Planning - Chosen song for music video

After pitching my ideas to an audience and reviewing the feedback, I decided to go for idea 2 for my final product.  Idea 3 was to the indie pop song 'Video Games' by Lana Del Ray.  I think that this idea is very original, however it will be very challenging to carry out. A lot of the research I have done into my genre of music video, gives strong inspiration for this idea.  For example, Lana Del Ray's 'Blue Jeans' and Jorja Smith's 'Teenage Fantasy'.  This song is very slow and quite emotional/  I think that this would be appropriate with the Idea 3 storyline as it is quite a sensitive subject.  The fast/short shots I intend to use in my music video will contrast this style, however I think it will fit.  Something very important in the indie pop genre is that the lyrics relate to the video narrative and shots involved.  Therefore, the fact that the lyrics in the song relate to the idea 3 narrative is very important.  

Planning: Initial Ideas

Idea 1

My first idea for my project is to the song 'Stolen Dance' by Milky Chance.  This idea follows the narrative of a group of friends, focused on one girl in particular, who discover drugs.  Her boyfriend is included in the friendship group.  They do drugs casually at parties and festivals as a group.  However, the couple begin to do it on a daily basis. The girl does it more than the boy, until she is on her own in a drug dependent lifestyle.  The lyrics to the chorus to 'Stolen Dance' have a main line of 'stoned in paradise'.  The way the storyline will be inferred to the audience is that every time the line is said, the girl is shown in a place of 'paradise'.  When the drugs are light, e.g. marijuana, the place of paradise is somewhere beautiful, an actual paradise.  However, when the drugs become heavier, the place of paradise becomes less desirable.  The will end with the girl in a public toilet doing heroin.  This is meant to be a representative of the girl become so dependent on the drugs, she is no longer doing it to enjoy experiences and environments.  She is surviving off it; she doesn't care where she is.
With this idea I will have to be very careful with how I present drug use.

Idea 2

The second idea that I have follows the narrative of a couple who look perfect from the outside.  This will include a lot of shots as they fall in love.  These shots will be external and internal shots.  They will be mainly in point of view of either persons view point.  As the video goes on the nice calm shots are interrupted by violent shots.  The nice shots were the two are in love will be very light, with light colours; in daytime.  The violent shots breaking these up will be at night time and very dark.  This will firstly show a clear break up between the shots, but also be a representative of the two different sides of the relationship. The idea behind this is that things aren't as nice as they seem. Again the way that this is portrayed in my video will have to be very sensitive.

Idea 3 

The last idea is about a famous couple who look perfect in the eyes of the paparazzi and are admired in the public eye.  This view of the couple will be mainly shot from the paparazzi's point of view. This represents a outsiders view.  The narrative will go on to display what the relationship is like behind closed doors (not in the public eye).  This side of the video will show the male being very controlling of the woman.  The two become more involved in drugs, the man particularly pushes the drug use upon the woman. The two sides of the relationship will begin to cross over as the woman's drug addiction will become clear in the public eye as she begins to stubble and look ill in paparazzi shots.  It will also become clear how dependent the woman is on the male as she grips onto him for support.  The woman will look very glamorous at the beginning of the music video and this will begin to fade.  This represents her fading.  In the end the male will be shown in font of the paparazzi, for the first time in the video, alone without the woman. 

Planning - Pitch evaluation

What did the audience think about idea one?

When speaking to the focus group they thought that my first idea had a clear narrative and that I had thought in through in detail.  They really liked the idea of using an upbeat song against a dark story line.  However, they didn't know whether how much difficulty I would face when making the video as I would have to be very delicate about how I approached drug use.  They suggested the idea of suggesting drug use or using metaphors to overcome this.

What did the audience think about idea two?

With idea two, they thought that the idea and narrative was good . They liked the idea of the soft scenes of romance being interrupted by the dark, harsh scenes of violence.  They really liked the idea of using a vintage filter over the video, and thought the general mise en scene was well thought through (with lighting etc.). They did think that the narrative wasn't very clear.

What did the audience think about idea three?

Idea three was very similar to idea two, however they liked the idea of this toxic couple were celebrities.  They thought that by using celebrities I would be ale to use clips of famous toxic relationships (e.g. Amy Winehouse) and use them in the end of my video.  They put forward the idea of actually displaying the girl becoming weaker and more dependent on the man as the video went on.  

Which idea did they prefer?

The focus group agreed that my first idea was the one they would do.  This was because they thought that it had the clearest narrative and that I had thought about it more in detail.  However, they also said that this idea was well looked into and had been done many times before, suggesting that by doing this idea, it wouldn't be unique. 

What has speaking changed about your opinion on your ideas?

Now that I have gone through my ideas with the focus group snd got their opinions, my ideas have been altered.  With the first idea, I have thought it through more clearly than any of the other which makes it the strongest pitch, however I really don't like that it isn't very unique.  I do think that ideas two and three have a lot of potential, the most being three.  I really liked what the focus group said about using clips of other celebrities to show examples of toxic relationships.  

Therefore, after speaking with the focus group I am heavily swayed towards idea three because I think that it is very unique and something which I would be very passionate about. 

Planning - Initial Ideas Pitch

With my pitch I wanted to get the feedback from my peers on my ideas.   In order to do this we created a focus group and presented our ideas individually or as groups.  We then talked about the different ideas, getting feedback so that we can improve. It was very useful as they provided additional ideas to my original and told me how I could improve.  It left me with a wider idea of what idea i wanted to go with and how I could improve it.  Below the video is attached containing my pitch to the rest of the focus group, along with their feedback. 

