For my music video, I am using the song ‘Sofa’ by Ed Sheeran. The themes that will be included in the video are teenage lovers, losing hope, and also a girl who is playing hard to get. The video will feature around one main character, a male(the singer) who is in love with a girl who keeps confusing him by disappearing. In the video it will contain clips of the main characters life, with flashbacks, and will also contain shots of the main male (portraying the singer) singing with a guitar.
For the video I would like to use a beginning and ending that are similar but with one change. The video will start with the main character lying on a sofa outside on his own; the shot will start as a close up, and then zoom out to show the rest of his body. He will then get off the sofa and walk towards the camera, a wide shot will be used to show him getting up and a long shot will show him walking towards the camera. The camera will then pan to show him picking up a guitar and begin paying and singing whilst continuing to walk, a mid shot will be used to show him singing.
The scene will then cut to a scene with him sat around a fire with some friends and a female (his partner). This is reference to the lyrics in the song ‘Hoodie still smells of the beach bonfire’, and camera shot used in this scene will be close ups of some of his friends, mid shots of the singer and the fire and wide shot to show the whole scene. The camera will then focus on the female character showing that it is the singer’s partner or the person he likes. The singer will the fall to the ground lying on his back with the girl lying next to him, a panoramic shot will show him falling and a close up shot will show their faces.
The scene will then fade, and when it come back in, he will be in the same place, it will be morning, and the camera will then zoom out to show that the girl is no longer next to him. He then picks up the guitar from near where the fire was, mid shot, and begins playing whilst walking and singing the chorus, a mid steady shot will show him walking off and mid shots will show him singing. He will then walk of shot and the scene will change.
The scene is then him sat inside on a sofa with the girl watching the TV, this is reference to the lyrics ‘So kick off the day with Friends on T4’, shot used will be over the shoulder showing them watching the TV and a two shot showing them on the sofa. It will then cut to the singer making 2 cups of tea in the kitchen, which refers to the lyrics ‘two boiled and brew, two sugars aint to sweet for you’, shots used will be over the shoulder and mid shot. The singer will then go back in to the room, see that the girl is no longer there and head for the front door. A long mid shot will be used to show him running to the door.
The scene will the show him running down streets and alleys trying to find her, using a combination of mid shot, long shot, close ups and pans. He will then fall to the ground and we will use a skateboard for him to lie on whilst the camera is on him, so we can move the skateboard and make it appear like the ground is moving beneath him. Mid shots, close ups and long shots will be used.
He will then get up and begin to walk away from the camera whilst singing the chorus, close ups and mid shots will be used to show him singing. The final scene will be a wide shot of the sofa from the beginning with the girl already sat on one side, the singer then walks in shot and sits next to her. The final shot will be a two shot close up of their faces as they look at each other.
Friday 24 September 2010
Thursday 23 September 2010
Mock Up of CD Cover
This is the mock up CD pack I created whilst Adam created the mock website design.
When it comes to creating the real digipack, the cover, back and inside bookelt will all be photographs of Adam (signer/main character) with sofa and guitar taken on a green screen so the background can be edited
This is the mock cover for the CD. I have decided to use the name of the song and theme of the video my having the lead character (singer) sat on the 'sofa' with his guitar next to him.
This is the booklet inside the CD case. I have chosen to keep to the theme of the signer and his guitar. There is also a list of thankyou's that will be included on the booklet.
When it comes to creating the real digipack, the cover, back and inside bookelt will all be photographs of Adam (signer/main character) with sofa and guitar taken on a green screen so the background can be edited
This is the mock cover for the CD. I have decided to use the name of the song and theme of the video my having the lead character (singer) sat on the 'sofa' with his guitar next to him.
This is the back of the CD case. I have chosen to make it the back view of the singer sat on the sofa as it makes it clear that this is the back of the digipack and this has been used in many CD covers before. The tracklisting will be wrote on the back on the sofa.
This is the booklet inside the CD case. I have chosen to keep to the theme of the signer and his guitar. There is also a list of thankyou's that will be included on the booklet.
This is the CD holder of the digipack. I have decided to make it look like the hole in an acoustic guitar as it keeps to the theme of acoustic music.
Mock Up of Website Homepage
This is the mock web page design Adam created whilst I mafe the digipack mock.
