Music Video Analysis: Budapest – George Ezra

Introduction to the Artist:

George Ezra Barnett (or George Ezra as he is more commonly known) is a singer/songwriter from Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. He rose to fame in 2014 after the realise of his EP ‘Cassy O’. His single ‘Budapest’ was one of the most successful of his songs and reached into the top ten in countries such as Austria and New Zealand. George Ezra then released his studio album titled ‘Wanted on Voyage’ in which became the third best-selling album in the UK in 2014. 

His most popular album ‘Wanted On Voyage’include songs such as:

• Budapest
• Blame it on me 
• Barcelona 
• Did You Hear The Rain

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The Music Video:

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Overview:

The music video for ‘Budapest’ by George Ezra is a concept style. This means that it is presenting an abstract idea. In this case, the concept is the people and how they interact with each other. There is no narrative but only small interactions between characters. Personally, I think this is a very weird music video that visually looks good in some scenes, however, I think it is quite plain for the most part. 

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Props:

Only three main props are featured throughout this music video. These are…

• A guitar
• Paper aeroplanes 
• 3D glasses

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Characters:

This music video features many different characters. Each character represents a different culture and can be seen doing things from their culture. As well as these characters the artist of the song is also present. He stands in the crowd and mimes the lyrics to the song while playing his guitar. 

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Costume:

The artist in this music video is seen to be wearing a blue shirt. The bottom half of his costume isn’t visible as he is surrounded by so many people. The characters around him all wear costumes that represent their culture. These are things such as football kits, hats, ties, glasses.

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Makeup:

The makeup for this music video is very minimalistic. The artist himself appears to wear no makeup at all while some of the other characters (mainly women) wear lipstick or eyeshadow. Minimalism when it comes to makeup is something that is a widely used convention when it comes to indie-acoustic/folk music videos. 

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Lighting:

Lighting for this video consists of artificial lighting. This is as the cast is in a dark room and have no natural lighting. Directors will then have to use lighting such as spotlights to ensure that the room and cast are well lit. Additionally, further into the music video red and blue filters are used over the lighting to create a more interesting visual. 

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Shot Types:

A variety of shot types are displayed in this music video. Below I have listed three that I think stood out. The first shot type that I liked was a birdseye-shot. Having the camera up so high allows for the entire cast to be encompassed in the shot. As well as this the movement of the paper aeroplanes (which is slowed down in editing) looks really effective and makes for an interesting shot. Perhaps I will be able to use a similar sort of shot type for an image of something on a table. 

The next shot type that I liked was this close-up birdseye of George Ezra. Although close-up can be very simple and boring the positioning of the mis en scene in this shot helps to create a more interesting visual. Instead of having the actor placed upright, he is placed landscape which offers a different angle for the audience. A close-up birdseye with an actor positioned landscape is a shot type that I may use in my own music video. However, at this stage, I am not confident to say where I would feature it. 

The last shot type I noticed was a short focus mid-shot. Although this isn’t used a lot in indie-acoustic/folk music videos I think that it makes for a very visually pleasing frame. The use of the focus on the woman creates a blurred background. By doing so the audience’s attention is drawn to the woman. Perhaps this is something that I may decide to include in my own music video is I want the audience to focus on a particular actor or item. Furthermore, the positioning of the actor in the frame complies with the rule of thirds method. The actress is within the right line on a camera grid which helps to make the shot look more interesting than having her in the centre. Additionally, the blurred background is more visible which creates a contrast between the focused and unfocused. 

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 Editing:

This entire music video only features straight cuts as this is easy for the audience to follow. Furthermore, the majority of screen time is held by George Ezra when he plays the guitar. This ensures that the audience knows that he is the protagonist in this music video. 

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Location:

Only one location is used in this entire music video. This is a very dark room with black walls.

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Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Ezra

Music Video Analysis: Hold Back the River – James Bay

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Introduction to the Artist:

James Michael Bay is a singer/songwriter from the Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Originally, James started off playing at open mic nights in Brighton where he went to study music. It was in London where he was spotted by Republic Records that James was signed enabling him to make music. He rose to fame in 2014 when he released his second EP ‘Hold Back The River’ which reached into the top 10 of the iTunes Album Charts. 