Timeline Analysis of The Lumineers - Sleep on the floor

0:07- Close up of woman's face.  Eye contact on and off of camera.
0:13 - Close up of man's face, same angle as previous close up.
0:29 - Long shot of the man and woman hugging.
0:31 - Extreme close up of mans face submerged in woman's hair.  Man is whispering in woman's ear.
0:33 - Extreme close up of woman's eyes over the shoulder of the man.  Her eyes widen as a response to what the man has said. She is also crying throughout all of these shots.
0:38 - Medium shot of woman stood alone.
0:40 - Hand held low shot of the man running out of a house.
0:44 - Medium shot of woman stood inside the house.  As another woman comes into shot, there is a blurred image of the woman leaving.
0:52 - The woman has followed the man out of the house, however has also stayed there.  This transition is to represent what she should have done.
0:59 - A close up shot of the two facing each other.  The camera still has a hand held effect.
1:08 - Close up of the couple in a taxi kissing.  There are fast short shots of the kissing, looking at each other and paying the taxi driver.
1:11 - The two are running.  The shot is a long shot of the back of them.  It tracks them and it is hand held.
1:13 - Shows a wide shot of the two finding a car which they have either bough or have hired.
1:18 - Long over the shoulder shot of male shaking hands with the owner of the car.
1:20 - Over the shouder shot of the couple in the car
1:24 - Wide, establishing shot through the car window of where they are
1:27 - Close up of the side of the woman's face.  This shot capture the wind from the car window moving her hair.
1:32 - Males point of view shot.  It shows the woman looking at him as she goes to get out of the car.  It is a mid  shot of the woman.
1:38 - This is an over the shoulder shot of the two looking at the sky.  The two embrace in a hug, during this shot.
1:39 - The previous shot is reversed to show what the couple look like from the front, looking at the sky still and hugging. This is a close up of the two.
1:44 - Close up of the woman's face as she lay on the car bonnet looking up at the sky.
1:48 - Over the shoulder shot in the car, of the male driving as the woman sits backwards, facing the camera.
1:51- Mid, low shot of the woman hanging out the window looking at her surroundings.  This shot is taken through the back window of the car.
1:59 - Close up of the two close, hugging.  They look at each other having a conversation.
2:04-  Wide, long shot of the two sat of the side of a water fountain.  The woman has her head rested on the males shoulder.
2:10- Side close up of the male sat looking at the floor.
2:14 - Close up of the two in bed.  The woman's face can be seen, however the male is hidden behind her.
2:18- Front, mid shot of the two brushing their teeth over the sink with their finders as tooth brushes.
2:23- Close up of a mans hands flipping a coin, deciding where the coupe will go next.  They engage in conversation over the top of the music; "Heads North, Tails South".
2:29 - Low shot, close up of males feet hanging out the back window as the woman starts up the car.  The cars engine can be heard over the top of the music.
2:36 - Wide shot of the couple looking for someone to pick them up as their car has broken down.
2:41 - Shot through the window of the car after managing to get someone to take them to get petrol.  The male sits in the drivers seat and looks very happy to hear the engine start.
2:44 - Wide long shot, of the two sat at a petrol station as its raining.
2:46- Wide shot of the couple sat with their new made friend, at his house after it is suggested that he has let them stay there.  They eat food around the table and talking can be heard over the top of the music.
2:51- Close up of woman having a shower, she runs her hands through her hair.  Water can be heard over the top of the music.
2:52- Repetition of an earlier shot is made here. The woman again brush their teeth with their fingers, however this time the shot is angled through the back of a fish tank.
2:54 - Establishing shot of where the couple next are.
2:56 - Birds eye view shot of the girl getting a tattoo.  The camera pans around her as her face expresses in pain.
3:00 - This shot almost looks hand held, where the couple are running down the beach and the girl does a cartwheel.  It follows the couple as they run.
3:06 - Establishing shot of a house, the couple sit with a friend in the porch of the house, drinking a beer of sort.
3:09-  Close up of the male walking from blurred into shot, in a crowd of people.  He looks over to the girl.
3:10 - Close up of the woman, dancing in the crowed.  She looks back over to the male.
3:16 - wide shot of the small crowd, in a room listening to a man sing and play guitar.  The male makes his way over to the female.
3:23 - Tracking as the woman pushes the male through a door and onto a bed. The camera moves onto a wide shot close up of the woman on top of the man in bed.
3:26- Low angled, off centred close up of the woman looking down onto the man; she begins to say something.
3:28 - Camera pans up from the floor to show a wide shot of the man and woman together, the woman moves to position herself on one knee and proposes to the man.
3:30 - Wide close up of the man and woman looking at each other.
3:34 - Long, wide establishing shot of the man and woman at, what looks like, an alter.  The shot is blocked by the people watching the two.
3:36 - Over the shoulder shot, over the man looking at the woman.  It is a close up of the woman as they seem to exchange vows.
3:38- The shot then repeats on the side of the woman's shoulder, looking at the man.
3:46 - Close up of the two kissing and then embracing in a hug.
3:50 - The shot then goes back to the 'gig' that the two went to.  The shot has dark lighting and a close up of the singer.
3:56 - Low angled, wide establishing shot of couple dancing. This is their form of their first dance.
4:00 - The camera then becomes closer to the couple, becoming a close up shot were the couple kiss.
4:02  - Extreme close up of the two, with their heads together.  They continue to dance with their headphones in their ears.  This is so they don't disturb the people sleeping around them.
4:06 - A long, wide shot of the two continuing to slow dance.  This shot is angled through a window, in onto the couple.
4:11 - The shot then becomes low and wide again.  The couple are now making a bed on the floor ( representing the name of the song 'sleeping on the floor') The entirety of this scene shows a raw love in that, they are travelling however they still put a makeshift wedding, as they want to be together.
4:19 - Close up changing from dark to light lighting, of the woman lying on the floor.
4:25 - POV shot from the girls eyes, looking and seeing a blurred image of a front door closing.  This shot shows that the entirety of the music video was her dreaming or her imagination.
4:35 - The camera goes back to a shot of the girl looking upset, still lying on the floor.
4:40 - the shot stays the same but the girl has gone.

