Eg. Video 10: Alt-J - Breezeblocks

Song: Breezeblocks
Artist: Alt-J
Director: Ellis Bahl
Year: 2012
Genre: Alternative





I chose this video to analyse because of the recent directors challenge, a few of the elements of this video link into the style of Chris Cunningham. The video is interesting because the whole of the video is played backwards and in slow motion. It's narrative depicts a fight between two people which ends up in one of them being drowned in the bath.

The video has a dark theme and this is emphasised my the blue colour correction applied which gives a cold feeling to the video which is in fitting with the song and style of the video. The video uses simple jump cuts throughout and the speed of the takes is generally slow paced fitting with the slow motion. There are lots of shots which used interesting framing as well as multiple cut away shots. 

If the song wasn't reversed and slowed down the editing style would be continuity, however due to the reversing of the video it means the audience is continually trying to figure out what's going on using a narrative enigma.This video is dissimilar to the genre as it features no performance footage however the closed narrative does fit in with the song. I think the video is effective in putting across the mood of the song and well done.

Editing The Directors Challenge

We decided to cut to the beat in our edit for Brown Paper Bag because it is a fast paced song with and we wanted to keep it in fitting with the directors challenge. We did this and increased shot variation by adding jump cuts, always going back to the same framing every other shot.

We added a fisheye effect to one of the clips because it is a convention used in music videos when a person leans in towards the camera. It was easy to access using the search bar in the effects tab and add to our video. We also played around with the speeds and played some shots in reverse. This fitted well with the music and made the video more engaging whilst keeping the video in the style of the director.

The lighting wasnt very interesting and didn't reflect the style of Chris Cunningham, so we changed this in Final Cut Pro X using effects. We added a night vision effect to one clip and changed colours and lighting to some others to add to the impact of the video and reflect the style of Cunningham more. 

There are more effects on Final Cut Pro X and they are easier to find and apply than in Final Cut Express or iMovie. You can also change the settings of each individual effect which means we can change the intensity of an effect on a clip and other settings. This means that we can easily add selective effects to our footage which would be especially useful in pop videos or metal where you want to create a certain mood.

Final Cut Pro X - Initial Thoughts

Today we took our first look at final cut pro x, I was immediately impressed with the speed of the software and the more user friendly interface in comparison to the previous version of final cut. The lack of constant rendering made it a lot quicker to edit clips together and play them back.

 I also liked the way you can apply transitions and effects to your clips by simply dragging and dropping your desired effect onto the clip you want, there is also a preview box meaning you can see what the effect will look like before you apply it. You can also compound clips together to avoid timeline clutter and this allows you to apply effects to multiple clips.

I found most things pretty easily and the software is very user friendly allowing you to import clips from iMovie or regular video files. Also quick short cuts allowed me to split clips quickly and rearrange then as I please. In comparison to Final cut express, this version  is faster, easier to use and allows for a quicker workflow. 

Directors Challenge Video Idea

My idea for the direcors challenge is for the song 'No Cars Go' By Arcade Fire. The song currently doesn't have an official muisc video for it.



My idea for the video is:

• Opening shot in slow motion of a car driving down a road similar to that in 'California' by Wax
• The shot then cuts to the drum beat of the different scenery around Ilkley, just outside school
• Then cuts to two or three people skateboarding down an empty street also in slow motion, similar to the video of the 'Suburbs' by Arcade Fire this is to emphasise the no cars aspect of the lyrics. This is also similar to 'Yeah Right' the film from Girl Skateboards.
• The video would cut to lip syncing with the start of the lyrics.
• Also there would be performance footage from the band members inbetween different takes.
• Shots of the band walking through ilkley similar to 'Da Funk' video.
• Aswell as Cars driving past in slow motion.

Spike Jonze - Directors Challege Research

Frequent collaborators: cinematographer Lance Acord, writer Charlie Kaufman, actor Chris Cooper. His films/music videos are off-beat in their visual storytelling, particularly their mix of live-action, animation, and puppetry. Seamless integration of special effects into live-action photography also feature in alot of his videos. Jonze’s has a reputation as one of the most imaginative, intelligent, and daring filmmakers working today was established early on with his legendary skateboard videos, music videos, and commercials, and has since been cemented by three feature films. Some features which come up in alot of his videos:

• Diegetic sounds
• City location
• Slow motion footage
• All one take videos
• Intertexuality
• Performance footage
• Lip syncing
• Concept videos
• Narrative
• Special fx
• Animation
• Visual storytelling
• Cutting to the beat
• Focus of the singer
• Long takes
• Camera movement

Spike Jonze - Initial Thoughts



Wax - California



From the first few videos i've looked at from Spike Jonze, a few key features come up in alot of the videos. He often works with artist such as the 'Beastie Boys', 'Weezer' and 'Fat Boy Slim'. Often a diegetic intro is included with possible or in the case of 'Da Funk' diegetic sound is playing throughout. Another feature is the 80's style film grain effect used to make the video seem more like a film, for example in 'Feel The Pain' and 'Sabotage'. 





