The Music Video

Research and Planning- Single Ladies (put a ring on it)

Single Ladies (put a ring on it) - Beyonce

The video contains 3 strong women, which is considered as strong “Rule of 3”. Beyoncé is in the centre of the 3 which highlights the fact that she is the important person in the video as well as her being the singer. This video depicts a certain type of women which is black woman, which are already seen as strong and outspoken a.k.a Rosa Parks, Beyoncé, Oprah. The fact that there is a lack of men in the video enforces the message that women can be independent.

The simple costume that feature in the video consists of a black leotard and black stilettos, which enforces the theme of strong independent black women also being simplistic in that is black women wearing costumes. The leotards are usually centered on dancing and are used to give maneuverability for dancers to take on active choreography. The choice of costume shows Beyoncé and the ladies figures but it doesn't exploit them.

The video is very action and dance focused. While the woman are dancing the camera does 360 degree movements around the girls, this gives the impression that they have nothing to hide which inflicts the theme of confidence and strength.

The whole video filmed in black, white and gray which is dynamic, this makes a significant impact on the whole atmosphere of the video, creating a very clear contrast between the ladies and the background, drawing the viewer’s eyes to the centre of the action in the video. The idea of black and white could also be seen as a simplistic effect. The simplicity reflects the message of the video, which is “if you like what you see, marry me, give me commitment, I won’t be here forever”

The video appears to be quite intimidating to men, highlighting the fact that we are living in a society where women are taking on more masculine roles, and in some cases doing better at them. The consistent eye contact with the camera that Beyoncé maintains in the video comes off as striking and direct to the audience, the lyrics of the song is both directed at woman, to follow her lead and become or embrace female independence and strength, and men, to heed her warning that “we are strong, getting stronger and will not be messed around” 

Research and Planning- I Will Follow You Into The Dark

"I Will Follow You into the Dark" is a song by Death Cab for Cutie and the third single from their fifth album Plans. It is a solo, acoustic ballad written and performed by frontman Ben Gibbard and was recorded in monaural with a single microphone and little editing. The song details the singer's promise to a loved one to remain by her side even after death.

The video starts off with a pan of the room, revealing a simplistic grey and white studio apartment, occupying one person which is the main singer ,Ben Gibbard. The grey in the gives across the theme of depression and solitude, which is supported by the fact that he is alone. At the end of the pan Ben is laying on his side facing away from the camera, this is accompanied by a loose frame exemplifying his loneliness. 

There a trending appearance of circles in the video. This symbolises that there is a hole is his life that is always constant.

In this case the hole in his life could symbolise the absence of someone, which also relates to the fact that he is alone for the whole video.

A good example of this is when he starts playing the guitar it cuts to the inside of the instrument of him playing, zooming in on the hole and his fingers. The inside of the guitar is dark and the only light source is the hole of the guitar. This could represent a light at the end of the tunnel.

When he starts singing, the camera gives a close up of his face, displaying a sad/longing expression. This symbolises his longing for his "love", this is supported by the fact that his first line of the song is "Love of mine". 

The music is played in a major octave throughout the song. This juxtaposes the meloncholy lyrics which created an ironic sense to the whole song. 

In the video the audience are presented with a wide range of close ups when Ben is looking at a hole in his floor. There is an extreme close up of the hole with a spider coming out of it and cutting in a mid shot of Ben jumping in fright of it.

The spider is there to symbolise the idea of fear and arachnophobia is a common phobia in alot of people. By combining that with the small hole on the floor, which represents the idea of that there someone missing, the artist is trying to get across that everyone feels this way at some time in there life which makes the video more relatable.    

We witness in the video that Ben steps in the hole resulting in his leg getting stuck, exemplified by the first mid-shot on the left. The camera then pans upward slightly so that it is a low angle shot of Ben and the ceiling where the lights start to flicker. This symbolises him realising that there is something in his life that isn't right and the lights flickering gives that paranormal aspect to it where something isn't right spiritually with in him and the fact that the song is about a loved one that he said he would stay by her side even after death makes the paranormal aspect more effective.

When he does fall into the hole, it isn't as big and deep as it seems. Ben falls in and then we assume he is gone but he stands up and to his surprise its quite small. This gives an element of humour to the video making it more light hearted. This is presented by a low angle shot showing his head and shoulders. He is again placed in a very loose frame deepening the fact that he is alone one again in this hole. 

Throughout the video, the audience is presented with this hole in the floor of this apartment. As the video goes on, the hole gets bigger as Ben keeps ignoring and walking around it. At the end he finally falls in and walks deeper into the hole. After he is gone, we have a shot of the apartment empty, because he is gone and also the hole in the floor is gone. This suggests that the hole is a metaphor for problems in life and the only way to get rid of them is dealing with them. 

 

Research and Planning- On the Floor

Jennifer Lopez – On The Floor

"On the Floor" is a song recorded by American entertainer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album, Love? (2011). Featuring Cuban rapper Pitbull, it was released by Island Records on February 8, 2011 as the lead single from the album.

The start of the video is of a black car in a dark alley way, the car lights almost blinding the camera. Two brands have been displayed in the video (BMW and Swarovski). This shows that the video is sponsoring various brands. Due to these advertising companies investing in this video give the audience an idea that this music and artist is particularly popular, and will ensure more sales. 

We see a mid-shit of Jennifer Lopez dressed in black leather with her hood up. This presents the air of mystery that she is concealing her face, despite the face we know who she is; the black leather represents the idea of sex appeal which “J-LO” uses a lot in her videos.

In the video we see Jennifer switch between 3 main costumes, Silver, Gold and Black. The gold costume represents the idea of royalty, especially in the setting that she wears it in. “Gold Jennifer” is in what looks to be like a V.I.P area of a dance club, perhaps the owner of the club, sitting leisurely with a serious expression on her face, on a black velvet and gold rimmed three-seater. The camera angle is low which emphasises her importance and hierarchy in the video. In the shot, the entirety of her is shown showing her grandeur like she is the Queen of the club.  

“Silver Jennifer” is in a dark lit gold room where she is wearing a silver one piece garment, that is tight fitting, complimented with silver jewellery and dynamic make up. The silver also presents the idea of royalty but there is no scenario attached to it. In this outfit she dances and poses whilst singing the lyrics, appearing as separate to the actual music video scenario. A mixture of close ups and full-length shots are used to focus on the performance side of the video.

I half way through the video Jennifer in the black costume and Jennifer in the Gold costume somehow collide together. Jennifer in the black costume enters the club, to walk up to the stage, she is noticed by the crowd and almost worship her as she walks to the stage. “Leather Jennifer” is on a higher level than the dancers on the dance floor which gives the impression that she too has a hierarchy to everyone else. The camera then cuts to “Gold Jennifer” who sits up with a concerned expression as if something has caught her eye.  This is when the video shows some elements that it is a narrative piece as well as a performance video too. Mid-shots are used for both of them showing their facial expressions and the face that they are the same and different at the same time.

The element of dance and performance s very strong in the last scene where 'Leather Jennifer' is dancing among the crowd and also lip-syncing and making eye contact with the camera and using a variety of shots within this. 

In this video the idea of money and partying is key as it is all shot in a club, with the exception of the 'Silver Jennifer's' performance parts. This is also exemplified by the use of the expensive brands e.g BMW and Swarovski. 

Welcome!

This is my blog for my summer media A2 task of making a music video. ENJOY!