What Makes A Good Music Video?

What Makes A Good Video
A good video should always have steady shots when appropiate, otherwise the video will look unproffessional and quite tacky. Using steady shots also shows that you're able to use media eqipment efficiently and that you have taken great care in taking your time to perfect a shot. Framing a shot is also important, because if you're unable to do this it could result in your audience losing interest, whereas you should be captivating them. Using a variety of shots and distances to avoid viewer fatigue, and adds a new dimension to the video. It can help create a mood or atmosphere, as close ups enable the viewer to understand and relate to a character, given by their facial expression or body language. Mise en scene attritbutes a lot to a video, and therefore is key when filming. The group filming should have planned and prepared for their film, discussing and deciding what probs they're going to use, their lighting and different locations.; this again diverts the viewer from having viewing fatigue. A variation of shot transitions should be used, allowing the video to flow easily and avoiding any jump cuts as this again allows a video to look more professional and adds realism. The key thing for a music video is lip syncing and therefore members of the group should take a lot of time out to really analyse and learn the lyrics to ensure that their lip syncing is excellent, to again make it look proffessional and of a high standard.

One of the video's that I have chosen for 'what makes a good music video' is Ed Sheeran's 'The A-Team.' I think the video for this is incredible as it really tells a thought provoking story by depicing moments from a girls life. Every shot is perfectly framed and balanced, and a great variety of shots are used to retract the audience from getting viewer fatigue. Something else that is extremely key in this video is that it really connects to the audience emotionally as it tells a mininature story, drawing the audience in from the very first few shots. Even though there is no lip syncing used in this particular video, I still believe that it is a great example for the different types of shots and the various locations that are used.

Here are a few screen grabs that I have taken from the video and why I thought that they were amoung the best.

 The girl used in this shot is facing backwards to the audience, which connotes that maybe in society she feels as though she doesn't really have an identity, given that she takes drugs and prostitutes to pay for them she feels as though she hasn't made a mark on life. The lighting used in this shot could represent her looking for a way out, for some positivity. However it could be interpreted that she feels like giving up on life, and therefore she could be embracing death. This shot is almost symmetrical,which demonstrates that the frame was well thought out and planned. The angle of the shot is also cleverly filmed as the girl is looking up to the sky, just as the camera is tilted upwards so it appears that we're looking up at her looking  up at the sky.

 

Like the previous shot, this is also pretty symmetrical. What I think works incredibly well with this shot is that the location was specifically chosen to connote with the emotiveness of the whole music video. The stranded park is metaphorically used to represent life, no matter how big the world is or how many people are in it she has never felt more alone. Once again, the lighting is also cleverly used to connote with the emotion of the song and the music video as by filming in black and white the sky is purely white, emphasising the fact that she see's death as her only option to happiness. This contrasts to the lighting used in the locations as foggy, dark colours are used to perhaps represent the negativity that she is faced with in life.

 I think that the frame of this shot is extremely interesting, as all of the shots should look like a series of photo's. I think that even from just seeing this shot it would automatically grab someones attention, and engage them into wanting and to continue to watch more. By using yet another location it diverts the viewer from having viewing fatigue, which is something that you most certainly avoid. I also think that the lighting is incredible in this shot, as they've only allowed you to see the outline of her body. This again connotes with the girls identity, and therefore links with other shots within the music video. It is focused upon the lower half of her body, revealing her high heeled shoes and short skirt. The props have been carefully selected and I think that this is evident. Lastly, by using heels and skirts as a prop it is using the stereotype of prostitutes so the audience can understand, as I think when creating the music video you must always think from an audiences perspective so they can follow the direction you're pointing them in.