His album ‘Chaos and the Calm’ features songs such as:

• Hold Back The River
• Best Fake Smile 
• Let It Go
• Scars

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The Music Video:

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Overview:

Above is the music video for the song ‘Hold Back The River’ by the solo artists James Bay.  Unlike the majority of indie-acoustic videos this music video follows a performance-based structure. This means that the entire video is centred around the band and James performing the song. Personally, I think that this style of video for the genre of indie-acoustic may become boring after a while as it is the same footage but from different angles. Perhaps if I were to include this in my own video I would split it between being performance and narrative based. 

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Props:

Throughout this music video, a variety of props are used. Some of which are…

• A guitar
• Drums
• A bass guitar
• A piano

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Characters:

‘Hold Back the River’ features the artist miming the lyrics to the song. In the background of the music video, the band is featured. 

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Costume:

The artist James Bay is wearing a hat, blue shirt, black jeans and shoes. This isn’t anything too eccentric and resembles everyday wear. The musicians in the background of the video also wear a similar sort of outfit although due to the lighting it’s hard to make out their entire costume. 

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Makeup:

None of the actors in this music video wears any obvious makeup. 

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Lighting:

Various types of lighting are used in this music video. The first type I noticed was a spotlight. A spotlight is used to highlight the artist as the most important character in the video and separate him from the band in the background. As this is a music video filmed in a location for performing lighting such as this is a good choice. However, I am currently leaning towards making a narrative based music video so this is something that I may choose not to include. 

Furthermore, soft lighting was used and directed at the camera to give a hazy feeling to the shot. I may compare this technique when using artificial light with sunlight.

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Shot Types:

While watching the music video for ‘Hold Back The River’ by James Bay I noticed some shot types that I liked. These stood out to me for their type of angle and the way the mis en scene was positioned in the frame. 

The first camera angle I noticed while watching was a mid-shot. Although this camera angle is quite simple I was brought to my attention because of the mis en scene. First of all, I liked how the artist is placed in the centre of the shot. This ensures that the audiences attention is mainly focused on him as he is the focal point of the shot. In addition to this, I also liked the lighting that is displayed in this shot. The director has ensured that the lighting source is coming from behind the subject and shining into the camera lens. This creates a lens flare which makes the shot look dreamy. Although the music video isn’t a narrative based piece the usage of this lens flare is a common convention of the indie-acoustic genre. Lighting such as this is something I am considering using in my own music video. 

The second shot type I noticed was a close-up. James Bay who is the artist of this song is featured in the shot. This is presented using the rule of thirds technique. This is a technique where the main focus (in this case James Bay) is positioned to the left or right of the camera grid. Overall, it makes the shot look more interesting rather than having the subject be in the centre of the camera. The rule of thirds is something that I like the look of in this music video and may decide to include it in my own music video. Furthermore, the lighting in this shot is soft which is a convention of the indie-acoustic genre. 

The last shot type that caught my attention was a low angle tracking shot of James Bay. Although it can’t be displayed clearly through the screenshot the low angle tracking shot makes for a very unique camera angle and interesting footage. Mixing two shot types together is a technique that I like the look of and may do in my own music video. Additionally, the difference in height of the shot breaks up all of the mid shots to create a more dynamic video. This helps the footage to be more entertaning as it is a performance based music video. 

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Editing:

The editing in this music video is very simple. It features only straight cuts from one shot to the next throughout the entire footage. Evidently, the main focus of the music video is James Bay himself as he is the one with the duration of the camera time. 

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Location:

In this music video, only one location is used. This is a black room with panels in a semi-circle formation. Although this doesn’t add much variety to the location of the music video it still works as the video isn’t trying to tell a story but rather focuses on the artist’s performance. A dark room such as this also helps to intensify the spotlight and other types of lighting used. 

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References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bay_(singer)

 

Music Video Analysis: Oceans – Seafret

Introduction to the Artist:

Seafret is a music duo from Bridlington consisting of Jack Sedman and Harry Draper. They first began their music career in 2015 when they signed to Columbia Records and continue to make music today. Their first album release was on 26th January 2016 titled ‘Tell Me It’s Real’ and peaked at number 56 on the UK Album Charts.

