Music Video Analysis: Ben Howard - Old Pine

"Old Pine" by Ben Howard is a indie style of music video. In the first scene, there is a close up of over grown plants with Ben Howard walking through it which is also a point of view shot. Just from looking that this first scene, there is indication that this music video was filmed around the end of Summer/beginning of Autumn because there is bright, low lighting which is natural light which is the sunset causing this light. There is a lot of out of focus shots to emphasise the facts that that it is sunset.

Within the beginning of this music video, it cuts to different locations but showing the beauty of those locations in slow motion. From then, the video shows various close ups such as Ben Howard' feet walking and his arm and hand. It has a lot of shots of his feet close up form behind and at the front of him.

There is a lot of sun glare which creates a lovely red light on the footage which creates a relaxed and calming feeling because the sun is bright and also the music is soft so it emphasises the sunset.

There is a wide/long shot of him out focus but in the distance walking towards the camera. The camera is focused on the tree.

The video then cuts to a complete different location which is to the sea with waves crashing against the cliff. I always find that the sea is a very relaxing sound. Even though we can't hear it but when I saw it, it made me picture myself there and listening to the song and also hearing the sea. The sea I think represents how relaxing the song is. There is a tilt as the camera is aimed at the sea and then tilts up to the sky and more of the cliff which gives the audience a sense of what the location is like. This then leads to a close up of the sea, mainly focusing on the waves of the sea.

After that, there is a lot of close ups of Ben Howard and they do this by having a tilt but they stay close up to him. They then have a track following him walking towards the camera and this is when the lip syncing starts (performance) but there is still narrative involved (Lynch).

There is a time lapse at 1:35 of the sky going from sunset to dark. This shows the audience the idea of time moving forward and is a good type of editing by video hours of footage but then speeding it up so it is only a couple of seconds long.

There is a point of view shot in the sea to look like someone is in the sea watching him surfing and there is a lot of long shots and medium shots which suggests he is the main focus within this video but it is shown as a narrative because there is no lip syncing so it shows a story/journey.

After some close ups and lip syncing from Ben Howard, there is a clip of a forest with the sun beeming through and then there is some clips of him and friends jumping from cliff to another cliff. This suggests that they are travelling and it is as if they are documenting their journey and experience.

There is a part of the lyrics that stand out to me "free as a butterfly". As that is sung, that is when the footage of the cliff part comes up. However, I feel like that part of lyrics really makes a deep relationship between the lyrics and the video (Goodwin) and it really shows it because the whole video is based around nature, the sea, sun and it makes you feel free when you watch this video.

Around 3:00 the music speeds up to which then there is a lot of time lapsing of the sky and the sea which suggests time moving quickly and also he then starts walking quicker which suggests excitement or even dedication of his journey and actually ends up running in the opposite direction. This could indicate that he is taking a different route in life or even just on the journey. The music is moving quicker which means that the time lapsing editing gets quicker and also the cutting of editing to different locations get quicker.

Overall, this video has given me many ideas for my music video such as, doing some time lapsing editing, using natural places such as the forest and also use a lot of close up but also a lot of natural lighting (especially around sunset or before) as it gives a calming and relaxed feel like the song I am using.

Music Video Analysis: Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars - Safe & Sound

Director: Philip Andelman

Released: 2012 (From The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 and Beyond)

"Safe & Sound" by Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars, was released in 2012. This song is a synergy as the song represents/promotes the film: The Hunger Games.

 In the first scene, it starts with a zoom of the old cottage. This gives an indication of what the main focus is and that the location is set at night around Autumn/Winter time. Then the video cuts into the cottage with The Civil Wars sitting in the living room which there is a two shot taken from behind of them playing an instrument which indicates performance in their music video and also that they are engaged in a some kind of relationship, in this case the music. The lighting is very dark and gloomy which suggests an old, rusty, Autumn or Winter type of feel as there is a fire on and that the cottage is old, run down.

Then the video cuts to outside where it is dull, cloudy and foggy. The main camera shots are long shots such as the tree on its own and then close ups of a little branch from a tree and then a zoom on some more trees. This suggests that these trees have a meaning to them e.g connection to The Hunger Games. This also shows narrative within this music video. This signifies isolation.

