Instread of analysing every shot of a few videos I find it more useful for techniques and inspiration to watch lots of videoa and just pick out the main techniques nand themes used in those videos then I can look at what is common and what ideas I can gain from these videos.
Similar Artist: The Kooks, The Maccabees, Guillemots, Razorlight, The Smiths
The Kooks-Sofa Song:
This video uses:
- Lots of close-up shots of the lead singer, putting emphasis on the words he is singing and showing it is his portrayal
- Shot of a city skyline lit up art night are used at the beginning- maybe representing a hectic busy, city lifestyle
- An overlapping pixelated effect is used throughout the video which adds a quirky feel to the video, at some points the effect gives a sense of double vision as the person seen is displaced into the next pixelated picture.
- Mid close-ups, close-ups and mid shots are used at other significant music parts of the song to show the other band members, for example a close-up of the the bassists hand as he plucks the bass guitar string when the bass line first kicks in and a mid close-up of the drummer when a short drum-roll occurs at a break in the lyrics.
The Kooks-Ooh La:
This video uses:
- The opening of this video resembles a French chat show, with presenter/ audience dialogue being heard. This is an addition to the song, purely for the video
- The main section of the video (in Paris) has a grainy, black and white filter applied. This gives the impression we are looking at events that happened in the past
- A Gaussian blur effect is occassionally used to somewhat obscure the image, which gives the impression of uncertainty and ambivalence and the haziness connotes confusion
- When the actual song starts you soon realise the French theme is continued as the video is following The Kooks band member's seemingly sight seeing around Paris. Symbolic symbols of Paris and France such as the Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Coeur, typically French Citroën 2CV car
- Slow motion has been added in post processing to give a dreamy, flash-back feel to the clips
- The ending of the video returns to the studio chat show and has credits rolling up the screen to continue the television program theme
The Maccabees- Toothepaste Kisses:
This video uses:
- This video is set in a traditionally styled bar/pub
- It has a smokey, dull, grittyness to the footage
- The video starts of with two people kissing in the bar who, one of these people moves on to kiss somebody else, the tow people kissing are constantly changing and as they are doing this the couple are always moving around the bar area
This video uses:
- CGI-Travelling through space- stars moving towards camera, Earth in centre
- Lyrics "In the middle, in the middle" edited so graphic is travelling past the centr of the Earth which has been bisected
- Objects in the centre moving towards lens- passage of time throught life. Baby milk, toys, pictures of boy growing older. Representing lyrics "Before you know it, before you know, before you know it- pushing up the daisies"
The Maccabees- Feel to Follow:
This video uses:
- Dark shots- shot of road, camera on front of car driving
- Flashes of orange/ hue adjustments
- Lots of shots of loactions, moving about, city, the sky, shots into branches/trees- natural things- countryside life
- hanging out washing- daily chore, country cottage
- walking around cottage- drab and dull colours, nice view out of the window
- Slow motion shots of sheep dog running, girls skipping etc
- people levitating- atmospheric sense goes with music
Guillemots- Made-up love song #43:
This video uses:
- reduced colour saturation filter
- video is of band sitting lounging in crampoed, cluttered room.
- slow panning tracking shots matching slow beat of song
- singer covers camera with hand shot goes black- hand is drawn away from camera and full colour is present, singer on the beach running about, wearing a suit
- Performance on the beach
- Lots of playful running around on the beach splashing in the sea, throughing instruments/ objects into the air.
- finishing with lead singer covering the camera lens again with his hands to create a 'to black' transition
Guillemots- Trains to Brazil:
This video uses:
- Low colour saturation
- Shots of children running through the playground at school
- Band performing on stage in school performance
- integrated shots of boy running through school up school stairs, cutting back to close up on lead singer each time.
- band playing in school assembly
Guillemots- We're Here:
This video uses:
- Time lapse photography- long shot across lake reflection of sky, see day break, clods wisp over lake and go again. Matches eerie atmospheric start to song, rumbling sound.
- When drum beat comes in shots switch between dark (mountains black and in shadow) and lighter, repeatedly until other instruments come in
- Guitar/pianeo chords see time lapse of road near lake car light go past and create paths where they have been
- Lots of different time lapse shots of theings happening- icicles melting, close-ups of dripping. different shot compositions of the lake, trees etc.
- Animalks- deer, swans, ducks
- Shot duration long but movements (clouds, water, cars) in shot moving very fast as have been speeded up.
- Like a slideshow- not liunking shots to spoecific lyrics
Razorlight- America:
THis video uses:
- Aerial shot of city/ shot of a map
- Shot of typsica american drive-in with huge sign saying 'Razorlight' chown as slightshow on old fashioned slide prjectors shown by clicking noise
- Cuts to long shot of band playing in studio/ practise room-relaxed atmosphere to suit slow guitar picked start.
- Wispy cigarette smoke visible in back ground coming from cigarette in ash tray. Show subdued nature of band
- Slight haze/ blur to create obscurity.
- Bright stage light in front of camer create glare and lens flare.
- Ash tray, pizza box, apple core- relaxed session been there a while just before "I light a cigarette cause I can't get no sleep" lyric
- Slideshow still running behind them
- Shots of wrecked car- symbollism for broken life/ trouble in America
- Words on card "Feel" with road behind them like hitch hikers when "tell me how does it feel" lyrics are sung, word on card response "lost" and "feel" followed by "nothing"
This video uses:
- Shots of man dressed in superhero costume watching lots of ol tv screens stacked up- with fuzzy 'tuned out' picture out. some showing chickens
- He levitates the remote to himself and changed channel onto one where you see a band playing
- Heavy drinking- finishes a pint, then has wine glass, then has anothe pint glass- links to "One more drink and then I'll go"
- Pigging out on food- pizza, dohnut- highlighting fixated nature people have with tv
- Colour changing hues when band seen on screen like strobe lighting
- Turns second screen to the 'band channel', female superhero joins him on sofa, third superhero sits on sofa.
- Main character trying to kiss female- being pushed away
- 5 heros present now
- Old photographic filter applied to some shots
- Bright white screen with Razoprlight written in black and band members dressed in black walking towards camera disrupts the dullness of the video thus far
- fades out to starry sky
This video uses:
- black and white filter from the begining
- camer spiralling in on singer in cobbled street
- tracking shot singer walking with camera towards lens
- Shots of him in shop, pool/snooker hall, cafe, london streets, underground station- lots of locations relating to the singer "I really, really wish I could be somewhere else, than here"
- repeated shots of him walking down streets on the pavement etc
- 360 degree pan- singer walking in circle whils lip syncing
- Snow starts falling
- Ends up in the same place he began on the same shot but reversed- camera zooming out
Razorlight- In the morning:
This video uses:
- Grainy, yellowy brown filter
- performing in community centre
- sheets being pulled off diffferent things in the room
- Audience strarts dancing in group
Razorlight- I can't stop this feeling I've got:
This video uses:
- Black and white
- Shots start blurred
- hazy shots- can just see guiar being picked
- close-ups of singer to emphasise lyrics
- performance element
- lights flashing/ glinting of instruments flares the images
- no storyline just live show performance type shots
- lots of close-ups of instruments
