Insperational Texts

Jamie T - Emily's Heart

Costume- The costume used for the main character of the little boy is casual; a scarf and warm coat, plain trousers and trainers. This works well with the genre and sound of the music, which is laid back due to the acoustics. His wooly hat and coat make him seem vulnerable. However, in the beginning he is putting them on himself in a confident manner, almost making him seem like a little adult. 

Lighting- The lighting in this video is very natural as it is shot outside. However there are a few shots where the sun is behind the main character, making the contrast seem harsh. This gives the feeling of it being cold, as their are blue undertones to the colour palate. There is not much contrast however between other colours, such as the wall and the boys coat, allowing them to blend into each other giving it a softer look, almost frosted.

Colour Palate- The colours are pale, and the majority of colour is blue. This creates the feel of cold, which is supported by the characters attire of a hat and gloves. The video follows the little boys day out, and it begins with a dark blue tint over the shots, suggesting early morning. Towards the middle of the 'day', the shots are very bright and the colour blue, while still present, is paler. Later as the video draws to a close, the darker blue tint is back to suggest sundown. This is a very effective way of keeping the span of the video within a certian time sequience, and also makes the audience feel the cold that the little boy does.

Character(s)- The main character is a child. We follow him as he goes to the seaside alone. He doesn't speak to anyone or make new friends, apart from giving a stranger the gift of a peg doll. This suggests a withdraw from society, something I hope to incorporate into my own product.

Setting/Location- The story follows a little boy on a trip to the seaside. Locations include a block of flats, a train station, a train, and the seaside. This engages the audience as they can follow a chronological sequence of events. This is my most inspirational text as I plan to have my narrative follow a character in a similar way. The use of the train suggests a journey or moving on, and I can incorporate this imagery into my own product.

Camera Angles and Movement- The idea of being on a journey is supported by the amount of tracking shots that follow the boy running or walking. This engages the audience as  they feel they are following him too. There are a few shots that are hand held, which can be identified by the unsteadiness of the camera. This makes the video seem more gritty and down to earth, and reflects the childlike action of the character. This video looks low budget but works well with the song by keeping it simple. Also, there are slot of close ups to the boys face. This highlights his vulnerability and innocence and engages the audience as they are led to wonder why a boy so young is out on his own. This gives the video emotional value. There are also plenty of long shots of the boy playing alone on the beach. This gives the audience the feeling of voyeourisim- as if we are observing him, not actually with him. This distances us from the character and makes him seem even more vulnerable.

Ellie Goulding - Anything Could Happen

Costume- The artist is mainly shown in a long, flowing pink dress. This matched with her hair and make up gives her a very ethereal and dramatic beauty. It is also surreal- she is on a beach in a floating gown. This gives the video a unique look and would engage the audience as it is different and strange.  However when she is in shots where she is crying, she is shown in a plain black t-shirt. This could suggest being apart from reality; when she is in the gown, she is her surreal self, and when she is in the t-shirt she is her real self who is hurt and upset. I could encorperate this into the narrative of my own product, showing aspects of my characters fantasy then bringing her back to reality.

Lighting - There is use of high key lighting, making the video very bright. This fits well with the pop genre of the song, making the video relevant. Also, like the Jamie T video, their is little light/dark contrast, making the focus of the shots soft. This not only flatters the artist but also reflects the soft vocals of the song.

Colour palate - The colour palate is soft, and there is subtle undertones of pink in many of the shots, tying them into the dress the artist is wearing. This gives the video an overall style. When she is crying, the shot is tinted a soft blue, perhaps projecting the emotion of the shot. This use of colour to create emotion from my audience is something I could incorporate into my own product.

Characters - The main character is the artist who is in the majority of shots. The lyrics of the song suggest that she is singing about someone else, which becomes clear when a love interest enters the video. At first they are both intact, but it is later revealed that they have been in an accident, and the lyrics of the song begin to make sense. The shots of the artist in the gown are of her as an angel. This twist in the story would engage the audience as it is emotional and also a compelling narrative.

