From this research I learnt that a time lapse is not technically a continuous film but a collection of shots (either photographs or short videos) that have been strung together and sped up to make it look like something is happening in a very short space of time. These shots can have straight cuts or faded transitions.
Yasmin and I decided to incorporate a time lapse into our music video in between the transition from the first flashback of the characters (when they were little) and to the present (when the couple are apart and grown-up) to show how life has gone by so fast and that the sun metaphorically set on their relationship and they are waiting for it to rise again.
Originally we wanted the time lapse to be a whole day long - from sunrise to sunset to night - in order to show the relationship going from a bright happiness to a dark loneliness before the next sunrise (symbolised by the sunny day and the positive emotions when the couple reunite after a long time). However, our camera would not last when filming for over 12 hours on one or two batteries, therefore we had an idea to film 20 minute intervals throughout the day - 20 minutes filming then 20 minutes break but that again would drain the battery life of our camera too much and we do not think that the time lapse will look consistent even when faded together. Therefore, we have chosen to film a sunset going into night to represent the relationship of the couple ending for a while and entering a dark/rough patch, which for them is early teen-hood.
Music Video Research - narrative, romantic - analyse and link to own music video idea - 3 Over and Over Again - by Nathan Sykes
Genre:Friendship - romance, love, fate.
Narrative/Type/Layout/Order:This narrative music video tells a story, mainly consisting of shots that relate to the lyrics and genre of the song and flow well with the song's rhythm. The music video also elements of performance based music videos tropes such as the artist Nathan Sykes playing the piano and singing the songs, edited in between shots of narrative about a couple that grew old together, and when one died the other painted their memories reminiscing before dying herself. This could link to concept based music videos tropes as it could represent that this couple' love was so strong that they could not be without one another for too long. The lights above Sykes' piano when he plays also switch on and off according to the melodic rhythm of the piano, this could represent twinkling stars or the repeated ignition of love. Audience: This song, and it's music video, are suitable for all ages however I would rate it a PG because it includes more adult themes of growing up, falling love and also death. The song is nostalgic, emotional and meaningful - it aims to make people reflect on their life and loves. The song is both positive and melancholic - it focuses on finding and holding on to an eternal and repeatable love but the visuals also link to grief and losing the object of your affections, the person you love, rather than the emotion itself. The couple in the video seem to complete each other, they seem destined. Actors and characters, costumes, props, mise-en-scene: Nathan Sykes acts as the young man in this video, portrays the young women and plays the women when she is older. The costumes are naturalistic to today's modern society and so are the prop, such as; mobile phones, and painting sets. Expression, Appearance, Lighting, Locations/Setting: The song expresses an undying love for someone, who may not see themselves as highly as the one who loves them does. The couple appear happy when they are together - the light is natural and bright when they are together, for example it is darker in the barn when they have not got together yet, and it is more greyscale when the old lady is at her husband's grave. The settings are all significant to the couple, the first place they met, where he asked her out, their house, and the man's final resting place. Camera work - movements, shots, angles, compositions, time lapses, shot length: There are a lot of tracking shots, pans and establishing shots to help explain the narrative and show the relationship blooming. There are then a variety of close-ups mixed in with this to show the intimacy of the couple's relationship. Editing - transitions, treatments:There are shot reverse shots from one character to the other to show heir facial expressions and love towards each other, however the transitions of the piece are mostly straight cuts this could emphasise the simple flow of the young couple's relationship, however there a few fades to perhaps emphasise how they want their relationship to last but like the memories in this video did to the woman, however sometimes that cannot be. The treatments of the piece are also warmer when the couple are together enhancing the idea that they are fated for one an other. Sound - song/score, synchronous, sound effects, ambient sound: The song links well to the video, it shows a romantic narrative about a strong love.The score went well with the visuals and created a fluent piece. There is a version of the song featuring Arianna Grande and that includes more harmonious riffs and sections, it is also more complex - the female voice could reflect the female in the video and Sykes' voice could (as it does in the official music video) reflect that that of the male's. Media representation of youth culture: The teenagers/young adult versions of the couple are seen at party, they are then seen to have each other' number and to go to the cinema - this is typical of youths in the 21st century. The couple then have a family together grow old - we only see the woman grow particularly old though, perhaps the man died young, however the point of the video is that they loved each other to the end. I would like to create a music video inspired by the romantic and nostalgic elements of this music video, and incorporate a similar idea by using clips of the couple when they are younger and then when they are older - however I think I will make them friends as children and then fall in love at the late teenage stage and end the video on that happy note.
