Analysing music videos that inspired me

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Set design and camera transitions in L$D- A$AP Rocky

I chose this music video to analyse as it uses a lot of psychedelic elements (as the song name suggests) which I want to employ in my music video to show the characters perspective on the night as they are under the influence of psychedelics.

I also wanted to incorporate these elements to engage the audience. 

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Camera Transitions: 

In the music video for "L$D," A$AP Rocky employs various techniques to enhance the visual storytelling. Smooth transitions play a crucial role, using match cuts and continuous camera movements between scenes. This approach creates a seamless flow, contributing to the dreamlike and immersive quality of the visuals. I really want to use this kind of seamless transitioning in my music video by having scenes melt into one another through the use of after effects and also strategic cuts i.e panning to the wall in one scene and then cutting to a different wall in another scene and panning to show the change of surroundings. I like how this music video incorporates visual effects and overlays, including psychedelic patterns, color shifts, and distortion effects. These surreal transitions add a captivating layer to the overall visual experience and I want to use similar techniques through after effects when I’m editing. 

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Set Design:

The set design in "L$D" contributes significantly to the video's aesthetic

appeal. Vibrant colors, particularly through the use of neon lights, create

a surreal and otherworldly atmosphere. Architectural elements play a

key role, with scenes set against visually interesting and unique

backgrounds, ranging from cityscapes to intricate interiors and outdoor

locations however the scene that stood out to me most was the mirror

hallway scene as I felt it introduced a rich visual metaphor. Mirrors,

symbolise reflection and duality, potentially represent introspection, self-discovery which are all themes that I think apply to my own music video. The illusion of infinite space and the visual distortion within the mirrors also adds a surreal and disorienting effect, enhancing the psychedelic and experimental nature of the video and the aesthetic impact of repetition and symmetry within the mirror hallway creates a visually striking and hypnotic effect for the audience. I want to look on the app Freecycle over the coming half-term to try and create my own mirror hallway for my music video so I can recreate these effects. 

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Camera movement, lighting, colour grading shot types in the opening of Voodoo In My Blood- Massive Attack

I looked at this music video in my proposal but I wanted to look at it in more detail so I decided to analyse the opening one minute of the music video shot by shot to see how the director, Rignan Ledgewidge, was able to build tension and create a feeling of unease in the audience. 

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The opening scene begins with a long shaky handheld wind shot showing the entrance to an underground passageway with the camera facing to the outside. This shot is well lit and uses blue tones showing the safety of the outside world. Rosamund Pike enters the shot and a slow pan follows her as she enters and walks closer towards the camera creating suspense as we watch her descent into the underground. 

The camera moves away from her as she moves forwards creating a sense of isolation. The shooting is shaky and the shot becomes side on as she enters the long corridor. The lighting changes here into a greener tone with more shadows and contrasting lighting. Marking a transition into a more ominous atmosphere. She then moves out of the frame and the shot cuts off. The camera is now further down the long corridor that she has just entered. This makes her character look small and vulnerable. She looks behind her once and the camera jerks showing her fear. She looks behind her a second time and the shot changes to a side on mid shot, which then moves to face behind her as she continues to walk and tracks her down the corridor, moving around her shakily, disorientating the audience. We can see her defined shadow on the wall. The camera moves to face her showing a close up shot of her distressed face accentuating her heightened emotional state. The camera movement is much more shaky here than it was at the beginning showing that her distress has increased. The shot cuts to a shaky tracking shot from behind and then cuts to a medium close up showing her looking very distressed, we see the hallway out of focus in the background now and the lighting is much darker with contrasting shadows. There is a green hue overlaying the shot which may be symbolising nausea and discomfort. The shot continues to track her and then cuts to another very wide shot further down the hallway which moves away from her as she walks further down this passage way, away from the light of day.

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I really liked how the opening scene of this music video used horror elements to evoke a sense of fear and discomfort and these are techniques that I want to apply to my own music video. For example, the shift in lighting from well-lit, blue tones to greener, shadowed tones as Rosamund Pike enters the underground creates an eerie atmosphere, I want to use this shift in colour to mark when my music video moves from a happy atmosphere to a fearful one so I want to use similar changes in lighting and begin the video with blue tones which will then change into an ominous green and eventually an alarming red (red tones aren't used in this video I am just basing this off my previous research). The use of a shaky handheld camera, especially when Pike looks behind her is also something I want to incopperate into my music video as I felt it really intensified suspense and fear and heightened the overall sense of vulnerability for Rosamund Pike's character.