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The Music Video:

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Overview:

The music video for ‘Oceans’ By Seafret follows a narrative style. It tells the story of a young girl with superhero abilities who feels alone and gets bullied by an older group of teenagers. She eventually uses her powers to fend them off after being attacked then returns home to her mother. The lyrics of the song are reflected in the visuals and themes. For example, the line “It feels like there’s oceans between you and me” is suggested towards through the theme of isolation and loneliness. I think that doing this when creative a narrative based music video helps the audience to better connect with the song. This is something I will consider doing for my own music video. 

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Props:

There are a variety of different props used within this music video. Some of which are…

• A bag
• A piece of paper
• Food
• A box
• A drink
• Bikes

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Characters:

The characters featured in this music video are…

• A girl (who appears to be the victim of bullying)
• Young boys 
• Young girls
• A mother 

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Costume:

The girl who is the main character from the music video is seen to be wearing a school uniform before changing into a cape and mask when she becomes a superhero. The group of teens who bully her toward the end of the music video wear jeans, hoodies, trainers and hats. In the final scenes, the girl’s mother appears wearing a jumper and jeans.

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Makeup:

The makeup used on the actors in the video is light and very natural. This goes for every character seen in the footage.

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Lighting:

Various types of lighting are displayed in the music video. In the beginning of the footage soft indoor lighting is used when the girl is in the kitchen and her bedroom. This lighting also gives off a slightly orange tone which helps to make the frame more natural. When the girl is walking to the shops outside lighting is used. Again this reflects the naturalistic atmosphere of the video and music genre.

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Shot Types:

Throughout the footage, I noticed some different shot types. Below I have picked out the ones that stood out to me most and that I may want to feature in my own music video.

The first shot type that I liked was this tracking shot. Although it can’t be seen clearly in the screenshot I liked the way the camera captures the girl walking while also including her surroundings. The far away tracking shot also helps to enhance the idea that the girl feels small in her environment which related to the narrative of her being bullied. Using certain camera angles like this one to convey points about a narrative is something that I will do in my own piece. 

The next camera angle that stood out to me in the music video was one of the girl walking. Personally, I liked that the camera was positioned behind her as it felt more real as if the audience was behind her and following her story. Additionally, I liked that the light source (the sun) was shining into the camera as this created a hazy and dreamlike image. This otherworldly quality made me think of the escapism point in the uses and gratifications theory as it seems as if she is using her superhero outfit to escape a situation. 

Lastly, I enjoyed this that that was displayed towards the end of the music video. This short focus shot stands out as the positioning of the hand in the frame uses the rule of thirds thus bringing the attention of the audience to it. I may decided to use this shot type for a scene where I want the audience to focus on something particular in the shot.

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Editing:

The editing of this music video is very simple as it uses only straight cuts from each shot. They are fairly slow in terms of pace which coincides with the momentum of the music. Additionally, when the girl’s superpowers are being used a pink glow is edited in on her hand. This is quite unconventional as it is the opposite of being natural which is the main theme in most acoustic music videos.

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Location:

Various locations are featured in this music video. Some of which are…

• A bedroom
• A kitchen
• A corner shop
• A nature path
• A tennis court

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References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafret

Music Video Anaylsis: Please Don’t Say You Love Me – Gabrielle Aplin

Introduction to the Artist:

Gabrielle Ann Aplin is a 24-year-old singer/songwriter from Wiltshire in England. She became popular in the music community when she started posting videos of herself singing on YouTube. Eventually, in Christmas 2012 Gabrielle Aplin covered the hit song ‘The Power of Love’ by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. This cover received huge success and was featured in the John Lewis Christmas advert for 2012. She then went on to release her own album titled ‘English Rain’ in 2013 which reached number two in the UK Album Charts.

 

The Music Video:

 

Overview:

From watching the music video for Gabrielle Aplin’s ‘Please Don’t Say You Love Me’ it is clear that it follows a narrative structure. The overall storyline follows a couple’s relationship after they break down on a country lane. While the majority of the footage features the couple Gabrielle Aplin is also featured miming the lyrics as they tie into the narrative. Personally, I really like this music video as I think it holds all the conventions of the indie-acoustic/folk genre as well as telling a romantic story. 

