Lip Syncing

In preparation for the filming and editing of my music video, I completed a lip syncing task to demonstrate my ability to edit a music video in time with a backing song in order to create a video that looks as though it is legitimately being sung by the actor(s). 

The song that I chose was Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used To Know' and it contains an actor and an actress to play the roles of the two vocalists. I myself am in the music video and I found it challenging at first to lip sync in time with the song however after the first day I realized that if I actually were to sing the song aloud whilst the song is being played, then it would look more convincing when the clip is muted and the backing track added on to the clip. 

Myself and Talia (the actress in the video) remain relatively still in the video in an attempt to replicate the actual music video for the song, to an extent. Filming was relatively hard due to the fact that neither of us have any acting or lip-syncing experience; this resulted in many outtakes of us laughing or coming in at the wrong time. Moreover, I had to set up the shot by placing one of my friends of the same height in the shot, then I would press play on the camera with the monitor facing myself so I could see the shot, and I would take his place - this ensured that the shot was framed as I had intended... My friend was too shy to actually lip sync for me hence my role as actor and director as well as the editor of the video.

Ultimately, I believe that this project was extremely effective in developing my filming and editing skills, specifically for a music video as I now feel prepared to film my actual music video - I will tell the actor to sing aloud, over the song playing from my phone in the background, as this will ensure that he is exactly in time with the music video; this is vital as if it isn't perfectly in time, then the lip-syncing will look unconvincing as it will look like he is lip-syncing rather than actually singing the song.

Animatic for 'Out of the Black'

Above is the animatic that I created for opening sequence (first 30 seconds) of 'Out of the Black' by Royal Blood. This project was effective in developing and demonstrating my ability to edit a music video in time to the beat as well as replicate existing music videos - this is important as I will look to draw inspiration from other music videos of the same genre when producing my final music video. 

'Out of the Black' was a good song choice as the instrumentation used in the song allow for quick sharp editing through the use of jump cuts - there is no place for transitions in this type of song as, due to the nature of the song, jump cuts will allow quick cuts to different shots.

I also chose 'Out of the Black' as I like the animations in the song and felt it would be an interesting challenge in attempting to replicate these animations myself - I found this difficult and time-consuming however I am pleased with the overall aesthetic and I am also pleased with the editing skills I have demonstrated; my animatic does replicate the actual music video, an example of a shot replicated is the parental advisory logo as the opening shot.

Music Video Directors - Daniel Wolfe

Both music videos and film rely on design, it is vital to the success of the product; music videos have to display a narrative in addition to promoting the song and the artist in a short time scale. Mise-en-scene and editing must work together to display a single message on screen.

When music videos have complicated narratives, it is important that directors work to ensure that the narratives are clear and can be understood by the viewer; this is difficult in a video without direct speech. A large factor in the success of a music video is the quality of the song and the artist that they are working with, they both work together to create synergy.  An example of a music video that was subject to heavy direction is The Shoes' "Time to Dance" directed by Daniel Wolfe.

Music Video Directors: Michel Gondry

Michel Gondry is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. Gondry has directed both film and music videos and his noted for his unique innovative style and trademark manipulation of mise-en-scene. He directed 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay - moreover, the film is often regarded as one of the best films of the 00's. In regards to his direction of music videos, he is best known for his collaborations with The Chemical Brothers, The White Stripes, Kanye West and Bjork.

My favorite music videos directed by Gondry are 'Heard 'Em Say' by Kanye West, 'Star Guitar' by The Chemical Brothers and 'Around The World' by Daft Punk. I noted similarities in all three music videos in that there is a consistent theme and miss-en-scene present throughout the video. The music video for 'Star Guitar' is one single shot taken from a train, the video offers a minimalistic approach to direction however due to the obscurity of one single shot throughout, it captivates the viewer and is effective in promoting the video as it leaves the viewer thinking about the film and the song regardless of whether they enjoy and appreciate the video itself. 'Heard 'Em Say' is also an effective music video which displays a consistent theme - the video is divided between performance by Kanye and Adam Levine, and animation; the entire music video is filmed in black and white including the animation. The animation is interesting due to adult themes and connotations which juxtaposes the animations which at first seem child friendly (an example of this is the animated child smoking a cigarette).

