A Further Look into Music Videos - Similar Aesthetics

Take On Me - Weezer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7RwDnZI7Tw

The music video for Weezer's cover of "Take on Me" is a good example of using intertextual references to create meaning for an audience. The use of video cameras and other props, as well as the use of filming locations, gives audiences the impression that this was set in the past, further providing a nostalgic feeling. Despite the cover of this song being released in 2019, the way the music video tells us this was set in the mid-1980s.

This music video follows a young Rivers Cuomo (lead singer of Weezer) performing a cover of aha!'s "Take on Me". It is accompanied by the iconic transition to comic book rotoscoping that is mimicked in this music video. This young Rivers accompanies his bandmates in playing inside the house (as loud as they want) whilst simultaneously recording a music video on an old camcorder. 

This video encompasses a lot of aspects I strive to use in my music video. The different camera shots, including medium close-up, medium-long shots, and tilted frames. The use of switching between different camera types as well as the environment that they're playing in is aesthetic and adheres to the narrative I want to use, as it would appeal to my aspirer audience. The nostalgic feeling of the video paired with the shot types being very personal and close, as if we're actually watching the band play allows us to feel a closer connection to the band.

Tally Hall - Good Day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGQZItOMz6k

Tally Hall's "Good Day" music video uses clever video editing showcasing masses of different screens including TV, laptop and video game consoles displaying the music video. Throughout the video, the channels are changed with different infomercials, television shows and adverts that include all of the band members in some way. Intertextual references to cartoons, films and television shows all appear on the different screens. Being a more comedic video, Tally Hall still managed to appeal to a very wide audience with this video.

Audiences of the time would easily recognise different settings that most people in the early 2000's would have visited. A staple setting of Tv's appearing in break rooms, living rooms, bowling alleys and even cinemas, as well as hand held consoles. A stable shot perfectly lines up every screen together with very minimal change allowing a consisitent video to be played. Tom Waits, pro wrestlers, fitness instructors, Bob Ross, the Brady Bunch, the 80s show Cops, This Old House, Girls Gone Wild, Baywatch, Saved By The Bell, are some of easter eggs included in the video.

To make this video even more impressive, the video was simply cut and pasted together perfectly in time with very minimal use of editing equipment. For a music video that was released in 2010, from a band who would be considered indie, this is very impressive. It definetly fits the aesthetic of madness and wacky, much like The Beatles - who largely inspired Tally Hall's music.

Eighth Wonder - Lemon Demon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyzQ-ZFSQic

Lemon Demon's Eighth wonder tells the folklore story of a small talking mongoose named Gef. The album "Spirit Phone" that it originates from has an overarching theme of paranormal events. This video was released in 2009, 7 years before the album was releasaed. The video is imitates stop motion, displaying cards with written lyrics on them. The camera advances to the beat of the music, and the entire video takes place in a dimly lit woodscape

Despite the music video being strange, the camera angle positions audiences to feel as though they are crawling through the woods, looking for this creature. The producer, filmographer and songwriter; Neil Cicierega has often been known for outlandish film projects, so this video definetly stays on brand for him. The main aspect i wish to incorporate is the use of transition and angle to fit specific beats. There are times within the song where the tempo will slow or speed up, but images or video will perfectly sync with the song. The reveal of the mongoose and snake statue is shown in this way, heightneing audiences reaction.

Case Study #3 - Sunny Day

Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus, known on stage as "beabadoobee", is a Filipino-British singer-songwriter. Receiving fame from her single "Coffee", released in 2017, from an unexpected trend on TikTok in 2019, Beatrice has since released 5 E.P and 2 albums, with her debut album "Fake it Flowers" receiving critical acclaim in 2020, and her newest album "Beatopia" being released in 2022. Beabadoobee has gone on to be recognised by the likes of Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Jaden Smith and The 1975, as well as being predicted as the "breakthrough act" for 2020 in the annual poll of BBC music critics. Bea's first tour of "Beatopia" is set to run from 2022 through to 2023, in a worldwide playing of the album.

Mise-en-scene 

Beabadoobee's "Sunny Day" from the album "Beatopia" incorporates whimsical, fairy, grunge aesthetics with hints of 2000s subculture. Going hand-in-hand with the nature of her music, inspired by the likes of Kimya Dawson for a soft, calm experience. "Sunny Day" incorporates performance-based camera work and a loose narrative following a girl exploring outside her bedroom window, which just so happens to be a forest.  As the day draws to a close, Bea lies floating on a rock in a pond surrounded by fireflies, looking directly at the camera, lip-syncing the closing lyrics to the song. Accompanying Bea from 1:12 onwards is a CGI model of a frog, who assists in providing performance-based conventions, playing a small guitar fashioned from a nut. The frog also dances during the song's closing section, adding comedy elements and a fun resolution to Bea's sunny day. 

The entire aesthetic for this music video is soft and easy on the eyes, with a homemade feel to it. Bea's clothes are modish and include elements of current fashion trends, something my aspirer audience will look up to. The narrative, whilst simple, includes elements that 16 - 25-year-olds will resonate with, feeling sad and looking for happiness and relaxation. The aesthetic of this video is similar to a trending aesthetic at the time of release (July 2022), of a grungey, "fairycore" described aesthetics, with elements of y2k in terms of clothing. This hybridisation is what beabadoobee's target audience will be exposed to on platforms like TikTok and Pinterest, and fans will look up to this aesthetic, essentially making Bea a role model in terms of charisma, personality, fashion and public image for the psychometric group "aspirers".

Editing

The music video features a mix of different editing techniques. There are several different shots used throughout the video, including close-ups of the artist, wide shots of Bea's entire body, and shots of the artist in different locations. Some of the shots are edited to be in slow motion, while others are edited to be in fast motion. The video also uses jump cuts, which are sudden transitions between shots, to create a sense of disorientation. The video uses colour grading, which is the process of adjusting the colours in a video, to give the video a warm and sunny feel. The editing in the "Sunny Day" music video is used to create a sense of nostalgia and match the song's upbeat mood. Shakey camera work is incorporated to hone in on the homemade feel of the video, and also acts as a way for audience members to feel closer to Bea, with a more personalised connection. Beabadoobee often live streams for fans and answers questions, as well as posts direct posts on social media, replying to fans' comments or interacting with them.

The nostalgic and ambient feel of this video is something I wish to explore in my own video. Using some of this editing techniques, I hope to convey this in my video

Using the Cameras - Photoshoot

 

I was given the opportunity to use the cameras and experiment with different angles. I used these cameras as an initial outfit test with my model Kate, to take photos for my website, and for a potential album cover. This exercise proved useful because it showed me two outfits I would not use for the video, but gave me an idea for the aesthetic I wanted to go for. I also opted to not use the specific headphones photographed, and in the final video, there will instead be plain black headphones.