The disorienting camera movements and contrasting lighting contribute to a feeling of psychological horror, as the audience is visually unsettled and immersed in Pike's distressed state. 

The wide shots contribute to a feeling of isolation and impending danger whilst the close up shots immerse the audience in Pike's intense emotions, showing her distress. I think the use of shots are very strategic and I want to use these shot types to emulate these feelings for my own audience. The music video effectively employs horror elements through cinematography, lighting choices, and symbolic visuals to create a chilling and unsettling experience for the audience and this is something I will be aiming to create.

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Studying work from a specific music video director (Shaun Crahan) 

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America- Motionless In White

I chose this music video to analyse as I feel it's use of colour theory and camera movement really highlight's what Crahan does best, through the use of horror it creates. I think the use of colour theory is very good at creating a horror atmosphere. The use of and desaturated tones, such as deep reds and blacks,

contribute to the eerie ambiance. As well as this the juxtaposition

between these darker shots with the shots that use red lighting

creates a stark visual contrast, emphasising specific elements

within the frame. The contrast between these colours intensifies

the visual impact, enhancing the overall horror experience.

Additionally, In horror contexts, red is frequently used to symbolise

blood and danger, creating a visceral impact on the viewer. The deep

red tones in the video may be employed to symbolise a sense of

impending doom or violence, heightening the overall feeling of unease.

This colour choice can also be linked to themes of chaos and intensity.

I want red to be a dominating colour in my own music video through the

use of red lighting and (if my budget allows it) red set design because

I really like the sense of fear it creates in this music video. 

Sound design also plays a crucial role in the horror of this music video.

The use of distorted audio and laughing sound effects in the beginning

of the music video when the characters are entering the circus tent really

contributes to a sense of unease . Additionally the strategic use of silence

followed by sudden, jarring sounds evokes tension and fear for example this is used when the ring master is introducing the circus before the song begins which builds up a lot of tension. I decided however I want to use this juxtaposition towards the end of my music video by having the shots not in the basement have muffled music so when it cuts between shots the audience feels startled by the contrast.  

Camera movement adds a dynamic layer to the video. Techniques like shaky cam and rapid cuts create a sense of instability and chaos, heightening the horror elements. Close-ups and unconventional angles are used in this video to intensify emotions and emphasise certain visual elements which is a technique I looked at previously and I love how this music video uses them.  

Overall, the use of color theory, sound design, and camera movement in "America" effectively contributes to the creation of a horror-themed experience and I want to apply similar uses of these techniques to create a sense of fear in my music video as I think this video is definitely a scary watch and I want to emulate that. 

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Slipknot - The Dying Song (Time To Sing)

In this music video shot types and transitions are used to build tension in the beginning. The first four shots use a fade transition creating a sense of anticipation and uncertainty. This gradual transition slows down the pacing of the scene, drawing out the tension and allowing the audience's imagination to fill in the gaps. Additionally, the gradual disappearance of the current scene can create a feeling of inevitability or impending doom. The music video also uses slow zooms to create a similar feeling of suspense but also the feeling of being drawn into the action, for example when the video slow zooms in on the masked figure in the third shot this creates suspense as we are being forced closer to this unsettling shot. I want to use this in my music video by using slow zooms to bring the audience into the action. The camera moves very smoothly throughout the first part of the music video which when combined with the use of red lighting and scary costumes makes the viewer feel uneasy and on edge. The video uses a lot of distortion VFX which helps to add to this feeling of surrealism as the masked figures are distorted. When the beat begins flashing lights are used to signify these beats and create a sense of intensity. The camera movement becomes much quicker and the cuts between shots also becomes faster mirroring the quickening of the songs tempo. The zooms also become quicker inducing a sense of sudden shock and disorientation and creating a feeling of being thrust into the midst of danger or chaos. I want to use this pacing in my music video to create a sense of building intensity. At the end of the music video the final shot fades into the second shot of the music video again, showing a mask held above a pool of water in a red lit room but this time the shot does not cut off and the mask is dropped into the water. We then see the same disco ball logo spinning ominously as we saw in the first shot of the video. The use of a circular structure helps to create a sense of horror further by reinforcing themes of entrapment, repetition, and inevitability. Evoking a sense of being trapped in a never-ending loop or cycle of events. I want to use a circular structure in my music video by a having shot of the final scene at the beginning of my music video.

