the song or artist and I didn't want to ruin it for myself; this being another reason I gave up on this idea.

My final video was my third idea of using found footage off YouTube and chose a song that I didn't really have an opinion on as I hadn't heard it before so that I found it easier to work with. I abandoned the idea of doing a narrative music video and did a conceptual music video; based around the name of the song 'Wanderlust' and used travel videos I found on YouTube.

While editing this music video I used new features of Premiere Pro that I hadn't used before like the razor tool to cut clips to sandwich another clip between them but them carrying on from each other as well as using it to get the fade in the right place of the clip.

I also had to add an adjustment layer for the first time to add the widescreen bars because once the clips were scaled to size they had the black bars at the top and bottom so to make the final product look more polished and professional I added the adjustment layer so that the bar were a part of every clip of the video.

At 0:03-0:08 the panning shots I layered a snippet with a low opacity and reversed it to give a jerking effect that matches to the warping sound in the song, this was my first attempt of layering a reversed clip and I feel it worked well but I had hoped it would have looked a little bit smoother and neater by making sure both clips matched each other. To do this I would alter the second clip (starting at 0:06 with the jerk at 0:08) so that the jerking motion was faster and the framing matched the first layer of footage.

The clips of people jumping in the pool (0:11-0:16) I feel would work better if they were a couple of frames later so that the splashes in the pool matched the beat in the music. That is something I would change if I was redo this edit just so that the final outcome looked more professional and polished.

I used a crossfade to link to complimenting clips at 0:19-0:20 I chose these clips because they illustrate the lyrics "daddy's girl" by the pulling of the hair and kissing his hand. I think the crossfade works well here to link the two clips together makes them work together well as one. Another part that illustrates the lyrics is at 0:26-0:27 when the plate of food is being placed at the time of the lyrics "Breakfast at Tiffany's", I feel that illustrating lyrics adds a cleverness to the music video and shows that the editing was thought about not just something to fill time; it shows that the lyrics were heard during the editing process by illustrating them with visuals that match.

The concept of this music video runs throughout. The being called Wanderlust gave me the inspiration to go with using found footage of travel vlogs to illustrate the song during the entire of the video. The locations vary from Bora Bora, California, the Maldives, the South Pacific, Dubai, Ibiza and several others; I think the variety of locations and countries emphasise the concept of wanderlust.

I chose to use jump cuts a lot throughout my editing because I feel it matched the beats in the music, a good example of this is at 0:28 when it cuts from the palm tree to the gut driving the quad bike; at the snap in the music it cuts from the tree to the quad bike. I think jump cuts were a good choice for this video because of the music and all the beats in it, they give a good marker to cut to a new clips. However I do feel that I played a bit to safe with transitions by relying a lot on using jump cuts and didn't experiment too far with anything other than jump cuts and crossfades.

Between 0:45-0:47 I had clips of a couple dancing on the beach with a clip of the girl dancing around on her own layered over the top with the opacity lowered. I did this because it was a new technique I had developed while working on this project and thought it worked well with the shot underneath. At 0:47 I had used the razor tool to cut away a part of the clip so that it was just on its own without the layer on top, I faded it in because I felt that it went from the bottom clip not being clear due to the top layer to it at its full opacity and I didn’t think it looked right and looked too snappy and like a different clip which isn’t what I was going for, but when I watch back I think there could have been a better way to merge to two clips together.

At 2:08 until 2:13 I attempted a small repeated montage of close ups of the girl, who features throughout, the first time through the clips the speed is set at the standard 100 but the repeat I changed the speed as the pace of the song picks up before the beat kicks back in for the next section of the song. I feel that for a first attempt at a montage style sequence it was okay but if was making this music for a client for them to use legitimately I would have hoped for it have looked more skilful.

The clips within the timeframe 2:15-2:21 demonstrate voyeurism, which Andrew Goodwin notes in his book Dancing in the Distraction Factory, as they all show the girl in a bikini or not a lot of clothes; but due to the nature of the video it allows the audience to not feel guilty for gazing upon her body in a sexual manners. This runs as a theme throughout the music video relating it to Mulvey’s Male Gaze, as the girl is portrayed as a sexual object throughout.

The waterfall layered over the top of the girl in the water (2:29-2:31) adds depth to the shot. I feel it shows off the beauty of the location and of the girl in the same shot. I really like the way this shot turned out once I had edited it together because the two layers’ opacity compliments each clip once combined as well as the point in the music and I feel created a good shot.

