I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to borrow a top of the range Go Pro camera from a teacher at my school to do some camera tests on. I have posted the best results on other posts including:
The camera was a bit tricky to get used to but after a little while I got the hang of it. Although it is an expensive piece of kit, its also pretty much indestructible when inside its most suited case.
It came with a lot of equipment including multiple cases for different uses, Cleaning equipment, multiple memory cards and card reader.
It also came with a handle for the camera. I did test this in my garden and it didn't really make much difference apart from the obvious fact that it gives you a better grip.
It came with a suction grip as well which I found very useful, I used this to stick it to my car to improve upon my Camera Test One. I didn't explore as many angles as I wish I could have because I didn't have enough time because I had to get the camera back and I was also loosing day light.
And It also came with a head band which it attached to for POV shots. I tested this in Camera Test Two and Three. The Head cam actually performed better than I thought it would. Only issue is that the camera does sit higher than the head so this needs to be taken into account.
Music Videos we have watched as a group and analyzed briefly:
All Time Low - A Love Like War - This video is based on a small set which looks very much like an old fashioned cinema. Throughout the video it is like you're watching a tape reel and the black separators block your view every now and then and the shape of the cinema gives the effect the cameras rotating.
All Time Low - Timebomb - This video is pretty much a live performance and a chase scene. I don't fully understand it because its a little strange. The set is on top of an abandoned building which i think is very effective.
Blink182 - Dammit - Based in a cinema this video just tells the story of the lyrics and nothing more. There is also a small set for the live performance.
The Killers - Somebody Told Me - I really like the lighting effects in this video with the separate bulbs and the setting of the live performance pretty much in the desert.
The Killers - Runaways - Once again I like the lighting for this video. At the end of the video they are standing on red lit up stages and have some sort of animation of a road over their heads which I feel is very effective.
The Killers - Read My Mind - This is a strange video, but that's why I like it so much! its very different and effective. Its filmed in Japan no doubt about that.
Paramore - Still Into You - This video is quite simple compared to others. It all seems to be filmed inside one house with bmx's, baloons, ballet dancers you name it. Another random video.
Avril Lavigne - Skater Boy - This video follows the lyrics of the song but is also very dramatic and definatley not simple. The effect of this video is massive as she pretty much causes a gridlock.
The Summer Set - Lightening in a Bottle - This video is a bit slower than the ones we'd normally analyse but I like the song so I made Sandhya watch it. Its simple just a load of kids having fun while they are young.
You Me at Six - Bite my Tongue - I think this video is brilliant, The lead singer uses a massive control pad to control the rest of the band who are strung up like puppets. Its also on a very dark eary set.
Fall Out Boy - The Phoenix - This video is part of an album of videos. They all tell a story and this part is about the band being captured for stealing something and the lead singers hand gets cut off.
Blink182 - The Rock Show - I like this video because it is just natural. The four band members just running naked through their hometown. And a naked performance as well. Simple but effective.
I used the head band that came with the Go Pro when I went for a short ride on my bike. You cant see much of the bike for half the time although its is kept moderately steady considering.
After using a small projector and being limited on where on the body we could project, we decided to find a larger projector.
After analyzing the first video, we found a larger projector in the school hall on which we could pretty much project onto the whole body. I think that this test was much more of a success than the first.
Continuing with thinking outside of the box, we decided to use a school projector to project onto ourselves.
After helping Sandhya set up the camera I got in front of it to see what kind of effect it had. The shot is very short because we used a small projector in a normal classroom. Its a good effect and I think certain videos will complement it but to improve I think we'd need a larger projector and for whoever is standing out to be wearing light coloured clothing.
This was my second test with the camera in, out and around the car. For this I used the Go Pro Camera. These clips were a huge success compared to the original clips.
I was lucky enough to have some friends at school that allowed me to film them one morning while they practice in the music department. Although this is going to be nothing like a professional music video its a starting point and its also somewhere to move on from and improve upon. I'd like to say I got it all synced together fine but I haven't and this is something that I am definatley going to have to work on because it shows very obviously.
The main problem I had was the fact that I made them do two takes of the same song, and I only used one version for the sound and neither of the two takes were identical so when I attempted to line them up on timing it didn't work.
