My idea brainstorm

Influence: Lighting

In this video I think there is a good use of lighting, I like how at first it is quite dark because the pace of the music is slow which makes it quite representative, however when the beat kicks in there is lots of light and through out the video is changes colour and the effect from the holes in the board is nice, it's like the light spreads and twinkles.



This video uses digital lighting and effects, the effects are really professional and I wouldn't be able to achieve that kind of standard. However I think I could try and achieve some standard lighting effects using Adobe After Effects. In order to do this I will try and find some tutorials to teach me to achieve a higher level of knowledge in Adobe After Effects.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Fortune Faded



In this video I like the lighting because most of it is on the walls and there isn't much lighting on the actual band. I want to try and do something like this using things like glow sticks and filtered lighting however not directly on the band. I also want to aim the lighting behind the band members in some parts to create a silhouette like light.

Influence: performance based

This video is purely performance based, which at times can be quite un-engaging, I like the performance in the video because of the angles and the scenery. I like that it is not just a stage performance or a studio performance but it is in a house, you would expect there to be a big crowd and it to be a house party but the conventions are broken as it is in an old Tudor style mansion. The music and the setting automatically contrasts itself giving the performance concept an interesting meaning, I would like to interpret something like this into my video to make it a bit more original and interesting.


Video by Chris Storrar

This is another video by the same band, once again performance based. I especially like the part in this video at 50 seconds when the camera focuses from one band member to another, I think this is really creative and I would like to learn this for my video.

I also like the lighting in this video, even though they just look like light bulbs and probably only there as decoration the ones in use give off a spotlight effect behind the band members, this produces a nice shadow and with the music and lyrics as the pace change the lighting effects are put into good use.

I like the camera angles in this video, they are not just focusing on the main singer, there are a variation of camera angles used and the band members are not always centerised, I prefer this I think it looks a lot more creative and yet still draws attention towards the band member. There isn't negative space because the lighting fills it once again creating great use of the simple yet affective lighting.

At 2.50 the singer is marginalized to the left and the light bulb is on the right, the pace of the music gets slow and as it does the bulb dims in light, I really like this as I think it is artistic and is unique for a rock video, I think this video is quite mellow compared to the previous video that they did, it is much more relaxed, there are more close ups creating more of a connection with the band and the audience.

Inspiration

Deaf Havana - 'Friends Like These'

I like this video because it's fun and interesting, I like the use of colour in this video I think it is really engaging. Another part I take inspiration from is the use of the crowd, I like the affect it creates on the audience, so they can feel like they are there. This video has a some narrative cuts in it also which I want to interpret in my video. The pace of the music matches the video well and the general feel of the video is fun and engaging I really want my video to give this affect, this is why I take inspiration from this video.

My band: CANTERBURY

http://www.canterburythankyou.com/




Canterbury are an upcoming unsigned indie/rock band already gracing the stage in and around UK live venues. They formed their band in 2005 whilst at still at school members are James, Luke, Ben, Mike and Scott. Since the summer of 2007 the band evolved musically and began to write more music, tour intensively and record their new album thus producing a new and larger fan base. Canterbury released their free and highly downloaded album 'Thank You' (canterburythankyou.com) and also created limited edition CD versions, the album has now been downloaded over 10,000 times.



My songs: I have permission to use two songs, here is an image of the email I sent to Canterbury and with their written permission:



The first song is 'Lost in the Basement':


I have chosen this song because I like the pace and the lyrics, I think it is a catchy song and when I listen to it I have many ideas that occur in my head for example, cuts between narrative and performance based, like the band performing in a dark room with lots of colourful lights flashing in time and moving in time with the pace of the music.

The second is a song called 'Friends We're More Like a Gang':


I have chose this song for similar reasons the lyrics have good suggestions for narrative and the pace of the music is good and I can match it well.
Also this is one of the songs the band doesn't have a video for, they already have a video for the following songs; Gloria:


Calm Down:


Eleven Twelve:


And Set You Right:


It is obvious that all the videos have something in common, they are all performance based with a small part of narrative. I think the Eleven Twelve video is interesting because it follows the band on tour allowing the audience to feel connected with the band as if they are there.
The Gloria video is very well made, the footage is slowed down however the singers are is sync with the over laid track. I really like this about the video because it makes you interested and even though it is simply performance based it uniqueness still engages the audience.
The Set You Right video is also performance based, however its colours and fast paced editing keeps the audience fully engaged. The pace of the editing and the pace of the music are very well in sync and there is lots of movement and lots of aspects to look at like the crowd and the band thus keeping the audience engaged at all times.