Props:

Throughout this music video, there are many props featured. Some of which are…

• A car
• A book
• A bench
• A candle 

Characters:

In this video, there are three main characters. The first is the boyfriend in the relationship who appears to be shy and sensitive. Then there is the girlfriend who is more of an outgoing and confident character. Finally, there is another woman who is miming the lyrics to the song as she walks along a country lane and sits in a garden pub. This character is the artist of the song. The majority of the characters featured in this music video appear to be young and in their 20s. 

Costume:

There are different costumes for different characters in this music video. The women in this video are seen to wear clothing such as a dress, jean jacket, jumper, jeans, boots. Jewelry such as a simple necklace is also worn by the girlfriend. The boyfriend character in the video wears jeans, a jumper, trainers and a beanie hat. Most of the clothing is very simple and everyday wear to illustrate that the characters are similar to your everyday person. 

Makeup:

In close-up shots of the artists face it is evident that only light makeup is used on the characters.  Everything looks very natural and simple which doesn’t distract the audience from the narrative of the story. The male actor in this video doesn’t wear any makeup.

Lighting:

Throughout this music video, there are many types of lighting used. The first type I noticed was a light leak which created a romantic and dreamy shot when featured in the scenes with the couple. The next type of lighting I noticed was natural lighting. As most of the footage was outside in the daylight natural lighting was featured heavily. Personally, I liked this as it helped to tie in with the naturalistic style of the video and genre. In scenes such as the pub fairy lights and candles were used to create light. This created an orange glow which was a good way to create soft lighting in a dark environment. The last type of lighting I noticed was coloured lighting. When the male character is in the car the background is filtered with red lighting and his skin has a blue hue to it from some sort of lighting source. This type of lighting is very different to all the other types that are resented in this music video. While the majority of shots have natural lighting this one appears to break conventions. I think that this lighting type for this shot works well as it is placed in a time in the narrative which suits it well. 

Shot Types:

When watching the music video for ‘Please Don’t Say You Love Me’ by Gabrielle Aplin I noticed a variety of different shot types that I liked. The first of which was a tracking shot. This introduces the audience to the singer of the song and makes for a more dynamic shot.

The next shot type I noticed was a close-up. The camera at this point also held a short focus which helps the audience’s attention to be on the characters and for the background to be blurred. Personally, I liked this as it adds a soft and hazy feel to the frame. This also ties in tot he songs dream-like melody. 

The shot below is framed in a way that makes the audience feel as if they are behind the couple. Using the camera to film the couple in the front seats captures the relationship in a way that looks natural and as if they were not shooting a music video. A naturalistic aspect such as this conforms to the conventions of the indie acoustic genre which is something I will try to include in my own music video. 

Editing:

Throughout the music video, there were only jump cuts used. This simplistic nature of editing ties into the naturalistic nature of the acoustic genre. Furthermore, the song itself is slow-paced which means that any crazy editing would contrast the song’s style and look out of place. 

Location:

Throughout the music video, there are many locations featured. Some of which are…

• Country lanes
• Pub garden
• Inside a car

The majority of the locations featured are outside which conforms to the convention of having a naturalistic setting. However, the use of footage inside a car helps to break this up and offers an interesting dynamic between natural and machine. 

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References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabrielle_Aplin

Music Video Analysis: Sick of Losing Soulmates – Dodie

Introduction to the Artist:

Dorothy Miranda Clark who is more commonly known as Dodie is a singer/songwriter founded through YouTube. Upon starting the channel known as Doddleoddle she quickly obtained subscribers from videos of her singing her own songs. Her soft acoustic style is expressed in a variety of her music and often comes with feelings of melancholy and nostalgia. In 2016 she released her first EP titled ‘Intertwined’ which featured at number 35 in the UK Top Official Charts. More recently Dodie has released another EP titled ‘You’ which reached a respectable no. 6 in the charts. 

 

The Music Video:

 

Overview:

From watching the footage it is evident that this music video follows the narrative format. Its story is of two women who are in a romantic relationship. Throughout the duration of the video, the audience sees the two go through good times such as them taking walks together. However, their struggles are also displayed through the fights they have together. The lyrics of the song ‘Sick of Losing Soulmates’ is clearly connected to the footage as lines such as “I won’t take no for an answer” reflects the willingness the two have to stay together no matter what. Reflecting the thoughts and feelings behind certain lyrics in a narrative style music video is a very common feature; especially in acoustic songs which tend to be very emotional. Personally, I like this technique and will consider using it when I come to create my own music video. 