This then moves into a track which follows Taylor Swift vertically. There is a lot of continuity editing with the shots going from a long shot/establishing shot to mid shot to close ups. The lighting is very dark and looks like they have used natural lighting for the video. The outfit Taylor Swift is wearing in the forest scenes is a white/off white long dress that looks a little tattered. This suggests innocence or survival. As Andrew Goodwin pointed out in his research, that there is a relationship between the lyrics and the video. I get this impression because it is just her in the forest as if it is just her survival and the song talks about danger. The synergy also relates to the video because in The Hunger Games, it is the last one standing and it seems that Taylor Swift is the last one standing in the forest.

The next scene then moves back to The Civil Wars where the male is singing with a close up shot so you can see that he is singing. This then goes into a shot which uses a small depth of field (low aperture number) so that only the man is in slight focus. With the low lighting and the small aperture number used on the camera, suggests that they feel isolated and it is meant to give a sad/lonely type of feeling.

Going back to the forest with Taylor Swift in it, there is a lot of wide/long shots of her walking into the distance. There is a lot of close ups and zooms onto her feet to which she is walking bare foot. This can represent the natural look they are trying to portray or it is another reference to The Hinger Games because district 12 that is shown are all dressed in tattered clothing, bare foot which signifies poverty and isolation because they are controlled by people that are higher up than them.

Taylor Swift is then sitting and then laying on a grave in a cemetery which suggests a lot of loss and hurt within the song and video as she seems very down and upset about something because the facial expression is not a happy, good feeling emotion. The grave and the cemetery can represent The Hunger Games because a lot of people die within the film because the outcome is that there is only one survivor at the end of the games.

At 2:20 Taylor Swift walks into a dark, run down place where she picks up a badge which is the . This symbolises The Hinger Games. This can be used to promote the film as anyone who has read the books will want to watch this music video as it gives good representation and they do this by having a close up of the badge in her hands.

Throughout the scenes in this music video, I have noticed that there is a lot of fire and smoke being shown. This can suggest destruction or even a representation of how Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars are feeling e.g fire represents anger or passion. There is a extreme close up of the fire at 2:38 which goes with the music because the music gets louder and more dramatic which makes the extreme close up of the fire is dramatic and expressing anger.

There is also a point of view shot of Taylor Swift looking at a Form. To me a Form always makes me think of freedom. It also suggests isolation because its on its own but it can be seen as freedom or it can be seen as isolation. At 3:30 the form then disappears into dust as if it has died which refers back to the graves and that there is nobody in video apart from Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars.

Towards the end of the music video, there is a close up of the male' tapping his foot along with the beat of the music which suggests relationship between the music and the video.

Music Video Production Treatment

Music Video Production Treatment

For this part, I completed a Music Video Production Treat for 1 of the songs I have chosen and definitely want to use. I included the lyrics so it shows what sort of song it is and the style of it which is a "Love" sort of song but it gives me a Indie sort of feel.

I then included the running time which is quite long but I am going to cut it down a little bit so its a good length.I decided on 3:00 as it is a good running time for a music video.

Then finally I filled out the image that popped into my head. The ideas that I got was that I wanted to do a lot of close ups with the face, shoes, hands and with the location a lot of pans, tilts and then some long shots of the person I want to use. The location I got in my head was, autumn leaves, forest, a river, the person wearing a coat, scarf and hat. I also saw a lot of bright light from the low sun.

Music Video Proposal

Music Video Proposal

This is the Music Proposal that I did for the song I am using for my Music Video. This Music Video Proposal gives a good idea of how long the video will be, the style of the video (linked to theorists), the brief idea I have for the video (camera shots, lighting, equipment), if I have done any test shots to see how my development on my filming has gone, who I will use to make sure it is reliable and then finally when I will start filming. It is important to find out when I will start filming because with deadlines, I also need to fit in editing within the time. I think all of these factors are important such as "Who I will be using" because I need reliable people (person) so I can actually successfully film this. I think the running time of the track is very important because if it goes on for too long, it will start to be boring because there is so much you can do in a music video, so I have decided to cut it down to roughly 3:00 when I start editing the music video.