This music video is highly representative of the paths we take in life.  At the start you can see that the woman has the decision to go with the man or stay home.  It seems as though someone has died and she stayed as she was sad.  As the music video plays, you can see what would have happened if the girl had chosen a different route.

Research - Non genre specific Anna Wise Precious Possession Analysis (3)

'Precious Possessions' is a song by Anna Wise released in 2017.  The song is from the so soundtrack of the TV show 'Dear White People'.  Anna Wise is labeled as 'The Bride' in the video.  The video is about equality between races and suggests that the two lovers in the video are not allowed to be together.  

The video opens as the main character (The Bride) is looking in the mirror at her self as though she was getting ready.  The frame then goes to beck and this shot comes up.  The female is dominating the frame and you can see the male character asleep in the background.  The frame is covered in light colours and bright natural light.  This all contrasts with the mans skin colour, which immediately sets a contrast between black and white.  This is what the video is based off, which becomes clear as the video continues. 

The next shot is from the outside of what seems to be a cabin in the middle of the woods.  This is a very secluded area which again suggests that the couple have to hide their time together.  The shot itself is through the glass of the cabin and shows the woman looking out into the forest.  She seems to be sat on the side of the bed and the male is not in the shot.  The music has not yet started however there is a gentle hollow noise in the background, warming up to the song beginning.  

The music begins properly with a high angled, birds eye view of  'The Bride' lying in bed.  She wears red lipstick and the colours around her are very light but full of colour.  She takes up the majority of the frame, along with the pillows which are floral.  However, you can see the the arm of someone in the corner of the frame.  He is also dressed in white which goes along with the style and the colouring of the rest of the frame and video in general.

As the second character is introduced, the room goes from the light colours and lighting of the day time to the dark, but warm, lighting of the night.  The males face is never really shown and it remains very focused on the 'bride'. The shot itself is a close up to medium shot of the two hugging as the male has just entered.  The woman seems to be very into the hug, where as the man isn't really hugging her back.  this is a theme throughout the video, in that the love seems more one way. He dresses in dark colours and she dresses in light, reinforcing their differences. 

The scene then begins to get more intimate and the two are seen with less clothes on and in a very sexual position.  The man is seen kissing the woman's chest.  The idea that the he is not as in love as she is, contrasts with this shot.  However, it could be suggesting that the relationship is only sexual for him; not emotionally involved.  The scenes constantly flip between day and night.  The lights and the darks again highlights the differences in their races.   The shot is a medium shot of the top half of the bodies. 

It then continues into the scene becoming more intimate.  The camera tracks the males had as it moves up the leg of the 'bride'.  She wears white lingerie and the shot is highly sexualised. The woman seems to sit and allow him to touch her.  This reinforces the suggested idea that the male is only interested in the sexual side of the relationship and she wants more.  The lighting the the shot is very warm, which is a good lighting for a sexual scene. 

The shot is then interrupted by a daytime shot of the two lying in bed.  The 'bride' is the main focus in the frame, just like throughout the video.  However, this is one of the first scenes where she hasn't got eye contact with the camera.  She lay on the males chest and he shows no affection towards her.  She stares out the window as though something was wrong or that she was thinking about something.  Her hair is also tied back which is not seen in the video before this.  The shot is high angled, like a birds eye view shot, down onto the bed.  

She then is seen sat up looking out the window. the male is asleep.  The fact that her hair is down suggests that it is another day to the shot before.  It could be said that the male comes over at night, sleeps with her, showing her no affection and then leaves.  This could be why in all of the daytime shots she is seen with a black face, looking quite sad and as though she is in deep thought.  The shot itself is a close up shot of the 'bride' through the window.  The fact that its through the window, makes her looked trapped and could suggest that she is trapped in this lifestyle/love.

After the scene being interrupted by another scene of the intimate scene of the two, it then goes onto an over the shoulder shot of the 'bride' looking in a mirror at herself.  This looks like it leads on from the previous shot of her looking out the window.  The expression on her face as she looks in the mirror isnt happy.  She looks quite disturbed.  This suggests that she is unhappy with herself. 

The next shot is of the two sat on the sofa.  The 'bride' is lying across the lap of the male.  This act is almost like she is trying to get his attention.  The shot itself is a close up of the womans face.  Her hair is all pulled back and she looks quite innocent.  He now wears a blue shirt which is different to what he has been wearing.  When he first came into the scenes, he wore dark colours, but as he's stayed they become lighter.  Perhaps fitting in with her. Which could suggest a further meaning in that he could be changing/controlling him. 