He decided to have the name of the artists and there paw print logo to be shown at the top as it makes them easily recognisable, and guests on the website know who it is straight away.
The link bars will be under the title and logo section, with a border either side, this allows space for fine artwork either side of the section, the video will be directly below then, but thinner, this allows for more space either side where either art work or advertisements will be placed ( More Likely Artwork).
Underneath this will be two sections, on the left will be an information bit about Ed Sheeran, and on the left hand side will be 2 picture sections. one will be advertising the CD and the other will be a GIF showing different pictures of Ed during his live and TV performances.
He decided to have the name of the artists and there paw print logo to be shown at the top as it makes them easily recognisable, and guests on the website know who it is straight away.
The link bars will be under the title and logo section, with a border either side, this allows space for fine artwork either side of the section, the video will be directly below then, but thinner, this allows for more space either side where either art work or advertisements will be placed ( More Likely Artwork).
Underneath this will be two sections, on the left will be an information bit about Ed Sheeran, and on the left hand side will be 2 picture sections. one will be advertising the CD and the other will be a GIF showing different pictures of Ed during his live and TV performances.
Risk Assessment
This is the risk assessment i created for the fliming whilst Adam devised a filming schedule for us.
Camera gets wet – could cause electrocution or other dangers - Try to shelter the camera if the weather is starting to look bad, as it is electrical and could cause serious safety problems.
Injury whilst carrying the sofa – could hurt back or slip and fall - If it is too heavy to carry, get more people to help so it reduces the strain. Also make sure that the path you are carrying it on is clear so there is nothing to fall over.
Burned by the fire - Always stay a safe distance away from the fire when filming or when off camera. Keep flammable objects away and to the minimum.
Inhale fumes from the fire - Make sure that nothing being burned on the fire is toxic and try to stay away from the smoke.
Fall over whilst running through the streets - Make sure the path is clear before filming and any hazards have been removed or avoided.
Slip in the mud (if it’s been raining) - Try to avoid filming in muddy areas as falling could damage you ankles.
Dangerous objects in the grass where filming - Check the grass where filming before shooting to make sure there are no hazards hidden away that could cause damage to the actors e.g. needles
Whilst actor is walking and staring down the camera lens they could be unaware to dangers around them - Make sure the area is clear of dangers before beginning to film as the actor will not be paying attention to what is around them.
Weather - Try to avoid filming in bad weather conditions such as rain, hail, or thunder.
Poor lighting - Use extra lighting in dark scenes (campfire scene) as the actors and cameramen will not be able to see all that is around them.
Equipment being stolen - Make sure that the equipment is always in sight and try to hide it away when other people are walking past.
Other people - Try to film in places that not many people would go as they could ruin the shots and/or become a threat.
Camera gets wet – could cause electrocution or other dangers - Try to shelter the camera if the weather is starting to look bad, as it is electrical and could cause serious safety problems.
Injury whilst carrying the sofa – could hurt back or slip and fall - If it is too heavy to carry, get more people to help so it reduces the strain. Also make sure that the path you are carrying it on is clear so there is nothing to fall over.
Burned by the fire - Always stay a safe distance away from the fire when filming or when off camera. Keep flammable objects away and to the minimum.
Inhale fumes from the fire - Make sure that nothing being burned on the fire is toxic and try to stay away from the smoke.
Fall over whilst running through the streets - Make sure the path is clear before filming and any hazards have been removed or avoided.
Slip in the mud (if it’s been raining) - Try to avoid filming in muddy areas as falling could damage you ankles.
Dangerous objects in the grass where filming - Check the grass where filming before shooting to make sure there are no hazards hidden away that could cause damage to the actors e.g. needles
Whilst actor is walking and staring down the camera lens they could be unaware to dangers around them - Make sure the area is clear of dangers before beginning to film as the actor will not be paying attention to what is around them.
Weather - Try to avoid filming in bad weather conditions such as rain, hail, or thunder.
Poor lighting - Use extra lighting in dark scenes (campfire scene) as the actors and cameramen will not be able to see all that is around them.
Equipment being stolen - Make sure that the equipment is always in sight and try to hide it away when other people are walking past.
Other people - Try to film in places that not many people would go as they could ruin the shots and/or become a threat.
Shooting Schedule
This is the shooting schedule Adam created whilst I was completing the risk assessment.
