As I continue with the pre - production process and get closer to producing my music video, I am starting to consider how I will ensure that the production runs smoothly and my direction will result in a polished and professional product. For inspiration, I looked at several music directors and their acclaimed work to see the standard that I will attempt to emulate to the best of my ability.
Song: Run the World (Girls)
Artist: Beyonce
Director: Francis Lawrence
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| Francis Lawrence |
The music video for
Run the World (Girls) amplifies the lyrics as it does not portray them on screen word for word; the music video supports the themes and messages of the song rather than directly translate them. The song encapsulates and promotes female empowerment, stating that girls 'run the world' with other accompanying and inspiring lyrics such as 'help me raise a glass for the college grads'. It is clear that Lawrence understood the song and it's lyrical content and abundant empowering themes as he reflected them in his work. The video begins with Beyonce riding a horse through a desert and sparse land, with signs of unrest all around including fires and discarded parts such as a satellite. The song boasts strong tribal vibes through its inclusion of drums which is reflected in the music video itself. The location is vast and deserted, and the costumes that Beyonce and the extras wear are also quite tribal as head dresses and intricate beading and jewellery can be seen. The sparse location indicates that the band of women have been self sufficient and don't need the assistance of men to survive, reinforcing the strong message behind the song. The strong role of women and their power and control is depicted in the video when Beyonce is shown to be in command of vicious and dangerous animals; she stands directly next to a male lion in one scene and holds two chains with hyenas on the end in another scene, demonstrating that a woman is as fearless and equal to any man. The invading men are seen to be intimidated by Beyonce when she approaches them, as they don't really engage with her as she steals from their pockets and moves around them like they're movable obstacles. In another scene, Beyonce and her tribe of women are dancing in unison whilst the men hide behind their plastic shields, recoiling away from contact with them and throwing objects to deter them. Unlike the men, the women are totally exposed with no protection or self defense, indicating they truly hold the power. In other scenes, the men stand there watching the women and are unresponsive and make no attempt to intervene. At the end of the video, Beyonce approaches one of the male defenders and strips him of his badge of hierarchal position. The rest of the women salute in response. Overall, Francis Lawrence perfectly captures the social themes of the lyrics and applies them in a tribal setting which reflects the song's production. Lawrence's work on
Run the World (Girls) is definitely an inspiration for my music video - although the song I have chosen (
Selfies) details a very different message to Beyonce's song, I hope the thought and careful consideration I put into the planning of my video translates as effectively on screen. Lawrence also directed music videos for Lady Gaga and Robyn, and later went on to direct the blockbuster hits
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.
Song: Shake It Off
Artist: Taylor Swift
Director: Mark Romanek
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| Mark Romanek |
Similarly to
Run the World (Girls),
Shake It Off also amplifies the lyrics and exaggerates and emphasises the message the artist is trying to convey. Although the lyrics are not taken literally, Romanek understands the message and themes in the song and interprets them to create an entertaining video. The song's genre falls blatantly under pop which is easily reflected in the music video - if you watched the video without listening to the song, an audience would be able to identify that it is a video supporting a pop song.
