Music Video Analysis

Rihanna – California King Bed

•This song is from Rihanna’s fifth studio album ‘Loud’ and was released in May 2011. Many music critics praised this song as it showed off Rihanna’s vocal ability.

•It is a mid-tempo song that incorporates elements of rock music.

•It has been certified Gold in Italy, New Zealand and Switzerland and Platinum in Australia.

CostumeThere is only light coloured clothing used, this symbolises purity and truthfulness. It is also loose fitting things as this represents comfort and happiness.

ThemesThere is a strong theme of nature throughout, it is all set outside.There are autumn colours which we are thinking of including in our own video.

LocationAs said before, it is all set outside. This is to show her being natural and the simple act of falling in love.

EditingThe transitions used are both smooth and frequent. I think the smoothness represents the happiness in relationships. Also, near the end of the video, it changes to black and white, this keeps interest and also shows the simplicity of the whole song and video.

Camera ShotsThere is a wide variety of camera shots, but mainly close ups as it establishes Rihanna as being a diverse act.

Inspiration

The inspiration we have taken from this video is the smooth, simple transitions and the black and white effect. We think the black and white will work in our video and is an interesting effect that keeps the audience’s attention. We also will be using many close ups as this establishes Holly as an artist and makes her more recognisable to her fans.

Taylor Swift - Mine

•This song was written and produced by Taylor Swift. It was released as the lead single from her third studio album, ‘Speak Now’.

•Critical reception was mostly positive and was commercially successful.

•It was certified Gold in Australia and New Zealand, Platinum in Canada and Double Platinum in the United States.

CostumeTaylor wears a variety of floral print, browns, blacks and whites in the narrative. This fits in with the country genre of the song, it also succeeds in making them just look like small-town teenagers.ThemesThe journey of a relationship -Falling in love, having arguments and making up, getting married and starting a family.How she has a negative view on love ‘wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts’ because of the unhappy relationship between her parents ‘You said we’ll never make my parents mistakes’ and how this one guy is able to change that view of love through loving her and her loving him back.

LocationLocations include a cafe, house, the woods, beach and church. These settings lead you to believe they are living in a small town. The variety of locations are necessary as the video is following them through the years.

Editing Starts with a fade in, features flashbacks. Many different transitions between narrative and performance. Generally quick, simple and smooth transitions between camera shots. Blurs at the end and fades out.Camera Shots

There are a variety of camera shots including; POV, close up, high angle, push focus, over-the shoulder...A lot of the camera work jogs slightly, this adds to the artistic effect as it makes it look more realistic and homemade.

Inspiration

•We like the picturesque locations and an initial idea of ours was to film on the beach, although we later discarded this idea in favour of a wood/forest effect.

•We also like the storyline of them falling in love and the fact the video closely follows the lyrics, we hope to also do this.

Gabrielle Aplin – Never Fade

•This song was her second EP and showed her expanding her sound, showcasing a more pop/folk sound. She played all the instruments herself.

• It was released in on the 9th May 2011 and reached the top 14 in the UK and was used in an episode of Made in Chelsea.

CostumeGabrielle wears a variety of whites, browns and tribal prints. I would assume this was done purposefully to link in with the locations. This video is simple but effective. ThemesThere doesn’t seem to be a narrative, just Gabrielle performing in a narrative location. The is a very strong natural theme throughout the video.

LocationThe video is set in a forest, this is an interesting location, there is also a few shots of her walking through a field.

EditingThe transitions are used very frequently and don’t seem to differ. This fits in with the tempo of the song.There is a layered effect which is used a lot, which is Gabrielle placed in front of trees and leaves, this is to keep interest for the audience. Sometimes there are even three images on top of each other.Camera ShotsFeatures mostly close ups with Gabrielle but nature is featured heavily in the video and sometimes seems to be more of the focus of the video than Gabrielle herself.

Inspiration

•Both Caroline and I have decided that setting Holly’s music video in the woods is a good idea for the narrative. We won’t let the nature idea overshadow Holly though, so we will make sure she is the focus of almost every shot.

•We also liked the layered effect and are hopefully going to use it in ‘Forever’