Ellie Goulding- Music Video analysis of editing

Ellie Goulding- 'Anything Could Happen'

After watching this video, it has made it more clear to me about the kind of editing I want to do to my video. By this, I mean that I would definitely like to add slow motion as I found that in Ellie Goulding's video, it was a simple edit that was very effective (e.g. 0.05-0.07 seconds).   For my video, I could slow down the start of the film when she is walking towards the camera as it would bring attention to her and would convey the emotion and feeling better to the audience. It would also show the surroundings a bit clearer and indicate to the audience the type of situation the protagonist is in. 

What I also liked about the editing of Ellie Goulding's video was the blur they used at the start where Ellie just started singing. It is quite an interesting scene and the blur adds to the mystery and slight uncertainty. In terms of my video, I will definitely use this editing technique as it fits in perfectly with my concept and would work well with some of my clips.

As a whole, the transitions are very smooth and hardly noticeable which is exactly what I want to try to achieve with my video.

Ancillary Research- DigiPaks

DigiPak- Britney Spears 

DigiPak- Rihanna 

DigiPak- Coldplay

All of the digipaks I have researched all inter-connect their panels for continuity either through a colour scheme  or through pictures. What I have learnt from this is that I need to make sure that my DVD cover links with my video through a particular theme derived from the video. This will ensure that it is as professional as it can be and therefore like a real media product. 

ill Manors

Today I watched 'ill Manors' which is where my song 'Michelle' is featured. Directed by Ben Drew (Plan B) I found it really helpful in terms of gaining inspiration for my music video.

Dark lighting- ominous

Skimpy clothing- energetic shot, wanting to escape

Close up of face, shows cuts and bruises, could be a shot to show her determination in wanting to change- looking to the future

Above are pictures of the actual character of 'Michelle' in ill Manors. This is who I am basing my actress Imogen on and feel I have fitted the brief well in terms of costume and make up. What I gained from watching this film and actually seeing the character were the effects of simple camera shots to convey raw emotion. I want to portray an angry and broken girl who is seeking independence and freedom, whereas in ill Manors, Michelle is heavily prostituted and is involved with lots of hard drugs which is quite difficult to watch at times. Overall, I found watching this film inspired me to really think about the character I want to portray, and to plan ahead the types of shots and angles I want, as in the film, less is more.

Ill Manors

Ill Manors is a low budget British crime drama film which was written and directed by Plan B (Ben Drew). The film was produced by Atif Ghani, it features Riz Ahmed, Ed Skrein, Keith Coggins, Lee Allen, Nick Sagar, Ryan De La Cruz, Ahouska Mond and Nathalie Press. The film was distributed by Revolver Entertainment and three studio's called Film London Microwave, BBC Films, and Aimimage. Ill Manors was released on the 6th June 2012, a budget of £100,000, which raised to £453,570 in the UK box office. The film is set in Forest Gate, London which focuses on the lives of eight characters mentioned above, the director Plan B (Ben Drew) has six original songs which connects with the narrative of the film.


Plan B's soundtrack album was recorded during 2011-2012 in the UK at Edge recording studio and the Sanctuary, the album was released after the film 'Ill Manors' on the 23rd July 2012. The producer of the album include Plan B, Al Shux, Eric Appapoulay, David McEwan, 16 Bit, Labrinth and Saul Milton. Some of the recordings were featured in the film which were called Ill Manors, Lost My Way, Deepest Shame and Playing With Fire. The album had debuted at number one in the UK album charts and received positive reviews by critics which promoted the actual film too.

Production aims

After filming last week, I feel really pleased with the stage I am at. My aim is to have finished filming by the end of January, and then to start editing straight after. Looking at the filming I have done, next time I would like to:

• Get some more shots of Imogen upset (close up/long shot)
• More urban shots (cluaustraphobia/cramped/busy/unsafe)
• Shot of man to illustrate abused childhood
• Panning and location shots
• Abstract shot

Below are the kind of shots I would like to get:





Mood Board

Mood board portraying images I have brainstormed once listening to the song a few times and analysing the lyrics.

I created this mood board to help to inspire me with my music video. Once listening to the song numerous times and analysing the lyrics I translated the meanings and quotes to these images.

The top left is a close up shot of a girl smoking that is quite an intimate picture and could be effective in my video. If planned carefully and correctly, I feel it could be a great shot. 

The top center image is of drugs which is very relevant for my video. This would be expected for my song and video as it is a heavy theme throughout the music, and the film, and is mentioned in the lyrics: "So she folded the pain and lit the flame...//Inhale, exhale out once again..."

The top right image is a screen shot from the film 'iLL Manors' and is of the character Michelle herself. The dark lighting creates a very eerie atmosphere with her body language portraying a vulnerable and lonely situation.