 

Audience research

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The gratification model 

The gratification theory focuses on how people use media for their own personal uses and gratification. This theory emphasizes motives and the self-perceived needs of audience members. The same media content may gratify different needs for different individuals. This theory suggests that media has no power over audiences and that audiences are always active audiences, seeking out media to fulfil a certain need. This is important to understand as someone creating media as if the media does not fulfil or gratify the specific needs the audience is seeking out they will loose interest and look for different media to gratify that need they were seeking to satisfy. Blumer, Katz and some other theorists further expanded this theory in the 1970s. In 1974, these researchers made links between Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how people use the media, they used this to create their own list of audience's needs: 

1. Cognitive needs which refer to needing to gain knowledge and learn from the media

2. Affective needs refers to the emotional needs of the audience such as watching a funny tv show to laugh or watch a sad film to cry. 

3. Personal integrative needs refer to the need to socialise with others, an example of this is when people start watching a particular programme not because they have any self interest but instead because their neighbour/friend watches and they want to have something in common to discuss.

4. Social integrative needs refer to the need to view our status and gain credibility by comparing ourselves to people or situations in the media to affirm our self esteem and sense of status. 

5. Tension free needs is about the need to use media to relieve stress in the audiences life through the means of escapism, this need is shown through our global love of fantasy and sci-fi media as that audience is able to escape to a literal different world.

Some scholars feel because of its lack of distinction between needs and motivations and the poor definitions provided for these and other concepts, the theory is better regarded as an approach than a full-fledged theory however I think that this is still applicable as an approach and its evidence in the real life consumption of media makes it a useful theory to review to look at how to best satisfy my audience.

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Blumer and Katz also presented five core elements of Uses and Gratification:

The first being that media use is goal-directed and that the audience is fully aware of the type of media it is looking for. The second element states that the audience is responsible for linking the type of media to fit their mass communication needs and that as the media itself doesn’t look for an audience the audience instead chooses the media types that fulfil its needs. The fourth element says that media competes with other sources for needs satisfaction as there are multiple ways to satisfy an audience’s needs so media will be more heavily consumed by those who don't have access to these other sources. For example someone with a more active social life is less likely to seek out media to gratify social integrative needs. My target audience is young people and amongst teenagers I think personal integrative needs are very common due to the evolutionary need to be liked and the want to share and connect.

 

The fourth element is that modern media competes with more traditional media an example of this is newspapers vs tv news and gratification theory suggests that the audience makes their choice between the modern and the traditional source on which is gratifying the needs they are seeking out better. For my music video I would be competing with the traditional radio listening to satisfy the audiences needs so in order to gain audience I will need to make my music video satisfy the audience's needs better than radio. To do this I need to think about what needs someone would be aiming to gratify by listening to the radio.  The radio Bureau suggests that 'one of the primary drivers for listening to radio was because it improved peoples’ mood and made them laugh (70%). Overall people seem to gain positive emotional benefits through listening to radio, with many stating it makes them feel inspired and motivated, particularly amongst younger listeners. Out of those surveyed, 57% of those aged 10 to 17 said they found radio to be motivational and one in two of them stated that the radio announcers helped them gain confidence in their point of view.' This description coupled with the gratification theory implies that the radio audience is listening to gratify their affective needs and social interrogative needs so in order to make my modern media more appealing than the traditional needs I will need to satisfy either more needs to gain a wider audience or satisfy the needs that the audience is seeking out better to gain a stronger, more dedicated audience. I will aim to do both to ensure a wider and stronger audience. I will use statics and facts about loneliness and mental health therefore to satisfy the cognitive needs of my audience. I will use emotional story to gratify my audience's affective needs. I will use a popular song to gratify my audience's personal integrative needs refer to the need to socialise with others as music videos with popular songs make people want to tell their friends about it as they know they will both enjoy the content and they can discuss their passion for the song together. I think my use of an outcast character will gratify the audience's social integrative needs as by seeing a character not doing well on screen the audience will in turn feel better about their own situation if they are in a better position or relate to the character if they are in a similar position. I will also show the characters eating popular cheap snacks at the beginning of my music video for the same reason. Finally I will gratify the audiences tension free needs by using a visually appealing color grading, cinematography and animation sequences particularly in my use of creating psychedelic visuals.