Gondry, along with David Fincher and Spike Jonze, are examples of the influx of music video directors that have ventured into the direction of feature film as well. Gondry is also noted for his direction of commercials; the commercial 'Drugstore' for Levi's 501 Jeans holds a Guinness World Record for 'Most Awards Won by a TV Commercial'. Gondry has been particularly successful in this industry and his ability to promote products and brand identity is an extremely valuable trait that he has transferred into his direction of music videos. Ultimately, the purpose of music videos is to promote songs and artists in order to increase their number of sales. and Gondry has been successful in promoting artists through his music videos.

Music Video Directors: Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze is an American director, producer, screenwriter and actor; his work includes music videos, film and television. Jonze is known largely due to his direction of the films 'Being John Malkovich', 'Where the Wild Things Are' and 'Her'. Jonze directs both film and music videos and is known for his collaborations with artists; Fatboy Slim, Weezer, Beastie Boys and Kanye West. Additionally he is the creative director of Vice Media and was a co-creator and executive producer of MTV's Jackass. I am a great fan of his work. As an avid consumer of Vice Media and I was intrigued when I found out that he was their creative director. I frequently find myself watching documentaries and reading articles on their website and social media pages; I am particularly drawn to Vice as their stylized method of creating media appeals to me. I believe that I speak on behalf of many young people in saying that they have an ability to make content that wouldn't ordinarily be of interest to the younger generation, appealing. I have watched many music videos directed by Jonze and the music videos for Arcade Fire's 'The Suburbs' and Jay-Z and Kanye West's 'Otis' are of particular interest to me. Jonze has a unique style and vision for his products which is something I personally admire and has led to critical acclaim for Jonze. 

The Suburbs' by Arcade Fire is a music video of particular interest to me; it is a shortened version on Jonze's short film 'Scenes From the Suburbs'. The music video doesn't have dialogue but, as an amplification of the lyrics, it does relate to the lyrics within the song. The video cleverly promotes the short film as well as promoting the song itself; the way it does this is as, to a viewer who hasn't seen the short film, the shortened music video creates a strong sense of enigma due to the lack of dialogue. For this reason, the audience isn't entirely sure what is going on and will consequently be enticed to watch the film to both understand the context of the music video as well as film out the motives of the characters and how the narrative ends. It does a good job of promoting the song and Arcade Fire as it is an interesting music video with a very effective use of camera work and framing in regards to the mise-en-scene - it doesn't conform to stereotypes of the indie rock genre which is another reason that it would interest a viewer and be a talking point. 

Analysis of Gunga Din by The Libertines

Read “Gunga Din” by The Libertines on Genius

Music Video Analysis of 'Out of the Black' by Royal Blood

The music video for Royal Blood's 'Out of the Black' is one of my favourite music videos and is effective as it has allowed the song to gain greater exposure due to the interesting nature of the video. The video opens with a shot of the 'Parental Advisory - Explicit Content' logo which immediately alerts the viewer and captivates their attention. Following this shot, there is a shot of an untuned TV channel with white noise, after this shot there is no actual footage until 0:33, instead the shots are animations of the TV show that the protagonist is watching. In the TV show there are aliens, police officers and violence; this foreshadows what is about to come in the rest of the music video.  During this animated period, fast paced editing is used alongside many vibrant colors in the animations - this sets the tempo for the rest of the video which is fitting as the song is fast paced.

