Channel 4's 100 Best Music Videos: 90-81

This is a continuation of Channel 4's 100 Best Music Videos. For the previous 10 entries, click here.
90. The Pet Shop Boys - Go West - 1993

This video is significant as it was one of the first times that music videos included the artists dressed in outrageous costumes. Additionally, the graphics used were seen as revolutionary at the time, and the scene in Red Square was rather iconic.
89. Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight Tonight - 1996
88. Elton John - I Want Love - 2001

After Elton John refused to be featured in any of his music videos, he asked Robert Downey Jr. to star in it. John noticed a parallel between his and Downey Jr.'s own struggles, and therefore thought he was perfect for the role. The continuous take was captured as desired after only 16 attempts.
87. Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime - 1981

This was the first abstract music video, and is features in the New York Museum of Art
86. The Streets - Fit But You Know It - 2004
85. Sid Vicious - My Way - 1979
84. The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays - 1979

This song and video was controversial as it was based around Brenda Spencer's attack on her school. Spencer's reason for the attack was "I don't like Mondays". This song was one of the first to contain a narrative story.
83. Shakespear's Sister - Stay - 1992
82. 50 Cent - In Da Club - 2003

The video shows a new artist being prepared by established names and features several iconic shots.
81. Ultravox - Vienna - 1981

This video was the first to be a miniature movie. 

Cast Study: Radiohead - Just

To continue my case study, I've decided to look at successful music video by Jamie Thraves - Radiohead's Just.

The video was shot in just two days and had a budget of £100,000.

I enjoyed the use of a 'secret' which I assumed would be revealed at the end. This maintained the audiences attention and would have been a large talking point amongst Radiohead fans and other music enthusiasts.

When first released, the music video was one of a kind, and many people were almost tricked into watching the video in its entirety to discover the reason behind the man laying down; the answer to this has never been revealed by Thraves or Radiohead.

We can take the idea of a secret into consideration for our music video, too. However, we already have a surprise in discovering that the male in our video passed away. Therefore, we will be incorporating some elements of this music video into our project.

Preliminary Exercise

To prepare us for both the filming and editing of our actual music video, we decided to complete a preliminary exercise. The main focus of the exercise was to learn how to lip sync successfully, and how to edit verically using Final Cut Express. Furthermore, the task would enable us to practise working towards a deadline as we only had one lesson to film the video. We would also be able to get to grips with the HD camera, as we used a different camera whilst filming our Thriller last year.

The first thing we had to do when beginning the exercise was make sure we were able to hear music when singing along; the song we were goign to use was 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' by Elton John and Kiki Dee. To do this, we needed to tranfer the mp3 of the song from an iMac to a portable device such as a mobile phone or iPod. However, we managed to avoid this step, as we decided to filming in a classroom, meaning we could use YouTube to play a lyrics video of the song; this would play the song through the speakers, and also show the lyrics on screen at the correct time. This would enable us to sing the correct lyrics at the right time, meaning our lip syncing would be more believable.

After loading the video on YouTube, we set up the camera and tripod and were ready to film. We selected both Leon and Yemi to be in our video - they are not working with us in the actual project, but were part of our group for the preliminary exercise - but faced difficulties when they couldn't grasp the timing of the song. Therefore, we wasted a large amount of time trying to teach them the words and timing before realising that we wouldn't be able to complete the task. We quickly decided that myself and Sarah should perform the lip syncing, and quickly filmed the sequence. To make our lip syncing appear believeable, we had to sing aloud. This was rather embarrassing, and proved to be a problem. Therefore, we will try and work on this when filming our actual projects. After filming a shot of the two of us together, we realised we only had time to complete one more take. Ideally, we would have liked to have filmed an individual shot of myself and also Sarah, but settled on one of Leon dancing. We would then use this to separate the lip syncing when editing. We filmed in whole takes to make the editing process easier, and learning and refining this technique will help us create a music video of a high quality.

The editing process was largely different to last year, as we were not take small, individual segments from a longer take and placing them into the desired point of the timeline; by shooting longer takes, we were able to use the pen tool in Final Cut Express which shortened the time spent editing.

The pen tool allowed use to cut to clips placed below the top clip without cutting the take. This means that we can easily change how long shots are without potentially making mistakes.

Another advantage of editing vertically was being able to use split screen. For our exercise, we opted to use split screen to hide a part of the frame we did not want, and replace it with an image from another clip.

What We Learnt

• Shooting in whole takes makes the editing process considerably easier
• To lip sync effectively, we must sing the song out loud
• We must know the song thoroughly in order to get the best results
• Vertical editing is quick and simple once understood
• The pen tool is useful for changing the clip without cutting the original
• The pen tool is either perform straight cuts or dissolves, depending on where the points are placed on the clip
• Once placed on the correct point on the timeline, we must lock the layers so that any accidental changes are avoided

Things We Must Improve

• We must be comfortable singing the song
• We must act whilst singing, otherwise the lip syncing will not look believable
• We must work quicker in order to meet our deadline without having to sacrifice the quality of our work
• We must practise and experiment with the other features of Final Cut Express such as the filters in order to gain the results we wanted

Music Videos - How the Process Works

During class, we discussed how the process of creating a music video works for a director. We decided to look at the process in order to gain an insight into the industry, and to help us follow the correct steps, which will allow us to create a professional looking music video. Below is a simplified version of events.

• A 'commissioner' from a record label sends a track to 5-10 directors.
• The directors each submit a treatment to the label. The directors may choose how much effort they put into this treatment, with some directors choosing to write a short paragraph, and others creating a detailed storyboard.
• At this point, the directors are not paid.
• The director who has submitted the 'best' treatment is then commissioned to make the video.
• Only then is the director paid.

As can be seen for many directors in the business, it is a precarious existence where their livelihood is dependant on each commission.

Channel 4's 100 Best Music Videos: 100-91

To increase our knowledge of the history of music videos, we were shown the beginning of Channel 4's show 100 Best Music Videos.
100. Musical Youth - Pass the Dutchie - 1982

This video was the first music video by black artists to be shown on MTV, a fact often credited to Michael Jackson's Billie Jean video. This video started the mainstream breakthrough for black artists, and is therefore a significant video.

99. Supergrass - Pumping On Your Stereo - 1999

98. Bronski Beat - Small Town Boy - 1984

This video displayed the struggles of a homosexual individual in a homophobic world.The effect of this video is best described by a comment on YouTube: "This was one of the most groundbreaking videos of its era, not just for its subject matter, but also for the fact that it was such a catalyst for major dialogue about homosexuality and homophobia in the early '80's. I know there were many of us who stayed glued to MTV to catch the rare occasion when they showed "Smalltown Boy" just so that we could see evidence of ourselves SOMEWHERE in the mainstream. I speak for myself when I say that this video saved me. I don't think I'm alone in that."

97. Cornershop - Brimful of Asha - 1998

96. So Solid Crew - 21 Seconds - 2001

95. The Cardigans - My Favourite Game - 1998

94. Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart - 1983
93. The Rolling Stones - We Love You
92. Herbie Hancock - Rockit - 1983
91. The Specials - Ghost Town - 1981
*ADD VIDEOS AND DETAILS*

Case Study - Jamie Thraves

To gain an insight into the industry, our group have decided to look at the British film writer and director Jamie Thraves.
Whilst at Hull University, Thraves began making short experimental films after previously studying illustration. His two graduation films, Scratch (1991) and The Take-Out (1993) both went on to win various short film awards. Using these films as a 'calling card', Thraves managed to join the video production company Factory Films. It was with Factory Films that Thraves began to shoot three low budgets music videos, costing roughly £5,000 each. The company employs many award winning film writers and directors, and one of its latests projects was creating the video for Birdy's version of Bon Iver's Skinny Love, which I have already featured on my blog here.

Birdy, whose music video was filmed by Factory Films

Thraves' most recent work was for the band The Japanese Popstars. The song is called Song for Lisa.

Thraves' most successful music videos are Radio Head's Just and Coldplay's The Scientist.

Building on his success with music videos, Thraves has now moved on to shoot features films. Thus far, he has shot three: The Low Down, The Cry of the Owl and Treacle Jr. for which Thraves re-mortgaged his house so he could complete it.

Upon meeting our teacher, Thraves' gave two pieces of advice to help us with our coursework process.

• Use the lyrics of the song, but try not to be to literal.
• Go with the emotion of the song

Regarding our project, I feel as though the idea chosen has abided by both of the rules set by Thraves. This therefore means are project is heading in the right direction.