Experimenting With Continuity Editing Techniques

For this task, the class was split into pairs or threes. Our task was to experiment with continuity editing. We decided to do continuity editing on me walking through the door and coming out somewhere else. The aim was to use different types of camera shots and editing techniques to make this clip flow smoothly with continuity editing.

The first shot we did was a long shot of myself, walking towards the camera. This was to get a sense of the setting and where I was walking and then then led to a mid shot (from shoulders above) to shows I am getting closer to the camera.

The next shot we decided to do was a close up going into a long shot of the back of me, going towards the door. This was to get an idea of where I am going. Then from the close up, long shot, it went to a point of view shot of me opening the door and it goes into a extreme close up of my hand in of opening the door.

From then, we changed location to make it look like that was where we were going. By doing this, we had to find a door that opened the same way as the one we used in the previous shot. This was a close up of my face going into a long shot going into a medium shot.

My group made sure that we stuck with the 180 degree rule. We decided to film on the left side of me and the right side of the back of me so it the editing and the video flows properly and do not break the 180 degree rule.

We then decided to then reverse the video for effects to show the shots in a different unique way.

We chose this type of music because it seemed bubbly and funny and went well with the video because it gives a good funny feeling to the video.

Permission To Use Song

In the Summer Holidays before starting A2, I decided to email Landon Austin (YouTuber/Singer) if I could use one of his original songs. I found his enquiries email b looking on his Facebook page on info and emailed him asking for permission ad explained that all rights go to him.

I decided to find a song that wasn't very popular and wasn't on a big record label because of the issue with copyright. I have heard of Landon Austin because I love his music and found him through YouTube about a year ago. The song I wanted to use "Once In A Lifetime" is one of my favourite songs so I was so happy when he replied and said I could use it for my music video. 

I emailed him very early just in case it took months for hi to reply but he replied the next day which is great.   

Definition Of A Music Video

Defining what a music video is is never going to be a broad answer as everyone has their own interpretations and opinions in what a music video is. I personally would define a music video to being a way of visually displaying music. The way I see it, is that it is "placing a face to the name". I always feel like the video is there to visually represent/support the music. This could be to promote the song itself, a film or even a brand.

There are so many ways that a music video can be defined. It can be defined as being for promotion, concept or the artists interpretation of the song.

There are Theorists that look at Music Videos that have came up with some key Codes and Conventions that are shown in many Music Videos.

Andrew Goodwin:  

Andrew Goodwin studies hundreds of Music Videos while researching his book and came up with some key Codes and Conventions.

Andrew Goodwin highlights that there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (with visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music) and there is a relationship between the music and the visuals.

Another point Andrew Goodwin makes is that particular music genres have their own music video style and iconography (such as live performance in heavy rock or choreographed dance routines in R&B) and that there is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close-ups of the main artist/vocalist.

The artist may develop their own iconography in and out of their music video. This might then become a part of their star image over time and that there is most likely to be references voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, but also in terms of systems of looking (screens within screens, binoculars, film and movie camera, etc) Andrew Goodwin also points out.

 Finally, Andrew Goodwin mentions that there are likely to be inter textual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV texts (this may or may not feature actors/actresses from the original film or TV programmes).

Joan Lynch 

Joan Lynch'84 said there was 2 basic video structures.

Performance - based on live performance e.g. concert videos. Rock artists use this more.

Concept - videos based on concept art e.g Arctic Monkey - Do I Wanna Know?

Narrative - Purely like story telling, no lip syncing, linked to the lyrics

John Gow 

John Gow'92 identified 6 genres of music videos.

The anti-performance piece - videos that don't have performance of the song

Pseudo-reflexive performance - videos which display the process of video production

Performance documentary - videos which contain documentary footage of onstage/offstage performance.

The special effects extravaganza - videos in which human performance is over shadowed by imagery,

The song and dance number - videos which focus on the physical ability of the dancing performer and the vocal presentation of the song, normally through lip-syncing.