Shake It Off has an extremely uplifting and inspirational message about controlling your own reaction and attitude toward negativity by ignoring the 'players', 'heartbreakers' and 'haters' and, as stated in the song's title, shaking off the insults and remain unaffected by it all. The video revolves around Swift being placed in different dance scenarios with talented professionals, with her being incapable of emulating their routines and ultimately deciding to freestyle. In the beginning, Swift is warming up and stretching on a ballet bar surrounded by able ballet dancers. In addition, Swift attempts to participate in other intricate styles of dance including; break dance, modern, twerking, finger tutting, cheerleading, ribbon dancing and animated dancing. With each style and genre of dance, she fails to capture the essence of the dance and ends up performing comical and entertaining dance moves instead, much to the dismay of the professionals. Throughout the song, a horn can be heard as one of the instruments in the production. In one scene, Swift is singing into a microphone with the presence of a band behind her, where there is a horn section and therefore acknowledges the production of the song as well as its lyrical content. There are many different costume changes to match the genre of dance. For example, when Swift is surrounded by the ballet dancers, she is wearing pointe shoes and a tutu. Romanek's attention to detail and placed importance on costume is something that I will refer to in the pre - production and if necessary, production of my music video. Dance is an extended metaphor used throughout the video to convey the song's message - although the protagonist Swift does not fit in with the professional dancers and cannot adapt her dance style to suit the required genre, she embraces this quality by making up her own dance moves. At the end of the video, Swift is joined by a herd of other people who also have a similar dancing style to herself. Finally, she feels utterly comfortable being herself surrounded by like-minded people. Romanek portrayed the song's carefree and confident message with fun and spontaneity in the music video, which is a feeling I hope to achieve in mine. In the video, Romanek gave the artist and performer freedom to explore and improvise which is an opportunity I will afford my actor. Similarly to
Selfies,
Shake It Off is an upbeat and fun song with social undercurrents, so I aim to strike the balance of humourous entertainment and social commentary in my music video. Romanek has also directed
Scream by Michael and Janet Jackson and the film
Never Let Me Go.
Song: Suit & Tie
Artist: Justin Timberlake and Jay Z
Director: David Fincher
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| David Fincher |
The music video for
Suit & Tie mostly contradicts the lyrics in the song as the visuals do not in away portray the lyrics' meaning. However, it could be argued that the video amplifies the song - the song boasts a classic and retro feel to it, which is highlighted and amplified by the visuals. The whole video is filmed in black and white which is reminiscent of classic movies; this choice in cinematography would have been carefully executed by Fincher to ensure the aesthetics would reflect the song. This is a factor I will have to take into account during production, as I planned to film certain aspects of my video in an effect/filter which resembles. Before choosing to commit to that artistic choice, I will have to consider whether I would film the whole of the video in that style to maintain continuity or keep its usage minimal. As the song is called
Suit & Tie, costumes worn by not only the artist, but also the band, are predominantly tuxes. The song's genre is difficult to specify as it could be considered as both R&B and pop, so the music video in itself is quite open to interpretation and does not commit itself to one genre. Another noticeable feature in Fincher's video is the fast paced editing. One particular shot of a scene never appears on screen for too long which creates a more visually rich video. In addition, it means that Fincher must have filmed many different shots from many different angles in order to accumulate such a vast amount of footage. Ultimately, this would have provided a greater amount of shots to work with during the editing/post-production process and allowed the editor more freedom to explore with different shots - if one particular shot or scene wasn't working, there would be a catalogue of footage to help amend it. Fincher is also renowned for doing a vast amount of takes of the same scene. Although I may not have the time during production to take shoot the same scene multiple times, it is definitely something to consider to allow myself more choice during the pre-production process. There is no plot to the video, but depicts the stars of the song in various situations. For example, Timberlake and Jay Z can be seen performing at a bar, recording the song in a music studio and relaxing in an apartment watching American football and drinking. The song is mid-tempo and quite relaxing in its composition which could be reflective of the leisurely and enjoyable activities the stars take part in. Certain aspects of my music video will not follow a narrative and will instead just be my actor lip-syncing and performing in front of a white screen. However, dissimilarly to
Suit & Tie, there will also be a narrative storyline. The inspiration I will take away from Fincher's work and direction includes the dedication and time he puts into production to ensure that the post-production process offers more creative choices. Fincher's other work includes directing videos for music legends such as
Madonna and directing films including
Se7en and
The Social Network.
Overall, the purpose of this research was to get inspiration and insight into the thought and process that goes into the production of a music video. Creative choices will have to be made and I must always keep in mind whether or not it will appease my artist's target audience. In addition, the analysis of these particular director's videos allowed me to understand what makes a great music video, and I can take influence from their methods, creativity and techniques.
