Initial Research, Influences And Ideas - Influential/Inspirational Music Videos

Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass
Directed by Fatima Robertson

I like this video for a number of reasons; firstly, I like the overall colour scheme of the video - the pastel colours are easy on the eyes and connote femininity, which the song is focused on. I also think the video positively represents all types of women, whether this be racially or body shapes. For example, the four dancers are all different types of race, as shown in the still below:

They are also presented as equal, as they are all doing the same dance moves, and all have equal screen space.

I also hope to make a video similar to this as it is studio based, and therefore all elements are controllable, such as lighting or set design. I am also influenced by the editing of the video, such as how the video cuts between multiple set ups, like the dancing scenes and the bedroom set. I think this type of video is possible to make with the resources available to me, such as the studio.

San Cisco - Awkward

Directed by Andrew Nowrojee

I like this video for many of the same reasons as the video above, such as how the entire video is studio based, and how the editing style is similar (performance bed cutting to conceptual/narrative scenes). The video also conveys the theme of the song clearly - the boy is infatuated with the girl, although he is more in love with the idea of being in love than actually in love with her. This is shown, for example, by the scene where she is hiding behind the fence and he stands behind it with binoculars - this presents him as being an obsessive stalker, as it is coupled with the lyrics "I left a message last night, you haven't called back I've been calling you for days"

The binoculars depict him as a stalker.

The video also connotes the genre of the song well - it is an indie band, and the song is indie pop. Firstly, the clothing worn by the band is stereotypical of 'hipsters' who are often associated with indie music, such as the button up shirts or the red velvet dress and creepers (thick soled shoes). The video also connotes the genre as it uses concepts and narrative to portray the meaning of the song, as explained above.

I would like to make a video similar to this as it is clearly an indie music video, as it connotes genre well. I also like how they used minimal props and sets, yet still conveyed the meaning of the song clearly for the audience. This style of video would also be possible to film with the resources available at school - in the studio.

MØ - Waste Of Time

Directed by Anders Malmberg

I am also influenced by this video, and would like to make a video similar to this in the sense that it is entirely conceptual, and therefor can be interpreted in a number of ways. For example, I think that the song is about how she has either just been broken up with or is in a failing relationship, and that the man is cold and distant, and she cannot seem to please him - "Where is the love we had" and "Walking on the glass of your broken vows, Well what I say we're astray fooled by youth, okay." However, the video doesn't explicitly convey this, and the meaning has to be worked out from both the lyrics and the visuals. For example, the man with the axe, staring at the destroyed wall, could be representing how he has destroyed the relationship as he has destroyed the wall. 


I also like the grading of this video - the softer, less contrasting highlights and shadows with the slightly muted colours. I think this style suits the genre and the song, as it is slightly unusual, and different from pop songs where the colours are much brighter with higher contrast. I also like how some shots were faster,some were slower, and some were reversed, such as the scenes in the hallway for example. I think this would be fun to recreate for my own video, or something similar, such as having the lead lip syncing in time with the music, but they are slowed down.


Whilst I would not be able to make a video exactly like this, I would like to replicate the style of an entirely conceptual video, as I think it would be interesting to try and interpret the track chosen and come up with ideas and key images to then convey the interpretation.

McFly - Love Is On The Radio

Directed by David Spearing

This video is influential to me for many of the same reasons as Awkward and All About That Bass: it is studio based, and cuts between multiple different set-ups, such as the rollerskating scene and the performance bed. I think this video works really well as it firstly fits the upbeat theme of the song, and is lighthearted, and the band are clearly having fun whilst making it. I also like the way that some of the actions of the band member fit with the lyrics of the song (for example, at 1:54, where Tom Fletcher mimes holding a baby to the lyrics "we'll have a son and we'll give him a sister"). I would like to make a video like this for the same reasons as Awkward and All About That Bass - it is in a studio so all elements can be controlled, for example.