When producing a music video, it is essential to have some sort of inspiration to help produce your video or base it around. Many directors may be inspired by certain aspects in music videos, such as concepts or visuals or even locations and mis en scene. 3 music videos have given me inspiration for my own project that I intend to implement some ideas from into my own work.
My first inspiration is The Streets "Dry your eyes"
It follows a man with a sad story and is mainly performance based but comes with a narrative, which are all elements that are very likely to be included in my video. Although this is not the indie genre, it features a sole man telling a sad/relatable story to his audience in a way to connect with them and therefore further attract viewers as the artist is selling himself to them and to make my production successful, I need to find ways to attract my viewers and in this instance Mike Skinner from the streets does this well, by making himself a relatable character that many can connect with and relate to, which may lead to many buying his songs if they feel the same way. A relatable character is a main convention of the indie genre, someone who a fan can feel they can be just like, this will be present and a main attraction in my music video
My second inspiration is The White stripes- Hardest button to button
This video inspired me in a number of ways. I noticed the use of iconography with instrument present through the whole video, commonly seen in an indie video as the artist is usually always either carrying or playing it. This video is also very interesting and abstract, which makes the video stick in the viewers mind and is something they're going to remember, which means the video is effective. It may not be extreme, but using something unordinary but necessary in my video may attract more viewers and get them talking about my video and create buzz around it, meaning that it was a success. It has been seen in the past that videos like this have encountered success, so there is no reason why mine cannot. Conventions in my video that will be shown due to inspirations from this example are the artists instrument always being present and on him, as this is an indie genre and a guitar is the main instrument of the indie genre, which is something fans expect to see and something they heavily associate with the genre.
My third inspiration is Madness - One step beyond
This video features an average non-exclusive location, in an urban ordinary street whilst the artists wear orindary average clothes. This links in not only with the intended theme of our music video being relatable, hence the affordable clothes and location, but this also links in with iconography as this comes under costumes. A costume is something that will be present in the entire video and is always on the artist, and is also key as it shows a representation of them, the person they are and also their current emotions. It links with artist portrayal and overall how they come across to the audience, in particular, we can see that the man in the thumbnail is in an all black costume, something which will be present throughout my whole music video, as the artist wears an all black costume, black jumper, black jeans and black shoes, and does not change from it. We use this to show the characters emotion, that he is in troubled times and he is feeling down and his visual image reflects this. This is conventional to the indie genre as not only do artists appear as relatable characters, but wear dark outfits to connote they are going bad times. This has inspired me as I have incorporated this into my own video, as I am the artist I have gone with an all black costume of black jeans, black shoes a black jumper.
My fourth inspiration is Lorde - Tennis court
As we can see for the whole duration of the video, the artists face is seen. We can see Lorde's facial expression the entire time, which is a vital part of iconography. It is used to portray the artist to the audience, and we can see it is a direct mode of address, which makes the audience feel like the artist is right in front of them, therefore establishing a connection. It can also show the artists emotions and the artist having a direct mode of address towards their audience shows they are reaching out to them and it also makes them relatable, as the audience may then feel sympathy for them and also may be going through trouble themselves. Lorde shows a curious look and also asks questions in her lyrics, such as "Don't you think that it's boring how people talk?" and people who are curious about the world or themselves in general can relate. This has inspired me as facial expressions will definitely be used in my production, as i want to convey to my audience that I am a sad and broken person, which may help establish a connection with them and make it relatable, which is a convention of the indie genre.
My final music video inspiration is Kanye West ft Syleena Johnson- All falls down
This video shows the entire video shot in P.O.V (point of view) which is an effective use of cinematography in a number of ways. It allows you to see through the artists eyes, which makes the viewer feel like they are part of the story and living the artists life, which provides a connection between the artist and the audience. Involving the viewer in the story and making them feel like they are living the experience in the video can make it more exciting for them, which can attract more viewers to the video if it is deemed unique and exciting, which will increase the songs' popularity. This will be used in my own production, as P.o.v will be used on various occassions to show life through our artists eyes and give his fans an insight into what he goes through and to also help make our video as relatable as possible by establishing a connection between the audience and artist, as Indie music videos are highly known for having a relatable artist or relatable storylines and also many people can relate personal situations with indie songs.
This post demonstrates some understanding why music inspirations are essential to consider. You have identified a variety of points and have explained how the video has inspired you. However, some of the points that you included are a little vague and need to be explored in further detail.
ReplyDeleteAim-
1) Elaborate on the ways in which you will use the inspiration within your own production, by considering your storyboards in further detail.
2) Discuss why the music video has provided you with certain inspirations. As the first three videos are a little vague.
This post now demonstrates some proficient understanding of the inspirations that you gained. You have made a start with elaborating on your points, but you need to ensure that you have explored indie conventions as well as resent actions, to extend your analysis further.
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