Resources: Chris Milk

Unlike most music videos Chris Milk along with Google and Arcade Fire, decided to display the video on a website other than Youtube to create a unique experience. When typing in the name of the video into Google and clicking the first link, it leads you to a webpage with the title of the song and tells the audience that it is an interactive video, and to enter your hometown you grew up in in the bar below. The start page to the video also is also unique and is something the audience can interact too. After a while, little birds start to fly around from off screen, and as soon as you hover over the group, they disperse and fly of the screen. The start page also helps give the audience a feel about the video and the genre of song that is going to be played. The video is also unique in the way that the way it is displayed isn't of a conventional method. The video at first comes up in a pop up window, and as you start to listen to the song several other little window pop up to alongside the main video of your hometown, making it more personal and interesting to watch.

 The first image that pops up during the video is of birds flying around, which could highlight the teenager vulnerability to get away easily. They are also to contradicting images because we think of hooded teenagers as 'yobs' but birds as 'fragile' and 'precious'. These are two very effective images because they are two things that people can have different opinions about, and can relate personally to different experiences they have had in life.

The use of Google street maps isn't just because part of the video was commissioned by Google, but a way to make the video relate to people. It can be emotional in several different ways because peoples homes can mean a lot of different things to them, but on Google maps from a distance a city can look and scary, almost like your looking at it through the eye of a bird. The video also infers the idea of leaving home like a bird leaves a nest, but can also show the fear of running away of something different e.g. the teenager.

At the end of the video, Chris Milk makes the video more interactive by giving you the option to 'write a postcard' to send to someone that you know while the song is still playing. This part allows you to both write and draw, and overall it looks very unique. When you start writing, the text doesn't just appear like when your normally writing on the computer, but starts to grow like a tree would. This is similar to when the drawing starts to appear. You get a vague outline of what you are drawing, but small areas of your drawing start to branch off, such as the picture on your left. After a while the birds from the beginning of the video start to fly in and land on your drawing.

Overall, I feel that the video can seem very unusual and the purpose can seem very vague, but I think the idea is that the video can mean something different to every different person. To me, I think the point of the video is to tell people that you shouldn't be afraid to move away from your home, even if you're surrounded by people you know and love. This is reinforced by the images of your home town and the continuous video of the boy running, but also at the end when you make a postcard that 'branches out', like an idea. This is also shown when the free birds from the beginning of the video land on the drawing that you have made, like they agree with your idea.

Music Video Director: Chris Milk

Chris Milk is an American music video director and photographer who is mostly known for making videos for popular artists such as U2 and Kanye West. However, in 2010, Chris Milk got involved in a project with Google and Arcade Fire to make an interactive music video online for people to get involved in. He wanted to make something "...that would emotionally resonate with people, without bogging them down in the technology..." and a cool interesting video for people to watch. He also thought that there was a contradiction between google street maps and street view, and it can be extremely emotional when used in the right context. As an audience viewing the video it is instantly relatable and interesting to you, because at the beginning of the video you are told to write your home town you grew up in, and shots of it play through out the video. The concept of the video at first doesn't sound very appealing, but as it unfolds as an audience you start to relate to it. There is a constant shot of a teenage boy running throughout the video, and clips that pop up of your hometown and other things such as birds while the song plays. The video turns out to be so relatable because it is so simple, and the audience can portray the running boy as anything they want e.g. the place that they have ran away from or want to run back to, the struggle or challenge of growing up or breaking away from home. The video could also be seen as slightly contradictory, as the image of the youth running conotes ideas that he is running away because he is in trouble, yet the birds you feel as if they are flying home. In my opinion it also contains very strong messages dependant on the age of the person. The way you interact with the video by 'writing a postcard' to send at the end, linking with the video itself infers the director believes that no one should stay in the same place forever, yet you should never lose ties with the places and people you love. As simple of an idea that the video is, the inspiration it contains makes it highly effective. Chris Milk also did a similar project with Arcade Fire to try and create emotions into people during one of their stage shows. (Arcade Fire and Chris Milk - Summer into Dust) . Chris Milks other music videos differ from most because he likes to experiment with different techniques in most of his videos. His 'visual style' is very simple but effective in all of his videos, and most of them look like they have been filmed with a high quality handheld camera. Like 'Arcade Fire - We used to Wait' he created another video online called 'THE JOHNNY CASH PROJECT', were the audience select images to draw over and some are submitted to play in the video. I enjoy Chris Milk's work because he is experimental both in his videos and on stage. It's inspirational to see that you can take something as simple as a fabric ball, make it glow and then drop it from the top of a stage during a concert and it will change peoples overall mood. The fact that most of his music videos are online and interactive can really mean you immerse yourself in them and they can inspire you. I think that his music videos almost destroy the foundations of 'what a music video is' because there not telling a small narrative they are completely focusing on the audience and there interpretation. The first time I watched Arcade Fire - We used to Wait, I was so focused on the video itself that by the time it had finished I couldn't remember how the song went, which is effective in a way that it makes people listen to it again and again without losing initial interest. (e.g. if you listen to a song where the music video at first isn't very interesting, your more likely to turn it off or open up another tab while the song is playing - Chris Milk's music videos make you watch it in full at least once before you focus on the song itself. This is another positive point about an interactive video).