 

The final fifth element which I haven't discussed yet is that the audience has a sense of self-awareness of its motives and needs that allows it to share its media experiences as active media users, this final element explains that the audience chooses the information provided and explores the content on its own terms. Only the audience can apply value judgment to the media because each experience is unique and fulfils different needs. This element is out of my control but I hope that by appealing to these needs they will come away with a positive opinion of the music video.

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The hypodermic model 

According to the Hypodermic Needle Theory, media messages are powerful and can shape public opinion and behavior.

For example, if a news program presents a biased or misleading report on a political issue, the Hypodermic Needle Theory would suggest that the audience will immediately accept the information as truth and be influenced by it.

Similarly, if a television advertisement presents a product as the solution to a particular problem, the Hypodermic Needle Theory would suggest that the audience will be immediately convinced to purchase the product. However whilst I think that this holds some truth I think especially in the modern ages audiences are much more critical of the media they consume and this theory is very rarely applicable. 

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Negotiated audience 

Negotiated audiences refers to the concept in media studies that recognizes the active role of individuals in interpreting and engaging with media content. It acknowledges that audiences are not passive recipients of messages but actively negotiate and interpret the meaning of media texts based on their own backgrounds, experiences, and cultural contexts. Negotiated audiences understand that different individuals or groups may interpret the same media content in diverse ways, as they bring their own subjective viewpoints and social influences to the process. This concept highlights the dynamic relationship between media producers and consumers, where audiences actively engage with and make sense of the content, negotiating their own understanding and creating personal meaning. It emphasises the idea that media messages are not fixed or predetermined but are subject to interpretation and negotiation by the audience.

 

In order to make my music video more engaging, emotionally driven and accessible to a wider range of audiences, I will incorporate the concept of negotiated audiences. Understanding that individuals bring their own unique perspectives and experiences to media consumption, I will strive to create a video that allows for personal connections and interpretations. By employing visual metaphors and relatable characters. I aim to appeal to a broad audience and resonate with different backgrounds and emotional landscapes. Additionally, I will incorporate moments of open-endedness, inviting viewers to negotiate their own understanding and meaning within the video. This approach allows for a more inclusive experience, where audiences can relate to and interpret the themes in a way that aligns with their own personal journeys. By embracing negotiated audiences, I hope to create a music video that not only engages on an emotional level but also ensures that individuals from various backgrounds and perspectives can find their own resonance and connection within the narrative.

 

Budgeting

 

For my own budget I have been inspired by the low-budget horror film Let's Scare Jessica to Death, (Click Here), viewed 09/02/24) The film is a horror film co- written and directed by John Hancock which follows the story of a psychologically fragile woman who comes to believe that another strange, mysterious young woman she has let into her home might actually be a vampire. As I am working within the constraint of having a very low budget for my music video, I will use John Hancock's work on this film as an inspiration as he uses a limited cast and simple locations to create an emotionally powerful film. Production took place over only 26 days and the Budget was only $250,000 (£197,231) which is very low for a feature film. By working within a constraint and limiting equipment, crew and locations my hope is that this will push me to focus on character interactions, which will have a positive effect on the dramatic narrative elements of my music video.

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However, there are still some things I will need to purchase. I want to build a mirror hallway inspired by A$AP Rocky's music video. To create this on a low budget I will use the app freecycle where people give out used furniture and household items for free. For my other props I have given myself the budget of £30 from my savings account so I can still make this music video as good as possible without draining my bank account. The props I will need are: an eyeshadow pallet for make up, fake tabs of acid and a record player. I plan to borrow my friend's record player to save money. For the tabs of LSD I plan to use blotter paper which can be purchased on amazon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the eyeshadow pallet I plan to go to Boots and find the best option for under £20.

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Equipment

 

I have researched a list of essential items needed to make a film and have found a website (Desktop documentaries, ‘Video Production Equipment', (Click Here), viewed 9/02/24) that lists video production equipment you might need when making a low-budget film. I have also drawn on past experience, looking back at equipment lists that I have used in previous projects. Both have been valuable for my upcoming project. Both sources list the following essentials; a camera, camera lens, camera support, tripod and z grip, lighting equipment -sound equipment including a boom pole, audio portable recorder and other supplies such as batteries, SD cards, clapperboard and tape. The list of equipment will inform me as to what is needed for production, which days of filming and what needs to be tested before the shoot, so I am familiar with the equipment and can evaluate what is important.