It then is interrupted again by the night time intimate shots.  The woman is shown with the back of her completely unclothed now.  The lighting is very warm.  The man is not in shot.  The shot is a low medium shot of the woman, who looks very intriguing and beautiful in this shot.  This is the most skin shown in the whole video.   

There is then an establishing shot of where the cabin they are staying in is.  It is in the middle of the woods and very excluded from other people.  The 'bride' sits on the outside of the house without the man in shot.  It could be that the man is no longer there.  She looks powerful with her long dress, high up on a balcony; almost queen like.  This contrasts with her looking sad and vulnerable throughout the video previously.  The lighting is cold in this shot which contrasts the rest of the video, which again could mean that he has gone. 

The 'bride' is then shown inside on the bed that the two had previously been in.  Her dress is spread over the bed and she looks like royalty again; very powerful.  The male is not in shot at all when this side of her is shown.  This could mean that the love she has for him makes her week.  The lighting here is still quite cold, highlighting his absence.  It is an establishing/long shot of the woman. 

The scene is interrupted by shots of the couple being intimate at night again.  The lighting is dark and warm like the rest of the video, but also in contrast with the previous shot.  She always is seen above the man.  This could reinforce the idea of her power.  The shot itself is a medium shot of the two together.  This scene links back to how they are at the beginning of the video.

I think that this shot is one of the most powerful throughout the video.  The couple show no affection towards each other and sit with their backs to each other.  This could be because they have had a falling out or to follow the idea of their being little to know affection from the man to the woman.  The shot is an establishing of the two in the room, on the bed.  The lighting remains cold and the colours light.  

In conclusion to my analysis on 'Precious Possessions' by Anna Wise, I have learnt and discovered things used in this video which i plan to use in my project.  The first being the vintage feel to the video.  There was a vintage theme in the clothing, makeup and general dress up of the video.  This is something I would like to use in my video.  I also liked the idea of the narrative.  It followed a forbidden love plot, which is something I think is intriguing.  I would like to do something similar in my video.  The whole video is very representative of, as said before, a forbidden love, but also what seems to be a one sided love.  The woman seems to be a lot more involved in the relationship. This is represented through the woman's body language towards the male.  This also contrasts with the males body language towards her.  His doesn't seem to be adoring of her, like she is to him.  

Research - Genre non specific Beyoncé sorry analysis

Beyoncé is one of the most, if not the most, influential artists in the current industry.  She released her most recent album 'lemonade' on 23rd April 2016. This album was one her best selling.  The whole album was influenced by the hardship she had gone through at that time with her husband cheating on her.  Each song references the hardships he went through at that time and how she wa feeling.  One of these songs being 'Sorry'.  This songs shows Beyoncé getting at men and she is not sorry for it.  Women are often made to feel bad about showing certain emotions, especially anger (towards men).  Her Beyoncé is angry at her husband and she's not sorry for it.  Throughout the song she almost attacks her husband, using shady lines to get at his career and what he has done. The music video to the video complements the lyrics in an unusual style, explaining a reaction to the adultery. It is a very powerful video, which is why I wanted to analyse it. There is a very clear message of female empowerment which runs through this videoI think there is a lot to learn from this video.

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The opening scene to the video shows, the ceiling of a bus.  These are reflections of light off, what I presume to be, a disco ball covering the ceiling.  They move as music begins to play.  The shot is a tilted, low angled shot. It is in black and white, like the entirety of the video.  In the centre of the frame is the word 'apathy'.  This perhaps could represent Beyoncé lack of interest towards an apology from her husband.  Or it could how that sh has lost motivation from the things she has been through.  I think that it is cleaver how she has included this single word at the befinning of the video, as it immediately grabs the audiences attention, in that it creates a question.  The audience is questioning why she has this word there.

The next shot is of women sat on the bus. They sit looking foreword and without any interaction with each other.  They are all black women and wear white face paint.  The shot is a side close up of the women's faces.  It could also be considered a wide shot as it captures all of the woman's faces  , as well as their surroundings.  The women look strong; their posture it's up right and they hold their heads high.  This scene is not only captured from this angle, but from a low angle beneath the women as well.  The woman move in sinc with the innocent music of a music box. They almost look as though they are robots as they dance. This scene is another one which grabs the attention of the audience.  The song 'sorry' doesn't originally have the opening of the music box noise and therefore the change in it being there isn't expected.  It also is a very dramatic style of music, which creates power behind the scene.  This shot is the beginning of the representation of powerful women which runs through this video.


The next shot introduced in this video is of Beyonce herself.  It looks as though she is sat opposite the women on the bus. In this shot you are unable to tell the individual in the shot is Beyonce as she sits with her head down and a hat over her hair.  She is sat central in the shot, which is a mid shot of her.  The idea of her bowing her head contrasts with the previous shot as it introduces the idea of weakness; head bowing is usually associated with weakness.  However alternatively it could represent a strong introduction for Beyonce; you currently don't know who it is, which builds up a big reveal.  The fact that she sits alone also enhances her independence and strength.  She is also dressed and represented in a different manor to the rest of the females.  The others all show their face containing the white make up and sit with their heads held high.  Another way this could be interpreted is the idea that these woman are strong, but Beyonce has weakened because of the betrayal from her husband.  It could be that the other woman have noticed this and intend to change it.