Props:

Within this music video, there are many props featured. Some of which are…

• A bed
• A phone
• A car
• Food
• A laptop

None of these props are used too heavily as they are all mostly featured for a few seconds.

Characters:

The characters featured in this music video are mostly female. This is as the video follows a narrative style capturing the romantic relationship between two women. Additionally, the artist of the song is also featured to break up the footage of the couple and make it more interesting and dynamic. The footage of the artist acts as the song’s thoughts and feelings as she mimes the lyrics “I’m sick of losing soulmates”; while on the other hand, the footage of the relationship serves as a backstory to why the artist feels this way. The music video also features a father who from what the audience can infer appears to be making one of the women in the relationship feel uncomfortable about her relationship. 

Costume:

Almost all of the characters are wearing everyday clothing. This consists of jeans, a jumper, a coat, and boots. Other styles of an outfit are a dress or skirt. The simplistic nature of the costumes in this music video ties into the simplistic nature of the song as it is acoustic. Any overly fancy costumes may distract from the genres calm and peaceful tone and look out of place. 

Makeup:

The makeup used on the characters is fresh and almost unnoticeable. The girls seem to have clear glowing skin, eyeliner, and a light pink lip. This kind of makeup again ties in with the natural and simplistic nature of the acoustic genre. Any form of dramatic makeup may take the audience’s attention away from the emotions that should be felt while listening to the song.

Lighting:

Throughout ‘Sick of Losing Soulmates’ there are many types of lighting used. The first type that I noticed was a light leak. This was used when the two girls were walking outside. Personally, I felt that it gave the shot a dreamy and romantic look which reflects the relationship between the two girls. Another type of lighting I noticed was natural light. This was displayed in shots where the characters were outside and added a natural organic aesthetic to the frame. The last type of lighting I spotted was lighting from a street lamp. This gave off an orange hue. This was used when the artist of the song was featured and helped to distinguish the difference between shots of the couple and the artists singing. 

Shot Types:

Many shot types were displayed throughout this music video. The first that I noticed was an establishing tracking shot which introduced the audience to the artist and to the location of the bedroom in which she features the most. This style of shot initially presents the artist to the audience in a way which is interesting to look at from a standard jump cut and captures their attention. Additionally, the duration of this shot is fairly short which may leave some of the audience members wondering who she is and how she fits into the story. 

A mid close-up shot is used when Dodie first starts to mime the lyrics to her song. As she is the main subject of the footage at this point the shot type use helps to make her the centre of attention to the audience. Blurring the background of the room in this shot is also a device that helps to bring the attention her when watching. 

When the couple is in the kitchen making food a low angle shot is used to display one of them eating. This style of camera angle may have been used as it makes the audience feel as if they are observing the relationship from afar. Furthermore, it also presents both the actors in a candid form which makes their relationship and the footage appear more realistic. This is something that may have been incorporated as it reflects the conventions of naturalism in the indie acoustic genre. 

The shot below is framed in a way that makes the audience feel as if they are behind the couple. Using the camera to film the couple walking in front captures the relationship in a way that looks natural and as if they were not shooting a music video. A naturalistic aspect such as this conforms to the conventions of the indie acoustic genre which are something I will try to include in my own music video. 

Although it isn’t evident in the photo this part of the music video features a hand held shot. The shakiness of the footage at this point reflects the feelings of passion or anger the father character has towards what the audience can assume is his daughter at her relationship. Using camera angles to illustrate emotions is something that I find interesting and may decide to include in my own music video. 

Although it isn’t displayed in the photo below this shot is an example of a stable shot. To create this the camera has been placed on a tripod which helps the footage to appear stable and prevents it from shaking.  These types of shots in conjunction with the hand held shots help the footage to have a more dynamic perspective and allows the audience to distinguish clips of the artist to the characters. 