Setting/Location  - The setting of the video is again on a beach. However there are items of surreality, such as reflective spheres and triangles on the sand. This is visually stimulating for the audience and would appeal to them and it is artistic and makes the video unique. Also location of the beach makes the video dramatic as we are shown shots of crashing waves and vast expanses of sea. The crashing waves can be related to the nature of the song and also the heightening vocals as the artist sings the chorus.

Camera Angles and Movement- There is a lot of movement in the opening of the video and the camera does a lot of tracking towards the artist while she is stationary. This introduces her to the audience rather than her introducing herself. It also allows the audience to survey the setting and props, such as the reflective spheres. Also, when the camera shows shots of her dress moving in the wind, it also moves, making the shot very busy visually and allowing the dress to make a bigger impact on the audience. There are close ups of the artists face while singing. This shows her emotion and would also appeal to her fan base as she is 'up close and personal' to the camera, making the shot aesthetically pleasing to them. There are also a lot of landscape shots, such as when she is 'flying' at the end. These shots show plenty of sea and sky, making it dramatic and also allowing the video to be more about other aspects of beauty rather than just focusing on the artist.

Lana Del Ray - Born to Die

Costume - The artist is shown in three different outfits which represent three different scinarios within the video: a long white ballgown and a flower head dress when she is shown the in the thrown room, a tassel jacket and short demin shorts for when she is in/around the car, and a white night dress (similar to the ball gown) when she is in bed and walking around the castle corridors. The use of different costumes helps the audience follow the storyline as they are aware of what part of the story they are now seeing. Also, it makes the video aesthetically pleasing to the audience and would appeal to a female audience as they would take interest in the beautiful clothes the artist wears. This style of clothing is also associated with this particular artist, giving her a style that would appeal to her target audience.

Lighting - The lighting used in this video is artifical. The director uses different lighting within the different sinarios. When the artist is in the throne room, she is verry well lit from every side and as is the set. This makes her and the set bright and makes the colours 'pop', such as the whites, blues and reds. It gives the shot a very surreal look and contrasts well with the scenes in the car, which are very darkly lit. This makes is harder to identify the artist and the actor, yet occasional flashes of light hit the artists face to make her clear to the audience. These shots look more realistic and could represent her reality, like in the Ellie Goulding video. Also, this lighting works well with her causal attire to make these shots look more gritty. Towards the end of the video, the director uses very dark lighting with a spotlight, which occasionaly flashes over the screen to highlight the actor, the artist or certian props. This makes the shots more mysterious and gives a sense of hightening action and tension.

Colour Palate - The colour palate for this video is very bright, with the use of rich primary colours such as royal blue and crimson. This makes the video very aesthetically pleasing for the audience and so I plan to encorperate this into my own product. it gives the video a very parisian look which makes it classy and unique to other pop videos on the market. The use of both light and dark colours represent the artists termoil between her lover, and so help the narritive.

Characters- The artist (Del Ray) and a love interest. The artist is the focus of the video, which is demonstrated in the opening and closing shots of her sitting on a throne. This makes her the foucs for the audience. The actor chosen to play the love interest is covered with tattoos and has an alternative hairstyle, which would appeal to a neche market, seeing as he is not your standard 'hollywood hunk'. This makes the video unique and gives it integrity. The chemistry between the characters is obviously love/hate, as they are shown in shots passionatley kissing and then fighting. This causes tension for the audience and would also appeal to them as it is a doomed romance.