Analysis

The music video 'Candyman' by Christina Aguilera is based on the second world war and focuses on the relationship between the soldiers and women. The video mainly consists of close up shots from different angles and a lot of cuts to ensure the video maintains a fast paced effect that links with the song. The camera work is especially effective in the way that it makes the audience feel like they are there and are part of the crowd due to the angle of the shots. The video has also been edited to look like the main singer, Christina Aguilera, is singing in a trio (which was very common at the time) with the technique of filming her in three different places then changing her hair colour each time (blonde, black, red). The mise-en-scene is in keeping with the style of video, and links with a 1940's war scene. The video itself was filmed in an airport hanger in Southern California to help the video seem more authentic. This also links in with the clothing everyone in the video is wearing, the soliders are dressed in green uniforms and the singers change there outfits in keeping with the era (1940's). Linking in with Andrew Goodwin's theory, the video is in keeping with the song and isn't narrative unlike most music videos. The speed and fast-paced feel of the video keeps up with the music and helps make the video feel more authentic. Aguilera also creates a different star image for herself with contrast from her previous videos. The song does relate to the relationship between soldiers and women, but there is an added provocatively to the song. The singers are dancing in a way that at the time would have been seen as provocative, which is also shown in the way that the audience (the soldiers) are reacting. Another advantage with the song, which is what Andrew Goodwin points out is that Aguilera's voice is so unique that it fits perfectly with the style of song. Goodwin also points out that other than the star, there are technical aspects to make the video effective, such as editing cuts to the beat of the song which is also shown in the song 'Candyman'.

Induction Projects: Dirty Cash

Fore our transition induction project we had to design and film a music video fitting to the song Dirty Cash (Money Talks) by Adventures of Stevie V. We started of by picking the key themes out of the songs, which in our case, was money, drugs and prostitution. Because we had a large group we were able to create a number of roles so everyone was able to play a part in the video as well as film and edit. Other than the original video which is mainly 'dance and miming' based we created a storyline of women who became prostitues in order to get money for drugs. The project helped us all see what it was like to work in a team and see what it was like to make a music video. The outcome of the video wasn't what we had hoped for and had turned out unfinished, because after the editing stages the footage we had wasn't enough to cover the song length. However, we know now that for our final project to get more footage than we need just incase ideas are changed and any of it needs to be edited out. Because the style of the video was more narrative based, we used little effects, but turned some of the video black and white to emphasise the effects of drugs and prostitution to the audience. We also thought that if we had thought more about the mise-en-scene the video would have looked more believable and realistic. Also, looking at the conventions for music videos that have a rap genre, simple things such as clothing, lighting, effects and miming help convey the image that they want overall. Overall, I think our induction project helped us understand the effort it takes to make a music video.