Editing:

Throughout the music video, there were only jump cuts used. This simplistic nature of editing ties into the naturalistic nature of the acoustic genre. Furthermore, the song itself is slow paced which means that any crazy editing would contrast the song’s style and look out of place. I personally enjoyed the mixture of stable and hand held shots throughout the footage as this provided me with a dynamic experience. This is something I may decide to create in my own music video. 

Location:

This music video displayed many various locations. Some of which were…

• A bedroom
• A bridge
• A park
• A kitchen 
• A pond
• An alleyway

 

The majority of these locations are outside which emphasized the naturalistic tone that many acoustic songs have. This is something I want to incorporate in my own music video.

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References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodie_Clark

 

 

 

Research Gantt Chart

Above I have created a gantt chart. This is a chart to keep track of my blog posting and ensure that I know what I should be doing and when. To make the information in this chart clearer to read I have made all of my music video posts red, my digi pack posts green and my poster posts blue. I have also highlighted the completed column red so that when I have finished a blog post I can change the square to green. Overall, I hope that this will help me with my time management as I update my blog during the summer holidays.

My Film Noir Piece (Planning and Final Product)

Planning:

My group first decided to mindmap our ideas for our film noir piece. This would help us have a clearer understanding of what we were going to include in our video. Below is our mind map.

My group knew that we were going to film this video on the same day as our planning which meant that our film wasn’t going to be very professional. However, under a two-hour time limit, I believe that we managed to gather all the resources we needed very quickly and filmed in good time. 

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Final Piece:

Below is my group’s final film noir piece. Our films narrative surrounds the mental thoughts of a man called Jon who meets an unknown woman. We have presented Jon’s thoughts through the voice over which explicitly tells the audience of his feelings towards the woman. Personally, I think that we have been able to communicate the storyline very effectively through the continuity and narrative.

When creating the piece we took into consideration the conventions of the film noir genre. Some of these were…

• Low key lighting
• Shadows
• Black and white
• Jazz music
• Voiceovers
• Suspense
• Love

Throughout the film, my group has tried to recreate the same type of lighting that is usually seen in many film noir films. We did this by using a torch from the drama department in our school. This created the spotlight from which we were able to film the shadow of Jon which would help to incorporate some of the conventions of the film noir genre. Additionally, my group tried to include film noir conventions by editing the footage to be in black and white. As many of these types of films were produced in the early 20th century our film resembles the black and white nature of these films which makes them appear more realistic to heir prime era. In regards to our audio, we have used jazz music. This was one of the conventions that we had seen in film noir so we decided to have this playing in the background. However, we wanted this to only be background noise as the voice over was to be the main piece of audio that would tell the narrative to the audience. Overall I am very pleased with the way my short film noir has turned out. I believe that it has conformed to many of the conventions seen with the genre and depicts an accurate representation of how film noir films were made.

 

 

About Film Noir

Recently I have been learning about the genre of Film Noir. Although I already know some of the aspects of this genre I decided to research into the history, conventions and look at some examples.

Film Noir – A film which illustrates a mood of pessimism and menace.

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The History of Film Noir:

Film noir is often referred to as ‘black film’ due to its dull and bleak nature. This was something recognised by French film critic Nino Frank in 1914. He noticed that many of the American crime and detective films being released into French cinemas all had the same conventions which in turn formed a sense of the now known film noir. The Golden Age of cinema produced many movies in this style as the themes of ambiguous uncertainty were a very close representation of life after the world wars. Films would often have tragic events take place with unhappy endings to produce this feeling.

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The Conventions of Film Noir:

Below I have researched some of the conventions of film noir to get a better understanding of the genre and how it is portrayed.

Lighting:

Films from this genre often use low key lighting to create a chiaroscuro effect on the shots they want to capture. Directors for film noir mystery hybrids often use this technique to their advantage and make sure that certain elements of the mis en scene are concealed to create a sense of tension and ambiguity.

Setting: 

Many film noir movies are set in urban locations. Examples of these are New York or Chicago. This is as they convey a bleak and dark location which helps to be reflected in the mood of the film. Places such as these also produce lots of heavy smoke and provide dark ally ways which also bring a sense of grit to the production.