We have from the 11th of October to the 22nd giving us 11 days to film all the sections. We would film the piece in different sections this being chosen by the location they are being filmed in and what time we are trying to make the piece look like it is.
The outside shots will be recorded first during the day, this will include all the sofa shots with him sitting outside and the women, him walking around laying the guitar and running back to the house.We will use approximately 3-4 days to record all of these shots depending on weather.
The Morning shots will be shot the filmed next along with the night shots on the same day, these will include the shots round the fire and him falling asleep and waking up as well as at the begging on the sofa. These shots will take approximately 2 days to film, but we may need more if weather conditions are not good for the fire seen.
The inside shots will be done either last or if we cannot film any other shots due to weather as these are done inside and can be done under any weather conditions.These should only take 1 day, but no more than 2.
The days we have spare will be used up by looking at the shots we have taken and adding any extra footage we think we need to link the scenes together better.
We have from the 11th of October to the 22nd giving us 11 days to film all the sections. We would film the piece in different sections this being chosen by the location they are being filmed in and what time we are trying to make the piece look like it is.
The outside shots will be recorded first during the day, this will include all the sofa shots with him sitting outside and the women, him walking around laying the guitar and running back to the house.We will use approximately 3-4 days to record all of these shots depending on weather.
The Morning shots will be shot the filmed next along with the night shots on the same day, these will include the shots round the fire and him falling asleep and waking up as well as at the begging on the sofa. These shots will take approximately 2 days to film, but we may need more if weather conditions are not good for the fire seen.
The inside shots will be done either last or if we cannot film any other shots due to weather as these are done inside and can be done under any weather conditions.These should only take 1 day, but no more than 2.
The days we have spare will be used up by looking at the shots we have taken and adding any extra footage we think we need to link the scenes together better.
Track Permission - Ed Sheeran
To ask for permission to use a song by Ed Sheeran, I sent an email to his website.
I asked if I could use one of his songs off of his 'Loose Change EP' and got a reply back from his mum who helps him run the website. This is the reply:
Dear Ollie
I have forwarded your request on to Ed. In principle, I don't think Ed will have any objections, though it would be nice if you could show him what you do and maybe give him an idea of what you're planning. Thanks for asking and good luck.
Imogen (Ed's mum)
Imogen Lock, Director, Sheeran Lock Ltd
I asked if I could use one of his songs off of his 'Loose Change EP' and got a reply back from his mum who helps him run the website. This is the reply:
Dear Ollie
I have forwarded your request on to Ed. In principle, I don't think Ed will have any objections, though it would be nice if you could show him what you do and maybe give him an idea of what you're planning. Thanks for asking and good luck.
Imogen (Ed's mum)
Imogen Lock, Director, Sheeran Lock Ltd
Chosen Track - 'Sofa' by Ed Sheeran
This is the track that me and Adam have chosen to use for our music video.
I have had to upload a live recording as there are no studio recordings on YouTube.
We chose to do this song as Ed Sheeran is an unsigned artist that we both really love and believe that we would be able to make a video that showed the concept of the song perfectly.
We decided to sue this song as it is a love song which means that we can use typical concepts such as the boy girl romance and the boy chasing after the girl, whilst also adding in less typical concepts such as the boy keep losing the girl and having to find her.
I have had to upload a live recording as there are no studio recordings on YouTube.
We chose to do this song as Ed Sheeran is an unsigned artist that we both really love and believe that we would be able to make a video that showed the concept of the song perfectly.
We decided to sue this song as it is a love song which means that we can use typical concepts such as the boy girl romance and the boy chasing after the girl, whilst also adding in less typical concepts such as the boy keep losing the girl and having to find her.
Artist Research - Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran is a 19 year old acoustic folk/hip hop singer from Suffolk. In 2008 he won the Next Big Thing competition in East Anglia and since then his popularity has continued to grow. He has supported many big name artists on tour, including Just Jack, Example, Gabriella Cilmi, The Noisettes and Nizlopi.
Ed is a hard working artist having written and recorded over 100 songs to date, most of which have been included on his album and EP releases.
Over the past year ed has played nearly 300 gigs around the UK in cities including London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Nottingham. He tours as a solo artist creating all his music with his just his voice and his guitar. He does this my using a loop pedal so he can add all the sounds on top of each other to creat a final piece live.