Setting/Location - One location is an elaborate throne room, which is unique to this video and would appeal to the audience as it is different and surreal- something they probably havent seen themselves. This adds a feeling of escapisim for the audience. It also fits with the narrative and costume- her head dress looks like a crown, and so she could be a queen. Another location is a bonfire near a car and the cars interior. This is a gritty location that some of the audience could identify with and therefore makes the video relistic to them. We are also shown the interior of a castle or cathedral; the long corridoors, the throne room and a bedroom. Each of these locations are eloborative as they are decorated with many flowers and wall paitings, making the video aesthetically pleasing to the audience and also tying the location in with the artist, as she wears the same flowers on her head. This makes the video relevant to her.

Camera Angles and Movement - The beginning of the video shows one long tracking shot which then becomes a zoom to close in on the artist. The zoom, accompanied by the symetrical set, gives a very powerful and surreal shot. The camera zooms into the artist in quite a few shots within the video, making her look dramatic and helping her make a bigger impact upon the audience. There are very few stationary shots, as the director uses the tracking technique a lot thorughout the video. This gives the video a lot of movement, and also the smoothness of the trackingshots fit with the sweet dronning sound of the vocals, making the video relevant to the song.

Coldplay - The Scientist

Costume- Throughout the video the artist is wearing a dirty white shirt and black trousers. This is simple and does not take up too much of the audiences focus away from what is going on around him as this is important to the narrative of the video. I will bear this in mind when dressing my own model. Also, the costume matches his grungey surroundings as he is shot lying on a dirty matress, walking along train tracks and around city streets. This makes him seem like an advrage person and helps him blend in, unlike more elaborative videos like Lana Del Ray's Born To Die. Later, he dons a black coat which matches the colour of his pants, which could forshaddow the end of the video where we find out he has been in a car accident. This also sets an atmosphere whithin the video.

Lighting- Artifical lighing is used within the first shot we get of his face, which makes his skin pale and his eyes vivid. Concidering the ending to the video, this could have angelic conotations, effectivley suggesting his character is dead. Also, the clear, well lit shot of his face has a dramatic effect on the audience. As he is shown walking around the city, mid shots of his face and torso are well lit and this suggests arifical lighting although they are outside. This again gives us very clear shots of his face, making the artist the focus of the video and therefore appealing to his fans. It also gives the video a very good quality. There are examples however of him being in darkness, as he is not well lit as we walks under bridges or through a forest. This could suggest he is torn in some way and adds intregue to his character, helping along the narrative.

Colour Palate - The colours used in this video are very vivid, and usually one or two colours dominate an entire shot, such as the orange of the undergrowth as he walks through the forest, or black when we see shots of him and a female in the car. This assists the video to make a bigger impact on the audience as allowing certian colours to be dominant the shots look very bold and powerful. I will concider this when choosing backdrops for my filming.

Characters - For the majority of the video there is just the artist, who is walking through out the city. This leads the audicence to wonder who is is and where he is going. The people surrounding him make it clear that he is in reverse, and so is walking back to somewhere. This creates mystery as the audience are wondering what the significance of this is. Later, we see another character, a female and therefore prehaps a love interest, in a car with him. By introducing her there is an emotional response generated from the audience and we see that she has died in the car accident. The video uses characters to create mystery and drama within the video.

Setting - There are a number of different locations, such as urban streets, a train track, and a forest. By showing the character moving from one location to the other creates a sense of journey which is what I hope to portray in my own video. Also, the use of locations creates the narrative as they give the audience time to wonder what the final destination of the video is.

Camera Movement/Angles - The first shot of the video is significant as it is a high angle looking directly down at the artists face. This firstly disorientates the audience as it is an exteme close up and we are not aware he is lying down. It then zooms out to reveal he is lying on a matress. This introduces the theme of mystery immediatley which is carried on throughout the video. This angle also makes the character seem vunerable or observed, which gives the audience a feeling of voyeurisim. A shot that is often refered back too is the mid shot of the artist showing his head and torso. This shows him walking around the city yet is more personal than a long shot as we get a better view of his face as he sings. Returning to this shot repeatedly creates familiarity with the audience and therefore gives them the gratification of knowing the shot well. I hope to incoperate this into my own product.