Breif look at music videos.

Our A2 course consists of either filming a short film or a music video. As part of the research into the decision whether to make a short film or music video we felt that is would be helpful in actually analysing each and deciding on which we feel we will best be able to film, and achieve the best possible grade.

The music video I have decided to look at is the Eminem ft. Rihanna-Love the way you lie. I decided to analyse this video as the genre of music is that which will all enjoy and are more likely to create a video to. The song was released August 17^th 2010 and reached number 1, directed by Joseph Kahn.

The music video starts with a close up of Rihanna then cuts away to a long shot of a couple lying on the bed. It then continually switches to the close up Rihanna standing in front of a house on fire and then to the long of shot of the couple on the bed, and the girl holding a ball of fire. We are then introduced to Eminem, the mise en scene changes dramatically as they have used him standing in a field as the location. They have used this to contrast with that of the house of fire, which shows danger, anger, fierceness and violence, to that of field which interprets calmness, innocence, and being free. The serenity of it all. They use a mixture of camera movements including quick pans and dolly’s, the camera movements and shots increase with speed as the song gets more into it, this keeps the viewer from getting bored as the video gets more visually stimulating.

They use a mix of hand held cameras alongside steady cams. The camera used has an effect on how the audience are going to feel. For example when the couple start fighting, when it cuts back to Eminem they use a hand held to show his emotion, that things are ‘rough’. They use the hand held cam here instead of with the couple as the audience have to see what is going on and understand the message.

During the music film it has included a vast amount of different camera angles, shots, distances and movements. This includes; close ups which show emotion of characters: mid-shots: long shots which show the location and isolation: high and low angle which show power in the relationship. All of which match the tone of the song and what the viewer is watching on the screen. The speed of cuts also matches the pain, distress and vulnerability of the protagonists.

Over all they have been extremely successful in using every shot to tell a story, and have kept the audience entertained throughout, they are less likely to change channel.

Although as a group we like the idea of making a music video we feel that there is more that can go wrong due to access to equipment. Firstly, we don’t have high tech enough equipment to be able to dub in the voices properly without making it look like a 6^th form video. Secondly, music videos require a lot of camera movement and frankly we do not have the equipment to make quick pans which are smooth and the ability to use a Dolly track. Furthermore, we have looked at a range of music videos from previous years and found that many of them look cheesy and too much like a 6^th form video. I t has also occurred to us that the locations used in music videos are extremely professional, they have the ability to travel long distances and the funds to do so, we however do not and therefore are limited to what we have around us. As the location is a vital factor in a music video we would be unsuccessful in making one.

Unfortunately the negatives of choosing a music video over a short film outweigh the benefits, we have therefore decided that it is best we film a short film as it is more practical and there isn’t as much restriction on access.