Ed is currently unsigned and helps release his music of his website which is run by him and his mother. He has also added his songs to itunes so that it is easier for his fans to access them.
Ed has begun to colloborate with big name artists and producers, meaning that in the future he will most likely be signed up to a label by using these contacts with the industry.
He is currently working on an album that features some of the UKs best hip hop acts, proving that he is not just a folk singer but likes to bring something different to his genre.
Storyboard
The first shot (above) is of the boy (Played by me) lieing on the sofa and the camera will be looking down on him from birds eye view shot.
Second shot is of the boy, getting up and sitting on the sofa normally, starting to sing with the lyrics.
Next the boy where he is beginning to get up, still singing the lyrics.
Next is where he gets up and grabs the guitar leaning against the sofa.
The final shot of that sections is when the boy is up and playing the guitar and singing the lyrics to the song.
The next section begins with the wide pan with everyone around the fire and the boy playing guitar to them.
It then changes to a close up of the girl who the boy likes, and then to an extreme close-up of her eye.
The start of the next section is a birds-eye view mid shot of the boy on the ground without the girl.
He then picks his guitar off the ground and begins to walk.
He ends with him slowly putting the guitar over to play it at this point the chorus will be playing.
The indoor section begins with a 2 shot over the shoulder of the boy and girl sitting down, with the TV in view.
In then goes to the man making tea and this will also be an over the shoulder view.
It ends when he enters back in the room and is a shot from behind with him visible and the sofa and the girl has gone.
The next part begins with the boy running down a track, this will be a mid shot extending to a long shot.
Then a mid hot of him looking unhappy.
The a midmost of him playing the chorus on his guitar at another place.
The next scene starts with the boy running back the way he came, mid-shot to long-shot.
Then the girl sitting on the sofa outside, will be a mid to long-shot.
The boy joins her on the sofa and this will be a long to mid-shot.
The final shot will be a close up of the boy and girl sat next to each other looking happy.
Questionnaire Results and Analysis
Once the questionnaire had been completed I then analysed the results using graphs to decide what our target audience would like the video to look like so adjustments could be made to the storyboard if necessary.
This shows that the target audience believe that the video should be a mxiture of sad and happy. So the best way to do this would be to have a sad video but with a happy ending.
This shows that 70% of the traget audience would want the video to be a love video as it matches the love theme of the song.
This shows that 4 in 5 people like this song. This is good as it means that people are more likely to watch the video if the like the song it is for.
This shows that 70% of the audience do not want this video to be shot in black and white as it is not really suitable for the type of song. However the 30% that did want it in non colour means that an aspect of the video may be produce in black and white.
This shows that 90% of our audeince would listen to this style of music on a regular basis. This means that the song is right for our audience meaning that the video will most probably become more popular as people enjoy the style of music.
Questionnaire
This is a questionnaire that i created and completed by asking 10 people and analysing their results whilst Adam created the animatic storyboard.
1. Should this video be a) happy b) sad c) a mix of both?
2. Should it be a love video? yes/no
3. Do you like this song? yes/no
4. Do you think this video should be in black and white? yes/no
5. would you listen to this type of music on a regular basis? yes/no
1. Should this video be a) happy b) sad c) a mix of both?
2. Should it be a love video? yes/no
3. Do you like this song? yes/no
4. Do you think this video should be in black and white? yes/no
5. would you listen to this type of music on a regular basis? yes/no
Genre Research
Indie music videos are usually either performance based, narrative based or a mix of the two. An example of a performance based music video is ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ by Arctic Monkeys. This proved to be popular as it was their frist music video and it gave the fans a chance to see what they looked like performing, which you often don’t get with narraative based videos. An example of a narrative based video is ‘Come Back Home’ by Two Door Cinema Club. This features the members of the band going through repeat actions at the scene of a car accident and swapping clothes. Most indie music videos however tend to have a mixture of both narrative and perfromace. This is evident in ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’ by Vampire Weekend which is narrative until the ending of the song where the band are seen playing performing on a beach.
Andrew Goodwin states that in most music videos the lyrics and music to a song reflect what is shown on screen. This is evident in ‘Watch the Sun Come Up’ by Example. This video is set on a sunny island which fits in with the music and the lyrics. The lyrics are also about holiday romances which is reflected in the video as it shows Example having a romance with a woman on a sunny holiday.
