GW: Technical analysis of a conceptual music video

Shot #	Timing	Camera (shot type)	Mise en scene/ added meaning
1	1.16- 1.20	LS of boy leaving  the cabin, he is centred in frame	Shallow focus, cabin is covered in foliage, allows his world to be revealed. He is the only human amongst nature. Lighting is natural
2	1.20-1.23	Tracking MS, in front of boy walking	White jumper is in stark contrast to the dense green surrounding him in shot
3	1.23-1.24	CU of feet and walking stick	Emphasis placed on trainers and the stick is connotation of quest or adventure (think Hobbit)
4	1.24-1.27	MS boy walking past camera, out of frame	Character blocking- he walks out of frame to the side, suggesting that there is more to be seen and time passes
5	1.28-1.33	Wider LS of boy walking across the field	Boy is centred in the field. He is made to look small in comparison to the swathes of land and sky. The location is beautiful.
6	1.33-1.37	MS handicam tracking shot	Shows the boy as small in the face if nature.
7	1.37-1.40	OTS shot	The boy plays with his walking stick, dragging it along the ground, showing his childishness and suggesting innocence
8	1.40-1.43	CU of his face	Expression is one of wonder, demonstrating the awe a person would feel and suggesting childishness.
9	1.44-1.46	MS of boy, placed left in the frame, so the landscape and horizon can be seen	Birds fly across the sky, symbolic of freedom
10	1.46-1.51	Upwards tilt, CU feet to head of protagonist	Shows new location and reintroduces the character in full for scrutiny
11	1.52-1.54	LS running through landscape	He runs happily, and in a v. childlike way. He is carefree.
12	1.54-2.01	LS	Leaps over a rock (nice transition from jumps to jump) a rock blocks the view of him in shot, dwarfing him
13	2.01-2.03	CU of feet	Centralised focus on his bouncy step over the mossy grass, indicative of happiness
14	2.03-2.07	LS of boy, off centre, walking through another area	Links to lyrics ‘I could see for miles’. Stones in foreground create a correlation with previous shots
15	2.07-2.11	CU of boy, low angle	He is playing. His placement makes him seem bigger, and important, whereas before he seemed small- expansion due to his imagination.
16	2.11-2.14	OTS shot from behind the boy	Shows hi imagination as he glances over the icy lake- he is in his own world, the stick is a toy but could be anything he thinks up
17	2.14-2.21	LS of boy, zooms in as he gets nearer to the camera	Makes him look small
18	2.21-2.28	OTS shot of boy, slower frame rate	He throws rocks out into the water, once again highlighting his freedom.

I investigated mise en scene and camera both to some extent in this shot by shot analysis. I discovered several things:

• An eyeline level shot, or close up makes the child seem more relatable, and gives them prevalence within the narrative/concept
• This is juxtaposed by LS that demonstrate how small the person is and making them seem vulnerable. It also reveals more about the situation the person is in- in this case he is a small intrusion to nature, it could be used to show the negativity or normalness surrounding the protagonists positivity/negativity (dependent on their story)
• Innocent behaviour like playing can make the character isolated from the day to day life of the audience, whilst allowing them to glimpse into the mind of the central character.
• movements, such as jumping and landing, can easily link two shots together, if the movement is edited continuously and only the surroundings change
• simple clothing will allow for more movement and a greater focus on character expression or surroundings

 

GW: Deconstruction of a music video 2 & 3

P!nk- F**ckin' Perfect

Institutions and audiences:

• It is designed for focused viewing, as the video is quite intense, addressing significant stories with a detailed narrative.
• /This is viewed on youtube and popular music television channels, like mtv. Some more alternative companies would also pick it up.
• The video would have been created by a contracted independent director, though executive producers would have been linked to its creation.It is a video made as a comment, as opposed to being a commercially successful product and was controversial at the time of release, which goes against what most (semi)-mainstream artists do.

Media Language

• The message of the video is one of acceptance. It says that you should be yourself, or whoever you want to be, because that is just 'perfect'. 
• It questions the way society treats people who are different: The pov of the girls taking photos of the 'freak' demonstrate a cruelty against those who are not considered normal, and the next shots of the protagonist looking upset show the consequences of what seem like less harmless actions to some people.
• The mise-en-scene of hair and make-up are also important in construction of meaning. When the protagonist first dresses in typically sub-culture clothing (considered goth/ emo) with heavier makeup, she is forced to change by her mother. This upsets her and makes her uncomfortable (shown by CU on her face). Then the volta in the girl's life is when she cuts of her hair- a symbol of uniqueness and rebellion, as it goes against the traditional view of female role and femininity.
• The placement of shots allow the image of self harming to be shown quite vividly, whilst not showing the motion itself, and it is key to demonstrate the pain and torment the character has gone through- it epitomises the self loathing.

Representation

• Youth are represented in several ways in the video. One is as rebellious and angsty people, which is a common discourse in modern society and is often associated with rock music. In contrast to this is the fact that the girl's story is told, giving her more prevalence in media and 
• 
  

Biffy Clyro- Biblical

Genre and Narrative

• It is a conceptual narrative video, so has a plot line which is highly representative of other ideas, and is not completely coherent.
• The visuals are amplifying the lyrics, and link throguh the idea of him reacting to a breakup. Whenever 'would you go back to the start' is sung, the narrative goes back to the first shot and a new series of events unfold- both times culminating in the lead singer being beaten up, suggesting that no matter what the negative, bad outcome will always get you, whether you remain positivity to build up or release the rage.
• Some of this is reflective of Nolan's films- it is a slight bricolage with intertextual references.
• It could be considered art to some extent, it also does showcase the lead singer massively adding to the commercial idea of star image- so may be more postmodern.

Group: Audience Research Questionnaire

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7QK3NQX

Above is a link to our questionnaire that will be used to collect valuable information on both our concept, performance and their overall relation to the track.