This is one of my favourite songs, and likewise to this, one of my favourite all-time music videos. It isn't just the fact that this music video is very weirdly-confusing and yet so much fun at the same time, but it is the technical aspect of the way the director Garth Jennings produces this video. It's the jumpiness of the musicians mixed with the fast, up-beat music that really makes this an exciting watch.
It almost seems that it is just one clip that is just sped-up when put into the editing process, but it seems more likely to be a process of either a lot of photos put together to make a video (a lot like stop motion animation) or a video with taken-out frames (due to the jumpiness of the shots).
The length of the song really compliments the video too, seeing as they're both so fast and crazy. It's because it leaves the audience feeling astounded by what they've just seen and it doesn't give them enough time until after the video to think about what they've just watched.
This video is more like a stage performance rather than a music video as it is all in one cut. I don't think this is a disadvantage for it though. Many people think that music videos should have multiple cuts, including mostly jump cuts that throw you into the action straight off, but I think this really works. There are multiple different scenes and ignoring the fact that is sped-up, it almost rather impressive and you feel a sense of admiration after experiencing it.
The music flows really well in this video, with the lip-syncing being perfect and the drums being precisely in time.
There isn't much to show off the artists in a way of their 'Star Image' because the costume and hairstyles all point to 'Average' and 'Normal'. This is clearly a choice made my the band or the director as they didn't want to come across as 'I believe the framing of this video is very interesting too. They've been all framed so that they fit all in at the same time, but not bunched up. This means they look very small in the video in comparison to the background wall. This gives a sense of their timidity, and this is enforced by the later and final shot of the band standing very still, rigid and upright and then quickly scurrying off, likewise to how they entered in the first place.
The Black Keys - Little Black Submarines
I have only recently come across this music video, and yet it is one of my favourites. It isn't just due to the band, nor the song itself, it's more due to the way in which this video is filmed and the setting of it that makes it stands out from the rest.
The director (Danny Clinch) along with the band (The Black Keys) have gone for the 'Live' approach of filming as if the band is trying to go back to their routes.
The type of shots they achieve are a lot of P.O.V. shots and a lot of close ups. This adds a lot to the intensity of the video and relates very well to the mood of the music. In this instance the mood of the music is very slow and simple until halfway through. Then when the music starts the shots become a lot more varied and a lot more quickly edited (corresponding to the music) this gives you a similar emotion to when listening to the song on its own.
There are a lot of objects and shots in this video that show the typical conventions of the band's background. The main theme of this video is the USA. The band is playing in a conventional american bar and there are a lot more objects such as the american flag, and images of cowboys, that enforces this idea situated around the USA. The lyrics also relate to this background too, and along with the whole cinema-quality and aesthetic looks to the video, it makes this quite an enjoyable watch.
The main thing that I like about this video though is the use of lighting. The lighting is used behind the singer and the band and with the glitter strips also it makes them really stand out in a peculiar way. This isn't similar to most music videos out there, and I think that's why I like it so much. The close-up shots, the framing and the lighting make the singer a lot more detailed and makes the feeling/emotion a lot more personal and deep on the audience.
Miles Kane - Come Closer
I don't normally watch music videos, but when I do it's typically of my favourite songs. So these three videos aren't probably the best edited or directed videos out there, but to me they're great simply because of the music, and that's why people watch them I believe. It is only when you get such good videos, such amazing or wacky masterpieces that the millions of views on YouTube start to go up and up, and then the song is not known for the song, but it is known through the video itself. Unfortunately this song is not one of those, but it is well edited in my opinion. The variety of the different shots, camera movements and settings keep the audience on their feet and it really relates to the pace and the mood of the song.
The narrative is confusing, you never really know what's going on, but it's that curiosity that keeps you watching.
One thing I love about this video is the relation between the framing of the shot and the lighting. At the start of the video there is a shot of the singer Miles Kane walking through a corridor and this is a particular love of mine. The wide shot makes the corridor seems narrow and Miles Kane appears to be a silhouette, but it isn't until the girl walks past that you see his face. This represents the idea of romance between the two, that she metaphorical 'lights him up' and linking back to the song title of 'Come Closer' the girl walks very close to Miles Kane when going past.
The concept of Star Image is used in a majority of shots in this, especially Close Ups. This shows off Miles Kane and gives you something to remember about him. This is a typical aspect of more 'Pop' videos and yet the genre for this is more leaning towards 'Rock'.
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