Video analysis

Ed Sheeran - The A team

First off the whole of the A team by Ed Sheeran is shot in black and white throughout,this gives the video a more 'gritty' feel given what the song is about. the black and white also brings out the features of the main characters face as well, for instance; the dark rings under her eyes are seen better using a black and white filter rather than colour because it exaggerates on the dark colour and has a better effect on  the viewer.

The video starts and two females can be seen,one standing over the other as she lays down. The woman standing up can be seen clutching her face and crying  from a mid shot, the camera then pans down to a birds eye view to show the other female's face. This female is the main character and she appears to be dead with her eyes wide open, she appears to be spaced out; or was and this is then confirmed when the camera begins to blur out on the close up of her face.

The screen goes black and the next image you see is that of the main character waking up on a park bench,this is done using a long shot so that it is made obvious to the viewer that the main character is homeless or at the very least in a bad position. This scene is also shot during the Autumn time as you can see all the leaves from the trees on the floor, you are able to see the trees in the background and the bareness of them adds to the lonely and dark atmosphere of this particular shot.

The character sits up with a duvet wrapped around her and as she stands up you can see that she is dressed inappropriatley for the weather and time of the day,she is wearing tiny shorts and tights with holes in,all still shot in long shot to gain the full effect. The next shot of her is under the trees,she can be seen wondering through,holding the branches as she passes and looking at them with an expression of wonder,she then looks up to the sky and begins to spin. The shot has changed to a mid shot so that the viewer can focus on her facial expressions more rather than her wardrobe or surroundings. The importance of the mid shot is that the director wants you to see that the character is on some sort of high from using the drugs,the only way he can translate this without showing substance abuse is to show the viewer the character's face and the effects they have on the body eg: wide eyes.

The camera goes from a mid shot to long shot as she walks through the park, once she has reached the top of the hill in the park the camera goes back to a mid shot to show the look of contentment on her face. The next shot is from behind the woman and is low angle,she then stretches out her arms in front of the sun. This part of the video communicates to the viewer what the effects of drugs are,for a woman that has woken up on a park she seems rather content and relaxed. The character also seems to be taking in her natural surroundings and appreciating how beautiful they are which is irony seeing as we already know she has died from an overdose.

In the next sequence you see a range of camera angles and shots including low angle,close up, long shot and mid shot as she walks through the town center. The woman still looks spaced out from the drugs,she is still wearing the same clothes and the day turns to night. At this point in the video you can see that the sky is dark and the character is standing outside a London underground station trying to sell the big issue to passers by. These people all seem to be ignoring her but she smiles politely and seems reserved. This is done in mid shot to show everyone passing her by and ignoring her but also seeing her reaction to these people.

You begin to see the desperation in her eyes as more and more members of the public walk past her without buying the big issue. The camera changes to a long shot,she is sitting on the ledge of a shop window outside and she appears to be slumped as if telling everyone she has given up. At this moment in time you see a male approach her, as it is long shot and eye level with the main character the first you se of the males are his legs.

The male stops to talk to her whilst the camera remains at a long shot and eye level,this allows for other people in the shot to walk in front of the camera which ultimately makes the viewer feel as though they are there watching the scene unfold in person. Up until now everything has been natural lighting but seeing as it has now changed to late evening the lighting from the shops and street lights are now being used. It also makes the main character stand out as she is surrounded by light,possibly a sign of foreshadowing.

As this was the song and music video that made Ed Sheeran mainstream not  many people knew what he looked like and so viewers were unaware that the man that appears in the video and buys the big issue from the female character was infact Ed Sheeran,this then became a trademark of sorts that Ed would make appearances in his videos rather than be the focus point.

The video continues with the female walking past a flower stall,the significance of the flowers is that they are delicate; much like the main character. She seems to have an appreciation for all things nature related in this video.Panning is used to film a sign that says 'improving the angel' this obviously relates to the lyrics of the song 'It's too cold outside for angels to fly' and again,it is obvious that the location of the video was Angel Islington in London.

The blur effect is used again as the character comes into view and as it focuses you can see a close up of her face. The dark circles around her eyes are more apparent now possibly because the effect of the drugs have worn off and her real reality is kicking in. It cuts to a mid shot and the camera is behind her,she is standing still on a traffic island watching cars pass but the cars have been sped up making it feel as though the world is passing her by. The same occurrs again in the shot after however she is now sitting on the floor wrapped in her duvet and a long shot is used. The camera is at eye level and the people walking past have been sped up in the same way the cars were. Although the music is slow these effects work well because the main character is still and it makes the viewer sympathise with her. At this point she is back outside the shop window and you can see the displays of clothes on the manachins behind her. This contrasts with her wealth because she is struggling to make money and she is surrounded by all the things that she cannot afford.

