One task that I have completed to help me to understand how a music video works, is to pick a couple of my favorite music videos both from my school and from other schools. Below is the videos that I have choose and why I think they work well.
This is one of my favorite music videos because it's inventive and is a little more upbeat than some of the other, typical indie songs that are covered at A Level. This music video is mainly performance based and works very well with the song as the female performer in the video fits the stereotypical image of an indie girl thus further convincing the audience that they are a real group and this is a real music video.
The genre of the song, Indie Pop, is conveyed clearly and effectively throughout the video via the live performance element, the clothing and the camera work. Similarly the changing between black and white shots and colour shots makes the song and music video appear both retro and modern at the same time, thus making it interesting and exciting to watch.
However, patterns do begin to emerge after watching the video multiple times for example; during the verses, the shots are all in black in white but when the chorus begins, the shots change to colour which is very visible editing but as Carol Vernallis explores in her music video theory, the editing in a music video can be obvious and more noticeable than the editing used in film and can be modified to work with the music i.e. cutting to another shot when the chorus begins.
Above is another student music video that I thought was really good, it is one of my favourite A Level music videos that I came across for a few different reasons. I personally love the song because it is fun and playful, meaning the female artist doesn't take herself to seriously. Also the costumes and make-up is very colourful which I really enjoy and helps the visuals match the song really well.
When looking at Carol Vernallis' and Andrew Goodwin's music video theory, it is clear that this video covers a lot of these key aspects for example: Andrew Goodwin's theory includes the idea of the star image which can be clearly displayed throughout this video as the camera and editing always returns to the performer who is usually alone or the camera focused on her thus reinforcing her importance. The scene with the female artist at the gym, helps us the viewer to feel as if she is a powerful women, especially when the camera focuses on her and not the men around her, this is very effective because helps the viewer see the personality of the artist.
Finally, the performance in the music video helps to make the music video one of my favourite. The artist is very fun and quirky which attracts a wide audience because it is easy to watch, compared to a more indie, 'deep' song.