Pre - Production ( Music Video Brainstorm)

 

Now that the song has been written, the next step would be to get it recorded and ready for release, but in the meantime, I thought I could use this waiting time to plan and brainstorm ideas for my very own music video. 

To start me off, my teacher recommended 3 of the most iconic music videos in pop culture, just to help me get an idea, in terms of style, production value and story lines. 

THRILLER: 

• I like this music video since it has a storyline, a prologue and an epilogue with a bunch of dialogue. 
• The setting also connects with the lyrics of the song's theme of fright and scare (i.e. it's filmed at night and at an alleyway). 
• The dance choreography makes it iconic since that is what it's become most known for, to this day. 
•  However, keep in mind that this video had a huge budget with a professional director (John Landis -  a famous horror film director ) which is why it's so high quality. 

TAKE ON ME

• Unlike "Thriller", this music video is advanced in a way that it uses animation that move with a "flip book effect". 
• I also really like that this video has a story line - a comic book character comes to life to take the woman to the 2D world he lives in, and then things get more action packed.
• The storyline is romantic and tragic like the message behind the music video, as the woman has the desire to be with someone who won’t stick around forever.
• This video was also high- budget, which is why the quality of editing was high quality and enjoyable to watch. 

SLEDGEHAMMER

• The video consists of a man who lip syncs his way through the entire song, using a "stop motion" effect. 
• Whilst this happens, different elements in the background change (i.e. claymation and a chicken dancing on stage) 
• This is what I think makes it interactive and interesting to watch. 
• This would have high production value, but is also attainable at low cost - apps are available for free that can mimic this effect.
• The only disadvantage this would have is how time consuming it would be, as stop motion is an intricate art. 

Now that I've gotten a grasp of what iconic music videos were like, I researched some of my own inspirations, music videos I've watched in the past and find fitting in this scenario. 

BACKBURNER

• I like that this music video has a prologue and an epilogue, it has a storyline.

• Storyline - woman watching old camcorder footage of her filmed by her once significant other, the montage ends and the laptop reveals she's deleted all that footage, as a means to move on. 

• This music video reveals how nostalgia can feel good but also bitter, behind the camera is someone she cherished and lost, therefore making these memories feel painful to look back to.

• I like how there's diegetic audio from the footage, I think it helps distinguish the music video from the song. 

• I also like the idea of the montage that is played throughout majority of the video, it makes it intimate and personal. 

• The quality also seems attainable at a low budget. 

STAY

• This video has a scrapbook style to it, with frequent transitions from photos to videos, almost like a video collage. 

• I really like the polaroid picture idea, how it's layered on top of each other. 

• The video footages are similar to NIKI's "Back burner" with someone filming her, using a camcorder. 

• The theme of nostalgia is seen again in this song's message and video style, the photos and videos acting like the memories she'd like to go back to if she had another chance, just like how she wants to get back to the way things were with her ex, even if it's only for a night. 

I Hope U See This

• I really like how the shots are all so cinematic yet so simple, since most of them are static. 

• The dialogue is in Vietnamese (to represent the country she came from).

• I also like the slow motion montage of her dancing to the song & the use of slow motion over all - which I think highlights the fact that this may have been a memory from the past, making it feel more personal. 

• Again, she makes it feel more personal by using a child actress to represent a younger version of her. It also makes the video feel more raw and vulnerable. 

I enjoy the concept of the three self - recommended music videos and hope to apply some of its techniques and elements, in planning and during production.