The enhanced performance - videos that blend performance elements with other visual elements. It's a blend through associational, narrative or abstract forms of motivation.

Music Video Director Research: Ben Coughlan

Ben Coughlan is a Music Video Director. Coughlan directed "Ellie Goulding - Your Song". From watching "Ellie Goulding - Your Song" made me want to look into Ben Coughlan because the music video for "Your Song" is very much the style of music video I want of my music video. I find that the music video is very "Indie" and is set in the Autumn/Winter time of year which is the time of year I plan to film my music video.

In this music video, Ben Coughlan has created a delicate visual style. He includes a lot of close up to Ellie Goulding' face to show a lot of detail. Ben Coughlan uses a lot of Mise En Scene to create this video and it plays a big part in this video. The Mise En scene that is used in this, is the filming of objects such as the train tickect, locations and the natural lighting to give this video the natural feel to this song.

Ben Cooughlan hasn't just worked with Ellie Goulding but also Tom Odell and Snow Patrol filming their live performances/sessions and making it into a music video. This shows that the artists that he works with are seen as "Indie" and he does calm and natural kind of videos that include in natural light and close ups and uses props, locations and outfits as Mise En Scene






Snow Patrol - Live @ RAK "Called Out In The Dark" from Sneek Films on Vimeo.

When I was trying to find a bit of information about Ben Coughlan, I found his Pinterest and can see what he was into and what his style influence is. I found out that he is very into the vintage, retro style including vinyl, pictures with artists/model in the forest and people in rabbit masks. I also saw a picture of The XX which is an Indie group which suggests that he is very into the Indie style videos in forests and music that is on vinyl and also there is pictures with artists performing live, which shows he likes live performances.

The editing style of Ben Coughlan' music videos, are very smooth because he will go from a medium shot and then jump into a close up shot. He will also include Mise En Scene so it makes the editing smooth but also jump but this gives the audience an insight of what is going on and the surroundings.

I really like Ben Coughlan' work because I really like the retro/vintage style of his videos and the natural lighting he uses. I also like the idea of close ups and using a lot of Mise En Scene because it shows a lot about the artist/band and the video is not "too much" or "over the top". The videos are just so natural and honest because you see a lot of detail of the artist/band which has inspired me a lot for my own music video.

Transition Music Video

Outkast - Hey Ya 

By Holly, Lewis, Kayleigh and Evie

Before we broke up for the summer, we had an insight of what A2 Media Studies is going to be about. We had to create an video for "A2 Transition". The whole idea of creating a A2 Transition music video, was to explore with with the video cameras, editing software (Première Pro) and also learning to use filming techniques (camera shots) such as, close ups and medium shots. The main concept of this music video was to experience "Lip Syncing" when filming and editing.

When filming this video, it was harder than expected. This is was because we used a song that included a lot of lyrics/ rap so making sure got the lyrics right and in time was difficult. However, I did all of the filming because I did not feel comfortable in front of the camera. The problem with the camera is that the picture was very "Grainy" and we did not know how to change that. I found it strange filming as I was not used to the video camera because it is different to what I am personally used to.

When it came to editing the Transition Music Video, we noticed that the picture came up darker than it looked on the camera which was a little problem with us because it was too dark. However, it was good to explore editing as I had never had ago to editing a music video. I did not realise how difficult and time consuming with trying to match the lip syncing with the track.

Overall, from doing the Transition music video, it has taught me skills and initiatives to when it comes to my actual independent music video for A2. Even though. this video did not go as well as I thought it would, it has shown me what I need to improve e.g. cut the song down to at least 2:30-3:30 minutes long, take time with editing and persist with it and to make sure I have the right settings on the camera when filming.

Welcome To My A2 Media Blog

This is my Advanced Portfolio In Media for my A2 Media course. This is where I will be posting regular updates where I show my research, planning, skills development construction, audience feedback,final artefacts and my evalation over the next year of my A2 Media course.

This year, I will be creating a Music Video and Promotional Packing and my blog will will continuously updated to show th progress and to give an update of what stage I am at.