GC: Music Video Technical Analysis

Rudimental - Not giving in (Starting from 00:45)

1.
Shot duration: 3 seconds
Camera: Extreme close up of character's face. Off-centre to the frame (rule of thirds), with slight camera wobble
Mise-en-scene: Beads of sweat clearly visible on the character's nose to indicate it's hot or he's stressed with the domestic violence occuring. TV flickering out of focus behind him to signify he's out of touch with his childhood. Dark lighting to reflect the darkened mood set by the domestic violence earlier.

2.
Shot duration: 1.5 seconds
Camera: Close up from a slightly lower angle than before showing the character's face in shadow. Slightly off centre with slight camera wobble again.
Mise-en-scene: Dark lighting again to maintain the dark mood with the flickering of the TV visible on the side of his head to remind the audience of his lost childhood. Character is backlit to cast his features in shadow to make him seem more mysterious.

3.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: Mid shot showing one of the brothers helping the other up. Camera is about waist height looking down on the boy.
Mise-en-scene: Lighter shot contrasted to the previous two which show the boys are happier together than alone

4.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: Mid close up shot with the camera at eye level. Boy crosses the centre of the frame.
Mise-en-scene: Dark lighting behind him compared to the light pouring through the window suggests he wants to be outside rather than in the house as it's not as horrible or depressing out there as it is in the house. Paint peeling off the window frame to signify the house might be a bit delapidated.

5.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: Close up again at eye level. Boy is framed in the right third of the frame.
Mise-en-scene: Lighting similar to last shot for the same reasons. Scars just below the boys nose to show he hasn't been cared for properly.

6.
Shot duration: 17 seconds
Camera: Starts with a high angle long shot of the boy leaning out the window. Tracks out to an extreme long shot whilst keeping the boy centred for the first 5 seconds. Tracks outwards even further and to the right, whilst shifting the boy to the very left of the frame. Maintains the same height throughout until the last 3 seconds where it peds upwards.
Mise-en-scene: This is an establishing shot so the slums are shown to alert the audience to the boys location. City is shown behind during the last few seconds to firstly give the audience an idea of the country and secondly to help contrast the harshness of the slums to the city behind.

7.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: High angle close up of the boys' feet. Camera tracks backwards whilst giving each pair of feet an equal half of the frame.
Mise-en-scene: Both of the boys' feet shown walking on a dirty floor with litter around to show this is still in the slums.

8.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera:  Close up shot whilst tilting up and right. Each boy is centred in his own half of the frame again from the front.
Mise-en-scene: Boys' clothes can be seen to indtroduce their costumes to the audience so they are easily recognisible.

9.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: Eye line mid shot with the camera slightly canted. Boys' have their own halves again but from the back this time. Camera tracks forward with them as they walk maintaining the same distance away from them.
Mise-en-scene: The boys' shoulders are shown so the audience can tell them apart based on the clothes they were wearing earlier. Light source is infront of them to relate back to the boy going towards the light shining through the window: this time they are both going towards the light. This is emphasised by the dark shadows to the sides and behind the boys.

10.
Shot duration: 3 seconds
Camera: Eye level mid shot tracking backwards as the boys walk maintaining the same distance. Boys are centred within the frame.
Mise-en-scene: Boys are framed in the light this time for the first time, with the dark shadows behind them. This is why the boy on the right has his arm around the other, to show they are happy to be together and away from the dark lighting and therefore the dark mood associated with the dark lighting.

11.
Shot duration: 2 seconds
Camera: Mid low angle shot also tilted to the left as the camera slowly tracks forwards. Framed centrally with camera woblle.
Mise-en-scene: Bags hanging on the wall on the very left of the frame match those hanging on the wall by the boys in the previous shot. Little girl looking straight into the camera therefore appears to be looking  straight through the camera at the boys, judging by the positioning of the bags on the wall.

12.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: Mid canted angle eye level shot with lots of camera wobble this time.
Mise-en-scene: Boys have changed costumes this time to indicate a new day. Railway can be seen behind them to suggest they are not in the slums anymore. Boy with earring has that side of his head turned towards the camera to help the audience tell which one of the two characters he is.

13.
Shot duration: 3 seconds
Camera: Canted close up with lots of camera wobble.
Mise-en-scene: Boys are switched back to original costumes to show a different scene. Both laughing to contrast to the sad looks earlier on in the house.

14.
Shot duration: 3 seconds
Camera: Mid shot, camera tracks backwards. Boys go from the centre to the right of the frame.
Mise-en-scene: Still seen walking into the light areas rather than away from them. One boy has his arm around the other to show how the pair of them get on well.