The shot then changes to an outside shot.  This shot is a low angled shot of the sky and the tree.  The tree is a willow tree and its branches cover the majority of the sky.  To the side of the frame is the sun.  The sun highlights the gaps between the tree branches, as well as the trees outline.  This shot is introducing something more than just the bus which we have seen so far in the video.  As the camera pans down slowly, viewing the surroundings, a house is introduced.  This is only a subtle introduction, which foreshadows later events.  The sun shining through the trees in this shot could be representative of power.  The sun is extremely powerful, as well as the light that it produces.  This follows the theme of power which runs throughout this video.

Following the house being subtly introduced, is a shot of the decking in the front of the house.  The house looks extremely grand.  Everything seems to be white and well looked after. There is also multiple of sitting areas displayed in shot, which suggests that there are many people staying in the house.  The shot itself is a low angled establishing shot.  The camera pans inwards, tracking the floor; almost exploring the surroundings.  This creates a snake like view of the area.  This shot is very smooth and creates tension about what will happen next in the video.

In a similar manor to the previous shot, we are taken inside the house.  As the camera goes exploring through the house, there seems to be no human activity.  However, as shown in the outside shot, it is very grand and very looked after.  The camera goes from a low angled shot, panning upwards showing a staircase.  Sat at the top of this stair case shows a woman.  She sits low, looking directly at the camera.  The shot itself is a low angled establishing/wide shot.  The woman wears all black and stands out against the white house.  At this point it is uncertain whether or not this is Beyonce as the camera is so far away.  The same theme as running through the whole video is followed; power.  The way the woman sits shows that she wants to be noticed; she lowers herself below obstacles which could block her from the camera.  The way she looks straight at the camera is very intimidating as well; this shows power.

The camera then pans around and the female is seen down stairs.  It can now be seen that this is not Beyonce, however the females face is difficult to make out.  The shot here seems to be hand held, tracking the woman.  It is a wide shot of the female, she is the only thing in shot.  She still wears all black and what she wears seems to be very dramatic; the arms to her top/dress are very flared.  Before at the top of the stair, she was the other thing that wasn't white in shot.  However in this shot, there is something else coming into shot which is black also.  This takes away the drama and the focus on the female.  However, the theme of power is something which she still holds.

As the camera continues to track the female as she walks through the house, an over the shoulder shot is used.  This is very dramatic.  As she comes  into another room, we are introduced to Beyonce for the first time.  This is a very strong introduction.  As the woman is being followed, what she is walking into is blurred and the focus is on the walking woman.  However, whilst the over the shoulder shot is occurring Beyonce can be seen in the background.  She sits lazily in a thrown like chair. This is the biggest representation of female strength and power we have had so far in the video.

The camera then goes around the house discovering an increasing amount of females all over the house. The camera then goes back to the shot on bus.  These shots show the females moving and dancing around the bus.  The shots range from wide shots to close ups.  In the close ups, the white face paint which is shown in the shots at the beginning of the video can be seen in greater detail.   In a close up, the paint doesn't look as decorative as it did before, like makeup, but rather like a form of intimidation.  This idea is also complimented by the faces the females make in the close ups.  They look as though they are smug; laughing at the men.  This follows the power and strength theme.

The camera then returns back to the shot of Beyonce on the thrown.  The female shown in the earlier shots is shown sitting by the side of Beyonce.  Beyonce still sits in the thrown like chair, with her legs over the side of the chair.  The way that she is sat is seen as an improper way to sit on a chair.  This could be representative of her power; she holds so much strength, that she is making up new rules and doesn't have to follow traditional ones.  This shot is a wide shot of the two.

Beyonce is now shown on the bus again.  Here she is seen shouting and singing.  This could be seen as a way of hyping up the rest of the women on the train.  However,  the women here are no longer daning and moving like they were before, they now sit upright looking across the bus, like they were at the beginning.  This could show the respect that they have for her.  The shot itself here is a low angled shot of Beyonce.  Her head almost hits the top of the bus.  The shot is very wide also and captures the women sat to either side of her.

In the next shot, the women which has featured in many appears again.  This shot is a tracking shot again, however this time it is from the front of her.  The shot itself is a mid wide shot of the female.  Now from the front of the female, it can now be recognised that she is the tennis player Serena Williams.  The fact that she features in this video says a lot about what Beyonce is trying to portray.  Serena Williams is a brilliant tennis player and definitely shows what a strong woman is, in terms of sports specifically.  Being in this video brings together strong women and what they are capable of.

After several visits ti the shots on the bus and some inside of the house, the camera shows a shot of the females outside.  They stand and gather around an army vehicle.  This again shows power in women.  This is intimidating and shows power.  The shot itself is lit in a very harsh light; like car lights.  The camera pans from one end of the scene to the other, displaying the entirety of the formation of the women around the car.

The video seems to remain going back and forth between the previous shots of the bus, car, Beyonce on the thrown etc.  As the video goes on, the clips seem to get shorter and the women are becoming more vagarious.  This contrasts with this new shot.  This shot shows Beyonce sat, upright, staring at the camera.  Her hair is all up and she wears nothing but a metallic brallete.  She looks very Egyptian.  The shot itself is very powerful.  She sits centre view of the camera, looking directly at it.  Her hands are behind her and she leans back onto them. The shot is a wide shot.  The lighting in this shot is very powerful.  It comes down at an angle onto her, creating the back of the room, the top of the room and herself in darkness.  However the light hits the bottom of her.  The light also slightly hits the whites of her eyes, which creates power.  This is perhaps (in my opinion) the most powerful shot in the entire music video.

