The Pretty Reckless - Just Tonight
This first video is one by the same artist I am using so will have a very similar theme to my own video. I thought it was important to research by artist in more depth so I took a look at many of their music videos and thought this one was very successful as it uses a lot of symbolic features (a similar aspect to what I wish to include for my own production) and very clever use of mise-en-scene. From the very beginning a close-up shot displays blood, meaning this is definitely not a pop genre type of music video. The dark lighting also gives a sense of the music genre and the dark theme that carries on throughout the song. The audience is then introduced to the lead vocalist Taylor Momsen who also plays guitar. She is wearing a tight red dress and dark heavy make-up, again emphasising the type of artist she is as her style even comes across as goth-like.
When the song starts in the background, we see the performance side of the video. In this part she wears a long black dress, a chocker necklace and again dark make-up as this type of style is linked to the genre rock and would be very normal to see in any type of rock video. In the background, the viewer can also see the rest of the band however as Taylor is the main singer, she is the one we see the most throughout the video. Other various close-up shots of a rose dipped in red paint, blood running off her hand and a bug are used for symbolic reasons. For example, the rose (which can be used in many romantic songs) symbolises love, beauty and passion yet the fact it is in red paint could suggests a type of dangerous love or heartbreak and this is not a normal way of presenting a rose.
The music video is shot inside some type of warehouse which has also been decorated to represent a type of old mystical house, especially the stair case. Shots of a cracked mirror has also been used for symbolism. Mirrors have a lot of connotations - the fact this mirror is broken may imply she is finding it hard to discover who she is or that some sort of trust is broken that can no longer be fixed. As well as the rose in red paint earlier on, there is also a close-up of a rose on fire. This could highlight the artist's anger and is also an example of the video;s progression as the situation is becoming more and more extreme.
There is also various examples of distorted and jumpy editing such as quick pace cuts and blurred shots. This may suggest the type of confusing and troubled time she is going through and overall, links with the chilling theme. The use of flashing lights also gives off the same kind of feel and sets off a hectic atmosphere. This is when the song gets louder and increases in tempo.
Close-ups of the artists when she makes eye-contact with the audience almost reflects a cry of desperation. I feel this also makes it more personal for the viewer as they can try to understand her emotions better. The use of blood running down her eyes is also an extreme and unique way of showing her sadness instead of just showing her crying. Towards the end, the audience can see all the red painted roses hanging on the wall by a wide shot - this explains that the artists has been working on this throughout and has now finally created a piece of art in some way.
Paramore - Monster
This is another artistic style video by Paramore. Similar to The Pretty Reckless, they have a main female artist who is shown more often than the rest of the band members. However all band members play an important role within this video. For instance at the start, all members are shown with their heads just above water. This is a kind of intellectual technique and makes the audience think about what this could mean. These types of shots may suggest they are being hold back from something (e.g. they are drowning and can't escape their monsters). I think the use of birds-eye view shots of the artist makes her look more vulnerable and the fact that at one point she reaches out towards the camera, emphasises that she wants to escape.
Suddenly as the music tempo increases we see the band performing in an enthusiastic way. I have discovered that rock band music videos nearly always include the band performing at one point. At this point, there is also another setting introduced: a hospital. This type of location may have been cleverly selected to symbolise something within the narrative. Clearly, a hospital is not a positive place therefore this setting undoubtedly has negative connotations and links. The hospital may portray a frantic and chaotic atmosphere, especially by all the mess as it looks like some sort of tragedy has happened. Shortly after, the hospital starts to break down even more - making the band members go into chaos. Around the time this video was filmed, the band almost broke up. This entire video may suggest what was going on at the time. The hospital implies the healing process they had to go through in order to fix the situation. There are also long shots of each member running down a different corridor however they all meet up in the same place at the end, suggesting they are a team again.
Furthermore, a type of circular narrative is used as they all run to the room where they started performing in at the beginning. I personally think this is a clever way to conclude a video as it makes the audience realise everything that was going on in the earlier stages. The final shot of the water is also quite significant as it shows that the band isn't there any more. In other words, they managed to escape their own monsters and are finally at peace with themselves.
Although this video has more personal symbolic aspects in terms of the band's break-up situation, it is still very emotive for the viewer and the technical aspects are also very exciting to watch.
Evanescence - My Immortal
As this video is entirely in black and white, I believe it makes it more unique compared to other music videos. The first shot we see is her feet covered in bandages on the side of a water fountain. The bandages in particular, may propose the idea that she is weak and vulnerable at this moment in time. We also see the piano that is played throughout the song in a different room with, which is supposedly, one of the other band members. Close-up shots of the artist's hands wrapped in bandages are also shown to again highlight her damaged character. The fact she is also lying on the ground for many shots displays this same kind of weak emotion as do the many high-angle shots of her.
The setting looks like an old traditional city which goes well with the costumes used. The main female singer wears a classic white dress while the other band members wear suits. This may be something that you wouldn't expect within a rock music video yet it goes well with the sad, romantic theme. The fact she is wearing a white dress and is in a town where she is surrounded by children conveys the innocence within the video. For one, she is clearly the victim in her scenario. The use of the water fountain, the dress and the old car also gives the video an antique feel. I also think the use of the tree leaves falling on her while she sings is an effective shot as it uses full use of the props to create a sweet, natural environment. Compared to the first video, this artist wears a lot less make-up and her hair is curly to again display her natural beauty.
Another interesting point to make is the fact she hardly ever looks into the camera - while she sings, she looks another way as if she is calling out to someone else far in the distance. Her body language and the way she moves her hands out is also a significant aspect as it looks as if she is reaching out to something she cannot find. For example, this may be linked to losing someone close to you.
She goes from lying on a bench within the town to lying on a roof top somewhere in the city - this is another example of progression through a music video and the shot on the roof may be more interesting. Again, like the two previous videos, as the music increases in tempo we see the band perform. This time it is through a window of an old traditional looking room to fit with the rest of the video.
At the end, it almost appears the artist is crying into her own arms which makes it very emotional for the viewer and the video ends where it started - at the water fountain.
Analysing these types of videos was very helpful as although they were all different in some way, I think I can take parts from all three to help me work on my own music video. For example from the first video, I thought the use of symbolism through the rose and the cracked mirror is something I'd definitely like to include. Moreover, the task she completes (hanging up the roses on the wall) is something similar to what I have discussed before in my planning so I will think about how I can
in-corporate something similar in my own work. All three had very effective close-up shots and I think this is also something I can create for my own video. As well as a similar use of shots, they all appear to have some sort of narrative behind them, even if the narrative is not clear, which is an approach I also wish to take.
No comments:
Post a Comment