15.
Shot duration: 1.5 seconds
Camera: Boys framed centrally in a mid shot. Camera starts to pan left towards the end of the shot.
Mise-en-scene: Again, the costumes, location and the lighting are kept different to help the audience tell which scene this is. Boys are in the light this time and seem to be enjoying themselves.

16.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: Long shot, pans left with the boys in the background this time, and framed to the left of the screen. Focus on a man in the foreground instead.
Mise-en-scene: One of the boys has given the other his hat to show they get along well and trust each other.


17.
Shot duration: 0.5 seconds
Camera: Mid shot that pans left with the boys going into the centre of the frame from the right hand side. No camera wobble.
Mise-en-scene: Other boy still has his brother's hat on.

18.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: Mid eye level shot where the rule of thirds is used to frame the boys and the shopkeeper equally over each side of the stall, with camera wobble.
Mise-en-scene: Boys shown laughing together to signify their shared personalities.

19.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: Stays stationary in a mid shot before the camera tilts down and to the left. Boys go off frame into the bottom left corner.
Mise-en-scene: Boys framed in a mid shot to allow room for the reactions of passers by to be seen. Both steal in synchronization to indicate that they are both alike.

20.
Shot duration: 0.5 seconds
Camera: Static mid-long shot of the boys. They are framed centrally.
Mise-en-scene:

21.
Shot duration: 0.5 seconds
Camera: Static worm's eye view mid shot. Camera frames below the waist only. Shot out of focus.
Mise-en-scene:

22.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: Mid shot as the camera slowly tilts downwards
Mise-en-scene:

23.
Shot duration: 0.5 seconds
Camera: Close up, pans right with lots of camera woblle. Boy moves from left to right of frame.
Mise-en-scene:

24.
Shot duration: 0.5 seconds
Camera: Pans left quickly, mid shot as the boys go from right to left of the frame this time.
Mise-en-scene:

25.
Shot duration: 0.5 seconds
Camera: Mid to long shot with camera wobble. Boys go from left to centre of the frame.
Mise-en-scene:

26
Shot duration: >0.5 seconds
Camera: Long shot with boy on right of frame. Camera wobble.
Mise-en-scene:

27.
Shot duration: 0.5 seconds
Camera: Camera wobble goes up and down in time with the boys' steps as they run. Mid to long shot as boys go from centre to the left third of the frame.
Mise-en-scene: The hat has gone from one of the boys heads which indicates this is maybe the start of their separation.


28.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: Slowly tracks the boys as they go down the stairs, keeping them in the centre of the frame in an extreme long shot.
Mise-en-scene:

29.
Shot duration: 3 seconds
Camera: Mid shot, camera tracks backwards and pans side to side, mixing up the framing of the boys.
Mise-en-scene: Boy on the left doesn't seem phased by being chased - which could be a hint to what he goes on to do later in the video, whilst the boy on the right seems to be getting a huge rush from it. Costumes have changed again to show this is another chase scene to the ones in the previous shots.

30.
Shot duration: 1 second
Camera: Close up of the mans shoulder as he runs past. Camera focused on the kids watching the chase.
Mise-en-scene:

Conclusion

• Seeing as this was a narrative, there were no shots of the lead singer or band.
• The shots are on average about 1 second long - coupled with the camera wobble and quick pans along with movement of the boys withing the frame, this creates effective tension and adds to the pace of the chase. This was particularly effective from shot numbers 19-28, hence the lack of notible mise-en-scene to keep the audience focused on the boys being chased.
• The transitions used are simple cuts, no fades or anything fancy. This helps to keep the pace up during the chase scene, but keeps audience attention on thenarrative rather than any complex editing.
• Pretty much the whole video is shot in slow motion - bar one or two shots. Throughout the video however, the slow motion is slowed down to various degrees, enabling a quick change of pace and therefore mood to go in sync with the music.

AC: Music video technical analysis

Imagine Dragons- Demons:

