Main Task - 'Wasting Time' - Lyrics Analysis

Main Task - Artist Correspondence

We managed to find Littlewing through a friend, and due to the fact they have a Facebook page for the band, it was very easy to make initial contact with them. We made most of the correspondence with the lead singer Annie, who was then able to contact the other members of the band for us. 
They were very willing to help us with creating a music video. I think was particularly because they are an independent, so it would be very useful to them to have a music video created for free.
They had a lot of faith in us by letting us create a music video for their song, as they had to trust that we would make a music video that they could use themselves.
Obviously, we had hoped for the band to feature in the music video, and having asked them, they seemed more than happy to.

Following this initial contact, Annie forwarded the message onto the rest of the band to make sure they would be up for it, and thankfully they were. It was so useful to be able to work with the band directly, due to the fact they themselves had written the song, so if they had ideas for the music video they were able to tell us.

It seemed like it had been plain sailing organising what the music video would be like with the band. However we encountered one issue; trying to find a date to film. We realised that it was near impossible to find a date that 5 people from 2 different locations could do. Eventually, we found a date that the band and my partner could do, but I was unable to get time off work to help. Although I was disappointed that I would be there for production, it was the only day that all the band could do, so I entrusted my partner to complete the shoot for me.

Main Task - Chosen Song - 'Wasting Time' - Littlewing

We chose the song 'Wasting Time' by Littlewing to produce a music video for. They have three songs on their EP, however we chose this song because it was quite light hearted, and the song itself wasn;t over-produced, so if we chose to create a live performance element as part of our music video, it would be feasible.
Also, production would be taking place in summer/early autumn. Although British weather is unpredictable, we hoped that it would be quite pleasant weather, and this would therefore fit well with the tone of the song.

Main Task - Chosen Artist - Littlewing

Littlewing is a three piece alternative-rock band from Buckinghamshire.

Annie Needham (Guitar / Vocals)
Joe Humphrey (Drums)
Nick Morgan (Bass / BV's) 

Chloe got in contact with Littlewing after having found some of their music from their EP 'Barricades ' on Soundcloud. We had found that they were from Buckinghamshire, which was pretty local for us, so it seemed that finding a location for shooting would be easier, as we wouldn't have to travel far to accommodate for the band. 

Having got in contact with them, they were more than happy for us to create a music video for them, as they had wanted one made for ages, and they trusted that we would make one that they would be able to use in their own marketing.

Main Task - Initial Ideas

Before we chose the final song that we would create a music video for, we decided to brainstorm about the style and genre of music video that we wanted to create. Both myself and Chloe (the girl I worked alongside) are into indie music, particularly bands such as Bombay Bicycle Club, Two Door Cinema Club, and The Vaccines. Therefore we knew that when it came to picking a song, it should probably be within the indie genre, as it is something we both like and are interested in. At this point we didn't know what style of music video we wanted to create, so we just jotted down possible venues, bands and genres that we could use as our starting point.

Music Video Analysis: Indie Alternative: Hozier - Work Song



Performer and Record Label

Andrew Hozier-Byrne, known professionally by the mononym Hozier, is an Irish indie rock singer and songwriter from Bray, and he is signed to Island Records. Island Records is a major record label that operates as a division of Universal Music Group

Narrative

The music video for 'Work Song' is focused around the romantic relations between people, and these relationships have been demonstrated through dance and movement. The song itself is about how sometimes people can be pulled away from the one they love, but in the end they will always try to find a way back to them. This is particularly demonstrated through the line:

'No grave, can hold my body down
I'll crawl home to her'

The use of dance as opposed to a usual narrative I feel makes the narrative more open to interpretation. It could be seen that the pairs of dancers are dancing to symbolise the love between them, but it could also be seen as the break up of a relationship, and the male in the relationship attempting to 'crawl home' to the female: he is trying to win the female back.

Mise en scene
The entirety of the music video takes place inside a building, which looks like a barn. It has been set up to look like a live performance of a Hozier song, and the rest of the cast have been made to appear like audience members of the gig. The location for the music video could have been created in a studio, due to the fact it is only one location to create. Also, by creating the setting in a studio, you are able to control the lighting more easily. At one point in the music video, majority of the cast leave, leaving only the dancers in the room. Although the same location is used, this change in cast members make it appear at first to the audience as if the room has changed.