Fun. We Are Young ft. Janelle Monae

The Video 'We are Young' by Fun, focuses around the idea that although young people can have fun and freedom, there is always a consequence for their actions and that you need someone to rely on. Some of the song also infers a confrontation between the writer of the song and his girlfriend, and blames it on the fact of his age. The video takes place in a bar full of people having fun which escalates into a full blown fight which seems to the audience almost surreal. The band are also present on the stage in the bar, and as they sing the song the story is told through the lyrics and in the video, almost like the music is personifying his emotions into other people. My favourite thing about this music video is that most of it is shown is slow motion, and there is a lot of emphasis on things getting broken in the room. The video consists of a lot of close up shots at slightly tilted angles, emphasising the speed of the fight going on in the room. The styling and mise-en-scene, unusually, dont fit in with the context of the video. Considering the video is off a bar fight, all the of the characters and the band in particular are dressed very smartly. The lead singer has his hair combed back and a suite on, and the bar looks classy and modern. The contrast in the context of the song and the way it is portrayed is unusual but works well. The writer is almost trying to show the immaturity of the 'young people' in the song, who cant express themselves through speech but show it in there actions instead, which also links to the way the lead singer is dressed. The man is almost trying to show that although his friends do drugs and he drinks which leads to arguments and violence when they are out, he can provide security for her and 'carry her home' at the end of the night. This is also backed up with at the beginning of the video, when the jealous man hits the girl in the head with the bottle in anger. I overall enjoy the music video because in the unique way the story is told, that the band are present in the room and part of the story, and that the video is presented in slow motion.

Ed Sheeran - A Team

The music video 'A Team', is about a homeless women who has to become a prostitute to feed her drug addiction. It is one of my favourite music videos because it is a simple and effective way to tell a story that most people could achieve. The video looks like it is shot with a high quality handheld video camera, and uses London (unlike most other music videos that use special effects and surreal locations e.g. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance) as its setting. The camera shots usually consist of long shots and close ups, making the audience focus on the problem (homelessness), when usually people would just walk past. This is reinforced in the middle of the video when time is sped up, people are just walking by while the homeless girl sits still for hours. The video is also filmed completely in black and white, which backs the idea the singer is trying to portray (getting the audience to see the problem clearly). The editing in the video consists of cuts, and only at the end of the video does the image of the homeless girl (now dead) fade out, to leave the audience with the image and addressing the point of the video. Everything from the camera shots to editing and mise-en-scene are simple in the video, which I think reinforces the point the artist is trying to make. The point of the video is that it's trying to tell the story as simply as possible with no mixed messages and non-biased views, the audience are left with either the idea that society has driven her to becoming like this, or that her drug addiction was her fault and she should have gotten help. However, I feel the video is simple but effective, and is good inspiration for a music video project.

Owl City - Fireflies

The song 'Fireflies' focuses on the idea that the simple things in life are the best, and that life goes to quickly for people to see them. The video consists of a man/teenager playing the keyboard in his room and the music makes all the toys and brightly coloured objects in his room come to life. The video consists mostly of close up shots of the lead singer in the video and all of the objects that have come to life in his room. The concept of the video and the camera shots/angles make the audience remember being a child which is usually the best time in a persons life. Also, a child usually can think of something simple as amazing and spend hours playing with a toy or looking at a certain object, which reinforces the idea of the song. The lights and colours that all the separate objects emit also help the room look 'mystical' and 'bright', linking with the title of the song 'Fireflies'. The way the lead singer is dressed is simple, in pyjamas, which gives the idea the singer is no one of importance who has dreams and ambitions like anyone else. The video can also show the song linking in with a persons dreams as 'light' is linked with idea and good feelings, so the song could be portraying the writers inspiration and how he got started as a musician. I enjoy the video because I think although it contrains little effects its interesting to watch. The video contains nothing more than toys and bright coloured lights and due to the lyrics its almost as if the writer leaves the audience to interpret the song themselves, like a piece of art.