Ideas for My Music Video

Before thinking of a particular song to produce a music video for, I had some ideas that were influenced by other media products and music videos. By establishing earlier what sort of aspects feature in music videos, I had a rough idea of what was required and what sort of aspects I would like from an artistic point of view.

Types of Music Videos

Performance: 

Shake It Off - Taylor Swift

The performance aspect is something that I wish to include in my music video, however I would only like to include it as part of a hybrid video. Performance on it's own can be a tedious and repetitive type of video, therefore I would only like to add a smaller amount of performance in my video. 

Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson

Out of all the songs that I have chosen as possible choices, they are all guitar based. Due to this I would incorporate the use of guitar in the performance, possibly just a solo singer and guitar player rather than a band. Lip syncing would also be a vital part of the performance aspect. It is a common feature that is shared by most music videos such as; Shake it Off by Taylor Swift, Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson, Lane Boy by Twenty One Pilots and many more.

Use of lightbulb

Performance

As it is a performance I questioned whether I should use props such as microphones to emphasise that it is a performance. This idea was inspired by the video for 'Ignorance' by Paramore, where the lead singer uses a lightbulb as a microphone. It is unconventional but extremely unique idea which demonstrates that one idea can be used but twisted to have a more inventive visual. In the same video she is also seen using a normal microphone where she stages on stage with the band members, 'performing' the song. 

Conceptual:

According to thefrisky.com the most common themes for songs and music videos are:

1. Loss
2. Desire
3. Aspiration
4. Nostalgia
5. Pain
6. Breakup
7. Rebellion
8. Inspiration
9. Jadedness
10. Escapism
11. Desperation
12. Confusion

When choosing a theme, this list inspired me and informed me what the most loved and common concepts. A few of these themes jumped out at me as being the most interesting and relevant to my song choices. The themes of loss, nostalgia, confusion, desperation and confusion link to all my song choices so I highlighted them as themes to focus on. I intend to use metaphorical imagery to portray these themes. It matches the metaphorical language that Daughter uses in all her songs. 

Effects

The effects I would like to try and use are slow motion, overcranking, undercranking and using coloured lights to imply a certain tone within the music video. These three effects are used in a lot of music videos of all genres, mostly in more dramatic and emotional videos.

Slow Motion/ Overcranking:

Gif (A)

Slow motion has been used in many videos but one good example is 'This is Gospel - Piano Version' by Panic at the Disco. Even in the original music video slow motion is used but in moderation compared to the piano version. The entirety of the video is filmed in slow motion however it is not very obvious until the confetti is poured onto the piano. In the behind the scenes video it is shown that the music is speed up whilst filming, therefore when it is slowed down it appears to be in time.

Gif (B)

In Gif A you can see that the lip syncing is in time to the music and it is not obvious that the singer is actually singing at twice the speed. However in Gif B it becomes clear that the video has been shot in slow motion when the confetti starts to fall. The singer's hair starts to move and it is very obvious that it has been slowed down.

Undercranking:

Gif (C)

Undercranking is shooting a scene slower that what it will appear on screen, therefore ending up with the action being sped up. This is a rarer effect but is still used often in music videos. Just as 'This is Gospel' is shot in slow motion, Panic at the Disco's next song 'Emperor's New Clothes' uses overcranking to create a different effect to match the different tone of the song. Just as the song in 'This is Gospel' is played at a faster speed, 'Emperor's New Clothes' is played at a slower speed so when it's speed up it is at the correct speed.

Gif (D)

In Gif C it shows the singer at a normal speed. It is guessed that his actions were slowed so that it appeared normal on screen. Afterwards the speed kicks in, at the actions appear to be chaotic and frantic. The switch in speed is what I am most interested in. It creates a huge impact that when placed to the beat which can evoke emotion in the audience. In this case it creates a sense of panic and urgency. In Gif D, the video continues using undercranking further continuing the sense of urgency. All the actions are in time to the beat which again evokes emotion.

Use of Colour Lighting: 

'Numbers' - Daughter

Colour can be used as a signifier for emotion and tone. For example blue in a music video can represent a sense of sadness whilst red can convey danger. In my own video I would like to use colour in order to get across emotions that may not be so obvious in the actions.

Female dancing in
'Moving at Midnight'

In one of Daughter's video colour is an important feature. 'Numbers' is one of Daughter's few music videos and it perfectly captures the chilling tone of their music. At the very beginning the video is still. The only movement is the blinking lights, switching from pink to blue. They are contrasting colours which could convey masculinity vs femininity or even sadness vs happiness. In my opinion it foreshadows the contrast between the femininity of the killer and the masculinity of the victims. Colour is often used to foreshadow the outcome is music videos, films and theatre.

Another example of colour usage is 'Moving at Midnight' by Sophie Newton. The entire video uses colour

Male dancing is
'Moving at Midnight'

as the main feature, with only the dark silhouettes as the other features. The colour chosen for each part of the song represents the tone of the music for example, when the music builds up more orange-y and red tones are used to convey a sense of chaos. When the female dances is a beautiful and elegant way calmer colours such as blue is used. On the other hand when the male dances the colours are more vibrant, with the use of reds and yellows.