Cast

After settling on a story to portray in our music video, we also selected our cast. Our project required one male character, and one female character.
As we faced difficulties with our cast in our last piece of coursework, we decided to use two of the three members of our group. This should not be a problem, as few of the shots require both characters within the frame, meaning that we'd nearly always have two people behind the camera. Also, we feel that this will benefit our project, as we all know the direction we want to take our project in, and are all thinking on the same wavelength.
Cast:
Female - Sarah Warnock

Male - Connor Murray

Props Used in Music Videos

In music videos, many different props are used, with some being used mainly for a particular genre.

Instruments are often used, with guitars and pianos the most common.

DJ Decks are used, especially in dance music.

Expensive Cars are typically featured in rap and hip-hop music videos.

Jewellery is shown in many videos, especially those of the R'n'B genre.

Location Research: 'Skyscraper' - Demi Lovato

As we intend of filming a large part of our music video in a scenic location, we thought we should research music videos that utilise their locations well. One video that does this is Demi Lovato's 'Skyscraper'.

This video uses a variety of different shots including extreme long shots and close-ups to not only show the location and how deserted it is, but also the emotion of the face of the performer. Below is an animated .gif, showing the different shots used throughout the video.

Emotion: 'Nothing Compares To You' - Sinead O'Connor

As our song contains emotional lyrics, we thought it would be beneficial to us to research music videos that successfully show the artist's emotions and feelings. One music video that did this was Sinead O'Connor's 'Nothing Compares To You'.

The video was filmed shortly after the death of O'Connor's mother, which explains the raw emotion etched on her face. Moreover, she begins to cry when she says 'Mama', which again reinforces the emotions shown.

Editing and Filming Technique: Rihanna - Cheers (Drink to That)

One of the final sections of our music video will include a 35 second montage of past memories between the male and female characters. We want this part to be edited differently in comparison to the rest of our video. In order to gain an idea of how to do this, we decided to look at both the filming technique, as well as the editing technique of Rihanna's Cheers (Drink to That) video.

The music video looks as though it is a compilation of different footage, including home videos and tour footage. A large amount of this is handheld, or filmed with the use of steadicam. Therefore, if we were to  recreate this for our project, we would have to film a considerable amount of footage handheld, as well as using a tripod. The key element in the filming technique is movement. This means that even if we use a tripod, we must use different variations of shots, such as a pan shot, and constantly alter the angles whilst filming and remaining steady.

The editing technique changes depending on the clip, but all the various editing styles are similar. There are quick cuts with many short clips, and there is a high amount of contrast in the film. Additionally, the appears to be fill layers over the top of the footage, creating a different hue for each clip. We will try to recreate this using a mixture of both Final Cut Express and Photoshop.

Chosen Locations

Our project needs several locations including: an idyllic area, a cemetery, and several memorable places.
For our idyllic area, we decided to chose Walton-on-the-Naze. We selected this location as we have all visited it at some point, and it only an hours journey away. Moreover, the location boasts a beach and vast amounts of scenic landscapes, that lack urbanisation.

For our cemetery, we decided to chose the one closest to us, as it is only a short bus journey away and is rather large. Furthermore, the cemetery in placed on a main road, which means that we are able to film the part with our female walking towards the cemetery without any difficulties.

The memorable locations we decided to chose included London, our local park and a house. More detail about these locations will follow once we know the exact locations.

Chosen Locations - Montage

For the montage section of our music video, we have decided to select locations that differ from the other locations we will be using. This will hopefully show a clear difference between the montage section and the remainder of the video. We have also added some details of what we would be doing in these locations. We have decided not to create a storyboard for this section, as we want to create a natural and legitimate feel.
Central Park

• Swinging on the swings
• Sitting under a large, solitary tree
• Having a picnic

Eastbrook End

• Running through long grass
• Feeding the ducks
• Sitting by the lake
• Kiss?

House

• Opening birthday presents
• Making cakes
• Waving into camera
• Feeding/playing with dog

London

• Train together
• Train alone
• Run amongst pigeons
• Site seeing

Beach

• Arcades
• Pier
• Beach houses
• Sitting on wall - boy hugs girl

Provisional Idea

After gaining permission to use the song 'Corner', we decided that we wanted to portray a story in our music video. This differs to the videos we were inspired by, but does mirror many other successful music videos.

Our idea centres around two people: one male and one female.

At first, we see the female alone in an idyllic location. She appears to be upset, yet not hysteric. Her mood lightens when she discovers the male character, who we discover is a romantic interest. The pair are seen having fun and being happy, which is parallel to the more uplifting part of the song. At this point, we are led to believe that the girl was unhappy as she was not in the company of the male, and that they are now together.