Another issue was that because we were in school, in a music department and it was just practice; I was their guest so I couldn't order them around to look like a proper band even if there was only two of them. I am considering asking them again and attempt to get them in some sort of formation for more experience in filming and editing.
Analysis:
This camera test didn't go as well as I would have liked it to because corrupt files left us with only about a minutes worth of footage where for the most part the camera is unfocused. I like the effect in a way because its quite creative but only in small chunks. No diegetic sound is available due to the sound of the wind blocking out everything. This style of filming is also a bit risky as you have to make sure you have a firm hand on the camera. Without a steady cam this footage is also slightly shaky. In my opinion I need to find another way of filming like this.
Song: Mr Brightside
Artist: The Killers
Album: Hot Fuss
Length: 3:48
Genre: Indie Rock
Live Set Location: Theater
Overall:
The video fades from black and hits a ride cymbal before the music starts. The video then pans
around the main characters involved, the girl, the man and Brandon the lead singer. Then as the lead singer begins to sing it cuts to a wide angled shot of the band with Brandon looking very dejected and wandering in the middle of the stage. He makes hand gestures which suggests that hes picked himself up. It then cuts, using shot reverse shot, between Brandon looking at the girl and her looking back which suggests there could be something going on. Then it gets interesting when another man throws the girl an apple, see GIF.
I'm not sure what the apple signifies but he then points at her as if to say "You owe me" The camera then cuts to the lead singers face who by now is looking at the man.The lyrics fit into the video very well, "it was only a kiss, it was only a kiss". The Girl then walks off with another man who we haven't been introduced to yet via a tracking shot. The video continues like that for a little while with her going off with different men as the song gets towards the chorus, most of the shots used are hand held. Something else that is rare in a music video is some of the shots they use during the chorus. Although most dont have a crowd/dancers they have a shot from their view of the band performing. Just before the chorus
she goes round the back of the stage with the lead singer and the other man peaks round and sees. Once again the lyrics fit the video very well, "Jealousy, turning saints into the sea" during the chorus the women dance while the men just watch very much in the style of Moulin Rouge. The video pretty much continues as such from there on as the two men fight over this, to be blunt, whore. The battle continues between the two and the final shot is off Brandon and the girl and he just walks away towards the camera leaving her all alone. This shot is very effective and decisive. I personally like the shot before, which is the end of the live performance where Brandon makes some sort of defining motion, it really stands out for me, Timing 3:34 in the video.
The video has a very clear very suited theme to it making it very likable and the lyrics fit the actions in the video perfectly making it very successful.
Was there a clear story?
The video was done in the style it was because all of the band members are fans of Moulin Rouge. There is an extremely clear story of a battle for the whore angel in the video between the lead singer, Brandon Flowers and the other man. It depicts the paranoia and jealousy of a man who suspects he is being cheated on.
The lyrics also follow the actions of the lead singer and the narrative part of the performance quite closely, which I think is a massive factor.
Overall Opinion:
My opinion is that it is one of the best videos I have seen. Its extremely interesting and keeps the viewer engaged. The story is very clever and fits the video perfectly which makes it even better. The style makes it different and that's something that is difficult to find in a music video nowadays.
Lighting:
The lighting throughout is without a doubt artificial as they are always inside.The stage is lighted as a stage would but without flashing lights. The dance floor is also lighted very professionally. There are no flashing lights in this video which i think would suit the style of song very well.
Clothing: The clothing was styled upon the style of Moulin Rouge. The band are all dressed up in extremely smart suits with a hint of jazz to the look to make them stand out. The rest are dressed up emphatically and majorly over the top but it works with the style of the video.
Editing:
The editing is characterized by the use of cut transitions. It also fades from black at the beginning of the video, and at the end. The editing speed also depends on the part of the song, for example, speeds up at the chorus and slows down towards the end.
Behind the Scenes:
The video i am analyzing is the second more expensive video The Killers made for Mr Brightside, The band created an emergency English video and then a year later created a more expensive video suited more to America. The video was filmed over a series of a couple of days.They had a massive crew and massive set and a lot of actors they could use.
