Music Video Research **Change of Song**

Since the change of chosen track, I didn't need to worry too much about starting from scratch. But I've decided to do some extra music video research that could influence my new track. It may be the same genre of music from my last track, but the song is more uplifting, heavier bass & alot more variety with singers and lyrics.

1. Nero - 'Promises' (2011)

This track is very similar to my new track, "One More Star" in the ways of featuring a girl singer and the emphasis on the chorus. This track uses it's technology and futuristic feel to make an unusual and space themed music video. The lyrics of the song so go with the visual video, but the audience may need to watch it more than once to really understand it. At the start of the video, we have a small section that last's for 30 seconds which a man and a woman talking, this leads to the audience questioning

2. Chase & Status ft. Delilah - 'Time' (2011)

This video differs to the last music video as this video has more of a narrative. The band do not feature in this video like the last video either, but the singer of the track does. Even though the track is very lively and uplifting, the video makes it come across as a sad and emotional song, expressed though the chosen genre, drum & bass. As the video is based on violence, the audience could say that the speed and loudness of the track could be related to why the director chose the topic of violence for the video.

3. Pendulum - 'Crush' (2009)

This track isn't similar to my chosen track by Olly B, but I like the storyline of this video and would be a influence in my own. It uses flashbacks, merged into the present of the video to show what life was like and how it is now. The use of different colour lighting shows which was past and which is present, makes the audience aware of the switch over. Red to show present (relating to anger) and white for past (dream & memory like).

4. Sunrise Inc - 'Still The Same' (2011)

As my chosen track is about a loss of a loved one, I thought about using the girl singer as a 'ghost' in my music video. From Sunrise Inc's 'Still The Same' video, it uses a faded and brightness edits to show the difference of being alive to being dead or non-existent. This will help me with the editing I could use in my own video to give it a dreamy and surreal look.

**CHOSEN SONG - LOUIS LA ROCHE - MY TURN**

For my music video, I've chosen French House producer, Louis La Roche and his track "My Turn". 

Moodboard for Music Video.

Planning our music video's is one of the most important proof's of evidence and helps create ideas and visuals for us to look back on while we make a storyboard for it. We need to make sure that our music track fits with our music video using stereotypes and alot of research.

When researching music video's that have the same genre as my track, I noticed that alot of these music video's use Urban Landscapes. The popular places for the video's I've seen for filmed in East London, Canary Wharf, train stations, modern block flats & walls with street art on them.

It is popular for stereotypical props to be used in music video's with a drum & bass genre. These props are dancing, BMX'ing & guns. Most Drum & Bass music video's that I've researched, work with a young generation and gang culture for their narrative. They believe that it spreads awareness for young children/adults to not go into a future of gang crime. Also, prom the pictures above, we notice the costumes are the same, using again sterotyped fashion of hoodies, tracksuits & trainers.

The narratives of some of the music video's I researched use our British Gang Culture to put a message forward. These narratives can be about anything where violence is used. Hanging around the streets during the day and night in a large 'gang' intimidates any passers by who do not want to get in their way, therefore becoming common pests. Using gang's in my music video will work well with my chosen music track as well as the stereotypical visuals of British gangs. 

Another popular choice of a mise-en-scene is to use Council Estates. Working with Urban Landscapes again. it's an easy and cheap way to shoot a music video. Again, it fits a stereotypical gang 'hang out' as well as providing alot of space for violence, fights and riots. It also has a colour scheme of grimy and de-saturated making it look dull and run down. If to be filmed at night, the flat lights would be on which would make it a very effective source of light id wanting to film at night.

Researching Influencing Music Video's.

Since choosing my music track "You're The Enemy" by Mirrored Theory, the next step is to research ideas that could help influence me into the filming. My first step into my research is to look at music video's which have the same genre of music to mine to see what kind of idea's and narrative story lines they include. My music track's genre is Drum & Bass, so I shall be researching British music producers and music video directors that focus on this genre.

Example - Watch The Sun Come Up (Devil's Gun Zeitgeist Remix)
Director - Ben Newman (2009)

This music video provides the audience with an Urban Mise-en-Scene, which is popular for Drum & Bass music videos. There are many landscape shots, shot using wide angle, panning & tracking. There are 3 main characters with 2 not coming in until half way through the video. The costumes used in the video, fit the stereotypical people who would listen to this music and would work very effectively in my own music video. Dancing is also a huge part of the music video and works well in this, with the main character dancing to the beat of the music.

DJ Fresh - Louder
Director - Ben Newman (2011)

Another music video that was directed by British Music Video Director, Ben Newman. This has a very different mise-en-scene, but works very effectively with the flamboyance that this video provides for the audience. It has a non conventional storyline, but as the music track is related to Drum & Bass, it's storyline features sports & hobbies of the stereotype's of the people who would listen to this music. It's an up-beat track which helps emphasizes the energy the characters are putting into the skating, biking & blading.  

Chase & Status ft. Plan B - End Credits
Director - Kim Gehrig (2009)

This is a very dark music video which tries and represents British gang culture. We come back to Urban Landscapes of subways, undergrounds, streets & buildings with most of the footage filmed in the dark. This could be a problem for me if I cannot get my hands on the correct lighting equipment. The Film Harry Brown features in this as well as the actor Michael Cane which helps promote the music video as well as using the storyline of the film to create this music video.

