Previous Student Work

Mr Brightside - The Killers
During my research of looking at music videos I came across several past students work. One of the most interesting in my opinion was a students music video of Mr Brightside by The Killers.

The song is in a different genre to the song and group I have chosen, Dissolve Me by Alt-J, but there are techniques video and features of the storyline that I can adjust and hopefully I can apply to my own video.

The reason I am so interested by this student music video is because it plot-line has certain elements the link it to my own plan. The video starts with the main male lead in his dim light room. The video then goes into a more colourfully shot and we see a happy couple taking a few novelty photos in a photo booth. This is a part of the music video where is incorporates a link between lyrics and visuals, as we see the couple kiss with the lyrics "It was only a kiss". Yet as the video continues we see a divide in the relationship, caused mainly by the girl, seen by her shrugging him off her shoulder and when she answers the phone whiles he is serenading her. In the end we see the video go full circle, as the guy see that the girlfriend is cheating on him, he is back in his dim light room. The aspects from this plot-line that are similar to my own ideas are for the break up of a couple. My video will also start with the couple being happy together and then show their split, but I intend on making the signs of their break up more subtle then the rudeness seen in the students music video. I also want the actual break up to be more smooth, rather than the guy seeing his girlfriend with another man. I will have the girl actually talk and have it so she is also sad that their relationship has come top an end, a element not seen in this students work.

 The students music video also has a band performance which shows really good skills and understanding of the technology used as the band members playing and the singer are all in-sync with the music. I was particularly impressed with the drummer who is very believable and the singers lip-syncing.

The music video also used a range of shots and angles in the video, and the pace of the video also varies depending on the music.When the editing is faster paced it is fluid and well linked, even when we see images and memories of the couple quickly flash up.

Overall analysing this students music video has given me an opportunity to see what I can achieve and how I can make my music video more relatable to the audience by using actors (and actresses) a similar age as the audience.


Street Lights - Kanye West
Another example of a music video from a student that I thought was good is Street lights by Kanye West.

At the very beginning of the video we see a couple arguing, but they have been muted and a narration has been put over the top.  The narration is a spoken message about how to 'play this game of life'. This is something different that I haven't seen before in a students music video and is even quite rare in actual official music videos. The use of the message is very effective over the imagery and sets the scene nicely for the music video itself. 

From the narrated intro the music video starts with an effect of some lights, including street lights at night. The lights are out of focused, and slightly blurred. This is a cool effect and is made more significant when it is repeated again halfway through the video, when the two main character bump into one another and brush hands. 

  

The bumping into one another is probably my favourite moment of this music video. The scene is repeated three times, each time the camera shot changes and zooms, from a mid shot, close-mid shot and finally a close up to show their hands brushing. The repetition not only emphasises the moment and it's importance but is also in keeping with the rhythm of the music, showing a good skill of cutting to the beat. 

Another strong feature with this video is the use or lack of colour. Scenes which are from the present day are black and white, and scenes that are memories are show with a warm colouring. The likely reason for this is so the audience will have positive connotations with the memories. What I like so much about this music video is the editing of the shot, with the black and white effect on the present day, and the warm colour on the characters memory.

The actors involved in this music video were very genuine and realistic, this helps the videos believability. Also having the cast at a similar age to the audience helps the audience to engage. I have taken a lot from both of the students music videos, maybe the most important, that having a simple storyline can mean a really good music video, as it will be easy to follow and allows the ability to focus on detail and to edit later on making the video look even more professional.