Research of student made music videos (3)

Matt Pummell - POLARIZE 

Good/bad - I thought that this music video was very creative and I liked how it transitioned from being in colour to being in black and white. I also felt that there was a good balance of lip syncing and narrative to the video which altogether fitted well. I felt that the many different editing techniques and camera shots used also worked well and helped to give a different visual experience to the viewer.

Location - In this video there were quite a number of locations used to help portray the narrative. These included the street, a house, the woods, a field, a shop, a skate park and a tennis court. All these different locations helped to add to the narrative of the music video while not being too bold as to draw attention away from the 'singer'.

Costume and props - Casual clothes are predominantly worn in this video like jumpers, jeans and coats. One of the main elements of the costume though is the hat which the 'singer' wears which represents his anxiety. Some of the props used in this video included spray paint, a bottle of orange juice, a drum kit and a microphone. We see these props used fairly often during the music video with the hat being used the most. We see it on his head and we see colour which represents his anxiety being under control but when he takes the hat off we see the footage in black and white which shows us how with out the hat, his anxiety and depression over come him.

Editing - Towards the beginning of the slow motion is used to make the clip seem more dramatic for the viewer.  Later on in the video we see the 'singer' dissolve before the camera before reappearing right in front of it. There are also scenes which have been inverted to be in black and white for when the 'singer' isn't wearing his hat, as well as clips which have been superimposed onto of one another. All these editing techniques are very creative and work well with the video. They also help to make the video stand out from others while not making it seem too cluttered with lots of different things.

Camera work - Many close ups are used in this video to show the characters expression towards the event which are happening in the video. We also see the 'singer' break the forth wall quite a lot by singer directly to the camera which is something that is quite common in music videos with lip-syncing.

Henry Nathan - Stuck 



Good/bad - I thought that this music video was very good and look like it was made professionally. I liked how they used lots of natural lighting in this video which helped to create cinematic footage which made the video look professional. I also thought that having the singer filmed at a different location to the narrative story was good as it kept the two separate from each other and didn't interrupt the story at all.

Location - In this video there are a few locations used to set up the narrative for the video. The first location we are introduced to is a field in which we see two characters meeting up. The next location we see is a street in which a teenage boy is being chased down by another teenager. The scene then cuts to the boy who was being chased sitting in the gym getting ready to box. We then cut away from the action completely and see the 'singer' in a dark room before cutting to a close up of one of the boys spray painting in the street. The scenes often cut from these three before we go back to the field where it is darker and there is a fire. The use of showing all these locations repeatedly helps to illustrate that the action is happening within a small town and over the course of a number of day, possible weeks.

Costume and props - In the video the costumes tend to be casual clothing that you would expect to see teenage boys wearing. This consists of hoodies, track suit trousers and jumpers. The costumes worn tend to also be dark in colour, so greys, blacks and blues. In one scene we can see a guy working out in which he is wearing work out clothes. In the video many props are also used to help make the video look more realistic, this includes things like water bottles/cans of drink, spray paint, bikes and many more. All these elements help to make the video look more casual and realistic to the audience while still sticking to the narrative of the video.

Editing - A laps of time is used quite early on in this video which helps to give the impression that time has passed and helps to set a pace of the video fro the viewer. There are a lot of quick cuts used in this video which are used mostly during the fight scenes

Camera work - Quite a few close ups and mid shots are used in this video which help to show the expressions on the characters faces. High angle shots are also used to show the character getting beaten up to be the victim and to make it seem as if he is vulnerable and weak. Low angles are also used to show the 'victim' getting stronger while he is at the gym and to make it seem to the viewer that he is getting more powerful. Hand help shots are also used to show the characters movement and to make it seem like it is from one of the characters points of view.

Michelle - Strawberry swing 

Good/Bad - I didn't really like this music video very much, I didn't find it very interesting and it didn't engage me into wanting to continue watching the rest of the video. I thought the idea of the flash backs going from the past to the present was a good idea but I felt the footage was quite forced and rushed for it. I felt that the cuts from footage were quite jumpy and didn't transition the footage smoothly like it could have been.

Location - In this music video only three locations are used, this consists of a field, the woods and a back garden. All these locations I felt were used effectively with the present being shown in just the field with the flash backs of the past being shown in the woods and the back garden. 

Costume and props - In this video there were two main sets of costumes. There are the costumes for the older teenagers/young adult and then there are the clothes with the younger children wear. Most of these costumes consisted of winter clothing like coats, hats and scarfs. School uniforms were also used on the children to show their young age to the audience. The props used in this video were very limited with only a phone being the real prop used at the beginning of the video.

Editing - The are quite a few quick cuts used in this music video which help to show a lot of information very quickly about the setting and characters to the viewer. At the end of the video there is also the use of superimposition when we see the flash back of the younger children on top of the scene of the older characters meeting. This helps to show the viewer how these two characters were childhood friends and how meeting again for the first time in a while has brought back all these memories.

Camera work - A lot of close ups and mid shots are used in this video to help show the expressions of the characters and to help the viewer to understand the feelings and reactions to the character. Panning shots are also used to help show off the locations and the actions which are taking place in the scenes. 

~Kat