We have decided to encoroporate this into our music video by using the tone of the music to match the pace, setting and style of the video. We have also decided that some of the lyrics will match what is on screen. In the song we are doing ‘Sofa’ a line is ‘Hoody still smells of the beach bonfire’ so we have decided to have that scene set around a bonfire.
Andrew Goodwin states that in most music videos the lyrics and music to a song reflect what is shown on screen. This is evident in ‘Watch the Sun Come Up’ by Example. This video is set on a sunny island which fits in with the music and the lyrics. The lyrics are also about holiday romances which is reflected in the video as it shows Example having a romance with a woman on a sunny holiday.
We have decided to encoroporate this into our music video by using the tone of the music to match the pace, setting and style of the video. We have also decided that some of the lyrics will match what is on screen. In the song we are doing ‘Sofa’ a line is ‘Hoody still smells of the beach bonfire’ so we have decided to have that scene set around a bonfire.
Director Analysis
Hype Williams is a music video director who has become popular for directing many videos, most of them in the rap and hip hop genre. The first music video that he directed was ‘We want money’ by BWP in 1991. Since then he has gone on to create over 100 music videos for the likes of rap artists such as LL Cool J, Missy Elliot, Kelis and Jay-z. He has however stepped out of the genre of music occasionally as he created the video to Coldplay’s 2008 hit ‘Viva La Vida’. The most popular recent video that Hype has created is ‘Empire state of mind’ by Jay-z and Alicia Keys. This video became very popular for its black and white artistic look and was also nominated for a VMA in 2010.
In 2006 Williams was honoured by MTV when they gave him its Video Vanguard Award, presented in honour of his achievement as a filmmaker.
Hype Williams Style
· Fisheye lens – this distorts the camera view around the central focus
· Playing a shot in regular wide screen ration, while a second shot is split and put in the upper and lower bars of the screen.
· Camera focus on the artist from the torso up while the background is one colour and there is a soft different colour lighting being shown in the centre so it looks like the background is illuminated.
Richard Ayoade s best known for being a comedian and actor in the UK sitcom ‘The IT Crowd’. But he is also becoming a hit music video director that bands are turning to to make more arty music videos. This was evident when he produced the music video to ‘Cornerstone’ by Arctic Monkeys, which was criticised by fans due to its blandness but loved my critics. The video only consisted of one steady shot which filmed the singer in a white room with headphones on singing to the camera (audience).
He has worked with very popular indie bands including Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
In 2006 Williams was honoured by MTV when they gave him its Video Vanguard Award, presented in honour of his achievement as a filmmaker.
Hype Williams Style
· Fisheye lens – this distorts the camera view around the central focus
· Playing a shot in regular wide screen ration, while a second shot is split and put in the upper and lower bars of the screen.
· Camera focus on the artist from the torso up while the background is one colour and there is a soft different colour lighting being shown in the centre so it looks like the background is illuminated.
Richard Ayoade s best known for being a comedian and actor in the UK sitcom ‘The IT Crowd’. But he is also becoming a hit music video director that bands are turning to to make more arty music videos. This was evident when he produced the music video to ‘Cornerstone’ by Arctic Monkeys, which was criticised by fans due to its blandness but loved my critics. The video only consisted of one steady shot which filmed the singer in a white room with headphones on singing to the camera (audience).