Daft Punk - Da Funk



The videos are often set on location in a large city such as LA or New York and are often Concept or Narrative videos with occasional peformance footage. In the case of 'Undone' and 'California' the footage is all shot in one take. He also uses intertexuality in the case of the video for Buddy Holly which is based of the show Happy Days. The videos i've looked at also include dance and performance with comedy elements also thrown in for example the video by 'Fatlip'.

Overall we can already see he has a distinctive style and is very successful because of it. He has produced over 50 muisc videos aswell as working on short films and has helped produce Jackass and other succesful feature films.





Vodcast 1 - Music Video Conventions

My first Vodcast going over some of the main conventions of the 10 music videos I have decontructed so far.

Vodcast Preparation

Connotations:

• Humour/Comedy: 'No One Knows', '1985', 'Learn To Fly'
• Intetexuality: '1985', 'Learn To Fly', 'Hey Ya', 'Du Hast'
• Features Band Members: 'No one Knows', 'Learn To Fly', 'Under The Bridge', 'Needing/Getting' etc.
• Special Fx: 'No One Knows', 'Hunter', 'Talking Heads'
• Performance Footage: 'Needing/Getting', 'No One Knows', 'Something Good Can Work', 'Girlfriend' etc. 
• Continuity Editing: 'Teenage Dirtbag', 'Under The Bridge', '1985' etc.
• Discontinuity Editing: 'Something Good Can Work'
• Sped Up Footage: 'Ray Of Light'
• Variation In Editing Pace: 'No One Knows', 'Duality'
• Colour Distortion: 'No One Knows'
• Shakey Camera Work: 'Something Good Can Work', 'Learn To Fly', 'After Midnight'
• Wipe Transition: 'No One Knows'
• Lip Syncing: 'No One Knows', 'Needing/Getting', '1985', 'Under The Bridge'
• Focus On Singer: 'No One Knows', 'Someting Good Can Work', 'Under The Bridge'
• Topless Band Members: 'No One Knows', 'Under The Bridge'
• Multiple Layering: 'Under The Bridge'
• Cutting To The Beat: 'Duality', 'No One Knows'
• Diegetic Intro: 'Learn To Fly', 'Teenage Dirtbag', 'Needing/Getting', 'Hey Ya', 'Stylo'
• Relation To A Film: 'Learn To Fly', 'Teenage Dirtbag'
• Band Playing Multiple Characters: 'Learn To Fly'
• Black And White: 'You need Me, I don't Need you'

Last Year Evaluation

We hope to build on our skills learnt last year and apply them to this year’s coursework. Things noted included improvements in amount of shots taken and shot variety. Also improvements in directing actors in the film openings are important to create a convincing performance. We used tools such as multi layering effects exclusive to final cut to try and mask some of the acting faults that may have occurred. Including diegetic sound in conjunction with non-diegetic sounds is also key to creating a realistic atmosphere. For this years coursework it's important we get lots of footage with a varity of shot types in order to be able to make the best video possible.

Eg Video 9: Queens Of The Stone Age - No One Knows Video Analysis

Artist: Queens Of The Stone Age
Song: No One Knows
Directors: Dean Karr/Michel Gondry
Genre: Hard Rock
Year: 2002
Audience: 14-25

The music video for this song is another with comedy value, It features the band members driving through the forest in a car when they hit a deer which proceeds to tie them up and go on a rampage. The song cuts between narrative and performance footage with a fairly discontinuity style of editing. Lots of parts are sped up which gives the video an interesting feel and overall the the editing is genrally fast paced and speeds up with the pace of the song. 

The performance footage is the band on a black background with a strange glow which changes colour throughout around the members. This is likely done with a green screen something we wouldn't have access too whilst making our coursework but it works well in this video. The comedy element gives the song good replay value and makes the video quite entertaining. 

This video also feature shaky camera work as have many of the others, this seems to be a trend in comparison to last years coursework. A challenge with recreating this sort of thing would be access to a car. "No One Knows" received heavy rotation on music video channels culminating in a nomination for the MTV2 Award at 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.

Eg Video 8: Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Under The Bridge Video Analysis

Artist: Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Song: Under The Bridge
Director: Gus Van Sant
Genre: Alternative Rock
Year: 1992
Audience: 14-25

The video for under the bridge feature performance footage from the different band members. It doesn't feature any specific narrative but fits well with the song. The multiple layering effects have been used well showing multiple band members in different locations around Los Angeles on the same screen. This effect has also been used to good effect in some of last years coursework productions. 

