Music Video Influences

By James Beesley

Music Video Influences:

Throughout my research into music videos I was made aware of the importance of various shots and transitions that must be used. I looked at hundreds of music videos and took examples of where the various camera shots and transitions were used. I specifically chose these videos (in the clip above) as they equate to the possible genre of music that we will be choosing and so I could gain a better understanding of how we should film and edit our own video.

Close Ups are prominent in all music videos. They are often used to portray the emotion of the person singing in the video which also helps to tell the story more effectively. Close ups are also used so that you can see the person singing and this is a type of shot that we will most definitely be using in our video.

Panning shots often set the scene of a video panning across the location to show the audience the setting of the video. They are also used throughout videos to pan across a particular object/person. Panning shots are an effective camera shot used in many music videos including the one we will be making.

Tracking shots are another camera shot that I found to be a common feature in the music videos I watched. They are often filming a person or object that is moving and it tracks their movement. This type of shot is often filmed on a handheld camera to increase the audiences participation in the video making them feel more involved.

Fast cuts and transitions are evident in music videos with a much faster song. This is so that the music and editing correspond with eachother so the faster the video the more cuts there is likely to be such as in Count On Me by Chase & Status where the song is quick and so the cuts follow this speed. The speed of the editing changes depending on the speed of the song.

Zoom is another camera shot used in many videos and can be used in a variety of different ways. One being to zoom in on the person in the video to show their emotion and often they use zoom as part of a special effect where the zoom is often sped up to enhance the effect.

Calvin Harris - Blame

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Fast cuts and Transitions:

I like the use of fast cuts and transitions in this section of the song. The pace of the song is fast and so the editing is driven by this. The location at which this part is set is in a club with strobe lighting etc which goes well with the song as if you were to listen to the song this is the image you would have in your head. We will look to use fast cuts and transitions in our own video if possible.

Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work

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Use of GoPro:

I like the use of GoPro in this section of the video by Two Door Cinema Club because it creates a different point of view for the audience. When he jumps into the water the use of the GoPro camera makes us watching it feel like we are directly involved with thevideo. It also matches with the iming of thesong as they jump into the water which means the music has driven the actions within the video.

Arctic Monkeys - Why D'you Only Call Me When You're High

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Special Effects:

I like the way they have used special effects in this section of the video. Alex Turner is drunk and this is shown effectively through the way in which we see his face come up in the mirror at different times and also the way in which it goes in slow motion. The blurry effect adds to this and in doing so tells the story in a more efective way.

Chase & Status - End Credits

Elapsed Time: 0.45 secs

Slow motion:

I like the use of slow motion at the beginning of this video. The man is falling very slowly and when he hits the ground the slow motion shows the heavy impact it inflicts on him. This dramatises the fall and leaves the audience wondering why he has fallen so hard. It is then revealed later on in the video why he has fallen. The slow motion is effective because it makes the fall seem far worse than if it was in normal time as well as matching the speed of the song at this moment.

The 1975 - Chocolate

Elapsed Time: 0.39 secs

Black and white:

I like the use of black and white in this video. Black and white is an effect which I have always liked and I also like the filming in the car. The various long shots, close ups and trackig shots used to film the car are very effective and along with the desaturation effect it all works really well and is something which I would like to implement into my own music video.

Things I like: