Music Video Inspirations - Miss Miller

It is important to take inspiration from other music videos as it helps for your own video to be successful. This is because it helps to take parts from other videos that would have helped the video previously reached success which could then be reflected in my music video. There are many music videos that I have watched in which I have taken inspiration from due to the effective uses of the aspects within them. There are five videos that have in particular caught my attention and that I believe have inspired me for my video. 

The first is Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black':

The use of the micro element, editing is used in a particularly effective way. The use of a black and white filter in the editing creates an intended atmosphere and mood for the video. The black in the filter could connote depression and sadness whereas the whiteness of the filter could signify innocence and purity. This represents the artist as being innocent and pure, however, because of the addiction that Amy had, the black could signify her going to a 'dark place' as a result which would diminish the innocence and purity in which she once had. 'Black' also refers to heroine which Amy was openly addicted to and so reinforces this idea of her addiction having a negative effect on her. The video is based around a funeral and so, creating a sombre, dull tone on the video is appropriate as it matches the emotion that is portrayed throughout through the narrative. It also reflects the topic of the song which is personal and dark in the way that she is singing about a situation that she had got herself into that has affected her personally and negatively. The black and white filter can also be seen as representing the past, as older filming are associated with black and white monotone colouring. This is how we are thinking to use it in our video as we want to show part of the artist's past and in a negative way. This contribution of the black and white filter will help to reinforce the emotion portrayed here which is very conventional to the genre of soul, engaging the audience in the genuine emotions of the artist and so this is why I think it will play an effective part in our video. 

The second video in which I have taken inspiration from is 'Boyfriend' by Justin Bieber:

The artist is represented in this music video as being multi-talented and confident with performing. We are thinking of having a performance, as well as narrative style music video and so, by representing the artist in the same way as Justin is, it not only fits with our chosen styles, but puts a spin on relation to being conventional to the soul genre. Most soul artists tend not to be shown in this extraordinary light by playing an instrument, as this is more related to indie genre conventions. Soul artists want to be shown as ordinary in aid of being more relatable to their audience. However, we want to demonstrate passion within our video and to demonstrate our artist's contribution to the industry. By making them appear more talented, it makes them seem more dedicated to music and more passionate for something they love. Emotion can also be retrieved more easily in some cases as, the artist uses expression through playing as well as the complimenting facial expressions that she uses. Justin uses it in his video to show a different side to him -  maybe not only a more talented one, but also more sensitive as he tends to display more emotion when he is playing the guitar in the video. This is what we intend to show in our video as soul artists often expose themselves in reference to emotions and so, by an aspect that emphasises this, it also strengthens how conventional the artist is to the soul genre as it subtly demonstrates 'another side' to the artist. This means that the audience could feel more appreciative to the artist as they are sharing another side to them, with another reason as to why they are so dedicated to the industry and passionate in the music they create. Having them playing an instrument in our music video will also make their material seem more personal as it gives the impression that they have composed the music themselves - not just the lyrics, but also the accompaniment. Audiences praise this as this further illustrates extensive talent. 

Furthermore, my third inspiration is from Sam Smith's video for 'I'm Not The Only One':

The way in which the video follows a narrative and performance style structure is something that has inspired my music video and its style. We are thinking of having a mainly performance style video with incorporating narrative sections within to add interest and support the demands of the audience from my primary research carried out through questionnaires. The most popular styles for a soul genre music video were performance and narrative, and so by using these styles interweaving within my video, it satisfies my audience. This particular video from Sam Smith is more prominently narrative based, however I liked the use of performance in this video as I thought it demonstrated the genre of soul clearly and conventionally. I speak of this in relation to the way in which the artist uses a stage with a typical red curtain background to display this clearly. This is conventional to the soul genre as it demonstrates a genuine performance of  the artist performing to their audience. This helps to display the artist in an emotional and expressive way, which I think would be effective in our music video - especially as the soul artists sing about a personal experience. As well as this, it makes the video seem more professional and connects the artist with the audience more easily as it is as if the audience are watching the artist perform to them - making it more personal and direct. It allows he audience to witness the artist in two ways, one in their natural setting of performing, whilst also being included within a narrative. This is conventional as the content of soul genre artist's material is based around stories and experiences in which they are sharing emotively. By having a narrative within our music video, it will explain the story, whilst the performance scenes will portray the emotions that the artist links with the stories - which makes them a perfect combination of styles for this genre.

I was also inspired by Adele's 'Chasing Pavements':

For the editing of the video, the use of the slow timing of shots was an aspect that seemed very effective, as well as being conventional to the soul genre. I liked the way in which it emphasised Adele's movements throughout this video as it helped connect the audience to the artist in a more effective way. By emphasising and slowing the movements of the artist down, it allows for the intricate detail to be more noticeable. With this in mind, the audience can be more familiar with the artist as this gives them a more detailed view that they would likely not be able to see of them elsewhere, for example, in real life. This also exposes their emotions a lot more because the slow nature of the editing makes the artist's movements more noticeable. Because of the soul genre of the artist in which we are thinking of having, exposing emotions is important as the topics of their material are based around personal experiences and interpretations of the artist. By using slow timing of shots, it helps to also reflect other deeper ideas such as the way in which the artist feels that their life is progressing. Therefore, we can use this editing technique for more than just a literal and obvious effect. The audience also feel more attentive to the scene and what is being portrayed, meaning that they are more likely to absorb the emotion that is being conveyed by the artist in our video. This makes them more likely to be relatable and a better chance of the audience building a relationship with them,

Another inspiration in which I have taken is from Paloma Faith's 'Picking Up The Pieces':

The mise-en-scene used within this video was very much inspiring, especially in reference to the costume, hair and makeup. The artist wears red lipstick in some of the scenes within this video which has many connotations and is conventional to the genre of soul.  For example, the red connotes love and passion which is something that is very appealing in an artist. The audience feel more appreciative for the passion in which they display as it shows dedication for their career and the material in which they produce for the industry. The boldness also reflects the uniqueness of their personality which is typical for a soul artist as they are seen as being different and more 'standing out' in the industry for their difference to any others in the industry. By demonstrating this in their music videos, it helps to reinforce this and makes audience feel more engaged into them and the material in which they produce. They are more appealing also because of this and so, the red lipstick helps to also display a different side to them. The lipstick not only demonstrates the artist in a classic and glamorous light. We will use this element within the makeup of mise-en-scene in our video to demonstrate the love and passion in which our artist will be shown to supply to the industry. This means that they will 

Three artists in which we are considering for our my own production is Adele, Paloma Faith or Duffy. These are successful soul artists that have created songs which could be effective for us to use. I feel that these artists tend to express a lot of emotion that can be interpreted in different ways trough the visuals that can be produced in a music video. I feel that we can use the theories of Goodwin and Dyer to comply with the conventions of a typical music video and also to follow the generic conventions in order to create a successful and effective video. I will share this with my group by discussing what artists I think would be effective and why. I will also check whether other group members have considered the same or similar artists to me and then compromise an artist between us to find out what artist will be most favoured and successful for us to use.