Costume, Make Up and Props
The costume of the cast seems to fit well with the location on the music video. With it being set within what appears to be a barn, the actors are wearing quite rural clothing: the women wearing shirt dress, and the men wearing quite loose fitting shirts. The make up of all of the cast is also very minimalist, which reinforces the rural location of the music video. Throughout the music video there aren't many major props, so it could be considered that the dancers themselves are the main props of the music video. They are helping drive the narrative, due to the fact that they are telling the audience a story of love through their movements.

Lighting and Colour
The lighting in this music is quite natural, and almost appears to be daylight. However it is clear that synthetic lighting has been used to achieve this, due to the fact you are unable to control daylight, so the levels of light could change throughout the day. Also, throughout the video, it appears like there are several small spotlights that are moving around the entirety of the location.
The video itself has quite a warm tone to it, mainly due to the browns of the location, accompanied by the colouring of the dancer's clothing. This warm tone matches well with the rawness of the artist Hozier's voice, so the visuals accompanied by the sound work very well together.

Camera and Editing
The editing throughout the music video is quite basic, in that time hasn't been shrunk or expanded, and there hasn't been any unusual transitions between shots used. The camera is very mobile throughout the whole music video, which allows us to see all of the dancing, accompanied by Hozier singing. The close ups in the music video tend to mainly be of Hozier, due to the fact that the dancers are constantly moving, so the use of a wide shot or a medium close up allows the audience to see all of their movements.

Music Video Analysis: Indie Alternative: The Wombats - Give Me a Try

Performer and Record Label

The Wombats are an English indie rock band formed in Liverpool. The band is signed to 14th Floor Records in the United Kingdom and Bright Antenna in the United States.

14th Floor Records is a British subsidiarity record label of Warner Music UK, founded in 2002 by part owner Christian Tattersfield.



Narrative

There isn't one set narrative throughout the music video, however it is based around the concept of dating apps, and the people that use them. Close up shots of people's phones show the app that appears to look similar to apps such as Tinder. Part of the music video shows the people on the app taking their profile pictures, showing that people can be quite different behind what you can see in the picture. Throughout the music video, several dates take place, connecting several of the narratives together, as they have an unsuccessful date and then go on a another date with a new person. I feel that this music video is very successful due to how current it is, due to the fact such a high number of people have used dating sites and dating apps at some point in their life. By using some a popular subject, it means that more people are able to directly relate to the music video, meaning they are more likely to enjoy the music video.

Mise en scene

The music video takes place over many different locations, mainly because the locations tend to be at the different settings of the dates, such as a restaurant. However lots of the different locations tend to occur when different people are shown in the setting of their profile pictures. This has been shown as a montage, as it is a series of different clips, without any diegetic sound. I would say that for this music video, there has been a mixture of filming in a  studio and filming on location. I think that some of the shots of the people that use the app were filmed in a studio, because they would have been easier to set up to look how they imagined, rather than filming on a location where you would probable have to move everything around anyway.

Costume, Make Up and Props

There are a variety of different costumes used throughout the music video that help communicate to the audience the personality of the character. This shows that costume is very important when creating a music video or film, as the dress of the person can help be a judge of character. One of the most important props throughout the music video is a mobile phone, as it could be considered that the mobile phone helps to drive the narrative. Close ups of the screen of the phone allow us as the audience to see the potential dates of each character, and then allows us to see who it is they end up matched with.

Lighting and Colour

I reckon that additional lighting has been used to help light some of the scenes, particularly those of them that take place inside. However, I also think that the final shot of a girl leaving her house to go on a date with a new guy has also had additional used within it to make sure that the shot was bright enough, due to the fact it was filmed during the night time. They have probably used more of a yellow toned light so that it doesn't appear as harsh in the shot as a white light would look.

Camera and Editing

The editing throughout the music video is quite basic, in that time hasn't been shrunk or expanded, and there hasn't been any unusual transitions between shots used. Throughout the music video, a mixture of wide shots and medium close ups have been used in order to show to the audience the different characters that are using the dating site. Wide shots are used to establish the location of the person, and then medium close ups and close ups have been used to show the characteristics of the person, by showing objects relating to them, or different body parts, such as the tattoos of the hand of one man in the music video.