Location Scouting - Abingdon Fair - Keep on Walking Music Video

If I were to film my own version of the Keep on Walking music video by Passenger, I would defiantly film some here at Abingdon Fair!

We Didn't Start the Fire - Billy Joel

We Didn't Start The Fire – Billy Joel

Music Review

 

We Didn't Start the Fire, by Billy Joel came out in 1989 and was a number 1 hit in the US, The music video is 4:06 long and mainly consists of an obscure narrative . The video, Directed by Chris Blum shows a family domestic kitchen that changes through time; Starting in 1940s with a utilitarian look, then to 1950s with the futuristic architecture, next is the 1960s with the OP art, then earth pastel colours and macramé in 1970s and then finally black lacquer with granite benches in 1980s. The constant revamp of this kitchen is to symbolise the movement and change in time, I thank that the aesthetics of the set are fantastic and really represent those years with detail.

“We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it”

In reference to time, the video links to the lyrics incredibly well, this is because the lyrics consist of major headlines from 1940s right through to the 1960s, for example “Marilyn Monroe”, “The Catcher in the Rye” and “England’s got a new Queen”. As Billy is singing the lyrics the kitchen and the family inside are constantly changing through the ages, for example; as I have mentioned, the kitchen is revamped, but also their clothes change, the hair styles transform and the children grow.

The video is broken into two locations, just like 'Clown' by Emile Sande. The First location is the domestic kitchen and the second is a room with a table that Joel sits at while iconic propaganda photographs burn behind him; hence the lyric 'Fire'. The Second room has a very different theme to the kitchen; the difference is in the atmosphere, for example, the kitchen is mainly calm and family orientated; however the room with the table is dangerous and crewel with fire. This connotes confusion and two sidedness that is often linked with most of the 20^th Century.

In terms of camera movement, the video is filmed with the camera mostly in lock down, I like this as sometimes the movement of the camera takes away the impact of the message from the singer.

I really like this music video from a both a historical side and the way that it has been produced, I like how there is an interesting video to match some interesting lyrics, The way that the famous headlines have been displayed in the room with the table is shown as both iconic moments and the past to be forgotten.

Great music video with interesting themes and ideas to represent the lyrics by Billy Joel

 

 

We Didn't Start the Fire - Billy Joel

Clown - Behind the scenes filming the music video

Here is the Behind the scenes video for 'Clown' by Emile Sandé I got some ideas for my review from here. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Xm_g6tBTs

Clown - Emile Sandé

Emile Sandé - Clown Music Video

Clown - Emile Sandé

Clown was released on YouTube on 6^th December 2012, it is a huge success gathering a total of 9,654,225 views. The video was directed by WIZ and was made to represent the song lyrics as a silent film. The song describes Sandé’s first experiences with the music industry when she is searching for a record label to sign her; this is shown by a group of men in military uniforms constantly holding a document in front of her, this represents the label and the men represent the music industry. The fact that they are wearing military uniforms creates the feeling of strictness and formality associated with top business men.

 

"It’s about not allowing yourself to be judged by others or to be taken for an idiot. I feel the video reflects that.” – Emile Sandé

 

 

 

I think that the black and white, silent film effect allows the viewers to really understand what is going on without the use of distracting colours, this connotes a coldness in the room with no passion or love.  Furthermore the video was shot on 35mm film, this gives a more nostalgic look that links in with the lyrics sing by Sandé.

The Videos camera angles vary from: close up, medium close up, extreme close up, wide shot and over-the-shoulder shot. The use of different angles allows for an interesting pathway of the journey Sandé takes from the door to her signing the document. There are two different shot locations in the video; these are the main room with the men and a dark wall that Sandé stands in front of when she sings. I like that the video is not crowded with locations as this would not suet the genre of the song, however in comparison to ‘Keep on Walking’ by Passenger, there is a lot of locations as this suits both the rhythm of the song and the meaning.

The two locations are used for different reasons for example, the big room is used for the narrative of signing the document, but the second location is used for the live actions of Sandé singing the lyrics of Clown.

I really liked the style of the video and the way that the tune has been relayed through a story. The silent film and black and white effect was good and allowed the viewer to get closer to the meaning of the song without getting caught up with over-powering visual effects and colours.

The Wrong Direction - Music Video by Passenger

The Wrong Direction - Passenger

This music video was directed by Liam Gilmour he incorporates many angles to achieve a diverse video that suits the tune.

The video consists of three main settings. Firstly the Room shot, this is where Mike Rosenberg sings while a CGI heart beats, piano plays and a fish swims, The next scene is put together with the help of a green screen, this allows them to add the effect of him running in front of cars and runners, it is designed to look imperfect and adds the home made feel to the video.

The final scene is shot on a crane or jib positioned above Mike with the camera pointing down, this gives a plan view of the performances of the people surrounding him in the paddling pool; this strange angle gives the video a more professional look than the last shot.

I like the use of lots of actors in the final shot as it adds a finale style end that allows the audience to get stuck in and captivated by the lyrics and on screen play. Obviously the video is for a band that are still in the early years of their career so I can't imagine that a huge amount of money was spent on this production, however the production value still looks pretty good! I really like the interesting angles and the way that the sets have been laid out to allow for a diverse look to be added the audience's experience while watching this music video.

Very effective angles have been used to fulfil a lightness in picture that links in with the lightness of the lyrics.

Keep On Walking - Music Video by Passenger

Keep On Walking - Passenger

This Music Video shows Mike Rosenberg walking through 20 different locations with what looks like a GoPro positioned in front of him looking back at his face with the location shown behind him. This is highly relevant to the lyrics of the song as he sings about walking through town and streets. I think that the positioning of the camera gives the viewer more personal approach to the band member. This is done by us watching the singer while he sings the lyrics of the song.

The Genre of the song is folk and this is shown nicely in the video as there is no live performance, only the sound of a guitar is present in the audio. By not having a live shot the audience will feel closer and the song will become more special to that individual person.

There are 103 cuts to the different locations throughout the video this stops the viewer from being board and uninterested in the video.

Good Music Video with an interesting view bringing the lyrics to life.

What's this blog for?

This blog is to study music videos of the past and present to gather ideas and explore opportunities to finally produce my own.

For this blog I will first research music videos, looking at the aesthetics, composition and content of music videos. Next I will analyse all of this to come up with a plan for my own.

Once I have a thorough plan that consists of a story board, list of equipment and different shots to go with the music; I will go out and shoot the footage.

Editing is the next step; I will edit my footage keeping it relevant to the lyrics.

Finally I will share my own thoughts about my music video together with comments from other people.

Here we go...