conventions/ features of a successful music video

 

In the lesson we discussed what were the three key factors of a successful music video

 

 

 

In order to make the best product possible and get the highest we would have to include all of these aspects they secure the idea that the song is being represented correctly in accordance to the themes and feelings that the artist wishes to convey .

 

 

This photo is taken from a task we did in class where we listened to a song and then individually we were asked to create a music video based around what we had heard and through this we developed the understanding of how music videos fall into three categories; performance, narrative and concept. Additionally we learnt that they don't just fall into one of these categories but often overlap for example many Indy music videos combine narrative and performance to convey the song best. 

Further more this tasked taught us the importance of the representation of key motifs and lyrics in our music video and how if we want to make the most successful product possible then this is a convention that we'd have to follow. 

Pre-Production: ARTIST ANALYSIS

 For our project we've chosen to create a music video for the song 'Friends' by the band 'Eliza and the Bear'

 

 

Eliza and the Bear’ (formed 2011) are a five-piece Alt-Indie/Rock outfit from London. The band recorded their debut EP with the much-acclaimed producer Peter Miles (King Blues, Dry the River) at Middle Farm Studios, Devon.

 

what we liked about both the song and the band is their modern 'indie' feel that we felt would be easy to create and do justice to with the technology that we have  available to us.

to get inspiration for this video I have looked at (and will be analysing in further blogs!) several of the other music videos the band has already created for other song.

 

This is brother's boat, another song by the band. It has a simplistic feel but also look professional and successfully represents the lyrics- a key convention of any music video. they have water streaming with the lyrics 'let it go' and the video is a mixture of concept and performance based clips that are predominantly close ups.

 

 

This Video is for 'Up the North' what I noticed about these two music videos is that they are both very  similar with the concept/performance stance and they have the3 same 'rustic'/'edgy' feeling to them which it seems important to create in our music video as it's carried through out their current representation.

 

For this we've decided to film in the woods and have the band represented as woodland creatures travelling to meet each other, they'll then meet in a clearing and we'll have a montage of clips of them together cut together with them performing which will hopefully create a similar feeling/ representation to the one the band currently holds.

Music Video Analysis : Greenday, American Idiot

 

Green Day are an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tré Cool . American Idiot (2004), debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, the band's first album to reach number one, backed by the success of the album's first single, "American Idiot". The album was labelled as a punk rock opera which follows the journey of the fictitious "Jesus of Suburbia". The album depicts the modern American life under the control from an idiot ruler who let people be misinformed by media as well as inserted "redneck agenda". It gives different angles on an everyman, modern icons, and leaders on the topic.

 

As Green day are a pop-punk band the 'genre characteristics' of the American Idiot video clearly reflect this. they have strong guitars and drums, with the performers wearing all black contrasted with bright colours e.g. Billie Joe is dressed in all black with a red tie and electric guitar.

 

 

I then looked at the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This is a performance based music video. The lead singer ( Billy Joe) is singing/lip syncing the song whilst playing the guitar with the other band member playing their instruments alongside him.

 

 

Additionally the relationship between the music and visuals is important as the video must reflect the lyrics. The song is about the rebellion against America. In this case the band are performing on a stage made of the American flag which then gets destroyed by green paint, representing the toxic nature of  the media and society in America.

 

 

Another key element of music videos is there use of close ups and motifs. I the video here are several close-ups of Billy Joe used as well as the motifs of the American flag and the 'heart grenade' which is also on the cover of the album, for which American Idiot is the title track.

  

 

 

 

 

In this particular music video the music video breaks 'the fourth wall' by showing the recording cameras. They used it to emphasis their hate for the media from the beginning as its used right at the start of the video.

 

 

 

Interestingly they don't use any intertextual reference that we'd expect to see in many music videos as songs tend to have hidden meanings/ try to branch out and increase audience numbers by using these particular references.

 

As previously stated this is a performance based music video. The use of green liquid  not only acts and a motif and link to the band's name but also further emphasises how toxic America has become.