Good & Bad Music Video Techniques

Good Use Of Cuts

This music video is an example of a good music video that has a lot of cuts. This music video displays lots of cuts because of the speed of the song and the singer Bluey Robinson is singing so the shots are from lots of different directions making the cuts more frequent. The cuts are also good because the cut happens on the beat. The cutting helps the space of the video seem faster which is more engaging to the audience. Most of the cuts happen on a specific beat in the music which is when you hear the sneer. This is affective because it gives the video a good flow and doesn’t make the audience feel like they’re out of time when watching the video. The effect of using this number of cuts is not only to make the video engaging but when the video wants to make something else a subject they cut it. So overall Bluey Robinson’s music video has a good number of cuts which helps the video more interesting. Within the first 20 seconds of the song there are 10cuts this show that the cuts are frequent to keep in time with the beat of the song because it would not make sense if the cuts were slower than the actual song. This video of cuts was a success.

Bad Use Of Cuts  

This music video by J Cole called ‘Who Dat’ displays a poor use of cuts. The filming crew may of intended not to use any cuts within the video but the disadvantage is without having any cuts it makes the video seem longer and boring, nothing can surprise you. I feel the intended effect of using no cuts was to show the whole journey of J Cole throughout the video however by portraying it did not have a good affect on the audience. The song has an upbeat tempo so it only feels natural for the audience to see cuts on the beat; the cuts would help the video feel like it flows better and would be more affective to watch. The overall technique of using no cuts was unsuccessful because it made the video seem more boring, because by placing cuts in a video makes the temp of the video feel fast like the song where as in this video the video does not go with the beat. Also the use of no cuts meant that the film had a lot of panelling in it which is a bit repetitive which loses the audience interest. I feel the connotation of using no cuts was to help keep the camera left on J Cole (the artist). Overall J Cole ‘Who Dat’ shows a poor use of cutting.

Good Use Of Camera Shots

The music video ‘Love on top’ by Beyonce shows a varied of camera shots, there are high angle shots, low angle shots, close ups, mid shot and many more. By having more than one shot type makes the video more engaging to watch rather than watching a video from just one prospective. The intended effect of using different camera angles would be to give the video a more dynamic feel because the moves Beyonce is performing are basic so by doing different camera shots for example when they have the camera facing her feet and then her backing dancers hand. These entire camera shots help make the small things seem more interesting. The overall technique of the different camera shots has been a success because it makes the video more engaging and fun to watch. The different types of shots help empasis the dance routine they are doing, because the moves are very basic by adding lots of different angles you can the move from automatically makes the video more captivating.

Bad Use Of Camera Shots

  

Jessie J’s music video ‘Who you are’ displays a poor use of camera shots making the video seem long and quiet dull. Throughout the music video the shot type is a mid shot and because the shot types do not change you can see a lot of panelling. Overall I think the intended purpose of using just one shot type throughout the video was for the audience to focus on the lyrics she is singing and her face expressions. The whole idea of keeping the camera use at just one shot could be the connotation of they wanted to keep the video simple and plan, so the lyrics came through more, the intended idea was to emphasis on the lyrics. However the weakness of using basic shot types makes the video seem boring, which is not engaging for the audience to watch. The technique was not successful because the audience want to see more than the artist lip synching the words. The video felt like it dragged on to long because of the one shot type. The video is not engaging and captivating towards the audience because of the basic shot types. The music video represents the artist as plain and simple; Jessie J is wearing simple clothes so that the video is focussed on the lyrics and the shot types are simple, this could be the connotation.

Good Use Of Green Screen

In Beyonce’s music video ‘Countdown’ she uses green screen to make her video more effective an engaging for the audience to watch. The intended effect of using green screen in her video is to grab the audience’s attention and because the video has an up beat tempo the green screen helps make it more effective. In Beyonce’s music video she uses the green screen affectively because when you are green screening it is important that you don’t wear the same colour as the background because it can sometimes look bad. However Beyonce has gone against that and every time you here the sneer her colour of the costume and background changes this is affective because she is using the green screen with her beat making it fun to watch. She uses this technique to engage the audience at 37seconds to 49seconds. The green screen make the video enjoyable to watch because it is very different to other videos contain and also the use of the retro colours towards the younger generation makes it more engaging. The denotation of using green screen was to make the video seem more fun and lad back, as if it was a party. The connotation of using the green screen could have been to emphasis when she is counting and the beat.

