Music Video Research

To start with I wanted to look at the official video that Alphabeat made for their song.


link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySHHdO-YTK4

After watching it a few times I noted some criticisms such as these;

Negative;

• bland outfits however they are matching/contrastic eachother
• the main band members seem awkward and nervous like they don't want to be filmed
• not a very exciting location in a basement with plain decorating
• seems a bit amateur like the director doesn't know what they're doing
• no obvious storyline or purpose - they just stand there and sing and sometimes awkwardly turn to look at each other
• no enthusiasm from band members
• the little dance routines seem really stiff and planned, not convincing at all to the audience
• have random balls bouncing around - no meaning.
  

Positive;

• the way the shots are edited - no rubbish or cheesy effects
• good timing with the beat when new shots come in
• outfits match
• colours of dancers stand out against background - similar to our theme
• use a good variety of shots and editing - they aren't always in the same place and the reverse effects add an interesting element to the video and prove its not basic.
• camera is always steady - good tracking shots and panning shots

I wanted to look at two more videos taken from the same artists which CD covers I had analysed as they were in a similar genre to Alphabeat.

For this I chose to look at a video by the Ting Tings first for the song 'That's Not My Name';

link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX-7u9OzH9o

Negative;

• do the same thing the whole way through - just sing and stomp around and bang the drum
• repetitive movements - matches the repetitive lines in the song
  
• no storyline behind the video
• show through the video who they are as people - creates personality
• unique style - not many duo bands and they emphasise this
• sometimes the timing is out with the drummers shots
  

Positive;

• dressed and surrounded by the exact same colours that are used on their album cover - red, blue and white
  
• look confident in what they are doing - no awkwardness and shows passion for music
  
• good editing between shots
  
• clearly shows and uses both members of the band
• good panning and tracking shots and close ups
• high quality recording
• uses slow motion - shows variety
  

Lastly, I chose to look at the video for Scouting For Girls' song 'Heartbeat'


link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMRL1qX627M


Positive;

• the video has a story line which goes with the song - explains more what its about to the audience
• good editing when changing from shot to shot and a bit of animation with the hearts
  
• effect variation - slow motion, freeze frame, old fashioned style of film
• starts with quite cold modern colouration and changes to old style when the music kicks in
  
• shot variation - panning, tracking and zoom out
• recorded in high quality
• the shots change on the beat

Negative;

• there are only two scenarios happening - either the band or the dance
• the main singer just stands at the piano the whole time doing the same thing
• rest of the band aren't shown much

What I have learnt from my research...

To create a professional looking music video, the features that overlap on the videos I have looked at are;

• good/high quality footage
• good editing skills when changing from shot to shot
• have the shots so that they flow with the track
• outfits are important - representing the bands image
• act with confidence and believe in yourself otherwise it is portrayed on camera and makes the video look unbelievable and amateur
• a good variation of shots in different settings and backgrounds

If we manage to achieve all these aspects in our video I believe it will turn out looking like a genuine high quality and professional music video.