Below is a picture of barbed wire which is a metaphor for the character's life. She is trapped, and is she tries to escape from her troubles she will get hurt. It also connotates danger and entrapment which is relevant for my video.

Below that is a close up image of a girl crying with make up down her face. When I saw this I found it incredibly striking and would like to try to re-create a shot like this for my video. Ideally, I would also like it to be in black and white but would have to see what the editing looked like. The emotion portrayed from this image is exactly what I want to convey.

The bottom left corner is a picture of loneliness. I believe this would be effective in my video as underneath all of the troubles (drugs, men, anger etc) she is just a very lonely girl who has gone down the wrong path and ended up afraid and isolated. I feel the shot is very compelling because you can only see the silhouette of the person which makes it more ominous and interesting/striking.

Slight change of plan

Deepest Shame vs. Michelle 

'Deepest Shame' was first composed as a freestyle rap entitled "Michelle". The track was first used in Plan B's 2008 short film Michelle, and this version features beat boxer Faith SFX. The version of "Michelle" that was used in ill Manors has some elements similar to "Deepest Shame", however for the album release, the song was re-written as more of a soul number, although "Michelle" is included on the deluxe edition bonus disc. "Michelle" was originally a freestyle rap, featuring an extended rap verse and no "Deepest Shame" chorus. 

'Michelle' is very similar to 'Deepest Shame', but is just a bit shorter and grittier. I want to use 'Michelle' rather than 'Deepest Shame' as it seems a little less pop/hip hop and more of a soul/grime/tribal song which fits better with my planned filming. 

To listen to 'Michelle', click below!

If you want to listen to 'Deepest Shame', click here.  

Now that I have completely decided that 'Michelle' is the right song for my video, I will not change my mind again and I do not feel it will set me back in any way or create any problems. It is the same song, just slightly different with the instruments that have been used which actually work better for what I am trying to portray so I am happy that I have found it!

Planning for filming

In order to try and get some inspiration for the types of scenes I want to include for this video, I listened to the song many times paying particular attention to the lyrics.

'This life has taught her she must pay...'

'I guess she only has herself to blame...'

'I've been walking alone this dirty road...'

'There's no way back from here...'

Obviously this is a very emotional song so I want to keep the shots deep but minimalistic. I think it would be important for this genre to not give too much away and go over the top. 

I recently watched Ed Sheeran's new music video for 'Give me Love' and found that it gave me a lot of inspiration for my project. The shots and angles from some of the scenes worked really well with the genre and I feel that I can gain ideas from it. I also love the actresses's costume. Have a look for yourself:

Colour Vs. Black and White

Which will be better? 

After watching various music videos, including Ed Sheeran's 'A- Team' which is edited in black and white and other videos which are in colour, I have decided that black and white will be more suitable for my video and story line as it will portray (I hope) vulnerability and deterioration. I hope it will also emphasise the character's colourless, dependent world that she has got herself into.

From watching the A Team video, it is clear to see that by editing the film in black and white, it adds sadness and emphasis to the character's bad state. This is exactly what I am looking to portray in my video so I think it would suit well. It also automatically adds darkness because of the lack of colour which connotates decay.

From watching this video, which is 'Time' by Chase and Status, it is of the same sort of genre as mine, but is edited in colour. I definitely think it works for this video, but for me, I do think black and white would have given it a more sinister and darker depth. This has helped me to fully decide that for my video I will edit it in black and white.

Further research and analysis into different music videos

In order to further my research and thought process for my music video project, I deeply analysed two music videos: 'Just One Last Time' by David Guetta, ft. Taped Rai and 'Sweet Nothing' by Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch. I feel it enabled me to think more clearly in the kind of think I want to create. Click here to view my power point presentation.

Plan B- Deepest Shame Music Vid

Plan B- Deepest Shame

For my A2 project, I am making a music video. This music video beneath is exactly the kind of thing I would like to base it on. It has given me a lot of inspiration, and the song is without doubt a definite contender.

I love the lighting at the start, so you can just see Plan B's silhouette underneath the spotlight, and the close ups of the lady on the street looking on. I also love the part where she holds her palm up to the camera and there is writing emphasising the lyrics (2:08). It is obviously a very powerful video with a deep meaning.

Different types of music videos

Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg- California Gurls (Pop)

-very colourful

-feminine

-bright

-partly animated

-expensive (high budget)

Coldplay- Yellow (Indie/rock)

-dark

-low budget

-simple

-strong message

-mysterious

-personal

Professor Green ft Ruth Anne- Remedy (Rap/pop)

-spotlight on Pro Green at the start

-upbeat 

-party atmosphere to fit with the song

-sense of the viewer being involved (camera sometimes hand held)

I now need to work out what genre of music I would like to do my music video on and then find a song to match my genre. I would like to film it to a song which has an element of sadness about it, but would also like to include some kind of club/party atmosphere.