There is a clear and strong narrative in this video that begins with the protagonist, a store clerk, watching the show about aliens. A woman then comes to the till and is shot in the head by an alien in a rabbit costume, the store clerk has a bar of chocolate in his hand which the rabbit takes away from him before leaving the shop without harming the store clerk. Outside the front of the shop, a massive confrontation between the police and the rabbit breaks out; more aliens come to support the rabbit and they all violently murder the policemen. After this is over, the angry store clerk comes out of the store, kills all of the aliens including the rabbit and retrieves his chocolate bar - a cyclical structure. Throughout the video, the shots are switched from real footage to animated footage - namely during the violent, alien scenes. The video sees editing in time with the music and the theme of violence in the video supports the song and the band as a whole as they are a rock band who play loud, aggressive music music which is heavily based around the drums and bass guitar. The video is an amplification of the lyrics to an extent, the song is called 'Out of the Black' and this can be linked to the whole alien theme and the fact that the video is set at nighttime. I believe that the music video is extremely effective as even though it doesn't conform to connotations of the genre in terms of mise-en-scene, the fast paced editing does conform to the genre and the video is very striking, comical and memorable which, as aforementioned will promote song and the band, leaving the viewer excited to hear and see the band's release of their next music video.

Neither of the two members of Royal Blood appear in the video but with the video being heavily narrative based without performance of the song itself, the use of an actor rather than the band seems effective. Camera shots are used to complement the hectic and wild song; we see the use of POV shots from the alien's perspective whilst running, close-up shots of the first alien's feet - shot by a handheld camera meaning that the shot is unstable. The editing is particularly effective as it is in time with the music - this is essential with a song such as Out of the Black due to the drums and bass guitar being central to the song - as a rock band, Royal Blood create music that is to be performed loud and is very instrument based - especially during the chorus in which the lead vocalist seems to almost be shouting. The editing accompanies the violent and aggressive themes of the song and the video itself. I believe that the video creates a band identity to an extent; it captivates the viewer and would leave them excited to watch more music videos from Royal Blood and so it is effective as a promotion, however it doesn't create an identity for the band itself as neither members appear within the video and the use of animation isn't something that is consistent across other videos/pieces of media associated with Royal Blood.

Music Video Analysis of 'Pacifier' by Catfish And The Bottlemen

The video for 'Pacifier' by Catfish and the Bottlemen is complete disjuncture from the lyrics however it still conforms to the connotations of indie music; the video sees the band playing a football match in an abandoned warehouse against a group of thugs, the football match is aggressive and violent which goes well with the song in my opinion as the song does contain moments of the lyrics being shouted; this is further complemented by editing which is in time with the beat. There are many close-ups of the band members - showing their outfits (skinny jeans, leather jackets etc) which conform to the genre. The video very effectively uses slow-motion editing at parts such as when the band scores the winning goal. The setting of the video is also particularly effective as the warehouse is dark and the use of the flare makes the band look like silhouettes, flashing lights have also been used well in the video - all of these work well together to create a vibe that conforms to the indie music genre and will appeal to the band's target audience demographic.

The intro of the music video is effective in establishing a brand identity; all four of the band members have long hair and though the audience can only see their silhouettes, they are immediately aware that it is the band members - specifically lead guitarist Johnny Bond who is known to always wear hats, and bassist Benji Blakeway who has a trademark long and frizzy haircut. The video contains clear mid shots of each band member which will appeal to the band's target audience, especially due to their central framing in the shot. The video contains no performance from the band members and is a purely narrative based video that is a disjuncture from the lyrics - the song itself was written about one of lead singer Van McCann's friend's who's mother had passed away, however from the music video this would not be evident. The band are seen to be bloodied and dirty as well as smoking and drinking from a flask; this conforms to the indie music genre and the use of the dusty warehouse as the setting for the video is suitable as it draws urban connotations which are fitting to the band.