The Male Protagonist:

The male protagonist in film noir movies was very commonly known to be misogynistic and aloof. The characteristics of such a person would include; brooding, cynical, corrupt and tarnished. Their job was most often a criminal or detective.

The Female Character:

The female character is often known as the female fatal. This is as in many film noir movies they are the victim of crimes and perceived as weak and helpless due to misogynistic stereotyping. Characters like this also use their sexual nature to lure men for their own intentions and gain. The typical costume of a female fatal would be a revealing outfit with red lipstick and heavy black eyeshadow.

 

Iconography:

• Cigarettes
• Smoke
• Alcohol
• Guns
• Trench Coats
• Rain
• Neon signs

Camera Shots:

Many of the camera shots used in film noir are heavily inspired by German expressionism. They are used to make an audience feel uneasy in a time of suspense or tension. Low angle shots are also used to distinguish power between characters. A character presented in a low angle shot will have the power as looking up at the character will make the audience feel small. Some shot types may be pointed at a mirror with the reflection of a character. These shots help to emphasise the mysterious side of some of the characters in a certain film. Finally, close up shots are typically used on the female fatal to display their sexuality and beauty.

Audio:

The audio in film noir is most commonly jazz is this was a type of music very popular in the era these films were made. Other types of audio you may find in film noir movies may be gun shots, doors slamming or car engines. Most of the non-diegetic music featured in the films were meant to create a suspenseful atmosphere tying into genres such as crime.

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Examples of Film Noir:

Although film noir is a genre often associated with the old cinema of the 1920s and 1930s there are still films and tv shows which today still want to capture the essence of the genre. Below are examples of an older film noir piece and a modern film noir piece.

‘Touch of Evil’ (1958) is a film noir movie about a man’s investigation into a drug gang which ultimately puts him and his new wife in jeopardy. Throughout this film, many of the typical conventions are found. These are elements such as low key lighting and a romance.

Above is footage from behind the scenes of the episode ‘Shadow Play’ (2014) from the tv show ‘Pretty Little Liars’. This is the film noir genre being used in a modern day era and proves that this it is timeless and memorable above other genres. The cast talks about how filming with film noir in mind changes not only the shot types and audio of the piece but the dialogue and the way in which it is spoken.

About Indie Music And Its Sub-Genres

Overview:

Independent music is more commonly known as indie or indie music. The term independent derives from artists wanting to take control of their music and not be confined by a huge record label. This means artists produce and record their music by themselves. Many artists who choose this path do so for the freedom of being experimental and able to express their music in a way that still harbours true emotions. 

History:

The independent era began in the 1980s when the punk movement was coming to an end. Terms such as ‘indie’ and ‘alternative’ became widespread by music lovers and artists alike. Through its progression, these phrases were added to the beginnings of already existing genres to make sub-genres. It is there that genres such as indie-acoustic and indie-pop were derived from. It was also around this time that the first independent charts were formed. These were ones such as the UK Independent Singles Chart or the UK Independent Albums Chart. Unlike the Pop charts featured on mainstream radios, the independent charts featured a variety of music categorised to be independent.

Sub-Genres:

Within the genre of Independent music, there are many sub-genres. This is as the independent industry is so diverse in its artists that many have experimented with different sound and therefore created sub-genres. Some of which are…

• Indie Rock
• Indie Folk/Acoustic
• Indie Pop
• Indie Electronic

Examples:

Here are some examples of the sub-genres mentioned…

Indie Rock:

Indie Folk/Acoustic:

Indie Pop:

Indie Electronic:

 

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References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_music

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Indie_music

Indie Music from Mo Cole-Wire

 

Initial Ideas

Music videos can be made for many types of genres and each has their own conventions. There are certain types of things you may see in a rap video that you wouldn’t see in a rock video, for example, the footage being black and white. To decide what genre of music video I want to create for this project I have made a mind map of the different genres in the music video industry. Creating this mind map has helped me to visually see what options I have and the routes I can take regarding the video.

 

Once I had completed this I thought about which genre I would be most interested in. This is as when creating this music video I want to be passionate about what I’m working on as this will help to to enjoy the process. I decided on the indie acoustic genre as this is the type of music I listen to most often. Clearly I initially have some interest in this genre which means that i am already aware of some of the conventions and features of a indie acoustic music video.