Video Techniques and Influences

Ariana Grande & The Weeknd – Love Me Harder

This video features a lot of features I like and will use to influence my work. This video opens with a shot of the location and I believe this is a good way for the video to begin and may implement this into my video. I like the shot of Grande surrounded by the light to make her appear as a shadowy figure and hope to include a shot like this in my video. There was a type of editing I observed in the video that I liked when the screen would fade to black for less than a second and then come back up on Grande having slightly moved. I would like to implement something like this in my video.

One Direction – Steal My Girl

This video features many video techniques that I would like to feature in my music video. I like the way the shot on top of the mountain creates a contrast between the lighting featured in the rest of the video. The sunset effect looks very good and I would like to include something like it in my music video. I like the second shot for two reasons, the way the camera zooms out to reveal all the people copying what Liam is doing and also because of how it is shot so that we can see all the people are doing the same movements. Finally I like the editing at the bit where Niall is dancing with the tribes people because of how it is edited to the bear, going in and out to the sound of the beat and also in unison with the dancing.

Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj – Bang Bang

I like some of the shots used in this video because of the way they establish the location and artists in the video. The first shot is good because of the way it establishes the location of the video as an overall while also introducing us to the artists featured in the video. The second shot introduces Nicki Minaj through her legs only and I like this as the first way to see her in the video because it slowly introduces her to the audience before finally revealing her face. The final shot is a good long shot because it shows all the dancers surrounding Nicki and also has the helicopter in the background as well as the city. This establishes a relation between the Nicki and the helicopter.

Taylor Swift – Blank Space

This video features many shots I like and this is only few of the shot features I would like to utilise in my final product. I like the first shot because of the way it is framed with Taylor in the middle and two horses on either edge. It fits in with the bazar theme of the video and utilises the long shot perfectly as a way to mix something unexpected with something that could have been normal. The second shot is good because of the way it represents the culture that Taylor and the model are representing in the video through the use of costume and also the location being visible in the background, sticking out quiet a lot. The final shot is good because of the use of angles making the guy seem really small and inferior to Taylor because of the control she has been shown to have over him.

Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud

The first shot featured in this video is very good because of the silhouette feature it causes with the dancer. I really like the use of lighting to black out the dancer as I think this is a good technique that adds more depth to a music video. The second shot is good because again it uses the black out feature but in a more subtle way. The long shot of the two entering the spotlights it really well framed and I would like to do something along the lines of this in my music video. The final shot also uses good lighting to light up behind Ed and the dancer. This time however, they are not blacked out but the light still gives off a strong effect.

Ella Henderson - Ghost

The first shot is good because of the way it is framed with the guy taking up the frame and the light subtly leaking into the shot. I like the second shot because of the way it uses the black out lighting to make the guy appear as a shadowy figure as opposed to the person we saw in the earlier shot. The final shot is good because of the way it has Ella walking in front of the police cars, lighting her up from behind and making her stand out from the rest of the surroundings.

Sia - Chandelier

I like the first shot because of the way it is introduced through a few shots of the empty building only to cut to this shot to feature the girl motionless in the doorway. I think this was an effective way to introduce her into the performance, as well as her bazar dancing throughout the piece. I like the next shot because of the way the light falls on her to make her appear more as a shape rather than a person. I like the final shot because of the way the girl appears from down a long, dark hallway with light appearing at the end of the hallway.

Iggy Azalea - Work

I like the first shot because of the way Iggy appears outside the café through the window, relating to the person without interacting with them. I like the second shot because of the way it is framed to have the lighting be like a sunset behind Iggy. I like the final shot again because of how the lighting has made Iggy appear as a shadow as opposed to a person.