We are then shown the female walking alone with a bouquet of flowers and a solemn expression. She walks into a cemetery, before laying down the flowers and standing by the grave. We see the boy put his hand on the girl's shoulder, before fading away. It is at this point that we realise the boy had died, and it is only the memories the female has of him that keeps her happy.

As a tear rolls down the female's face, we are shown a montage of memories and enjoyable times the pair shared, which highlight their dependence on one another, and intensify the emotions the audience have. This section will occur as the mood of the song changes into one more positive.

The final shot will show the female looking happy. She is obviously still upset at the male's death, but is grateful for the memories she has.

We think that this story will be emotive and fit with the song, which will hopefully help us create a high quality piece of work.

Possible Controversies in Our Music Video

After studying Rihanna's 'Man Down' video, we decided to look at the possible controversial issues we could tackle in our project.
Molestation

• As our song discusses the aftermath of a traumatic event, the possibility of including an unwanted sexual experience may be worth attempting. However, this is a difficult subject to complete convincingly and tastefully, and may therefore be offensive to many people if performed poorly.

Natural Disasters

• A natural disaster could be shown in our music video, as it is something that affects a large number of people, especially those in more tropical countries. However, it would be expensive to re-create a natural disaster for our music video, and would be extremely hard to record actual footage as natural disasters are largely unexpected.

Same-Sex Relationships

• Even though same-sex relationships are generally considered 'normal', there are still certain prejudices people have regarding them. Moreover, there are certain rules broadcasters must abide by when exhibiting certain shows. For example, in a Glee episode, both an opposite-sex kiss and a same-sex kiss were shown when the programme aired after the 9pm watershed. When the episode aired at an earlier time, the same-sex kiss was cut, whilst the opposite-sex kiss remained, even though it was more sexual than the same-sex kiss. A problem with discussing this topic in our text would be the possibility that we would get distracted by trying to prove a point, that the project as a whole would become lost and therefore of a lower quality.

As a group, we decided that it would be easier for us to not include controversy in our music video, as it allows us to concentrate fully on the technical aspect of filming, and doesn't force us to constantly analyse the music video's content in terms of proving our point.

Controversy: 'Man Down' - Rihanna

Rihanna's 'Man Down' video sparked controversy as it involved both murder and rape. The short film depicts a female, Rihanna, shooting a man in a busy train station. The action then goes back to the previous day, where we see the events unfold. The protagonist visits her friends and family, before attended a night club. She is shown to be dancing with the antagonist, who she murdered at the beginning of the video. After declined his advances, the protagonist leaves the night club, where she is followed and raped by the antagonist; these events cause the protagonist to act rashly and end the life of the man who raped her.

The video is hard hitting and highlights a topic that is very controversial and the centre of many debates. After watching the video, we decided that it included some form of controversy in our music video may make our video seem more professional, and also make our work fit into these genre of text.

Technique: 'What's My Name' - Rihanna

Our music video will include a section where our female character will walk along a street for roughly seven to eight seconds. In previous tasks and coursework projects, we have tended to use one or two shots to show this. However, the result has been rather poor, with the flow of our film deteriorating as a result; the audience is bored by a continuous shot of someone walking.
To change this, we have decided that we want to add more shots to this sequence, and also change the angles and types of shot we are using. An example that came to mind was Rihanna's 'What's My Name' video, in which there is a large section of walking. This sequence uses several jump cuts, and many interesting shots. We hope to gain considerable inspiration from this, which will improve our work.

BT Infinity Advert

As the song we are using for our project was featured in a recent BT Infinity advert, we decided that it would be beneficial to us to see how the company used the song in the context of their advertisement.

The song is used in a positive way, showing the event that makes the people's world "shift and shake" is the introduction of BT's fibre-optic broadband. The way the song was shown in this advertisement will probably be different to how we would show it in our music video. This could be because we are showing the entire song, and do not intend to try and sell a product to an audience.

The Media Institution

To further our knowledge about the Media Institution, we have decided to look at it in depth, thus allowing us to comprehend the connection between each faction of the industry.

Analysis and Interpretation of 'Corner' Lyrics

To gain a deeper understanding of Allie Moss' song Corner, and to acquire inspiration for our own music video, we have decided to analyse and attempt to interpret the lyrics of our chosen song.
Doo doo doo
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh

Doo doo doo
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh

Doo doo
OohOoh

The lyrics suggests patience and tolerance, with the repetition enforcing the idea of these feelings and emotions occurring over a prolonged period of time.

