Pinterest Mood Board

On Pinterest I gathered some pictures to create a mood board, these pictures are ideas that I could use when I create my music video, they all show emotion whether its positive or negative which is an important factor to think about when creating a narrative music video so that it effectively tells a story and engages the audience.

https://uk.pinterest.com/sabrinaa2media/music-video-ideas-narrative-based/

Music video analysis "No limit"

"No limit" by Usher is a performative music video, it doesn't carry a message or have a story behind it as it just has lots of dancing, this makes the video lively and in most performance based songs makes the viewers want to get up and dance. The target audience is aimed at both males and females.

In the music video Usher dances in front of an all white background accompanied by his dancers. The white background means that viewers can focus on the lyrics and choreography of the dance and there is more attention on usher. The colour white is uplifting and symbolises hope and calmness. The outfits worn by Usher and the dancers are in style and modern clothes and it's very common for male dancers to wear this attire in music videos, for example the shirts, trainers and gold jewellery.

Throughout the whole music video a wide shot is used to show Usher and all the dancers, this is so they fit into the surrounding white background. A close up is used and two shots to fit the dancers into the frame. There are a few shorter shots where there is an extreme close up of Usher; an almost turquoise effect is seen. The music video as a whole is positive as it's just a group of males having fun dancing. Quite a few modern music videos are presented in a sexual way whereas 'No limit '
takes away this element.

What I liked/might use:
I liked that the music video was performative so i`d
like to use this concept to create my music video
because it can still be creative and entertaining without
there being a narrative. I would also like to use a plain
background so that the focus is more on the lyrics than
the setting.

Music video analysis "Chandelier"

"Chandelier" by Sia is a narrative based song. The song has a melancholic theme and the lyrics express alcoholism through the typical thought process of a "party girl". The song tells a story of Sia`s life when she was struggling as a solo artist and became an alcohol addict and started taking drugs. The lyrics in the song remind her of life and the way she lived " like tomorrow never exists... and drinking like 1,2,3,1,2,3.. drink, throw em back till I lose count."

The target audience is aimed at both males and females and people who are alcoholics. The message given out shows what being an alcoholic does to you and if you're trying to give up the addiction it can be a challenge because you might end up drinking again. " Gotta run from this, here comes the shame...".

The music video is filmed in a dirty apartment with only one dancer. The dancer is seen performing an interpretive dance which expresses human emotions and situations. The dance routine consists of lots of arm movements, drops to the floor, spinning and crawling. Generally low key lighting is used and there`s only natural light through the window. This creates shadows and represents depression.

In the video the dancer wears a nude leotard.
The simplicity of the outfit means there is less attention
on the outfit and the music video is more emotive.
 Additionally as Sia isn't in the music video and there`s only one dancer this adds to making the video more emotional. At the start of the music video there is an establishing shot of one of the rooms of the apartment. This is followed by fast shots of the hallway and the bedroom. A long shot is used throughout the video to show the dancer and the whole room. The colours of the apartment are grey and brown, this makes the video look dull therefore adding to the sad aspect of the video.

What I liked/might use:
I liked the use of lighting in the video, both low key lighting and natural light were used. Therefore I would like to use low/high key lighting in my music video to support the narrative
and convey emotion.

Music Video Analysis "Salute"

"Salute" by little mix is both a narrative and performative based song. The performative aspect of the song is Little Mix dancing in the music video, this conveys a modern theme of how music is represented with singers and backing dancers. Jesy Nelson (band member) added 'I personally want to put a lot more dancey stuff in there, one of those songs that make you want to dance'. The narrative convention carries a message throughout the song which is about empowering women. The lyrics represent this message 'warriors your country needs you, we don't need no man'.

The song encourages women to stand tall, be confident and strong, 'men fight great but women fight greater '. The music video was filmed in a nuclear bunker. This creates narrative because the location is carrying connotations of war and fighting and this suggests that women should join the army. The dancing takes away the seriousness but suggests if you were to join the army, you can still have fun. As the song is both performative and narrative it carries a message but creates a lively atmosphere.

The target audience for the song is mostly aimed at females as it embraces women to be strong. Even though the song is aimed at females it doesn't portray men in a bad way. As part of editing a range of fast shots are used at the beginning to show all the members of Little Mix. We also see fading and blending into each other in the music video when they sing their verse. Blue smoke and flames are used in the video, this along with the theme give it a mystical feel.

Low key lighting is used in the music video; in the bunker, this creates seriousness and suggests that standing up for yourself can be tough. Also beams of light and flashes are used but outside of the bunker it's dark, making the video seem negative. In the lyrics when Little Mix say 'Attention!' we see lights flashing and hear sirens this creates a military theme.

In the music video Little Mix wear black military style outfits, the male dancers also wear black outfits. This matches the theme of the song and black can often represent fear and power. On the other hand the outfits worn by Little Mix are revealing and aren't the usual war ' camouflage ' colour or style. This could be because in modern music videos provocative outfits are worn and this can attract a mass audience. Dark eye make up is used this matches the outfits and sets the tone.

Throughout the music video long shots are used to show the bunker and outside of it as well. Wide shots are often used to show the band members and dancers. The main shots used are close ups and mid shots, these shots put more attention on the band members so we focus more on them . The music video as a whole is shown at an eye level angle.

What I liked/might use:
I liked the use of camera shots. I would use wide shots and long shots to show the setting and everyone featured in the music video.
I would also like to edit my music video using fast shots to enhance
the creativity of the music video.