Music Video planning

Case Study on Genre- Chvrches (UPDATED)

We have decided to use the song "Bloodstream" by Firehorse as our music video song, an indie synth hybrid sub-genre which will allow us to be versatile whilst planning. When planning I researched various bands with a similar genre and one of the artists I found was Chvrches.

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Chvrches song "The Mother we Share" is a similar genre. The band was nominated for the Best Breakout Band at the 2015 Brit awards. This song is very typical and is similar to their song "Clearest Blue". The music video uses various close ups, such as the close up of the artist's hair and hand (figure 3). This shot intensifies the tone of the music video, giving the main character a sense of power which is later removed as she is isolated. These close ups are well used and are features which we would like to use in our own music video, particularly a close up of a watch during the lyrics "tick tick tick" during "Bloodstream".  There is also a shot of the girl where she is not lit up and all that is seen is a silhouette of her. This shot removes the identity of the girl and can therefore be a metaphor for how
isolation can happen to anyone and it is difficult to notice as in one shot of the girl sitting on the window, her costume makes her fade into the background so she seems invisible and unnoticeable.

The music video by Chvrches also has a section where the usual flow is disturbed. In this part in the protagonist is alone and a development is made in the narrative is drawn to a close. This section in the song is similar to the modulation in "Bloodstream" as we are also using the different section to change the narrative. Although there is now modulation in "The Mother We Share" it is still similar to our song choice due to the interesting motif and it is similar as both songs come to a sudden climax at the end.

The song uses a synth motif in the verse and the camera cuts away on the second note of the motif. This motif is similar to the synth motif in "Bloodstream". The cut on the second note is an idea which we could use in our own music video as the motifs are similar and therefore we can use conventions of the synth indie hybrid genre. This synth motif is almost a trademark of the indie-synth genre. The synth makes the genre what it is and Chvrches exemplifies the indie-synth genre perfectly. A mix of husky vocals with a synth motif makes the genre, therefore making "The Mother We Share" a song that stays within the genre conventions. The synth motif is a generic convention within the indiesynth genre. The music video is purely narrative and tells a story with integrated band shots. Therefore, Goodwin's theory can be applied here as the music video demonstrates generic characteristics through the prioritisation of the story over the band themselves. The indiesynth genre is a branch from the indie genre which focuses on telling stories rather than showcasing the artist themselves.

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The music video uses a bleak colour palette, reflecting the main character's hopelessness and loneliness.The low-key lighting and dull colours in the first "section" portray the main character as alienated and isolated by the rest of the world. This isolation is further illustrated by the mid-shot (figure 1) where the main character is very hidden within the shot due to the costume blending into the background. She also has a very minor presence within the shots, often occupying a single third of the camera. Her isolation is also shown through the use of a shallow focus when she is watching the game of basketball (figure 2). Her isolation is shown as she is on her own due to the shallow focus as she is separated from the rest of the characters. This gives the audience a sense of sympathy towards the girl as she is alone and we experience her isolation with her as her day progresses.

Goodwin's theory can be applied to "The Mother We Share" as there is dispersed band shots throughout, bringing the audience to a separate narrative of just the band in a dark room which shows the audience that the song is part performance and part narrative. Also, Goodwin's Theory states that the demands of the record label includes shots of the band. This is clearly demonstrated as there are band shots throughout the video, showing the audience who the artists are as well as creating a story.

During the crescendo of the video the protagonist exudes blue lights from her body. The blue may represent calm and serenity which juxtaposes against the violent and sudden explosions it creates. The blue light may refer to Chvrches other videos, such as "Clearest Blue" where the blue light is used again and Goodwin's Theory of a link between visuals and title can be applied as the title is called "Clearest Blue" and therefore there is a link between the visuals and title, utilising Goodwin's Theory. The blue used in "The Mother We Share" reflects the protagonist's inner serenity and desire to be away from any chaos or noise. The protagonist chooses to leave the party to release her blue lights. This is symbolic of the protagonist's content to be alone and calm.

Preliminary Planning for our Music Video

We have began to storyboard our shoot, including annotated lyrics with the shot types too.

Add caption

Evidence of contacting the artist

One of our group contacted the artist on their facebook page asking for permission and luckily the artist said yes so we are fine to use our song and begin planning our shoot.

The use of media language in music videos (in progress)

The sound in a music video is obviously very important. A standard song will have a melodic introduction, verses, a middle eight and an way of finishing the song. A good song will have to be interesting and may use the standard conventions of their genre, for example pop, where they follow the standards but challenge a few of the conventions to stand out. For example, "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars has a slightly slower tempo of 115, whereas most pop songs have a tempo of around 140. This slight alteration allowed the song to do incredibly well in the charts. Other artists can use modulations to make a song more interesting or an unusual rhythm. For example, Leonard Cohen's (later covered by Jeff Buckley) "Hallelujah" used a time signature of 6/8. This rhythm gave "Hallelujah" a strong sense of character allowing it to thrive and is still a hugely popular song today.