Another close up shot is used when the main character begins to run her fingers through her hair in distress and starts to cry, all things that make the viewer relate and pity the character. The video cuts to her standing in a bathroom mirror wearing a vest with lace on and her hair down,she is playing with her hair and trying to improve her appearance in any way possible which tells the viewer that something is about to happen. A high angled mirror shot is used so you can see what she is wearing as well as her face.

The video is cut again and from a long shot behind the charcter in the dark you can see a car pulling up towards her as she stands outside in a deserted area, you are immediatley aware that this is not someone she knows as she seems to take a deep breath as she walks towards the vehicle. Her coat comes off as she bends down to the man driving the car,the shot now turns to from inside the car looking out at the woman; almost as if the viewer is now in the drivers position and the with woman bent down at the window you can see her cleavage. The woman motions the driver,nods her head and steps into the car. A long shot is used  as the car drives off. When the car drives off a train pulls up behind it the artificial lighting of the train is the only thing keeping the area lit up,it also stresses the point that while life may be hard for the main character, life still goes on and everyone else around her is carrying on with their normal lives unaware of how hard her life may be.

A long shot is used to show the man and woman walking down what appears to be an upmarket hotel,this again is confirmed when a mid shot is used to show them walking into the room. At first the main character appears to be happy or amused,probably because it is the first time she has seen the inside of a high end hotel such as the one in the video.The man's face cannot be seen as he throws his tie around the female's neck,this shows dominance and each of their positions in society. The man is wearing all black and the female wears white to show that the man is the one that is corrupt,he is the villain and the woman is the victim;not only in this scenario but a victim to society in general.

There is a close up and the woman has her arms around the mans torso on the bed,she reaches for his pocket and pulls out a handful of notes and then opens his shirt,the next scenes are close ups of them in bed,the man runs his hand over her legs which are covered in ripped fishnets. When it is over she turns to the man in the bed beside her with a look of disgust,rolls back over and begins to cry finally realising what she has just done. Close ups are used at this point to communicate the female's raw emotion to the viewer.

Another cut shows us the exchange of drugs in a close up shot,the viewer witneses how quick an exchange is and how smooth it is so that no one really ever see's it happening. The main character makes her way to a flat and as she reaches the door she takes out a set of keys and starts to fumble with them trying to find the right key,when she does find it you can see her hand shaking and she looks around before she goes in to make sure no one is looking. A mid shot is used for this because the viewer needs to be able to see the effects the drugs have on her body,the withdrawal symptoms mean that she cannot function properly when she is sober and will do anything to find the money she needs in order to pay for her high.

Close ups are then used to show her preparing the drugs,lighting candles to heat them up and a look of concentration on her face once again stresses her desperation. The close ups continue when you see her smoking the drugs from a pipe and then facing the window as she relaxes from the high,an over the shoulder shot at an angle is used to show her facial expressions but also as she falls back on to the bed the camera does not have to move with her.

The video ends with a close up of her face lying back on the bed and then the shot is cut again to a skyline view of what is to be assumed the area in which she lives,it is the scene of a clear blue sky with the sun shining bright and the tops of houses and chimneys can be seen. On to this view an image of the main female character has been edited in,the very last shot is the main character's vision in the sky turning to face the sun and smiling. This indicates to the viewer that she is now dead but happier than she was when she was living and having seen the video you feel empathy and can understand why.

Overall the video is hard hitting and you can see that a huge budget was not used on it, it is simple and effective because of the message it conveys. There are few music videos that lay out a story that is such a sensitive subject in such a blunt way. For instance, the substance abuse is included in the video and also how she manages to source the money for the drugs. It is a sad but very true narrative that a lot of people can relate to which is what makes this video a successful one. The music video for the song was shot and edited by Ruskin Kyle.

My 3 song choices

Bastille- Sleepsong

Bastille are a very recent band being formed in 2010. The band are from South London and their genre is listed as alternative, the main instruments used in their music are drums and a two player electric keyboard. The band are yet to release an album but have played big festivals such as Reading and Itunes.

The Kooks-Seaside

The band formed in 2004 in Brighton and their genre is indie rock/alternative. The band achieved big success with their first album Inside in inside out and this particular song I have chosen also appears on the album. The kooks are yet another big festival band and draw in large crowds to their sets.

Ed Sheeran -Little Bird

Ed Sheeran is a singer songwriter from the UK and has worked his way to success through playing live sets around London. His debut album + went to number 1 and also got to number 1 in the US. Little bird is from one of his many EP's called 'loose change' although it didn't appear on the album.

Music video analysis of You me at six

The video for the bands very first song is very basic and typical of a rock band. The band members are set up as if playing a gig but it's a stark white room with no audience. There is no storyline and the wardrobe is basic,there is no theme running within the clothes chosen. The editing is cut in time to the music and although there is a range of camera shots, they don't necassarily have a purpose e.g to display facial expressions to the viewer.