In conclusion to my analysis of Beyonce's 'Sorry', I can say that I have learnt a lot.  I predicted that I would at the start of the video, as it is Beyonce who is a very talented artists.  The video itself is very unusual, but moving.  I think without backstory to what has happened to Beyonce with her husban, it'd be very difficult to understand what she was targetting.  On the other hand, It is very obvious that there is a strong target towards female power.  I thought the fact that the video was in black and white created more drama to the video.  In my own project I would like to use a lot of black and white, as I think it can be used in many different ways to create meaning and effect.  I think the shots that were used in the video were of excellence.  Every shot seemed to target the same message, but at a different angle.  The use of tracks and pans in the video, was very popular.  Again this was something which worked well.  When creating my own video, I would like to consider individual shots, like Beyonce has to ensure every detail is create a message.  Analysing this music video has been very halepful.
























A new shot involved in the mix up is this dark egypitian shot of beyonce.
ends on this after interuptionn of other shots

Research - Genre specific Jorja Smith Teenage Fantasy (3)

The music video to 'teenage fantasy' by Jorja Smith is one that I am a big fan of.  The video is very romantic and set in Paris.  The lyrics to the song itself tell a story about how everyone is longer for a passionate first love; a teenage fantasy. The music video follow the narrative of two women,  dressing up to look identical am going around Paris.  It seems as though the two are representative of 'everyone'; wanting the teenage fantasy. I love how the video is shot and think it is very tasteful.

The beginning shot shows a form of establishing shot of the view from a balcony in Paris.  A town street of Paris town hoses can be seen and the lights and darks are in a relatively high contrast.  As the shot begins, the camera pans slightly.  The shot is in black and white lie the entirety of the video and has cropped boarders around the side of the frame.  To begin the song, classical music play to compliment this shot of France.

As the music continues, the shot change to introduce a character. This female (Jorja Smith) is indroduced with a shot panning from her feet, up her legs and body, to her face.  This is a very cinematic introduction of a character; experience a female in vintage films.  The shot remains in a close up mature of the woman.  This shot is followed by a mid close up of the woman, in a similar style.  There is a very elegant and suductive feel about this enterance and it imidiately grabs attention.
After establishing the character, the shot which follows is one of the woman walking through a house with the camera tracking her. The woman wears little and I believe this could be to make her more generic. The camera stay in a long shot of the woman and focuses on her body.  This again is in a very sudctuve nature as the woman wears little and runs her hands along funiture.  She behaves as though she knows she is being watched.  Not only does this shot give us more about the character and her nature, but also what the location is.  The apartement she is in is very beautiful and sophisticated.

The shot of the woman walking through the apartment leads us to a shot of the woman leaning over, what we presume to be, the balcony shown at the beginning.  The lighting of this shot contrasts with the lighting of shots before this as it is very light.  Before this had been shown the general lighting of the shot was very dark and showed a clear contrast between the lights and darks of the frame.  She seems to lean over to talk to someone.
Another character is introduced in the next shot.  Another woman is shown smoking over the shoulder of a male.  This could be her trying to have this 'teenage fantasy', but she doesn't look content doing so.  The shot itself itself is a close up of the two.  The mans face is unable to be seen, however the woman's face is very clear.  She looks fed up and seems more interested in smoking than in the man.  The costume involved in the shot is very clear on the male; a stripped top.  This top follows the French theme in that a stripped top contatates France.  The woman looks down to the floor in this shot and then sees keys.  This is when she sees her escape from the male.
After spotting the keys on the floor, the camera goes back to the woman.  Here, the shot is of her hand where she holds her cigarette by the side of her.  This shot is again contrasting and very dark.  The white from the cigarette and the lightness of her hand contrasts with the darkness of her clothing.  She then drops the cigarette on the floor.  This could represent he leaving the male o throwing things she doesn't need away.  This again very elegant shot.
Once the cigarette has been disposed on the woman is shown walking through a clear door of an apartment block.  She then waits outside of a door. It is presumed that this is the apartment that the keys are for.  Onc the door is opened the first woman opens the door; this is the apartment shown at the beginning of the video. The shot goes between the two women an is a mid close up.  The woman arriving at the door brings out money and then enters the appartment.  I believe that the woman is paying for a 'teenage fantasy' with this woman.

The two spend time dancing and dressing up as though they are identical.  They wear the same black wigs.  The entire of this section is in slow motion .  The shot here shows the first woman looking at drawls in th mirror.  The shot is a close up of the woman's face as she lean on her arm.  She looks as though she has stopped and thought about what is happening.  Thi shot is not as clear as a lot of the shots, but is similar to the ones in the beginning.
The women continue to get ready.  They put each other's makeup on and look as though they are getting ready for something.  This shot shows a close up of the woman's lips as the other woman puts her lipstick on.  The shot has a contrast of lights and darks from each side of the woman's face.  You can see that the side of her face turned away from the camera is dark and the side closes to the camera is like.  Perhaps this suggests the ulterego.