The section in the song after the second chorus is the slowest part of the song and during this section the shots are in slow motion to replicate this change in speed however when the instruments kick in again the shots speed up and the band begin their comeback in the football match by scoring the first of three goals to win the game. As the song ends we see the band walking away, lead by lead singer Van past the camera. The narrative of the story doesn't relate to the lyrics in any rational way even as amplification but at the same time, the video still does an effective job of promoting Catfish and the Bottlemen as it is an interesting music video that conforms to characteristics of the Indie genre as well as creating a band identity that will appeal to the band's target audience.

Music Video Analysis of 'Fossils' by Circa Waves

The music video for the song 'Fossils' by Circa Waves shows footage of the band touring around the country and performing their music live. It doesn't have a narrative as such, rather the video seems to be made up of random footage of the band such as the POV shots of them eating ice cream and close-ups of them skateboarding and playing football. Editing techniques are evident in this music video as the majority of the shots have been filtered with either a black and white filter or with a vignette effect which gives the video a retro theme to it; moreover the video explores fast-paced editing which I believe complements the idea of a video with many random selections of footage as well as the song itself which is upbeat and fast paced. The video has been edited in time with the music such as at 2:17 where the shot changes from a calm POV shot to an exciting mid-shot of the band performing on stage as soon as the music 'drops'.

The setting of the video is urban and by filming the band before and on stage, the director has been able to exploit props such as flashing lights, cigarettes and alcohol as this fits in with the connotations of the indie/alternative rock genre of the music; this is an example of Goodwin's third point in action. Additionally, Goodwin's fifth point is also explored in this video as there are many close-ups of the band members in the video - something that will appeal to the band's target audience. The video is an amplification of the lyrics: "i'm a long way from home" is just one example; the concept of the video of the band on tour is an amplification of these lyrics.

The film is edited to make it look vintage and like an old home-movie, I believe that this complements a rather abstract music video - I say abstract as there are many random shots in the music video such as the POV shot of the football and the close up of lights on the ceiling in the opening sequence. The vintage theme throughout the music video is suited to the indie genre of music and will appeal to the bands target audience. As aforementioned the frequent use of mid-shots and close-ups of the band members is particularly effective; the structure of the music video gives the viewer an insight into the band touring and gives the viewer a 'behind the scenes' perspective - this is further supported by the use of handheld cameras and POV shots throughout as it doesn't come across as a music video that was staged and directed, instead it just seems like a collection of different footage of the band touring and performing live, that has been put in a montage giving it the effect of a home-movie - this allows the audience to relate to the band members.

The variety of different shots, the content within them, the different filters used and the fast paced editing implies that the band is living a very hectic and fast-paced life as members of an indie rock band; this is further accompanied by the use of very quick shots of a black screen as well as flashing lights during their performance. Mise en-scene in the video is effective as it conforms to the genre - the shots don't seem to have been framed by a director, however I believe this is perhaps more effective in giving us a true insight into how the band actually lives and therefore the lack of an attempt to recreate a mise-en-scene that would conform to the genre, in reality is one way to show the band's true identity - one which does happen to conform to the indie genre. Their costumes again are unplanned but similarly, they show their 'indie' identity as the band members wear piercings, skinny jeans, t-shirts and have messy hair.

The Codes and Conventions of Music Genres

 

Goodwin's Theory - The Six Points

Goodwin's Theory from JLever1

History of Music Videos

The Brief

The Brief: To create a promotion for the release of an album to include one Music Video with two ancillary tasks; a digipak and a magazine advertisement for the album. In my blog I will explore and research other successful music videos, digipak's and magazine advertisements from notable artists both within my genre and other genre's in an attempt to create an effective promotion for an unsigned artist. I will analyse influential music video directors and artists to draw inspiration from when producing my final package. As an avid music fan, specifically in regards to the Indie Rock genre, I am excited to conduct this research and create both the blog and final product - I believe that bands such as The Libertines, Catfish and the Bottlemen and the Arctic Monkeys will inspire me in my decision making process throughout this project to promote my chosen unsigned artist to their target audience.