As a whole I feel the final product of this unit has been finished at an acceptable quality through the work of the editing and I feel that the new techniques I used during the project helped the finished video look more professional, although the new techniques need work to be up to a higher standard, I think they worked well with the style of video I was aiming to create. Overall I am pleased with how it turned out. 

Wanderlust - Blackbeard (WILDLYF Remix)

Harry Styles - Sweet Creature Music Video Draft

While editing the footage to create my music video, I wasn't feeling particularly connected or feeling the flow of editing. I wasn't enjoying editing and I couldn't see the final product in my head so I decided to stop editing rather than trying to finish a project I wouldn't be happy or proud with and wouldn't look good because I wasn't interested in it.

This is as far as I got in terms of editing this video. I tried to continue but it just wasn't working for me. This video is so short on this post because I was having trouble exporting the video with the whole song so I had to crop the audio to see whether it would let me export it that way; this is why I posted the screenshot at the top to show that I had started edit to the whole song but it just didn't work out.

Music Video Plan 2

I decided that my first idea wasn't working for me in any way and chose a new song with a new idea and concept.

New song: Sweet Creature - Harry Styles

For this music video I want it to be narrative based and follow the everyday life of just an average late teen (17-19). But the whole way through the video they are completely infatuated with this individual who turns up anywhere and everywhere only intriguing the main character even more. The love interest or the 'sweet creature' would only be shot from the neck down and from the back so their face is never seen on camera giving the audience a chance to feel as though its them and their crush/love interest and can be interpret in anyway and any sexuality. I like the freedom of interpretation with this music video as it makes it more personal for the audience and easy to engage with.

I highlighted parts of the lyrics to write down specific ideas for specific lyrics in hopes that when it all comes together the shot amplifies the lyrics. Also just to write general ideas and notes for the music video.

Music Video Plan

Song: The Hunna - We Could Be

Have person on bench in park, long shot of them sat on bench doing nothing.

Close up of them choosing the song on iPod/phone. Shows interest in the song (nodding head/tapping foot).

Gets up and starts to walk from bench when lyrics start, walks through the park looking into camera.

Someone (a friend) joins them and they start walking side by side sharing the earphones.

As the song progresses more and more people join them walking through the park. Have original guy from beginning lip sync the ‘Ohh’s that are at the end of the chorus (amplifying, Goodwin)

I found influence in Declan Mckenna's music video for The Kids Don't Want to Come Home in that it starts with a individual (Declan McKenna) and throughout the video more and more people join him.

Research Techniques

Exploratory:

Few or no previous studies have been done. The aim is to look for patterns, hypotheses, or ideas that can be tested and will form the base for further research. Typical techniques used – case studies, observations, and reviews on previous/related studies and data.

Descriptive:

Used to identify and classify the elements/characteristics of the subject. Quantitative techniques are commonly used to collect, analyse and summerise data.

Analytical:

Extends descriptive approach to suggest or explain why or how something is happening. Important feature of this research technique is in locating and identifying the different variables.

Predictive:

Aim of this techniques is to speculate intelligently on future possibilities, based on close analysis of available evidence of cause and effect.

Questionnaire Results

For my survey I used survey monkey as a platform to collect my results. I chose to do a survey to ask people what draws them to the music videos they prefer to watch and what genre of music and music video they like to watch. The results helped me to gather ideas for making my own music video and which audience it would appeal to. I took not of gender, age and preferred genre of music. My survey was completed by 76 people giving a wide range of results. I posted my survey to Facebook to get a broad scope of people to take my survey, as my Facebook friends have a vast age range which would give a vast range of responses. I chose to have the replies anonymous so that those taking the survey would feel more comfortable and that they wouldn't be judged for their answers.

The results from my survey show that females were more likely to watch music videos (84% of 76 responses were female) than men, also that those aged 18-24 were the age group more interested in watching music videos. My results also showed me that the people who took my survey have a diverse music taste, but 43% of responses were that people listened to pop music, however 14 people (18%) listened to a genre not specified with in answers to select from. When it comes to where people watched music videos YouTube was the most popular with 56% of the results whereas music channels or other made up the other 46% combined. My survey told me that with those who took it that a studio performance music video was the preferred genre (40%) followed with narrative (24%), out of the 76 that took the survey 2 skipped this question, I feel that may have been because if you aren't aware of the terminology of the question it could have been somewhat difficult to answer and know exactly what they were answering. Also 97% enjoy watching music videos.

After looking at the results from my survey I have decided to do a narrative based music video as it was the second most popular genre and I feel that with my time limitations, experience and budget a studio performance music video would just not be possible for me to create at this time.