He has worked with very popular indie bands including Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Props/Location/Actors/Costume/Equiptment
These are the props that are needed for our video:
Sofa
Acoustic guitar
TV
Skateboard
Campfire
These are the locations needed for the video:
Living room
Kitchen
Field
Field with the sofa
Field with the fire
Streets
These are the actors/character in our video:
Adam Turner (singer/lead role)
(female love intrest)
Ashley Grantham (lad around the campfire)
Oliver Burrows (lad around the campfire)
These are the costumes for the actors:
Adam - Hoody, jeans, trainers
Girl - T-shirt, jeans, pumps
Ashley - Hoody, jeans, pumps
Oliver (me) - Shirt, jeans, pumps
This is the equiptment needed for the video:
Camera
Tape
Tripod
Lights
Sofa
Acoustic guitar
TV
Skateboard
Campfire
These are the locations needed for the video:
Living room
Kitchen
Field
Field with the sofa
Field with the fire
Streets
These are the actors/character in our video:
Adam Turner (singer/lead role)
(female love intrest)
Ashley Grantham (lad around the campfire)
Oliver Burrows (lad around the campfire)
These are the costumes for the actors:
Adam - Hoody, jeans, trainers
Girl - T-shirt, jeans, pumps
Ashley - Hoody, jeans, pumps
Oliver (me) - Shirt, jeans, pumps
This is the equiptment needed for the video:
Camera
Tape
Tripod
Lights
Website Analysis
This is the homepage for the website of the UK indie band Foals. The website does not have a lot on the homepage like some other bands, but this is still a nice and welcoming page. As soon as you open the site, the background loads up with a screen spilt in two with different pictures each side. These pictures change every second showing member of the band in artistic shots, or other pieces of modern art photography. This is good as it makes the webpage livelier without stepping out of their typical genre of music which is melodic indie. The name of the band is clearly stated in the middle in a large font so the viewer knows what site they are on. As soon as the webpage loads, a slow piece of melodic guitar plays in the background. This is off one of Foal’s songs and it is clam which makes the viewer feel relaxed. The song is on repeat and lasts about a minute so the user can leave the homepage on if they want to hear it again. At the top of the page are all the links to the other pages on their site. These are home, music, live, gallery, forum, music shop, merch store, and newsletter and member login. The home link brings the user back to the main page. The music page allows them to listen to songs by the band so they can get a taste of what they are like, or if they are a fan listen to their songs. The ‘live’ section is where al their tour dates are listed. The gallery shows a collection of images of the band playing live and of them in photo shoots. The forum allows fans of the band to chat to each other and ask questions. The music shop allows people to buy their music, where as merch shop allows them to buy their merchandise. The newsletter allows fans to get up to date news from the band and the members login allows people to access more exclusive things from the band such as songs and videos.
These are all typical of a band website as it provides all the news and relative features to the viewer that is interested in their music.
Thursday 16 September 2010
CD Cover Analysis - 'Eliza Doolittle' by Eliza Doolittle
This is the CD cover to Eliza Doolittle’s self-titled album. This cover is very abstract as it contains images of a cat, lion, volcano and the London Gherkin building. The reason that she is able to have such a random and abstract album cover is due to the fact that she has not named her album. Usually album covers have something to do with the name of the album, but as hers is self-titled she can have her album cover as anything.
The fact that she is sat on top off all the buildings shows that she is on top of the charts with her album and that she is becoming a star from her city which can be seen at the bottom of the cover.
CD Cover Analysis - 'Nothing Personal' by All Time Low
This is the CD cover for the album ‘Nothing Personal’ by American pop-punk band All Time Low. This cover makes various references to high school/college, which suits the band audience, style of music and what most of their songs are wrote about. The cover is meant to look like an old book cover, but in the middle it is torn and shows a notebook type of paper. On this paper is the band’s name and album title wrote in graffiti type writing, which is what students often do in their school books. There are also pictures of pencils, tapes, and girls. This shows what teenagers, especially boys, lives revolve around. The album name ‘nothing personal’ also relates to teenagers as it is something they say to someone after they have insulted them to make it seem like they haven’t said anything bad.
CD Cover Analysis - 'Reach For The Sun' by The Dangerous Summer
This is the CD cover to the debut album ‘Reach for the Sun’ by American rockers The Dangerous Summer. The cover for this CD is quite simple, yet it is still artistic and suits the mood of the album well. With the album called being’ reach for the sun’ it is reflected on the fact that that the sun can be seen threw a single tree on a landscape area. This could mean that the sun is trying to reach out to the viewer, which would explain the title of the album. It also matches the name of the band ‘The dangerous summer’ as the setting of this cover is in the summer and provides a happy attitude to the album, showing the audience that this album is upbeat just by looking at the cover.
Monday 13 September 2010
Wednesday 8 September 2010
Busted Music Video Class Remake
Our class were set the task of recreating the opening verse and chorus of the music video for 'What I go to school for' by busted.
My role was that of James, the student on the left during the chorus. For my role I had to look disgusted when a girl turned round and also to sing the chorus whilst jumping and playing a guitar. I believe I did this quite well and that it looks similar to the real video. To improve it I would have gotten the proper costume, but with the project being completed in a short amount of time, this was hard to do.
I believe I could have helped in the editing stage of the video, as this would have given me practice for when I make my music video and could have helped a lot.