Magnetic Man ft. John Legend - Getting Nowhere
Director - Diamond Dogs (2011)

This is my favorite music video of the 4 and would be one I would get a huge influence off. It's another music video filmed during the night but light that is shown has been edited to make it brighter. If the audience hasn't researched into the music video itself, they would assume that this music video would be non-conventional, but when I researched into the video, I found out it has a HUGE meaning, using British gang cultures on bikes and representing them as the 'BMX riders of the Apocalypse'. The narrative creates an enigma code which I would like to make in my video.

Write up of 3 Music Video's

As homework set by Mr Seal, we were asked to choose 3 Music Video's of our choice and to write a paragraph about it, using media context.

1. The Streets - Everything is Borrowed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8BHL5SWX0Q

The Video for 'Everything is Borrowed' by The Streets uses a strong narrative structure through out the music video. It also uses Tzetvan Todorov's Theory of the story having a beginning, middle and end. The video starts off with a medium shot of a woman sleeping in bed, then a panning shot to the right, where we see the singer sitting down on a sofa. The room is dark and the only ambient light we see, is on the singers face from the window from the separation from the curtains. The equilibrium is quickly disrupted as he gets up, with the camera following him and him look tense. The jump cut to a man in the mirror in a car and him looking at his friend's watch shows the second party of characters, looking 'hard' and manly suggests that they're the antagonists of the music video. Though out the video me jump cut between both parties of characters which builds up to the disequilibrium which emphasizes on the antagonist party, demanding the singer to 'open the door'. From this point, we see alot of close up shots from the characters which shows the emotion of what's happening and how the Protagonist party is feeling. The disruption is shown using fast tracking shots as well as  shallow focus on the Protagonist party to show the audience that they've lost control of the situation. The last scene is of the singer, singing the last chorus and using a tracking shot to back away from the character which develops into a master shot of both parties and the street showing what's going on and happening in that scene.

2. HURTS - Blood, Tears & Gold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBOEsQCdqpI

HURTS 'Blood, Tears & Gold' music video begins with a scene of a young ladies leg and as the music starts, lap-dissolve editing is used in time with the music, showing her washing her leg which creates an Enigma code. Through out the video, we see the leg getting shaved, washed again, stocking put on and a white long buckled shoe being put on, meaning the Enigma Code remains through out the video. Towards the end of the video, flashbacks of the leg from the start of the video are shown, with edited in shakes to create an uneasy tension. The whole video has been edited to Black and White which illustrates the depression of the song & lyrics. Through out the video, we jump cut to and from the leg and a band performance. They're put against a black screen and use non-ambient lighting to create a dark and unhappy feel. This relates to how the band is feeling as well as showing the darkness of the song itself. In the middle and towards the end of the music video, we have 2 scenes of a woman crying using a close up shot of her face so we're able to see all emotion on her face.

3. Elliot Minor - Time After Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7AonYu2whA

Elliot Minor's 'Time After Time' music video, uses both band performance and a repetitive narrative structure. The story is based of the lyrics from the Chorus, making this a conventional music video. The footage showing the repetitive story-line is shown 3 times in total, with the second and third time showing realizations and the lead singer changing his actions to win over the girl in the video. Though out the video, the story is cut to a band performance where they're in a dark room and the use of ambient light is used to focus on the band. The dark room and bright light also shows the audience that they're stuck in a dark place or a physiological depression and wanting to break out of it (the light representing that). 

3 Music Video's from Music Video Jam's 'Top 100 Music Video's of 2010'

As a piece of homework set my Mr Seal, we had to watch some music video's from the site Music Video Jam and write up on any 3 that we liked and why.

1. HEALTH - 'We Are Water' (#95)

I've already watched this video before as I'm a fan of the band. The Narrative of the music video is of the Lead Singer (if you knew of the band when you watched it) dressed up as a girl and running from a man with a sword. The music video lasts for 3mins 28secs, and for 1min 40secs we are witnessing him/her running away from the man. Most of the shots are wide angle so we're able to see both of the characters running with the gap between them. We have close up shots of the feet running from the start and of the face of both characters to see the expression in their faces from the situation they're in. After 1min 40secs, the victim falls to the ground and the attacker and chaser catches up with her/him and we witness the victim feeling helpless, attacking and killing him with alot of gore and blood. Editing included slow motion as well as dimming of the lighting (lighting is non-ambiant through out the whole music video). I like this music video

2. Gemini Club - 'Future Tidings' (#37)

I decided to write about this music video when I was attracted to the title of the track 'Future Tidings'. The characters featured in the music video are of a male and female. The title of the track works very well with the music video because of the heavy green screen editing work used in this. The characters used in this also try and create a futuristic feel by the male character dancing like a robot and the female is lying on the floor while moving her hands and arms about and edited in lines and triangles follow them about. The heavy editing used int this video creates a huge impact and is important for the message of the video for the title of the track. All lighting in this video is non-ambiant.

3. Hey Champ - 'Neveret' (#35)

Yet again, this music video has a futuristic style through out the whole video, but unlike the previous video, the unsual narrative structure of it leaves the audience to be confused. From the first time you watch it, you can see no real obvious meaning from it. The band feature in this video, dressed up in bright/white colours against the dark screen which makes them stand out and watch them peform with alot of wide shots to feature the whole band in as well as panning shots used to almost 'zoom' into the dark character on the chair (above). I like this music video as the idea's for it are a little bit strange but leaves the audience to remember the music video after as well as the track title and song.

Welcomer.