Pre-Production: Researching music videos

My group and I felt it was necessary to respond to our class and Luke’s feedback, as their opinions and comments are effectively relevant. For instance, one of our main issues was the lack of elements; therefore we understand we need to include some interesting and engagingly visual locations.

We felt researching famous artists’ music videos was the way forward. For example, when researching videos, we mostly felt a connection between ones following a similar style or genre of song to ours; including videos by, ‘Rihanna, Kehlani, Nicki Minaj, MØ and Azealia Banks.’ When viewing each video, my group and I were gaining inspiration and influential plans from locations, costumes, props and performance styles.

From viewing and researching many videos to follow our conventions of genre, I have concluded, we appreciate and our mostly inspired by the use of grimy, broken, urban and unfinished locations and therefore want to include these locations into our video, either into our second element or third. The pattern between each video is the grime of location. For this reason, our next step into our post-production and development is researching urban, unfinished and broken locations, possibly considering property developers. The conventions of all these music videos have helped me to understand what looks visually pleasing and what style communicates best.

'The Big Big Beat' - Azealia Banks

Firstly, Azealia Banks inspired us due to her exceptionally high talented performance style, following a bold and confident attitude; we want our female artist to show a similar attitude. We also appreciate the use of costume in Banks' video, therefore our artist will wear similar dark clothing. Banks' location also inspired us due to the enclosed, grimy feel. Maybe considering for either or second or third location.

'Walk This Way' - MØ

MØ's video 'Walk This Way' includes many inspiring elements. For instance, the basic high attitudes from each girl and bold structure is influential; we may follow this positioning. The use of space is also very effective in this video. My group and I are possibly considering this for our second element.

'Walk This Way' - MØ

Similarly, MØ's video uses space efficiently and this has inspired us to be bold and confidently experiment with areas of huge surface area for our female artist. The central theme of the artist is also very successful and we may focus on this.

'Waste of Time' - MØ

The location used in MØ's 'Waste of time' has bought ideas to the surface. For instance, the simple use of wallpaper behind the artist is a very powerful and successfully visualised look. Therefore, we appreciate the use of the grimy, unfinished style of the peeling art design. We could use this idea for our second or third element.

'Beez In The Trap' - Nicki Minaj

The use of additional elements in Nicki Minaj's video highlights impressive visual aspects. For instance, the green/blue tones of colour and the smoke is communicated successfully and comes across well on screen, therefore we will force our idea of smoke and coloured lights in our first element. 

'Only' - Nicki Minaj

From researching and viewing the music video 'Only' it offers inspiration of locations. For example, my group and I were fond of the unfinished, grimy, urban and broken look. We want to find a location like this for possibly our third or second location. 

'Gangsta' - Kehlani

Lastly, the inspiring music video by Kehlani includes many different elements, in which we are indulged by. My group and I were influenced by the golden ribbon and want to tie it into our music video, possibly in the third element. Although the use of gold is inspiring for the second, following gangster-like aspects. 

'Gangsta' - Kehlani

Kehlani also uses a clever high shot, in which we want to include in our music video. Incase the concept of the money and bed in the second location doesn't visually work or communicate well, we know broken glass could be successful from Kehlani's video. However, we understand we would have to use fake glass otherwise a major health and safety hazard would appear.