This week we met the man who is going to be directing our Five music video remake, Jake Wynne. He has directed loads of music videos, ranging from Geri Halliwell to Stereophonics to Mark Ronson, as well as commercials over the years so getting to hear about his experience in the business was really interesting and insightful.
One of the videos he has worked on that I especially loved is by a band called Nojahoda. I'd never heard of them before but the video is crazy and exciting, matching the song perfectly! Although Jake advised us that this was not the kind of video we should aspire to for our coursework project, as it is very complicated and makes little sense, it definitely inspired me to be creative and to think outside the box.
Here is the video:
Some important things I learnt:
Jake emphasised to us all how tiring out 12-hour shoot would be, although less tiring that a real video shoot which often runs for 18 hours straight.
He laid out his expectations for us and told us that we have to put all our energy into it, and even if we are exhausted towards the end (which we will be) the camera must not be able to see it.
He also taught us that when were are lip-syncing, we have to physically sing the words, otherwise our throats will not move so it won't look real and any viewers will not be convinced.
Although our shoot will be hard work, as we want it to look professional and as good as possible, it will also be a lot of fun as long as we put our all into it!
I chose to write about Keane's video for their single Bedshaped (2004, Universal) as it's different, I like the song, and I feel it fits all the criteria for an effective music video.
1 - Instant impact!
The use of stop-motion animation makes it pretty unique and gives an instant impact as straight away you are intrigued by the Tim Burton-esque animation. If you saw the start of this video on a music channel you would stop and wonder what it was, and I personally found it riveting to watch the whole way through.
2 - Non-linear editing
The video cross cuts between the narrative with the animated character and the band performing. They also appear in the narrative itself as the man hears their music from a nearby window, and at the end the band appear as drawings, linking the two parts of the video together nicely – performance and narrative. It means they are not separate standalone concepts, but all part of one concept.
3 – Repetitions
The character finds himself in a grotty toilet cubicle which he later returns to when he is overwhelmed by the outside world. This represents the rut he is stuck in and shows that he has hit rock bottom. The lyrics both in the song and scribbled on the walls are repeated throughout the video, and we see them written in the air at the end ‘don’t laugh at me’ and ‘but what do I know?’
4 - Strong sense of artist identity
It has a really moving story which goes with the lyrics and tone of the song so they work well together. It is also a fairly self-indulgent display of how Keane's music can be uplifting and make you feel better, as the character seems to hear the music and be so inspired that he starts scribbling words over the walls (putting the song deeper into our minds) and finally builds up the courage to venture outside into the real world. This promotes the band's music and combats those who may argue that their music is depressing or dull, as it shows it as a positive influence on the character.
5 - A Performance
Keane are part of the narrative as they perform in cartoon/silhouette form in a building, so although the video is mainly about this moving story, we are still reminded of the band themselves and get to see them sing and play.
6 - Visual Pleasures
The stop motion animation is beautifully made and although the character is ugly and disfigured, the graphics are interesting the rich colours and distorted landscape make it very exciting to watch. The animations of the band on the toilet walls and the lyrics he scribbles onto them add more things to look at and make the video seem more like a work of art than a naturalistic scene.
7 - Wow Factor!
This video is different to any other I’ve ever seen. It’s very weird looking and I remember at the time a lot of people were talking about it and I would wait for it to come on the music channels just so I could see it, as I’d heard that it was really moving.
8 - Provoke a reaction
I personally was very moved by this video and found the character’s story quite sad, despite only being an animated character, which obviously means the video worked. It is also shocking and a bit scary at times, especially when the man hallucinates a family in a window turning round with their eyes glowing yellow.
9 - Works on different levels
I think viewers can both appreciate the artistic elements of this video and see the uniqueness of the stop-motion animation and style of the video, as well as get involved in the story of the character and understand what he is going through. Although it is sad, it also has quite a happy ending and the inspirational lyrics go with this.
10 - Pop Culture
The video itself is based on an animated short film called Butterfly by the director Corin Hardy, so his fans or people that have seen this film would recognise the video and link the two. It also refers to the lifestyles of some people often portrayed in television dramas or gritty films, as the main character is this video is meant to represent, as he is lonely and sad, turning to alcohol to try and forget his problems. The inspirational lyrics may be relatable to viewers who may feel isolated or worthless in the world, and this video is meant to make them feel as if they are not alone.
