Research into Music Videos

After researching unsigned bands our group came across the song 'Boys in motion', a song by the band 'Blighters'.

We already had ideas in our head of producing a film using complex editing to make it unique and stand out. Stop motion is something I have done before and have found great fun in doing so. From looking at other stop motion music videos such as Her Morning Elegance by Oren Lavie it creates a good effect.




This is a great example of the animation of stop motion. The whole video is made of photos and is a very complex and professional piece. This video has influenced us to include stop motion within our music video. It has also us given ideas and motivation to achieve a great video. Realistically we know we cannot match the level of ability but it is something we can aim at.

The video is include just 3 shots which is actually very common to this sort of animation. Changing to different angles makes the whole process a lot more complicated. The video is very impressive which is roughly made up of 3225 still photos. These dreamy visuals amaze audiences and keeps them watching. The piece is a folk song so the relaxing and dream-like video matches the genre. Animation is often used in Folk music videos which shows animation is a generic signifier of the Folk genre.

I video includes a 'journey' that a woman takes without leaving her bed, which could symbolise a dream that the audience can see visually themselves. There is no real meaning to the journey that she takes but more surreal and unique. She skips through clouds which in this case are pillows and swims with fish which are socks. Using simple bedroom essentials to create an amazing piece with such variety has a clever contrasting affect

The title Boys in Motion gave us the idea of the video including skateboarding. Boys and skateboarding have always been a common stereotype and we wish to enhance this idea.



This is a video by Lostprophets which is majorly performances based. It has cuts to skateboarding shots throughout which fit to the genre and pace of the track. This is similar to what we want to achieve with our production. The skateboarding shots use a lot of slow motion which is effective to the music and has a great contrast with the fast pace shots shown when the band perform.

The video is on the rooftop of a skyscraper which seems to be a popular location for music videos. Its used to suggest popularity and being 'at the top'. It is also a great location because the shots show only the sky and tops of other buildings which gives the audiences main focus to the band. This generic location has been used by other bands of a similar genre such as Linkin Park



Here is Linkin Park in their video for 'In The End' on a rooftop for their performance based music video.

The shots used throughout the video show you that the music and the genre have that 'skater' scene as there is clips of skateboarding throughout. This is a cool image and is often idolised by many people. The performance is a to a live audience and the reaction of the crowd also tell you about the music. There are many crowd shots and there is a lot of 'moshing' and crowd surfing which gives the band a very 'rocky' outlook. These generic 'signifiers' confirm the generic blueprint over all. Mike Piscitelli, the director wanted got the bands fans to come along and be in the music video so it would give a real overlook on the band rather than a forced one. It therefore shows the real generic features through the audiences rather than being planned.

There is no narrative structure in the video. The skateboarding is simply performance stunts to look good rather than to have a storyline. They use shots where the band is in the background of the skateboarding to blend the two together nicely.

The visuals fit well with the music, especially when looking into the tempo changes. When the music it is at a fast pace the shots are quick and short when the piece mellows out and is a slower the shots are longer and panning is used. The skateboarding shots work in the same way, there are slow motion shots when the music is slow and fast pace shots when the music is at a high tempo.



The lighting is natural throughout the video, as it is filmed during day light no added light is needed. There is a shot where the sun is used very well in the background (below) which creates a good effect and adds variety. It shows a good use of using natural resources which are already there.



Both of these videos have influenced our production by giving us ideas for structure and shots as well as the motivation to produce a good quality video.

Music Video Analysis

Maximo Park - Our Velocity

The music video features a performance based video with no storyline which is unconventional. Almost the whole of the film is shot in one shot rather than the generic quick flashes of shots used in most modern music videos. The video is simple and relies heavily on good editing.
The idea of the video is to have the band playing multiple times all in one shot. This is done by shooting the band playing in different positions and then merging the images together. The lighting constantly changes using many different colours. This creates a disco effect which references 'dancing' This goes with the song well. The videos in the past by the same band have been all performance based as well.

The video has a busy mise-en-scene which matches the song as it is has a great structure a layers. This is also matches by the 'busy' lighting which produces a very colourful scenery.

The trend is set by the lead singer who has a smart and intelligent look which audiences could aspire to and this has a good look on the band. There are many close ups and low angle shots of the lead singer Paul Smith who is given that star image. This is enhanced by his clothing, he wears a smart shirt and blazer with a top hat. This gives him the main focus as he is represented as important as he is the lead singer. The black clothing worn by the band contrasts with the light background of white and the light colours that are in the video.

The band is given the image of being good performers and from this I feel people would want to see them live. This way it promotes the band and could increase there ticket sales. The band in the past have mainly used performance based videos but have occasionally used a storyline. The image of the band is therefore kept the same.

Asking a few people on there comments on the video many had different opinions. It was all agreed that it was a simple video but many thought it was effective. I also had 2 people that found it uninteresting. The trend set by the lead singer is a smart and intelligent look which audiences could aspire to and has a good look on the band.

The video has featured on many popular music video channels such as '4music', ' TMF' and 'Q' this has given the band good publicity and promotes the song well. This shows they are a mainstream band and are therfore popular.

The editing gives the video complexity and without the new technologies the music video would not have been as effective. Editing software has developed massively in the last 10 years. The video just being a performance would always be very simple but with the added effects it makes it more interesting.

Overall the video is simple but effective and has helped me produce ideas for our music video by using multiple shots of a character.