Stay with me is a song from the bands hold me down album. This video is a clear improvement from the previous video as the band was now well established and had a bigger budget. This video has a storyline to it that relates to the lyrics as well as performance. There is a wide range of camera shots to show facial expressions and key aspects to the video. Although it is a clear difference from their early videos it still sticks to the codes and conventions of a rock music video e.g head banging and jumping around. The wardrobe element to this video is a lot better and all members of the band are wearing black to co -ordinate with one another.

The song Reckless from You me at six's album Sinners never sleep is the last song released off the album and the music video is a montage of clips from their tour video diaries. This gives the video a much more personal feel between the band and their fans as there are comedy aspects to the video and shows the fans what goes on behind the scenes whilst the band is on tour. The video is edited so that some of the live performance footage is in time with the song playing in order to have lip syncing.This is a video very much for the fans,almost so that fans that did see them live on tour can relive the experience and those that didn't get to see what went on.

Style changes of Rod Stewart over the years.

Rod Stewart first started his career in the early 70's with a band called the faces, another of the band members also included Ronnie Wood who would later go on to become a member of the Rolling Stones.

 

In 1969 Rod released his first solo album 'An old raincoat won't ever let you down' the album had blues and folk influences with songs such as 'Handbags and Gladrags'

 

Rod Stewarts image during this time was important as his hair was his trademark.

 

In 1971 Rod Stewart released another solo album, one of the tracks from this album would make him a household name and make the mandalin a very popular instrument. This song was called 'Maggie May'

In 1975 Rod's band the Faces split leaving him to focus on his own solo career. In 1975 he moved to America and in 1976 he released a cover of the song 'The first cut is the deepest' giving him success in both America and the UK.
From 1977-81 Rod Stewart had changed his image to glam rock,wearing latex catsuits and revealing clothes with bigger hair.

In 1978 he was criticised for his song 'Do ya think i'm sexy' having his new image branded as 'tarty'.
Between 1981 amd 1988 his career failed and his albums weren't recieved well by the public,however in 1994 he was put into the rock and roll music hall of fame.
In present years Rod Stewart has focused on recording covers of blues and swing songs rather than his own material and still performs at live events such as Hard Rock Calling.

Rod Stwewarts target audience in the 70's was young members of the oublic following the rock and roll lifestyle,listening to bands such as the beatles,overtime he has had to adapt his image to target his audience as they get older and therefore changing his music style to swing and his look to suits and toning down his iconic hair so that he is still relatable.

My Skills audit at the beginning of A2

 

I currently rate my ability in the creative use of the following technical skills as:

Filming	1	2	3	4
Holding a shot steady		x
Framing a shot, including and excluding elements where appropriate		x
Using a variety of shot distances as appropriate		x
Shooting material appropriate to the task set		x
Selecting mise–en-scene, including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting			x
Editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer			x
Using varied shot transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set			x
Using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set				x
Using titles appropriately		x

 

I set myself these technical skills targets, when I begin the A2 Coursework:

 

1. Lip syncing in time with the music

2. A range of camera shots and angles

3. To have all objects in the background related to the song

4. Steady camera shots

 

I currently rate my ability to research and analyse media texts as follows:

 

Research and analysis	1	2	3	4
I can recognise a genre by identifying its particular patterns of codes and conventions	x
I am able to comment upon the construction of values and ideology within a media text	x
I am able to discuss possible audience reception of a text, in a meaningful way		x

 

I set myself these research targets, when I begin my A2 coursework:

1. To do all analysis necassary and extra research into the artist/genre

2. Past music videos of my artist chosen

3. Analyse the codes and conventions and use them in my video

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I currently rate my ability to plan my own A2 coursework as follows:

Planning	1	2	3	4
I can create a detailed shot script			x
I can use storyboarding and take photographs in preparation for filming	x
I can manage time effectively		x
I can respond to and overcome difficulties while filming	x
I can use my previous research of genre to inform my own work	x

 

 

I set myself these planning targets when starting my A2 coursework, as follows:

 

1. To create a detailed and precise storyboard

2. Use photographs to guide me when filming my video

3. Stick to the codes and conventions

4. Do not procrastinate

 

 

 

 

I currently rate my ability to evaluate my own A2 coursework as follows:

 

Evaluation	1	2	3	4
I know how to ask questions of my target audience in a way that will reveal the success or otherwise of my coursework	x
I know how to look back at my research and identify the success or otherwise of the codes and conventions I used in my own coursework	x
I am able to judge the success or otherwise of my camerawork and editing	x
I am able to identify a strong link between my research, planning and final product	x
I am able to give persuasive reasons for all of the decisions I made during the coursework process	x
I am able to analyse my final product, in the way that I have created meaning	x

 

I set myself these evaluation targets when starting my A2 coursework, as follows:

 

1. Stick to your storyboard unless it is necassary to change it

2. Make the video believable

3. Make sure the video relates to the song and is self explanatory

4. Use your surveys and questionnaires to steer clear of any mistakes