JOHNNY RAYS

NATHANIEL REDEKOP

This Is LivingThe ‘This Is Living’ music video was filmed mostly at night and therefore the background colour or the overall layering colour is very dark, usually black. With the black/ very dark background the video includes contrasting bright colours that stand out against the dark background. These colours include blues, yellows, purples, pinks, reds and greens. These colours all flash up on the screen and are quite glossy compared the more matte dark background which helps them stand out and also makes the video looks flashy itself. I think they could be trying to convey a message of being different to other people. So other young people are out and doing things that aren’t important but we are a group of young people who are out to make a difference and we are different to the rest of them out there.

The ‘This Is Living’ music video is similar to the ‘Back to Life’ music video in terms of it’s camera shots and angles. It includes a lot of establishing shots and wide shots which serve the same purpose as the as the ‘Back to Life’ music video. The shots again let the audience see where the video is being filmed, fro example the bowling alley and the fair. Just like in ‘Back to Life’ these are all places where young people might find themselves out having fun and being young and free which is what this music group is about. The close ups in this music video differ however as they include a lot more close ups of a range of people rather than it just being focused on two people. The only way in which we know who the lead singers are, is because they are the ones do the lip-synching when the camera focuses on them. In terms of camera movements, it is clear to see that a lot of hand held shots have been used because the camera does shots don’t look like they’re still but shaking at times. This has been used effectively in this video because it gives the audience the perspective of a young person as if they were there when the video was being filmed. There seems to be a constant message being portrayed about making the audience feel as if they are part of the group.

The Mise-en-scene for the ‘This is Living’ music video is all about the representation of young people. For example the clothes they’re wearing are associated with young people’s fashion such as hoodies and jean jackets. The locations as mentioned before are places where young people would visit making it easier for the audience to feel like it could literally been them in that music video. This is something that all the music videos have in common. As they are all aimed at young people then it therefore makes sense that the mise-en-scene targets young people in a way that makes them feel as if they are part of the music video as that will allow the audience to feel associated with the group.

The editing in the ‘his is Living’ music video is very fast paced and this fits in with the song it self. The song is very fast paced in-terms of the instrumental. There are quite a lot of cuts and the shot durations are very short but it is edited together in a smooth transition where the focus isn’t really on the cuts but it seems more like a seamless transition from shot to shot.

Where You Are - ColourThe ‘Where You Are’ Music video was filmed mostly during the day and the overall colours on this video are bright and vivid. This differs from the ‘This is Living’ video which was filmed at night and had a much darker background colour setting. The shots outside include bright colours with some of the shots being edited in a more glossy finish which is in complete contrast to some of the shots filmed inside. A lot of the video is filmed inside where the colours are a lot more subdued. The colours scheme includes a lot more pastel like colours which gives the video a more retro look. This contrast I think conveys the message that this group is different from other music groups. So although the videos have a different style to their colours they still convey a similar message. The song it self doesn’t feel as fast paced or jumpy as ‘This is Living’ and this might explain why the colours used are a little more subdued.

The ‘Where You Are’ music video had a lot of different camera shots and angles. There were a lot of close ups of objects that they filmed. For example the camera zoomed in to a TV and also there was an close up of a mirror on a blue field track. These along with other shots gave he music video a more abstract feeling. This abstract feeling along with the retro look sets the video apart from the other videos. Where as the other videos seem more upbeat and more lively, this one feels more laid back and the pace is a lot slower. In all the wide shots and establishing shots used the camera does zoom in after. The wide shots used in this video this time show the lead singer singing, but again we only know he is the lead singer because the close ups show him lip-synching the song which other close ups of other actors in the video don’t do.

The mise-en-scene for the ‘Where You Are’ music video in terms of costumes is very much like the other music videos in terms of being associated with young people so that it targets young people but the rest differs quite a bit. There are a lot more props used I this music video such as TV’s, mirrors, crystals and so on. The way these props are used with the colour scheme makes the video look really retro.

The editing for this video is different from the others because the song is a lot more subdued in terms of a slower pace and instrumental doesn’t feel as packed (in terms of a lot of instruments). The shots last a little bit longer in terms of duration and the shots tend to have a zooming in effect on a lot of them. Although the song is slower it is still a fast paced song which is why the shots still cut quite quickly. They have used a lot of animations in this music video where they’ve put together the footage they’ve filmed with the animations in order to give the video a more retro feel.

Back To LifeThe ‘Back To Life’ music video like the ‘Where You Are’ music video was filmed outside during the day time with some of these shots being brightly coloured whilst others being a little less bright with the editing meaning that it looks less glossy and more matte. This is very similar to the ‘Where You Are’ music video with one of the only differences being that there were a lot more outside shots in this video than the ‘Where You Are’ music video. However shots filmed inside were more similar to the ‘This Is Living’ music video than the ‘Where You Are’ music video. The shots were filmed in the dark with a lot of flashy lights lighting up the set. Just like the ‘This Is Living’ music video the flashing lights stand out against the dark lighting for the background. The colours used in this aren’t as bright coloured as the yellows on the ‘This Is Living’ music video but still include the reds, the greens and blues which still stand out against the black. In terms of conveying the message of the song it would make sense that the colours are bright and flashy because the song is about coming back alive which suggests being bright and lively coloured.

‘Back To Life’ includes a variation of camera shots and angles being filmed. On of the reasons for doing this could be due to the fact that the locations where they have filmed are all associated with young people and it’s an aspect of the music video they can identify with. They range from wide shots although down to close ups. The Wide shots in the music video gives the audience a better sense of the location. This lets the audience see where the music video is being set. These shots include dancing on a dark stage lit up by stage lights, surfing at sea and skating at the skate park and these are all things that are associated with young people. Young people will therefore look at the music video and think ‘that could be me’ linking themselves to the music group. The extreme close ups are mainly of the female singer but also of the young man skateboarding. They are the two characters who show up the most in the video although only the female character sings. The close ups of her let us know that she is the lead singer in this particular song.

The mise-en-scene for ‘Back to Life’ is very similar to the ‘This is Living’ music video where the clothes they’re wearing are again associated with young people’s fashion. In this music video the guy skateboarding is wearing a cap which is synonymous with young people and he’s also carrying his skateboard around which is another sport associated with young people. The video also includes two girls who have gone out to surf, so they have their surfer gear on and they’re carrying their surfboards. These things along with the dancing in the dark with bright stage lights shining on them again suggests a feeling of young people going out to have fun in a way where they’re being themselves and its not harmless. It’s painting young people in a more positive light.

The editing for this music video is slightly different to the others. The shot durations last longer even though it’s a fast paced song. This doesn’t however stand out so much as there is so much going on in the shots that they become quite busy fitting in with the fast pace of the song. Just like in the ‘This is Living’ music video it contains writing at the start which is a message to the audience of encouragement. This shows that this music group is not only trying to represent young people in a positive light but also give other young people encouragement to gout in the world. This video also uses quite a lot of effects such as slow-motion effects and this contrasts the pace of the song but it just makes the audience focus more on the video and song.