Shot Number	Duration (seconds)	Camera	Mise-en-scene
1	4	Low angle shot tilting slowly upwards to performer, framed in LS.	The room is dark, before a sudden burst of spotlight on performer, the location is set up at a gig, and we see the crowd’s hands at the bottom of the shot.
2	2	LS again on performer, which is suddenly slowed down.	The singer is very enigmatic, hidden by shadows and hands obstruct vision.
3	2	A LS of the audience again in slow-mo.	The audience are shown enjoying themselves, waving their hands, with only the light from the stage shining on them.
4	3	A low angle shot onto stage from audience again but covered by hands more.	Hard to make out singer through the crowd.
5	4	MS on singer as he begins the song. Canted angle used to film him, camera still.	Looks passionate as singing, main focus on screen, lighting on side of him.
6	3	Camera front on, positioned slightly to the left, eye line shot. Framed as a MS	Stares off to the side rather than first-person mode of address. Light flash in corner of screen, from post production.
7	1.5	Same as shot 5	Less than half the length than 5.
8	1.5	CU on guitarist, low angle, no movement.	Positioned to the left slightly, staring at the guitar.
9	1	CU on drummer, low angles. No movement	Positioned to the right, contrasting the last clip, facial expressions, looking very emotional.
10	2	CU on face, pans to the right of the singer, filmed at eye line.	The singer is in shadow, out of focus, there is lens flash as the camera pans.
11	1.5	LS shot from the audience, low angle onto stage.	The band is in focus, the hands are in front of them, but out of focus.
12	2	MS side view of the singer from on stage, slight low angle used	The blue light used, could connote a mood, making it more emotional and deep, which is added by the lyrics.
13	2	LS shot from audience, barely visible band through hands.	The hands appear to take over the shot more than ever before, makes the audience feel like they are in the crowd.
14	1.5	LS shot from stage of audience, high angle filming down	Blue light shining on audience, all hands are in the air, joining in with the music.
15	1	CU shot of keyboard, low angle.	We see the hand, which immerses the audience with the music, as we see it being played.
16	0.5	Cu on the keyboard players face, eye line shot	Played in slow motion, adds to the music.
17	1	LS of singer of the band, slightly low angle, no movement.	Still obscured by shadow, only blue light in background lighting his figure.
18	1	MS of girl standing in audience, audience move to focus on her.	The light is slightly brighter on the girl, and is centred in the audience making her the focus.
19	0.5	Side on Cu of the girl.	Light on her face, surrounded by darkness, looking serious in crowd. Still in slow motion
20	0.5	MS side on view of singer, slight low angle, no movement	The singer is in better lighting now the music has picked up in rhythm.
21	1	CU, zoom in on singer, with a slight tilt upwards from a low angle.	The light is similar to the last shot, avoiding camera, no first person mode of address.
22	2	Starting from MS, zoom on the girl’s face into CU, eye line, looking into camera.	The girl is in a spotlight, and is the focus as the camera zooms in on her. Changes location as it zooms, but keeps the same expression.
23	0.5	MS of the girl.	The girl is sitting at a funeral; with a coffin covering the left of the screen. This is effective to set the mood of the scene. The colours are dark which also support this.
24	1	MS from behind, slow zoom inwards to the girl.	Shows the remains of the scene, gives a better view, it helps enhance the sad mood used.
25	1	Over the shoulder shot, CU on side of face, focus on girl, background out of focus of relatives.	She tilts her head downwards, and we again see the background, which sets the atmosphere.
26	1	CU on hands holding picture, high angle used.	She is seen holding a picture of her clearly recently dead grandparents, but is slightly out of focus.
27	1	MS of the girl, low angle looking up.	The girl is seen crying, which makes the audience emphasize with her.
28	3	CU on the girl, same as previous shot, but zoomed closer.	The shot is zoomed closer to show her emotion, as she moves her head.
29	0.5	Cu shot of girl.	Brief shot of the girl back in the audience to signify the change in location.
30	0.5	Cu of guitarist, low angle.	The guitarist is shot looking intense as he is playing, focusing on the music, showing the emotion of the song.

From the analysis of the music video, it was helpful to analyse each shot individually, as it allowed me to break it down, and focus on how effective we can make our own production, by looking at he camera techniques used, and the mise-en-scene of each shot.

AC: Analysis of Music Videos

Foo Fighters- Learn to Fly

Institution and audience:

• This video is of a rock genre, so it is more likely to be consumed through and more focused viewing. The typical audience of this video would need to enjoy listening to rock music, as that is the focus of the video, as well as people who are just fans of the band, as Foo Fighters are a very conventional rock band, and one of the most well known in the genre. The music video is most likely to be consumed over the internet, through website such as YouTube, as it is far easier to access this way. Its not likely to be shown on many music channels due to the genre, and is not a mainstream video.

• The music video its self is very unconventional of a rock video, as they are conventionally performance pieces, however this is a narrative with clips of performance throughout, which makes it different and interesting to watch for the audience. The record label would have helped with the initial idea of the video, as well as help promoting it online and though other media forms such as magazines and radio. The band however would have had the dominant input overall.

