Using split screens, close ups, mirroring effects and urban locations, the group created a music video that drew inspiration from examples by Kid Cudi, Beyoncé and Lauryn Hill. They utilized a white studio setting with bright colors and black costumes to contrast with the urban scenes and symbolize the "war" in the song's lyrics. Reviews of their own work show they effectively applied techniques like ghosting, screens and body language to advance the narrative.
2. Using Split Screens
• While coming up with initial ideas for making our music video, we
looked at examples of real music videos for inspiration, such as
'Make Her Say' by Kid Cudi, 'Countdown' by Beyonce and 'Doo Wop
(That Thing)' by Lauryn Hill. Looking at these videos helped us lots
and gave us some very clear ideas on the style in which we wanted
to shoot our music video and which conventions would work best.
• We came up with the idea of using a split screen, which is featured
in videos 'Make Her Say' and 'Countdown'. We thought that using a
split screen from the urban setting to the studio setting would be
really diverse and show the two fighting parts in the story line (the
'war' in the song lyrics) as well as introducing the two different
settings without making the change too abrupt.
3. Using Split Screens
• Split screen in 'Make Her Say':
• This example of a split screen is very relevant to our video ideas as it features half a screen shot in a studio
and half a screen shot of an outside setting - exactly what we are hoping to achieve with our video except
with a more urban outdoor setting. We also liked the bright colours of the balloons here because we
wanted our video to feature a plain white studio filled with lots of bright colours, to really make them
stand out. (This also symbolises the 'fighting' in our storyline as it almost shows a 'battle' between colour
and black and white).
4. Using Split Screens
• Split Screen in 'Countdown':
• We liked this idea from Beyonce's video as the split screen is again featured in a white studio, which
we really wanted to try and recreate. Watching Beyonce's videos were also a big influence for us as
she is a contemporary pop artist who has very relevant and popular videos at the moment and she
is portrayed as a powerful woman in her music videos, which we wanted to show ourselves as in
our video because the lyrics of our chosen song portray a woman fighting a war and trying to regain
control.
5. Using Split Screens
• Split Screen in our music video:
• I think that we did well in creating a power struggle between the urban setting and the studio setting in our video.
Here the studio is being pushed off the screen by the urban setting, which signifies the war between two different
sides in the story of our song and switches the music video up to keep it interesting.
6. Using Mise En Scene
• - Beyonce's 'Countdown' video helped to influence our mise en scene ideas and studio location setting ideas.
• Costumes and studio location in 'Countdown':
• We really liked the aesthetically pleasing studio setting in this music video and we thought that if we could find a
dance studio similar to this for our music video then it would be perfect as the white colour is not distracting and
the idea of dance is linked with female empowerment. We were going to use a beauty spa studio but then realised
that our college had a dance studio which was completely white and would work really well, so we filmed some
parts of our music video here. We also took inspiration from the mise en scene here because the black costumes
make the popstar stand out from the white walls as the main focus, and the high heels Beyonce is wearing and
power stance that she is standing in, in each section show her power as a woman.
7. Using Mise En Scene
• White studio setting and costumes in our music video:
• I think that the white background here teamed with the bright colours of the beanbags and our
black clothing really makes us stand out and shows that we are the main focus as we are the 'pop
stars' of our music video. We used the beanbags as sitting on one different colour each symbolises
our different personalities. We dressed all in black to contrast with the white studio, except from
Sabrina is wearing a white top as she is in the middle and we thought that this would make us look
like a co-ordinatedgirlband. We are all wearing high heels to show our 'power' as we are taller than
we would usually be which is a symbol of power and control, and our body language of crossing our
legs shows our strong attitude which fits with the lyrics of the song.
8. Using Mise En Scene
• Here we are wearing black and white outfits again, but we went with a black studio for this part to
switch up the video and contrast with the all white background. Looking back, I think that the white
studio had a stronger contrast with our outfits and maybe we should have stayed in the white
studio as the camera hasn't picked up as much detail in our faces in the black studio due to the
darker lighting. However, this is only a short scene in our video and I think the fact that we are still
symmetrical with a white top in the middle works well.
9. Using the Ghosting Effect
• Ghosting in 'Countdown':
• We liked the idea of recreating the 'ghosting' effect in our music video because we
thought that it made this video look very professional. Also, it is featured during
the dancing section of this music video in the studio, which is something we
wanted to try for our music video. The natural lighting here also looks good and
makes the quality of the music video look better.
10. Using the Ghosting Effect
• The ghosting effect in our music video:
• We recreated the ghosting effect in the studio here, but we put our own personal stamp on it by
using the multicoloured beanbags. We came up with the idea of throwing the bean bags to signify
the 'war' in the song, so we lined the music video up so that we threw them at the same time as
the parts of the song where J.Cole says 'hate'. We also slowed down the pace of this part so that it
looked more dramatic.