The women are then seen in a car on there way to Central Paris.  It is presumed that they are in a taxi as neither of the women are driving.  The shot is a low angled, mid close up of the the women. The the first shot is of the second woman looking forwards, over her glasses.  The shot then faces the opposite direction, facing Jorja.  She is not as central as the first shot and she faces out of the window.  Jorja seems to e caught mid thought in a lot of the shots. The lighting of the inside of the taxi, contrasts with the light outside.
After the shot of the two in the car, they are seen in their location.  This shot how's the two looking at their reflection in a shop window.  The shot only shows the reflection and is a mid close up of the two.  They are walking down the street of Paris and not only do they wear matching wigs, but now berets and sunglasses.  As the video goes on, the womaen become more and more identical. The beret also signifies Paris and French fashion. 

This shot they are shown walking through the streets.  They are dressed in long, black coats, Dr Martins & they're hats.  The camera tracks the two as they walk.  The shot is a long shot and the camera is hand held.  They're are people in the background.  They are very unusual and they do stand out against the other members of public.  The act they are dressed the same could still represent the idea that they are representative of a group of people all wanting a 'teenage fantasy'.
As the day continues, the shot sky turns dark as it becomes night.  After showing the two walking through the streets, there is a following shot of the street.  This shows the traffic down the road.  Th cars and bikes pass through.  The shot is a moving establishing shot of the street and it appears to be handheld.  There is little light and the shot is very dark.  The only lights in the shot are from he street lights, shop signs and vehicles. The shot in the video seem to get darker as the video goes on.  This shows time progressing.

The next shot, again, is very dark.  It seems to be as though the two are at the party.  The first shot to suggest this is a shot of a room ceiling.  The ceiling is very grand and is painted.  In the centre of it ther is a disco ball.  The shot uses an almost time lapse effect to show the ball moving.  The majority of the shot is dark, with the light hitting the disco ball as it moves and a small section of the ceiling.
Using a pan the camera moves from the ceiling, down the room to see the outline of the two girls dancing.  Their outline of the two are enhanced by the lamp behind them.  They dance as the light flickers. This again has a time lapse feel to the shot,it is also in slow motion which either shows a delay of time; maybe to show them stuck in this moment/enjoying the moment.  Or, it could show a passing of time.
The two are then shown going to catch a train. The shot here is a long shot of the couple, they are tracked by the camera running to the train l. They run through the station and their coats float behind them.  The shot is in slow motion and the camera is very handheld. As the two reach the platform of the station, the camera pans round to view the train which is stationed there.  The camera is still and held and going in one direction and the train in the other. The shot is very fast moving.  Perhaps this shot is to show the carefree teenage lifestyle the song describes.
The shot of the two running through the station, its presumed that they would get on a train after.  However, they are next seen outside the station, sat on the steps.  They sit either side of the steps, with enough room for people to get through.  The shot is a long shot of the two. They look like a mirror image of each other.  As the shot continues, the position that the women are sat in changes.  After being sat far apart from each other, they sit closer embracing with each other.  The camera stays in exactly the same position.
To end the video, it seems to go back to the beginning shots.  Jorja is seen with someone getting her ready. It is presumed that it is the other woman.  However, the change from the beginning of the song, where Jorja is getting someone else ready for going out has changed as someone is getting her ready.  This shows a more weaker side to the character.  The shot is a close up shot of her head.  The shot is broken up by the intruding hand doing her hair and getting her ready.  The forth rule is broken here by the woman looking at the camera as the shot finishes. 

In conclusion to my analysis of Jorja Smith's 'Teenage Fantasy' video, I really like the ratio of the frame; how it's cropped.  I also like how classic it is.  The filming is very pretty and creates numerous creative shots.  The fact that the video is in black and white is also something I like as it gives a vintage and classy feel to the video.  There is a lot from this video that I would like to recreate in my own; shots, colouration, etc.

Research - Non- genre specificThe A team Ed Sheeran analysis (2)

The female story in Ed sheeran's 'The A team' is based around a true story about a male artist who met a homeless woman at a homeless shelter.  The video was released in 2011 as part of Ed's album 'plus'.  Ed doesn't perform in the video and the main protagonist is a young woman.  By having the woman as the protagonist, it allows the audience to engage more in the video, as in some cases she is relatable.  The angle taken on the video also allows the audience to understand the song as what happens in the video strongly correlates with the lyrics of the song.

On of the first, opening shots is of the female protagonist lying dead at the feet of another woman.  The other woman is hysterically crying and obviously upset by the protagonists death.  The shot is a high angled close up of the womans face.  Her eyes are wide open, which suggests that the death was sudden.  It also isn't obvious that she is dead, however as the audience we do presume that the woman is dead.  Before this shot there is a shot of the body with the crying woman at the side.  Then this shot turns into the high angled close up.  The woman is staring blank at the camera with a black background and the noise of birds chirping.  This scene and series of shots project a cold feeling towards the video and intrigue the audience into wanted to know how this woman died. 

We then see a long establishing shot of the girl who is seen dead in the previous shot, asleep on a bench.  This shows the audience or suggests that this girl is homeless. The fact that she is sleeping on a bench is accompanied by her smudged makeup and ripped clothes, again showing she is poor/homeless. This shot shows how lonely the girl is.  The fact that she is lying on a bench in the middle of an open area suggests that she has no one, that she is taken on the world alone.  All of the shots are in black and white which immediately sets the tone of the video as dark and sad.  This shot is the beginning of the story behind the girls death. 