I think for my video I will try to keep the performance aspect to blend in with the other videos and as it will build a sense of familiarity with the audience, also as a rock video conventionally there usually is a performance by the band. To do this I will try to catch the band on tour dates and record them performing the songs and film their crowd, this will build a sense of realism for the viewer.

Justice: DANCE

Camera: To begin, the camera of this video never shows the face, so majority of the shots are mid shots of the torso because the t-shirts are the main engaging attraction of this video. During parts of animation the camera moves as if it's flying through images, this is quite engaging and interesting to look at and if it were in 3D it would be better. The rest of the videos is animation so the camera work over all in this video is quite limited.

Editing: The editing in this video is the most important part, as it is animated the editing would have taken the most time to do. The changing of the t-shirts needed good timing and over layering to complete however in this video it works very effectively. Animation is introduced straight away, as he turns the radio on there are 'radio waves' that come out of it. Then it becomes more obvious when a kind of pop art style is introduced and it zooms through legs and crowds to create a real affect. The animated t-shirts build up through the video and always links back to the song, his first t-shirt says dance and that is the name of the song and there is a part of the song where the t-shirts say the lyrics to the song continuously. I think this is a really clever idea and would like to pursue it or experiment with it.

Sound: I think the video content fits the music really well, for example at the beginning of the video the song sounds like it's on a radio and the man turns on the radio so it interlinks nicely. The pace of the animation and the music are in sync which makes for a more engaging and a better flowed video, what's more is the men also walk in time to the music.

Mise-en-scene: In this video the only thing in colour is the animation which I think is good because it makes the animation stand out more and as it is the main attraction of the video it should stand out the most. I like how the video is just following two men walking and animation on the t-shirts has made it really interesting, there are a few parts in which there are only animation however this is also simple and engaging.

Jay-Z: On To The Next One

Camera: Through out this video everything is centralized in either a long, mid or close up. Jay-z is the first persons face the audience sees in the video, this denotes his importance. Most large objects are in long shots for example the wires, most of the people are centralized in a mid shot and most objects like the skull is centralized in a close up. The camera stays simple in this video because the video itself is simple, the people and objects are its main attraction as well as the track so no complicated camera shots are used.

Editing: Due to the videos simplicity the editing is limited, the first and most noticeable aspect of the video is the black and white effect in the video this interlinks with the contrasting theme through out the video. The pace of the editing is well mastered in this video, it matches the bass of the song perfectly in which makes the video more interesting and engaging. The editing is cleverly done by the director because the cuts and the sequencing makes all the different scenes interlink, for example, at the beginning of the video there is a man in black standing facing a white wall, then it cuts to a black wall with a white liquid dripping on it, this is once again interlinking and following the contrasting theme of the video. Also in this video there are super imposed titles, of lines of the songs.

Sound: The track is the most important aspect of this video, the lyrics interlink with the objects shown in the video, for example he says "now double your money and make a stack" then it cuts to a stack of money. This is continuously shown through out the video and this is what makes the video and the song memorable, a very important aspect to think about when making a music video.

Mise-en-scene: There is a lot going on in this video, firstly there are the black wires with a simple white backdrop, once again contrasting however the main feature is they move in time with the base of the music once again interlinking the song with the video. Then there is the crazy man in the black suit wearing make-up similar to the jokers out of the batman, he is wearing pale white make-up contrasting with dark eye and lip make-up. Continuously through the video there are contrasting, for example the man on the drums has half his face painted black which contrasts one colour against each other and also the black diamond skull with white liquid poured on to it. A important part for this video is to realize his album art work scattered through the video, three white lines have been painted on a black car, three black lines painted on a white woman, there are three white lights on a black wall behind the drummer. The song keeps interlinking back to the video, he says "big yacht" then there is an image of a yacht.

I like this video because it is simple yet affective, the inspiration I will take from this video is to keep trying to interlink the lyrics to the images or objects in the video as it creates familiarity and it can make the video more engaging.

Interpol - Evil

Camera: Firstly in this video there are a series of mid shots and long shots to display to catastrophe in which that has happened. The first shot of the puppet singer is a long shot to make it clear he is apart of the scene. Three quick cut shots zoom into his face to a close up to notice that the puppet is the singer of the band. The following of shots are quick flashing backwards and forwards to the puppet and the crash scene, this keeps in time with the drums and the pace of the music. There are a lot of close ups on the puppet singing with extras waking in front of the camera to kind of separate the shots. This is followed by mid shots of the puppet in the ambulance so that the audience can establish what is going on around him as if he is a real person. A series of close ups are used now to view the surgery that is happening to the puppet to create realism. The music video ends with a series of close ups, mid and long shots to see the puppet alive and dancing once again to create realism.