Bad Use Of Green Screen

This music video shows a poor use of green screening, as you can see from the video the editor has not cut around the body properly making the body look cut out. The intended effect of this video is to be amusing and fun, however the technique of which the green screen has been done is poor. The technique has not been successful because the artist is not visible because the cutting of around the artist was not done to a high standard it is quiet hard to see the artist himself because of the fade outs around him. Also he is wearing a white top and in quite a few screens the background has white so he gets lost in the background a lot. The impact on the viewer just seems like the artist is not taking the shoot seriously hence the weakness of the green screening. The connotation of using the green screen could have been to compliment the lyrics the boy is singing, the intended purpose could have been to make the video more lively and fun.

Good Use Of Special Affects

In Rihanna’s music video ‘Rude Boy’ she has added lots of graphics for special affects, they have made her video more engaging to watch. The intended effect of the graphics was to make the video more fun to watch also the connotation of using the graphics as an affect could have been to enhance the African/Caribbean theme. Throughout the music video you see Rihanna dancing in a African/Caribbean way and the graphics help link them together. The graphics are all bright and bold affects which give you that feel of Africa. The technique has been successful because it makes the video more fun and enjoyable to watch because of the colourful graphics and they also go with the dancing and the use of words Rihanna says ‘ere, is’you’ which are translations. The whole graphics link with the theme making the video flow more. The impact of the graphics almost makes the audience want to dance along with the bright engaging colours. The denotation of using the graphics was to reflect on Rihanna’s ethnic background and tradition.

Bad Use Of Special Affects 

In this music video called ‘All Of The Lights’ by Kayne West shows a use of good special affects through the graphics however after a while this portrays as a weakness because they are very repetitive which make the video boring. The intended effect of using the graphics was to help create a more disco feel because they are singing about flashing lights so by putting the words up in bright flashing colours compliments the lyrics however it because less affective the more it goes on for. The technique was not successful because it repeats itself to much and becomes boring to watch.  The impact on the video is to make them dance and feel as if they are in a club but by making the colours too bright makes the viewer not want to watch the whole video. The denotation of using these graphics was to emphasis the lyrics they were saying ‘turn up the lights in here’ and the connotation could have been that it was set for a party feel. Overall the affects were poor because they became too repetitive.

  

Good  Lip-synching

In JLS’s music video ‘Take A Chance’ has good lip synching because it is believable that they are actually singing because you can see the emotion you normally see when they actually sing. The intended effect of them lip synching is so that they don’t get tired of dancing and moving about. It is also to make the video look as natural as possible. The overall impact of them lip synching the words help them to not have to worry about sounding good and they can work more on the outcome. For example the way they say the lyrics if it’s sad, angry etc. The JLS song has a good use of lip synching overall.

Bad Lip- Synching 

In this video Cheryl Cole is performing at the Brit Awards and she is miming the words. The lip synching is this video is not good because Cheryl Cole does not suspend the words for long enough as what they are on the track and this is clear to see. The purpose of Cheryl Cole lip synching could have been to help her be able to dance and not get tired because if you dance and sing your vocals tend to sound worse. The overall presentation of Cheryl lip synching is bad because there are times when she comes in too late, so it is clear she is lip synching. This can cause the audience to say Cheryl cannot sing hence her miming he words instead. Overall this is a poor way of lip synching because the artist was not precise enough when seeing the lyrics.

Good Use Of Cutting To The Beat

The Olly Murs music video called ‘Dance with me tonight’ shows a good pace of cutting to the beat this helps the video flow more easily. The main reason for the cutting to go on the beat is for the song. The cutting to the beat is important because it allows the audience to feel the speed of the song and the emotions. For example if it was a slow sad song you would not see a lot of cuts. The cutting to the beat has been successful because it relates back to the song being up tempo. The cutting has been successful in this video because the cuts are not only to the beat but at one point the cuts go on all of Olly’s lyrics ‘uuhh’ this happens at 43 seconds to 47 seconds. By the cutting being on the lyrics helps the viewer feel the pace of the song. The cutting to the beat and particular words helps the video become more exciting and engaging for viewer to watch.

Bad Use Of Cutting To The Beat 

The music video by Jordan Sparks called ‘One step at a time’ shows a poor use of cutting to the beat, most of the cuts feel pre-empted. The cuts are not on the beat most of the cuts are before the beat which makes it feel off. The cutting has not been successful because it doesn’t feel like it flows through. By not cutting to the beat leads the viewer abit miss guided because they want to flower the beat however the cutting doesn’t allow them. So overall this video shows a poor use of cutting to the beat.