The shot then goes on to follow the protagonist as she walks through what seems to be a park in a city.  As she moves through the area it becomes apparent that she enjoys the little things in life and that others take these things for granted.  She walks through touching the trees and smiling.  The birds that have gathered and the sun in the sky bring her pleasure.  She looks to the sky enjoying the light and the feeling of the sun on her skin.  The shot itself is a tracking of the girl in a hand held style.  this allows the audience to feel as though they are they forming a stronger relationship with the character.  

This shot of the girl is from the back of her, it is a low shot and shows her with  her arms high, almost angel-like which a running theme throughout the song.  The shot also shows the sky which could suggest heaven, again following the angelic theme.  She looks up at the sky, still appreciating the little things.  The idea of the woman being appreciative of the world could show that it takes the loss of everything to appreciate what you have.

The shots then move to when she is in the city.  This shot is a very low angled shot and shows the protagonist again looking to the sky; heaven.  There is also a ring straight above her head which again signifies that she is an angel and therefore foreshadowing her death.  The fact that the protagonist its played by a woman enforces the stereotype that she is vulnerable.  This reinforces the sympathy for the character and makes her seem more delicate.  

She then moves through the city and comes across a flower stand.  The shot of her her is an establishing long shot of her stood in the streets staring at the flowers again appreciating the little things (flowers).  As she is stood her looking at the flowers she is highlighted in a white light.  This white light makes her stand out from everyone else and again maintains this idea of her being an angel. 

The scene then moves onto the protagonist stood, with her hood up looking out onto the traffic of the city.  She stands with her blanket over her shoulder, reinforcing her poverty.  The traffic in the background is blurred and the camera focuses on her.  This creates a clear focus on the character and draws all attention to her.  Throughout the video the activities and places the character does are very simplistic.  This shows that she doesn't have a place to go and that her life consists of floating; she enjoys the little things in life. 

The woman then moves to be sat at the side of the street.  This shot is a time lapse.  When looking at this scene, there are people walking past, ignoring her sat there at the side of the road.  Throughout this shot she hardly moves and looks as though she is asking for money.  However, the fact that she doesn't move to speak, suggests that she isn't begging.  The light which has been on her for a lot of the video isn't on her in this shot, she is very dark and you can hardly make out her face. 

The video then moves to a close up shot of the previous scene.  In this shot the girl is seen crying.  She sits with her face on hand and her eyes are watery.  There is a white light which hits the right side of her face, highlighting the tears.  Here you see that her makeup is smudged down her face, and that she wears hooped earrings.  This could suggest an alternative life for the woman or that there is something else going on.  This foreshadows later events of the video as hooped earrings are an accessory highly associated with prostitution.  Something which i also noticed in this shot is that the white light highlights her face which is tired and worn, which could refer to the later drug use, seen in the video.  

The protagonist is then seen in a building or what seems to be an apartment, which makes the audience question why she stays on the streets if the apartment was hers.  Alternatively it could not be hers.  The shot here is of her in the mirror cleaning herself up.  The shot itself is high angled.  The idea of this shot could be that it is a point of view shot from the girl looking down from heaven.  As she cleans herself up in the scene, she puts on dark eye makeup and red lipstick.  She remains wearing her hooped earrings and goes on to wear a long coat.  All of  these aspects are very suggestive of the stereotypes of prostitution. 

The video then shows her stood at the side of the road and gets into a passing car.  The man driving the car takes the girl back to a very luxurious place, which could be his home or a hotel.  The protagonist then sleeps with the man for money.  In this shot the males hand is tracked as he moves it up the girls leg.  She wears fishnets which is another stereotype of prostitutes, however hers are seen with holes over them, reinforcing her poverty.  The mans hands are very worn and old in comparison to the girl. As they lay in bed together the protagonist is seen crying. This shows that what she is doing isnt because she wants to but because she has to. 

The next shot is of the girl using the money she has just got from sleeping with the man to buy drugs.  The shot shows the girl's hand in the white light, shown commonly through the video, in contrast to the dealer's hand which is in black.  In this part the audience could lose the sympathy which they have for her throughout the video as she is wasting money on drugs.  Alternatively, they could feel sorry that her form of happiness comes in drugs.  The whole of the video strongly fits the stereotype of what comes with homelessness.

Back at the apartment shown in previous scenes , the girl is seen taking the drugs she has just bought.  As she prepares to take them she lights candles and clears the room.  She does this all very quickly which suggests desperation for the drugs.  The shot itself shows her side on with a pipe near to her mouth and a lighter heating it at the end.  The majority of the frame is blurred out, even her face is slightly blurred, and is very focused on the flame from the lighter.  This could suggest that the drugs are a big part of her life but also that they are a big part of the story of how she dies. 

The final shot of the video is her lying on the floor the same as she is in the first shot.  Her eyes are open and she is staring up at the camera.  The white light which has followed her throughout the video is basically gone accept from a slight light o the left side of her face.  This could show her fading away.  The rest of the frame is very black and dominated by darkness.

In conclusion to my analysis of Ed Sheeran's 'The A Team', I have gathered and learnt many things which I would like to use in my own project.  For example, the time lapse is something i thought worked very effectively in the video.  It really got the message across and showed how long the protagonist had been there.  I want to use this in my own video as a representative of time.  Another thing I liked from this video is the narrative.  I think that I will use a similar kind of story line in my video.  The fact that the video was in black and white is something I liked as well as I think it set the tone of the video.  In my own video I think I will use black and white, however in sections instead of all the was through.  I think this video analysis has been very helpful in getting ideas for my own video.