The mise en scene in a music video allows the meaning to be conveyed. Props such as the use of telephones in "Telephone" by Lady Gaga creates a visual link between the lyrics and props, following Goodwin's theory of media. As well as this, location can link to the lyrics, In Coast's "Ocean" the music video is set at a beach. Although the beach isn't technically the ocean, the setting does connect to the band name, "Coasts". The costume used in music videos can be used to convey an artist's style and aesthetic. For example, Ke$ha has a unique grunge aesthetic which is a common theme running through her other music videos. "Tik Tok," "We R who we R" and "Die Young". This continuing theme distinguishes her as a unique artist who can sell a brand. In "We R who we R" the video is largely dominated by women. The women are also objectified due to the provocative costume, presenting women as objects purely for male eyes. However, when asked Ke$ha stated the use of female domination on the screen and the provocative costume is used to show female empowerment. This is viable as women in the media are often portrayed as lesser than males and secondary characters so Ke$ha challenged the media's norms and empowered women and allowed them to claim back their autonomy by allowing the women do what they want and wear what they want.

Editing in a music video often matches the song's tempo. In a fast paced video such as Britney Spears' "Toxic" there is a cut on every 2 or 4 beats of the 4/4 time. This is effective as it follows a rhythmic pattern. After the first two beats there is a clap or a melodic part, giving the song a pattern where the audience can follow the video. As well as this, in Rupaul's "Sissy that Walk" the only colour used other than the black and white palette is purple. The colour purple has connotations of luxury and royalty, portraying Rupaul as a classy artist.

Possible song choices

The first choice is "Bloodstream" by Firehorse. This song has a simple flow with lyrics where we can apply Goodwin's features such as the lyrics "tick, tick, tick" where we plan to have a closeup of a watch with 3 shots on each "tick". The song also has a 80s synth -like sound to it which caught our attention as it allowed us to be creative by making it modern. There is also a modulation to a minor key towards the end which allows us to add a twist in the music video or to change the music video in an exciting way as the modulation is so sudden and it changes to a strong minor key.

The strengths of this song is that we as our group all like the song making it easier for us to develop ideas and work as a team. Also, the song can be easily used for many different videos due to the versatility of the music. Another strength is that the modulation from major to minor allows us to add a plot twist to the video of sort. As well as this the song is in 4/4 time so when editing the music video it will be easier as 4/4 is common in many songs heard daily so we will be able to edit on beat with ease rather than editing to a 6/8 beat.

This song has few weaknesses however the song is simplistic so in order to make it interesting many cuts and plot devices will be required to keep the momentum of the song.

The second choice is "Time Machine". This song is different to the first however its indie charm and character makes it a strong contender. The lyrics force us into a box however as in order to fit the song we would have to use a low-key lighting, grunge costume and sepia pallets. Due to there being no direct way of contacting the artist we are deterred from choosing this song.

Some strengths of this song include the likeability of the song due to the relaxed indie genre.

Some weakness of this song include the lack of interesting "plot twists". The song has no strong change which is important to us as we need to make the video interesting and exciting.

As we were adamant we were going to use the first song, "Bloodstream", we stopped looking and began planning our video ideas for the song as quick as we could

Andrew Goodwin: Features of Music Videos

Andrew Goodwin has comprised a list of features for music videos. These consist of:

1-Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. An example of this is the song "Hit Me Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears as there is a stage performance in the form of choreographed dance. The song follows the expected conventions as there is a group dance with a set theme (which, in this case, is the school setting.                                                                                                                      

2- There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting). An example of this would be "Party" by Adore Delano. The song title, "Party", sets the entire music video as it is based at a party and the lyric "we can party all the time" is contradictory as at the end of the music video Adore is left alone and thus there is no party.









3- There is a relationship between music and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting). An example of this would be "Telephone" by Lady Gaga as the music video includes a telephone ringing, making a link between the telephone and the title of the song. The telephone connection runs through the video as the music video is performance based and the prop of the telephone links it all together.

4- The demands of the record label will include the needs for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work. An example of this is the artist Sia. Sia has a trademark black and white wig which conceals her face and she doesn't appear in her own videos, instead she has a dancer, Maddie Zielger, perform instead often adorning a similar wig. In "Chandelier", "Elastic Heart" and "Cheap thrills" Maddie appears performing a bizarre dance, linking all of Sia's videos together. In the videos Maddie represents Sia and a when the audience sees Maddie they think of Sia, the artist.




















5- There is frequently reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. An example of this is "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke as women and their sensuality is heavily focused upon.

6- There is often inter textual reference to films, TV programmes  or other videos. An example of this is many songs released by Rupaul as they all refer to his new own TV programme, "Rupaul's Drag Race" . For example, in the music video "The Realness" 3 drag queens from the show appear in the music video which also refers to the drag queens and their own careers.