My role was that of James, the student on the left during the chorus. For my role I had to look disgusted when a girl turned round and also to sing the chorus whilst jumping and playing a guitar. I believe I did this quite well and that it looks similar to the real video. To improve it I would have gotten the proper costume, but with the project being completed in a short amount of time, this was hard to do.
I believe I could have helped in the editing stage of the video, as this would have given me practice for when I make my music video and could have helped a lot.
Tuesday 7 September 2010
Music Video Analysis - 'Spanish Sahara' by Foals
The Video I am analysing is ‘Spanish Sahara’ by Oxford indie band Foals, released in 2010.
The video begins with a white screen which then fades into a wide long take of a snowy mountainous area. The shot last for 1 minute and in the shot a figure can be seen in the distance, we later discover that the figure is lead singer Yannis Philippakis. The scene fits the music as it starts with a slow drum beat, that sounds almost like footsteps (which can represent Yannis walking across) and a quiet piano and guitar riff. The slow vocals then begin before the shot cuts away to a close up of Yannis lying on his side facing the camera with half of his face and his shoulder visible. This represents that he has had a long tiring journey and has to rest on the snow.
The shot cuts to show a bag floating in the sea with a rope attached to it. The contents is unknown and makes the audience wonder what could be inside. A straight cut is then used to show a shot of ice melting on the surface of the water. Shadows can be seen passing over the ice, this may be Yannis but it is not made clear. It then cuts to a close up of Yannis’ face as he sings the lyrics of the song, He is staring straight down the camera to suggest that he is singing the lyrics to the audience or a certain person that the song may be about. It once again cuts to show the bag floating in the sea, but this time it is closer to the shore as there are rocks visible.
A shot then shows a figure (Yannis) pulling on the rope that is attached to the bag, and is pulling it a shore. He is having to pull it with some force, suggesting that there is something relatively heavy inside. Once again it cuts to a close up of Yannis singing, and then back to a shot of the bag floating in the sea.
As the music builds, the cuts become faster, switching between the close up of Yannis singing and shots of him dragging the bag along the ground. When the singing stops it cuts to shots of the sea with small shards of ice gently floating atop with the waves moving them. This represents the calmness of the song at that current point.
When the singing starts again Yannis turns back to face the camera whilst staring straight down the lens at the viewer. This then cuts to a wide shot of Yannis walking uphill on the frozen ground, struggling to pull the bag and its contents. It then cuts back to show Yannis singing followed by a shot of the sea. It cuts to a shot showing Yannis walking up the hill, now holding the bag, showing that it is too hard to drag it up with him. The camera then cuts to a pan of a mountain view and then back to Yannis struggling to get up the hill, this shows how high that Yannis has to climb to get to where he is heading. A collection of different shots are used showing Yannis uphill struggle including tilts and close ups. Shots of Yannis singing close up are also added to this collection before a shot shows Yannis lying down presumably exhausted from trying to move the bag. The shot then cuts from a close up of Yannis singing to a shot of him heading over the top of the mountain and beginning to disappear down the other side. This shows that he has had to climb the whole mountain to get to where he needs to be.
As the song builds to a climax, the light shining on Yannis’ face in a close up shot becomes brighter, and when the drum is hit on the final note, the shot cuts to a log that’s is placed in the ground on fire. The shot then pans from the snow to a pile of blue dust (which is not explained what it is in the video) which makes the viewer wonder what it is.
The shot then cuts to show Yannis walking with the bag over his shoulder, showing he is more determined to get there as it is easier to carry it then drag it. He then throws the bag on the floor on top of an identical bag, suggesting that he has made this journey more than once. The camera then tilts to show him tying the two bags together, making the audience wonder what was inside of them.
Cuts between shots of the sea, Yannis tying the rope, Close up of Yannis, blue dust piles, and the logs on fire. A wide shot is used showing Yannis facing the camera with two logs standing upright on fire either side of him in the distance, this suggests that the logs may have been what were in the two bags. A tilt shot is used on one of the logs to show what it exactly is to the viewer. It then cuts to a focus shot of Yannis as he is singing the last part of the song, a tear drops down his cheek but his facial expression is unchanged, so it is not clear if it was due to sadness or the cold wind. As the music begins to break down, pan shots of the sea, dust and fire are used before the final long take of the sea which then fades to a black screen.