Genre and narrative:

• The video is a narrative, which is very unconventional, especially due to the use of the comedy which is used, due to Dave Grohl the lead singer playing most of the main roles, which adds humour throughout the video. There is performance used during the video, which are clips of a live performance of the song, but allow a good use of cross cutting during the video, making it more entertaining for the audience. The location and costumes used are very authentic looking, which adds to Goodwins theory of visual art, making it look as if it is on a plane. With the use of CU on the characters, we are are shown the different characteristics of each played by Dave Grohl, which is very innovative of the band to have one actor playing all the characters, and is much more appealing to an audience to watch.

• The video is an example of an amplification, due to the song title and lyrics, learn to fly, the band takes their own approach on the title, and apply it to an airline in the state of emergency where they have to subsequently save the plane form crashing, and therefore 'learn to fly' the plane, but the build up is not illustrative, as there is not a literal demonstration of the lyrics, however there is reference to them.

• The video I believe would not be seen as art, as it merely is used a light-hearted comedy music video, which should not be take too seriously, but rather entertaining for fans of the band and genre to watch and enjoy.

Modestep- To The Stars (Break The Noize & The Autobots Remix)

Media language:

• The video itself is a performance piece, which is used to portray the meta-narrative of the band, through backstage and live shots of them. They are being represented as a rebellion band, as the music video includes clips of them smoking and drinking alcohol, whilst simultaneously representing them as relaxed and chilled. This is what is now seen as socially acceptable and typical of gigs and concerts these days, this image is then juxtaposed however when they are live as they appear much more loud and energetic when on stage, which is backed up by the mosh pits in the crowd at the gig. The band is being constructed so the main target audience of teenagers and young adults can relate to them, and find similarities between them, as well as appealing to fans of the genre.
• The camera techniques used include MS on the band members, as well as LS on the stage when they are performing, LS are used to film the audience as well to help construct the bands image. There were panning shots used to film the live performance, and were all mostly shot using a high angle camera, shooting down on the audience and the band. A few CUs were used when filing the backstage, to focus on parts such as the alcohol to help construct their image. The editing used is fast paced a well, for example before the drop, the editing is in sync with the beats, which slowly becomes quicker, as the editing simultaneously speeds up. There is use of black and white used during, which gives it an indie effect, which was added in post-production. The lighting changes a lot during the clip to make it seem a lot like a gig, and the cuts are so fast it is difficult to focus on the clips too much, but it is in time with the music, which is up beat.

Arctic Monkeys- Brainstorm

Representation:

• The music video is not very technically challenging as it, cuts between the bands performance and the girls dancing, with a few clips in between, however it represents them very enigmatically, as we are shown quick clips of them, from a variety of CUs and LSs. The music video appears to be very random with dancing and clips used, which adds to their star image, and describes them as very spontaneous and challenge social normalities with their style.
• The band are all white young adults, and as they are the main focus of the video, they are represented positively, by giving them the star image, making them appear extraordinary. The dancers are the next most focused point, as that is what the video cuts to. The dancers are all female, and appear to be using their body to dance seductively, which represents them worse than the male band members. Gender is therefore being portrayed negatively, however this agrees with residual ideologies, that men are more of the focus then women, but does not however agree with mainstream ideologies, we have now a days. The dominant values in society are being challenged in this video, due to the representation of gender.

AC: How to deconstruct a digipak

•  The band is conforming to Dyer’s theory, as the band is present on the album cover. They are following the two paradoxes Dyer suggests, by not only being present, they also appear absent to the audience as it is a cover of an album meaning it is out of reach for the consumer, and the audience are merely on-lookers of the band. The cover also follows the other paradox that they are being ordinary through the use of their clothing and style, which makes them appear like any other group of people one might see anywhere, however it’s the location and pose they are in, which makes them appear extraordinary, as the area is an empty field, which appears to be in the middle of nowhere, making them seem unreachable, also they pose like models, making them appear better looking than normal.

• Due to the artist’s name being the only part in colour, it appears to stand out more than the rest of the album cover and it helps capture the audience’s eye. From first glance, it is what the consumer will notice first, then the title of the album, before looking at the image underneath. By doing this, the person looking at the image will immediately know who is it, which means if someone is a fan of the band they can become interested quickly, before they decide if they like it based off the image used.

•   From the album cover, my initial thought of the genre is indie, which subsequently it is. My reasoning behind this is the use of the black and white used, and the posing and outfits of the band. Indie artists want to try and be individual and unique, so by using this style on their cover they achieve an enigmatic appearance, which is what led me to believe that they are an indie band. Due to them being separated as well, rather than bunched together like a lot of bands are portrayed. It makes them appear more individual, and show they each bring something different and unique to the band.