Music Video Research - narrative, romantic - analyse and link to own music video idea - 2 Falling in Love - by Us the Duo
Genre:Friendship - romance, love, fate
Narrative/Type/Layout/Order: This video tells a story, mainly consisting of shots that relate to the lyrics and genre of the song and flow well with the song's rhythm. For example, there a shots of the couple doing things together such as riding a bike and dancing which are stereotypcially romantic couple activities. Audience: This song, and it's music video, are suitable for all ages however I would rate it a PG because it includes adult themes of growing up and falling love. The song is nostalgic, emotional and meaningful - it aims to make people realise that falling in love is positive and fulfilling when reciprocated. The positivity of the song is hopeful and will relate to the romantic relationships of many audience members. Actors and characters, costumes, props, mise-en-scene: The protagonists in the music video are husband-and-wife musical pair 'Us the Duo', Carissa Alvarado and Michael Alvarado. The couple are obviously in love - this is projected by the fact that the music video is set in Paris which is deemed as 'the city of love'. The costumes for the couple were "every-day clothes", this makes the video realistic and give the piece a sense of simplicity and normality. This music video represents the process of falling in love with someone - you spend time with them, and enjoy doing so.
The props in the video were also simple - in order to focus on the relationship in the video - however, musical instruments (such as an accordion) are key, the acoustic instruments represent a purity in their love. This is significant because this works well with the score. Expression, Appearance, Lighting, Locations/Setting: The music video has is set in different places around Paris, bridges, streets, restaurants, side alleys - all on sunny days and mostly when the sun is setting, this emphasises the songs romantic genre. Camera work - movements, shots, angles, compositions, shot length: The video includes a lot of camera movement -for example when the couple are dancing and spinning around together the camera also spins around them but in the opposite direction - this presents them as the centre of each other's world and dizzy/giddy in each other's company. The camera angle on one of these shots is a slight low angle, suggesting that their love is something high-up and positive - the dancing shots are also quite long shots because this is where we see them at their most intimate. Most of the shots have both of them in, suggesting that they are not whole without the other one. The camera composition also always has the couple as the main focus but also often has them in a wider shot so that the romantic setting can be seen. Editing - transitions, treatments, titles: The treatments for this music video were war - there were a few bluer shots but that was to contrast different days and different evenings and give a sense of natural light and love. The transitions were straight cuts which flowed well, and the title of the duo and of the song appeared at the beginning in white font that replicated beautiful, hand-written calligraphy. Sound - song/score, synchronous, sound effects, ambient sound: The track included many harmonies - the male and female vocals blend well together along with the instruments - such as the 'spanish guitar' - this music video went well with the song and was synchronous; the visuals related to/reflected the lyrics.
Media representations of youth culture: In this music video we see a couple of young adults falling in love - this represents them as perhaps going past the teenage and early young adult stages of life; which some see as a time of rebellious behaviour. However, the couple seem to slightly revert to this behavioural stereotype when the man rides a bike with the woman in the basket of it down a road, this is dangerous but at the same time romantic; "love makes people do crazy things".
I would like to create a music video inspired by the romantic and nostalgic elements of this music video, and incorporate a similar idea by using clips of the couple in my video holding each other in their arms spinning out of joy and love but maybe not actually dancing.