 

Camera: In past projects, I have used two cameras, a standard manual canon camera and an iPhone 7 camera. Although each produces similar outcomes, they are both different to use. 

 

The standard manual canon camera is good for framing focus movements, particularly pull shot focus, however, it is difficult to control types of lighting, especially in daylight. It also appears shakier in the post-production editing process, however this has only been on shoots without supporting equipment. Overall, the camera achieves strong shots, but it is not without its problems.

 

The iPhone 7 achieves high-standard shots and I have found it more suitable in the past as it allows smooth movements without a shaky effect and has a cinematic setting where the shots are smoother. It allows different types of focus movements and the lighting exposure is easy to control which makes it easier in the editing process. I used the iPhone 7 for my year one FMP and was very pleased with the outcome however the iphone does not allow me to use the equipment which I want to experiment with i.e shoulder mount for tracking shots. After reviewing both cameras, I have decided to use the canon as I believe the footage will come out 

 

Camera Lens: I will include a wide-angle lens with my equipment as for long shots it is able to focus clearly on objects, while also framing the shots nicely.

 

Camera Support: The camera support I will use is a tripod for static shots, a grip-tight tripod which is a smaller version of a tripod that can grip onto objects to achieve different angles and a Z grip which can control both where the camera is pointed and what it's doing, preventing camera shake and stabilise my shots, especially that have a lot of movement. When testing out the camera supports in past projects I have been happy with the non-shaky footage that they all created so will use it in my FMP.

 

Lighting Equipment: I plan to use a large LED light. I want to focus on three main colours so I will use colour slides that are appropriate. From my research with testing equipment (see below) I have picked the colours blue, green, and purple.

 

Sound equipment: For the equipment, I will use a boom mike operator to pick up on the dialogue and other sounds that are needed for the dialogue sections of the music video. In other projects, there have been positives and negatives when using the equipment. The sound often picks up unwanted sounds such as the wind however for the scenes filmed inside this shouldn't be an issue. For the outdoor scenes I plan to use a muffler, to make sure that the intended audio to be captured is picked up by the microphone. When testing out the equipment, this technique worked and created a high-quality foley sound so I will use this equipment for my FMP.

 

Supplies: The supplies I will bring for the production days are an SD card to record the footage on, a hard drive to back up the footage in case there are technical issues and a camera battery to ensure the camera is fully charged. Having this equipment it will ensure the shoot runs smoothly and will be useful in the post-production stage when editing and uploading all the footage. After researching and testing the equipment needed to create a short film, I understand what is needed to bring on the production days.

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Lighting research 

I read this article on colour temperature in film and tested out different colours and

temperatures using a large LED light on my sister. These are the results. 

 

Green lighting

For me, the use of green lighting gives the scene an aliveness but also an 

otherworldliness. For example, in The Matrix (1999) green hues are used to create

an otherworldly and futuristic atmosphere. The green tint symbolizes the virtual

reality of the Matrix itself, setting it apart from the real world. I think this type of 

lighting could be useful for dance scenes at the beginning of the music section of

my music video when  things are started to get surreal due to the ingestion of LSD. 

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Blue vs purple lighting 

The purple lighting brings out the pink tones in my

characters skin and lips creating a youthful look whilst the

light blue lighting makes her look much more pale and

cold. Purple in films is used to show humor, warmth,

sociability, friendly, happiness, eroticism, and youth.

I think this would work really well for the happy dancing

scenes.  I think this tone of blue on the other hand 

would work really well for more lonely scenes like when the 

main character is in the kitchen by herself alone.

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Red lighting 

The red lighting is pinker than I would like even with the 

yellow knob on max (see video), The colour also felt to 

dominating and I felt it would take away from my scenes. 

I have decided therefore to make red a dominating colour 

through costume and set design. I plan to dress my 

characters in red and black clothing and purchase a red 

rug for the floor of my basement.

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Cool tone vs warm tone white lighting 

For me the warm toned lighting looks more naturalistic

than the cool toned lighting, it also created a more 

positive mood. I plan to use warm toned lighting at the 

beggining of my music video and cool toned lighting 

at the end of my video to show hoe the characters feel

emotionally impacted by the events and how the 

atmosphere has changed from warm and welcoming 

to cold and unforgiving. 

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This research on lighting was very helpful but I realiused after my practice shots that using a tripoded LED light would be almost impossible to do tracking shots with which my music video uses a lot of. To solve this issue I decided to purchase this LED light which attaches to the camera. 

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