Editing: The pace of editing is well kept with the music the actions and cuts are kept in time. The cuts keep the continuity well especially when the puppet is taken to hospital and the different shots show him coming through doors and into surgery. The editing is good in this music video as it keep the narrative flowing well which is important when narrative is introduced in the video as it must be easy to watch and easy to follow because not many audiences will watch something that is hard work.

Sound: The only sound in the video is the track itself, this is good because it means the actions are well acted there is no sound needed, it is also good because sometimes other sounds can be distracting from the track itself which defeats the purpose of the music video. The pace of the song is good and is kept through out the music video, there are no pauses or interruptions.

Mise-en-scene: The main interest at the beginning of the shot is the accident in which has happened, all aspects of the accident is clearly seen and the audience can see it is quite severe. There are fireman and paramedics everywhere and people crying and being resuscitated. When the puppet is introduced he is in quite pale coloured clothing alike his skin, he has messy hair and cuts on his face proving he is apart of the scene and the accident. The next location is in the ambulance where the puppet is cared for by paramedics as if he were human. It is quite dark lighting as it is set at night suggesting the song has a dark mood, which is true because the song is called evil. The following location and final is the hospital, where is much lighter, especially in surgery because the puppets life is saved and he is back in the light.

I think this puppet in this music video represents that humans are as fragile as puppets and we also do what we are told and are controlled by other people. Which is shown in the music videos as the people are dying and are controlled by the paramedics and doctors.

Animal Collective - In the Flowers

Camera: Through out the video the camera used is what seems like an old vintage camera as it has a low quality gradient effect which changes between black and white. At the beginning of the music video the camera looks through some bars at a city building and through out the video it makes you feel as if the camera is your eyes and you're looking at all these different locations and flowers. There is a good use of tracking in this video when the camera follows the man, however the only other bit of moving camera is used nearer the end of the video to follow the man or in the middle parts there are some 360 degree spins which give the audience that kind of dizzy feeling. There are quite a lot of still mid and long shots used in this video so that the audience can watch the dancers and the animation happening behind them. The camera often is fuzzy in other places an blends in with other shots creating a disorientating illusion.

Editing: There is a combination of normal camera and stop motion in this video. In parts of the video the director Abby Portner uses stop motion to engage the audience and to make the music video a little more interesting. Firstly the shoes are tied in stop motion, this is good because it takes a boring task and makes it look interesting to the audience. The next stop motion piece is colouring in the followed man, this shows the gradual passing of time rather than the audience watch the mans face get coloured completely they only see it done in blocks. A green screen is now used and there is flashing in the background to keep with the bands 'trippy' 'hippy' feel as their music genre is psychedelic rock. Through out the video the pace is kept well, the director keeps the pace of the music in line with everything happening in the video so it flows nicely and allows it easier to watch for the audience. There is some simple animation used in this video when images on the green screen start to move slightly, it looks as if this was done using flash. In this video there is a lot of overlay used and different shots begin to merge together, like a graphic match however they don't actually match. This video has proved itself very artistic and contemporary meeting the conventions of a psychedelic rock video.

Sound: The band is part of the psychedelic rock genre which also involves bands like MGMT and The Flamming Lips. The music is quite mellow however in places the synthesizers are quite loud and bold, however the director ensures the pace of the video is kept in time with the music. The video interlinks with the lyrics quite a bit there are lots of flowers shots in this video which is good because the song is called in the flowers.

Mise en Scene: There are many locations and lots of things to look at in this video. There are lots of objects from the city building at the beginning to the many flowers in the shots. The band are not featured in this video however there are three characters in this video the bearded man, he dresses in dark clothes and has a long dark grey beard however he does not look very old. The two dancers, the man dressed in dark Lycra with a 80's style pattern on it and the woman dressed in green Lycra, a black tutu around her waist and has doll like make up on her face once again representing a kind of 80's style. This could mean that the band are going for the 80's like sound with techno rhythms from synthesizers. Another location is a traditional carnival, however there are lots of little drawings over the film like the drawing of the little girl and the character made from flowers, this is to create familiarity with the song. Towards the end of the video there are some drawn masks that people hold up to their face and a mouth-less mask which is quite eary to fit with the horror like sound towards the end of the song.

I think this video is really random, yet artistic and contemporary. If you watch the other videos by Animal Collective most of their videos are like this. random crazy bits and pieces put together nicely in a video to create a psychedelic feel.