The video features different members in parts of the city and also members playing in front of super imposed images.  The song features Kiedis walking through the streets of LA,   the camera focuses on various people. This, according to Kiedis, was vital; he felt the studio portion of the video alone would not convey enough emotion.

This video lead to  led the nominations for the MTV music awards, which included the categories of "Best Video", "Best Group", and "Best Direction". We could defiantly apply the multiple layering techniques into our own coursework as it works to great effect as proved by previous years coursework entries. Also getting access to instruments and performance footage wouldn't be too much of a challenge as I'm in a band myself.

Eg Video 7: Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work Video Analysis

Artist: Two Door Cinema Club
Song: Something Good Can Work
Director: ?
Genre: Indie Rock
Year: 2009
Audience: 14-25




This video shows a good example of interesting camera work and a discontinuity style of editing with interesting transitions and show types and angles. There are a lot of point of view shots and shots taken under the water as if the camera is strapped to the person in the video.  

The video also feature performance footage of the band walking through the street and the transitions make this video run smoothly. There are a lot of different locations and camera angles. A slightly high angle is used to good effect above performance footage and is made purposefully shaky which fit with the style of the song. 

The main challenge if we where going to re create something like this in our coursework would be to get the different locations, however I think the editing and cinematography is very effective in this video.

Eg Video 6: Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag Video Analysis

Artist: Wheatus
Song: Teenage Dirtbag
Dierector: ?
Genre: Rock
Year: 2000

The songs narrative is a guy who falls asleep whilst doing homework and has a dream, which ties into the lyrics at the start. The song is part of the soundtrack to the film Loser. The video follows a stereotypical highschool student in America. 

The narrative is about him trying to attract the attention of a girl in the school but struggling because he is a 'loser'. It features performance footage of the band playing in the gym. He eventually gets the girl at a dance but then wakes up from the dream just as the disco ball is about to land on his head. 

Lots of videos use a school as a background to there videos playing on student stereotypes and is also a realistic idea we look into as it's an accessible location. The video is pretty fast paced and there is diegetic sound included in the video as well as point of view shots and high angles. 

Eg Video 5: Foo Fighters - Learn To Fly Video Analysis

Artist: Foo Fighters
Song: Learn To Fly
Director: Jesse Peretz
Genre: Alternative Rock
Year: 1999

The music video is a comedy about two airline staff (Jack Black and Kyle Gass) who smuggle drugs onto the plane through the coffee machine which ends up intoxicating everyone who drinks it. The Foo fighters themselves play many different characters on the plane which adds to the comedy effect.
There is diegetic sound at the start of the video which then kicks into the song playing. The editing is fairly fast paced and there is quite a bit of action going on. There is occasional performance footage played through television screens on the plane. As everyone apart from the band members drink the coffee it is left up to them to take control of the plane as all the pilots have gone crazy due to the drugs. 

The video has intertexualitity to the film Airplane! A comedy set on an Airplane which has a similar plot. The premise of smuggling drugs into airplane coffee is very similar to an actual smuggling operation that was uncovered in 1997 just before the video was made. The video also won a Grammy in 2001 for best short form music video. The comedy music video works well and the idea of using band members for multiple roles in the video is a good one. 

Eg: Video 4: Ok Go - Needing/Getting Video Analysis

Artist: Ok Go
Song: Needing/Getting
Director: Brian L. Perkins
Genre: Alternative Rock
Year: 2009

This video from Ok Go is another one of their popular videos. It features the band driving in a car over two miles of road using over 1000 instruments. It's a very unique style of performance the video doesn't have any narrative however the it's very well done and very inventive and catchy. It has high re play value due to the interesting way it's made. It features all diegetic sound played by the car driving down the road striking instruments as it goes past. There is performance footage from inside the car as the singer is driving. The video was endorsed by Chevrolet to provide the car featured in the video customized with various microphones attached to it.  


The idea for the video was inspired by the Rube Goldberg video version of "This Too Shall Pass"; in that video, some of the props of the Rube Goldberg machine had played a melody in time with the music. The lead singer was trained in stunt driving to be able to do the video whilst singing at the same time. Overall it's a very creative video and takes the idea of things in the video featuring in the song to a whole new level. 

Without any narrative it would be hard to keep the audiences interest however I believe this video has great repeat viewing appeal and we could use some of these ideas within our own coursework. Ok Go the band themselves have made lots of famous music videos including 'here it goes again' and 'this too shall pass' as mentioned earlier.