11. Using the Ghosting Effect
• More 'ghosting' in our video:
• We also used the ghosting effect in some of our outdoor 'urban' scenes,
because we were singing big chunks of the chorus in these parts and it got
a little repetitive, so we made it more interesting by layering more than
one of us singing at once and ghosting it.
12. Using the Mirroring Effect
• Mirroring effect in the 'Countdown' video:
• We took inspiration from this effect in Beyonce's video because we
liked the idea of having a few people mirrored at once, as it creates
a very interesting and dynamic look when there's lots going on at
the same time. Here she is wearing a black outfit with a black top,
leggings and high heels, much like our costumes.
13. Using the Mirroring Effect
• Mirror effect in our music video:
• Here we recreated the mirror effect in the dance studio. I really like how
we have almost created a pattern here by standing in this formation. The
mise en scene here - our stances and expressions also show our attitude
and power.
14. Using the Mirroring Effect
• More mirroring effects in our music video:
• We also used some mirroring effects outside in the urban setting, to make
the video more interesting than if we were just standing in the middle of
the screen and singing. I really like the symmetrical features of this effect
as it makes the shot look well framed.
15. Using Screens, Close Ups and Body
Language
• Multiple screens, close ups and facial expressions in the 'Countdown' video:
• When watching this Beyonce video, we really liked the effect of having multiple
screens with a different action happening in each one and the old film strip style it
created. We also liked the close ups here teamed with the hand actions over the
pop stars face, as this drew the focus to her well while at the same time keeping
the viewer interested with lots of different things going on at once. We recreated
similar effects to all of these things in our music video.
16. Using Screens, Close Ups and Body
Language
• Example of us using the 'film strip' boxes (teamed with
mirroring) in our music video:
• We liked the effect that these two boxes opposite to each
other with the mirroring effect created.
17. Using Screens, Close Ups and Body
Language
• Examples of us using the close ups/hand movements around our face effects in
our music video:
18. Urban Location Ideas
• We really wanted to use a setting that looked typically 'urban' for half of our music video and this
Lauryn Hill music video was good inspiration to watch as it features around an urban outdoor
setting and also uses a split screen throughout.
• Urban setting in 'Doo-Wop (That Thing):
• The setting in this music video looks typically urban because of the buildings, the concrete, the dark
colours of the surroundings that look quite faded and old rather than modern and shiny, and the
outdoor location.
19. Urban Location Ideas
• Urban settings in our music videos:
• The locations we have chosen here look typically urban because they feature graffiti, faded walls,
dark underground places and unclean floors around us. I think we did well in choosing urban
looking locations because they contrast completely with the bright clean studios, and this put
together with our dark, co-ordinated outfits in the studio and our bright, mismatched outfits in the
outdoor setting symbolises the 'war' between two different sides (much like the fighting couples's
opposite personalities in the lyrics of the song.
20. How Our Magazine Advert and Digipak
Relate to Real Pop Products
• Examples of how our magazine advert compares to real pop artist's magazine adverts:
• Our groups' album advert and Katy Perry's relevant pop album advert both feature female pop
artists looking straight towards the camera, to make eye contact and show their importance as an
artist. Both of these adverts also feature the artist's/band's name at the top of the advert to
introduce the artist(s) and the font is in a style that relates to the style of the artist(s) personality
(Katy Perry's is a swirly font that relates to candy which is one of her branding points and ours is in
an urban/graffiti font which relates to the theme of our music video and album). Both of these
adverts also feature lots of bright, popping colours that draw your eye to the advert straight away.
21. How Our Magazine Advert and Digipak Relate to Real Pop
Products
• Examples of how our digipak/album front cover relates to relevant pop artist's album covers:
All three of these album cover examples from Lana Del Ray, Alicia Keys and Rita Ora are from strong female figures
which are in the charts in modern times. They all feature the women looking straight towards the camera, much
like the photograph of our band on our album cover and all three of these women have strong facial expressions
that show attitude and power, like how we are not smiling on our album cover but instead look quite strong and
like we have attitude. Both Alicia Keys' and Rita Ora's album covers feature themselves in black and white and
their surroundings in colour which is exactly what we have done with our front cover, singled ourselves out in
black and white and made everything around us colourful to make sure we don't blend into the background. In
Lana Del Ray's album cover the mise en scene of her outfit is very similar to ours as a couple of our band members
have curly/wavy styled hair like she does, one of our band members is wearing gold hoop earrings like hers and all
three of our band members are wearing red lipstick like she is, so this shows that our costume choices are relevant
to popular clothing for pop stars in modern times.