When your world trembles and quakesAnd your footing suddenly shifts and shakes

A literal interpretation would infer a earthquake or a natural disaster. However, the meaning could be more metaphoric, suggesting an past instability, caused by the traumatic event, that made the artist re-evaluate their life and current situation. The change appears unwanted, but the outcome hasn't been shown to be neither negative nor positive. 

Take my hand
We'll hide in the corner
Hide in the corner
Take my hand
We'll hide 'til it's over
'Til it's all over

The artist is seeking refuge and comfort from the event and its consequences. The phrase 'take my hand' could be taken literally, thus showing the artist's need for human company. However, the phrase could also refer to any entity the artist uses for her own escapism.
The phrase 'hide in the corner' suggests that the event is something she fears, as she is hiding from it. The use of the word 'corner' highlights the artists idea that she wants to go unnoticed and does not desire the attention she is being given as a result of her situation.

La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la
The chanting of 'la' sounds optimistic in the song, potentially indicating a brighter future and an approaching end to her pain. The positivity shown in this part of the song could reflect the artist's happy memories of life before the incident.
We have choices to make
We have promises that we can't break
There is nothing left to lose
So hold on to me
I'll hold on to you
The artist appears to be stating that she still has the power to make her own choices and decisions, even if her plans are ruined unexpectedly. She still intends to keep the promises she made prior to the event, and cannot see any reason to not fulfil them. Additionally, we discover that the artist has lost everything, as she has 'nothing left to lose'.

Overall, the song portrays the aftermath of a event which has turned the artist's world upside-down.  There are mixed emotions, which demonstrate the negativity of the present, as well as the positivity and fertility of the past and future.

Inspiration: 'Skinny Love' - Birdy

Before selecting our song, we spoke collectively about what kind of video we would like to create, and whether or not we had the capabilities to do so to a high standard. A song that we all liked was Birdy's cover of Bon Iver's song, 'Skinny Love'. After looking at the video, we decided we would like to make a video similar in style, as it was interesting to us, as well as being creatable.

'Corner' Lyrics

As we are going to include lip-syncing in our music video, we thought it would be beneficial for us to postthe lyrics on our blog, so that we are able to refer to them when trying to learn the lyrics. Below are the lyrics to 'Corner'.
Doo doo doo
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh

Doo doo doo
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh

Doo doo
Ooh
Ooh

When your world trembles and quakes
And your footing suddenly shifts and shakes

Take my hand
We'll hide in the corner
Hide in the corner
Take my hand
We'll hide 'til it's over
'Til it's all over

La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la

We have choices to make
We have promises that we can't break
There is nothing left to lose
So hold on to me
I'll hold on to you

Take my hand
We'll hide in the corner
Hide in the corner
Take my hand
We'll hide 'til it's over
'Til it's all over

Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
(Ooh)
(Ooh)
(Ooh)
(Ooh)

La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la (x2)

Oh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh

Ooh
Ooh
Ooh

Take my hand
We'll hide in the corner
Hide in the corner
Take my hand
We'll hide 'til it's over
'Til it's all over (x2)

Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
(Ooh)
(Ooh)
(Ooh)
(Ooh)

La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la la la (x4)

'Corner' - Allie Moss

Here is our song choice for our project: 'Corner' by Allie Moss. The song is largely recognised due to it featuring in a BT Infinity advertisement. The song has also featured on the hit US show Pretty Little Liars.

Permisson Granted II

After checking my inbox once more, I discovered that I had received an email from Amber Rubarth, allowing us to use her song 'Rough Cut'.

This news means that we now have a back-up song if we find ourselves without inspiration for our current song choice. Moreover, this eases the pressure on us, as we have the option to alter our project if we are having any difficulties or complications.

Copyright Issues - Using Unsigned.com

Before selecting the music for our project, we had to make sure we gained permission from the artist, regardless of whether they were signed to a record label or not. This is because we could face difficulties in uploading our music video to YouTube due to their licenses. Therefore, we began searching for music on websites such as unsigned.com and NewGrounds.

Unsigned.com proved to be a useful resource, but NewGrounds was not as useful, as the vast majority of the music on there did not feature any lyrics, and only instrumentals. This would be problematic as a requirement of our project is that lip-syncing is included.