Research of professionally made music videos (2)

Ed Sheeran - Castle on the Hill 

Good/Bad - I really liked this music video. It used both a liner narrative and lip syncing from the singer which I thought was very effective in the video as there was a nice balance of both. I especially liked how it would switch between showing Ed Sheeran as a teenager who was growing up and trying new things for the first time with his mates to him being all grown up and heading to see his old friends again. Overall I thought the music video was very creative as it combined both the past and the present of the singer’s life into the video and I thought that the video itself went well with the song.

Location - The video was shot in Suffolk and many different locations were used around their to create the video. Boyton marshes, Felixstowe, Mildenhall stadium and Framlingham Castle were just a few of the locations used in the video as well smaller places like parks and pubs in Suffolk. The use of having all these different places helps establish where the Teenagers grew up and what they did and the locations and lyrics complement each other in the video.

Costumes and props - The costumes used in the video are mainly just casual clothes that you would expect teenagers to were, so jeans and hoodies generally. Then at the end of the video when you see the teenagers as adults they are again wearing casual clothes which consists of jumpers and coats.

Editing - Ellipsis is used at the end of the video when we see the teenagers sat drinking beer by Framlingham Castle and then it cuts to them sat there but as their adult selves. This helps to show the progression of time and shows how the have all grown up but still remain close friends. There are also a lot of short takes in this video which helps to speed up the pace and show how many things are happening in a short time. Finally in the video towards the end when you hear Ed Sheeran singing about what has happened to his friends, you see them standing/sitting in one spot but you can see that the speed of the clip has been adjusted so it is faster.

Camera work - In the video many different camera shots and angle have been used. Many close ups are used especially on the teenagers and their faces to show their reactions to events but also to draw the viewer closer and to get them to understand what is happening in the video. Aerial shots are also used in this music video to show most of the country lanes but also to make the teenagers look powerless form above when they are walking on these lanes. Quite a few establishing shots are used in the video as well to show the different locations to the audience 

Kid British - Our House in Dadless

Good/bad - I personally didn't like this music video very much. I didn't think it was very creative and it didn't engage me to want to keep listening to the song. I found it quite boring in a way and thought it didn't look very professional either. I did however feel that the video fitted well with the song but I thought that the final outcome could have been better executed.

Location - The location for this music video is a street in London and they use various locations along this street to create the video. This includes back gardens, back streets and inside houses. These locations fit well with the song as it is all about growing up along 'their' street and how although it looks bad, it’s still home to them.

Costume and props - The costumes used in this video are typical casual clothes that you would expect the different age groups to wear. The teenage boys are wearing quite dark plain clothes while the younger children in the video are wearing bright clothing. The props used in the video were also objects that you would expect to see in a back garden/house of council estates like deck chairs, bikes, child's play house, trampoline etc.

Editing - In the video a lot of quite cuts are made to bring up the pace of the video to fit the fast pace of the song. It also helps to show everything that it going on in the video while not spending too much time showing things that aren't important.

Camera work - In the video a lot of close ups are used to draw the viewer closer on certain objects and to show them exactly what is in each of the different houses back gardens. Medium shots are also used quite frequently especially on the singers to show them to be the main focus of the video and to draw the viewer in to watch them instead of other things in the video. Wide shots are also used at the beginning and the end of the video to help establish the location of the video to the viewer and give them a sense of what might happen in the video.

Marshmello - Keep it Mello 

 

Good/bad - I thought that this music video was very good and very creative. It used both a liner narrative and lip syncing from the singer and like Ed Sheeran's video Castle on the Hill, has a good balance of both. I felt that the music video fitted the song very well and was well executed. I also liked the fact that this music video was more random and used a unique costume of a man dressed as a human marshmallow which is something neither of the first two videos had.

Location - The first location used in this video is the marshmallow man’s house which is where we see him getting up and ready for the day. The next location used in this video is a street which we see the marshmallow man walking down with his friend before entering a corner shop. After that we see them heading down a street before reaching a highway and then arriving at another house for a party. The use of all these locations helps to bring the story together for the audience as between clips of the two people making their way to the party we see shots of them already at the party and it just helps to explain how they got there.

Costumes and props- Most of the people in the video are wearing casual party clothes that you would expect to see young adults wearing at a party. The only costumes that really stands out is the marshmallow mans who is wearing all white and a head piece which looks like a marshmallow with a face on. The props used were things that you would expect to see at a party like beer cups but were filled with marshmallows instead of alcoholic drinks. Also an unusual car was also used by the marshmallow man and his friend to get to the party.

Editing - A zoom in was used at the very beginning of the video to get people focusing first on the phone and who was calling it and then on the marshmallow guy in the bed. Quick cuts are also used in this video to help move the pace along to match the pace of the song. Superimpose is used showing the same image being on top of the original to give a tripping effect to the viewer. The speed of the clips in certain places has also been fastened up to show the laps of time to the viewer. Finally at the end of the video there is a fade out leaving just a black screen at the end of the video.

Camera work - In the video a lot of different camera shots and angles are used. Many medium shots have been used so we can see closely the different people in the video and this shot is especially used on the singer when we see him lip syncing to the song. Close ups are also used in the video to bring the viewer closer to the action and so they can clearly see what is going on in the shot. High angles are also used to provide a view from above for the viewer. Tracking shot is also used to show the two main characters moving and heading towards the shop which we see in the shot after. Shot revers shot is used when in the shop to show the two main characters putting their shopping on the table and then to show the two cashiers bagging it up for them. A low angle is used at the party to show the girl approaching the marshmallow man and makes her seem quite powerful to the viewer.  

~Kat