The video as a whole contrasts with the title of the song as it is set in an extremely cold area, where the Spanish Sahara is a very warm area.
I like this video as it is simple, and fits the mood of the song. Also it makes the viewer think, which then makes them stay interested in the video, which is vital seeing as the video is almost 7 minutes long.
The video begins with a white screen which then fades into a wide long take of a snowy mountainous area. The shot last for 1 minute and in the shot a figure can be seen in the distance, we later discover that the figure is lead singer Yannis Philippakis. The scene fits the music as it starts with a slow drum beat, that sounds almost like footsteps (which can represent Yannis walking across) and a quiet piano and guitar riff. The slow vocals then begin before the shot cuts away to a close up of Yannis lying on his side facing the camera with half of his face and his shoulder visible. This represents that he has had a long tiring journey and has to rest on the snow.
The shot cuts to show a bag floating in the sea with a rope attached to it. The contents is unknown and makes the audience wonder what could be inside. A straight cut is then used to show a shot of ice melting on the surface of the water. Shadows can be seen passing over the ice, this may be Yannis but it is not made clear. It then cuts to a close up of Yannis’ face as he sings the lyrics of the song, He is staring straight down the camera to suggest that he is singing the lyrics to the audience or a certain person that the song may be about. It once again cuts to show the bag floating in the sea, but this time it is closer to the shore as there are rocks visible.
A shot then shows a figure (Yannis) pulling on the rope that is attached to the bag, and is pulling it a shore. He is having to pull it with some force, suggesting that there is something relatively heavy inside. Once again it cuts to a close up of Yannis singing, and then back to a shot of the bag floating in the sea.
As the music builds, the cuts become faster, switching between the close up of Yannis singing and shots of him dragging the bag along the ground. When the singing stops it cuts to shots of the sea with small shards of ice gently floating atop with the waves moving them. This represents the calmness of the song at that current point.
When the singing starts again Yannis turns back to face the camera whilst staring straight down the lens at the viewer. This then cuts to a wide shot of Yannis walking uphill on the frozen ground, struggling to pull the bag and its contents. It then cuts back to show Yannis singing followed by a shot of the sea. It cuts to a shot showing Yannis walking up the hill, now holding the bag, showing that it is too hard to drag it up with him. The camera then cuts to a pan of a mountain view and then back to Yannis struggling to get up the hill, this shows how high that Yannis has to climb to get to where he is heading. A collection of different shots are used showing Yannis uphill struggle including tilts and close ups. Shots of Yannis singing close up are also added to this collection before a shot shows Yannis lying down presumably exhausted from trying to move the bag. The shot then cuts from a close up of Yannis singing to a shot of him heading over the top of the mountain and beginning to disappear down the other side. This shows that he has had to climb the whole mountain to get to where he needs to be.
As the song builds to a climax, the light shining on Yannis’ face in a close up shot becomes brighter, and when the drum is hit on the final note, the shot cuts to a log that’s is placed in the ground on fire. The shot then pans from the snow to a pile of blue dust (which is not explained what it is in the video) which makes the viewer wonder what it is.
The shot then cuts to show Yannis walking with the bag over his shoulder, showing he is more determined to get there as it is easier to carry it then drag it. He then throws the bag on the floor on top of an identical bag, suggesting that he has made this journey more than once. The camera then tilts to show him tying the two bags together, making the audience wonder what was inside of them.
Cuts between shots of the sea, Yannis tying the rope, Close up of Yannis, blue dust piles, and the logs on fire. A wide shot is used showing Yannis facing the camera with two logs standing upright on fire either side of him in the distance, this suggests that the logs may have been what were in the two bags. A tilt shot is used on one of the logs to show what it exactly is to the viewer. It then cuts to a focus shot of Yannis as he is singing the last part of the song, a tear drops down his cheek but his facial expression is unchanged, so it is not clear if it was due to sadness or the cold wind. As the music begins to break down, pan shots of the sea, dust and fire are used before the final long take of the sea which then fades to a black screen.
The video as a whole contrasts with the title of the song as it is set in an extremely cold area, where the Spanish Sahara is a very warm area.
I like this video as it is simple, and fits the mood of the song. Also it makes the viewer think, which then makes them stay interested in the video, which is vital seeing as the video is almost 7 minutes long.
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