Music Video Research - narrative, romantic - analyse and link to own music video idea - 1
Everything Has Changed - by Taylor Swift feat. Ed Sheeran
Genre:Friendship - romance, love, fate
Narrative/Type/Layout/Order: This narrative music video tells a story, mainly consisting of shots that relate to the lyrics and genre of the song and flow well with the song's rhythm. For example, when the boy plays the guitar for the girl, and when they dance together. The story is about two children becoming friends, it is romantic - the father of the boy turns out to be Ed Sheeran and the mother of the girl turns out to be Taylor Swift; this is a positive ending as the adults are seemingly friends as well. This suggest that love comes in different forms of which friendship is one of the most important. In addition, according to http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/1566117/taylor-swift-ed-sheeran-return-to-childhood-in-everything-has, the video 'fully returns us cynical adults to the wonders of childhood in a little over four minutes'. Audience: This song, and it's official music video, are suitable for all ages however I would rate it a PG because it includes adult themes of growing up, falling love, and reflection. The song is nostalgic, emotional and meaningful - it aims to make people remember a moment when they fell deeply in love with someone, and it changed their life for the better. The positivity of the song is hopeful and will relate to the romantic relationships of many audience members. Actors and characters, costumes, props, mise-en-scene: The protagonists in the music video are Ave Ames and an uncredited young ginger-haired boy; they are meant to be young doppelgangers of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, who appear at the end of the music video - here we assume the girl is Swift's daughter and the boy is Sheeran's son, and that they know that their children are falling in love through their friendship (this is shown in their knowing smiles). The costumes for the children were simple and sweet - the most prominent outfits were a white dress for the girl (which connotes purity and innocence) and a t-shirt and jeans for the boy, Swift and Sheeran then wore almost matching outfits to pick them up from school and emphasises the mini-me theme throughout the video. This music video represents that circle of life and perhaps the past experiences of love; friendship is a type of love that relates people of all ages.
The props in the video were also simple - in order to focus on the relationship in the video - however, musical instruments (such as a guitar) are key, the children seem to bond through their musical interests. This is significant because this works well with the score. The mains setting of the video, a school, also emphasises the innocence of love and friendship. Expression, Appearance, Lighting, Locations/Setting: The children appear to be just like each of their musical parents, the lighting of the film is realistic for most of the video - including natural lighting at the end of the video on a sunny day when they are picked up from school - enhancing the 'happy family' and friends theme. The spotlight that is on the young couple when they dance together is representational of their focus on each other - they mean a lot to one another. Camera work - movements, shots, angles, compositions, time lapses, shot length: The music video incorporates a lot of establishing shots, to show the school setting and enhance what school experience the children are going through together, e.g. cookery or playing in the playground. There are also many upwardly tilting shots, for example the first shot of the young girl we see and the shot where the boy and girl sit together talking on the highest beam in the playground - here they seem to be above childishness, their relationship elevates them. There are some high angle shots which could be a metaphor for love shining down upon them, these shots show them together in close proximity, for example in the over the shoulder shot when they are together under a tree and the boy is reading to the girl. The high angle shots also give an essence of safety - it seems like they are being looked after, and they look after each other. Editing - transitions, treatments: The transitions in this video all seem to be straight cuts, this could emphasise the simple flow of the young couple's relationship. The treatments for the piece are warm, the contrast, saturation, shadow intensity and temperature of most of the shots - especially when they are outside, in order to give-off a positive and sunny vibe. Sound - song/score, synchronous, sound effects, ambient sound: The song links well to the video - it can be interpreted as the blossoming of a friendship of young love but also the emotions of wanting to get to know a lover better. The score went well with the visuals and created a fluent piece. The song is acoustic and harmonious - it has the more mezzo-soprano voice of Taylor Swift and the bass-like voice of Ed Sheeran along with instruments such as the guitar, bass and drums. Media representation of youth culture: The children are represented as sweet, friendly and creative - the young adults/parents are represented as understanding and the slightly older teacher is represented as stressed. This shows that media represents children as care-free when in fact they have do have real situations such as friendships going on in their lives.
I would like to create a music video inspired by the romantic and nostalgic elements of this music video, and incorporate a similar idea by using children actors but show them grow up rather than reflect their parent doppelgangers.
