This newly released video is

for the song Art School by

Frankie Cosmos. The use of

close-ups to focus on specific

aspects of mise-en-scene is

something I really like and

want to include in my own

video. I’m also inspired by this

video because it takes a fairly

ordinary – if a bit weird –

concept, and makes it into

something more. It uses one

location and one idea and, as

is often the case, less is more

here. I like the simplicity as it

allows the viewer to focus on

the visual style which is

definitely what I want to

encourage my own audience

to do.

I also really like some of the shots in

this video – the idea of framing her

through the mirror instead of directly

is something I want to use. It not only

creates a more interesting image, it

also implies that she has a focus on

how the world perceives her and

even that she’s hiding how she really

feels, which suits some of the ideas I

have for my song.

The costuming in the video is another area that has

influenced my decisions about my own video. I like the

simplicity of it and I definitely want block colours I think in

my own video – I’m aiming to create strong, bold images

with each shot and I think bright colours will help this.

However I may have one or two actors dressed less

ordinarily to create a sense of contrast and the surrealism

that often comes with Indie music videos. Obviously as

well the costuming will be predominantly for guys instead

of girls as the song I’ve chosen is sung by men.

One of the main things I like about this video is the fact

that there is a clear lighting and colour tint throughout.

You can see from the screenshots above that every

shot looks similar in terms of colour. I will definitely be

doing this with my video, hopefully with more of a

warm/orange/sepia tint.

The editing in the video for Bedroom Eyes by Dum

Dum Girls is quite psychedelic and I would like to

include something similar in my work. I really like the

mirror effect on the right, and I think the kaleidoscope

effects really bring out the colours in the video. I don’t

necessarily want the editing to be the main feature of

the video however, so I probably will not have it in

every shot. I think it will bring a dreamlike/surreal

quality to my video if I do include it though, which suits

the retro 60s vibe I’m aiming for.

I love this video for Fineshrine by

Purity Ring. I think it has enough

narrative to keep it interesting,

matches the song perfectly and the

mise-en-scene and

cinematography are beautiful. One

thing I particulaly like are the

extreme close-ups demonstrated

by two examples here. I think they

are visually stunning and are

definitely something I want to

attempt to include in my video.

These are some more

extreme close-ups that I

like. The focus on mise-en-

scene is really important to

me in my own work, so this

video is great for

inspiration. It also uses

slow motion combined with

the close-ups which is

again something I want to

do myself. I’ve already

done some test shots and

the dripping tap to the left

here is something I’ve

experimented with. I like

how in this video the drips

match the beat of the

song, showing rhythmic

editing in use.

This is a video for one of my favourite

songs – She Changes the Weather by

Swim Deep. The video is very long, and

I like the first intro section the best. I’m

not sure if I actually will include

underwater filming in my video, because

of the limitations of the equipment and

locations I have access to, but I love the

movement and lighting in this scene so

much. I also like the use of a variety of

shots from long-shots to close-ups, and

the fact the camera moves with her. The

simple costume keeps the focus on her

and I love that it almost emphasises her

beauty without being overly voyeuristic.

The fact that the mise-en-scene, editing

and cinematography perfectly reflect the

tone of the music at this point in the

song is another aspect that has inspired

me to do the same.

Keaton Henson’s video for Sweetheart, What Have You Done to

Us is very simple. It consists of him performing to the camera,

mostly in a close-up or mid-shot. I am inspired by his location, as I

like the idea of a beach scene, especially at early evening

because I think the lighting here is really effective. It’s quite soft

and sad, which reflects his song well. I like the element of

performance directly to the camera as I think it connects with the

viewer.

The images below are from Lorde’s 400 Lux video. I

really like Lorde’s music and her accompanying videos

as well. They tend to tell a story without being too

obvious about it, create interesting visual images and

also reflect the sense of youth that I want in my own

video. I like that the video takes lots of separate

individual images that don’t necessarily relate and

brings them all together into one cohesive piece of

work. I think it would be interesting to try this with my

own video.

This is Sky Ferreira in her video for

Everything is Embarrassing. Although the

video is in black and white, I am inspired

by the costume, hair and make-up she

uses. Again, it’s quite simple with the plain

black dress and messy hair, but also feels

quite 60s with the make-up and the

stripes. I really like the shot to the top left

and I want to try something similar with my

video, having the actor or actress stand

against a visually interesting background

like that.

This is another song I

really like, Mute by

Youth Lagoon. I like the

blue overtones and the

use of lighting and

colour, especially in the

bottom screenshot with

the contrast of blue and

the pink/red colour. I

also like the location

when he’s walking

down the street in the

first screenshot. Youth

Lagoon always

combines narrative and

visual images really

well in his videos.

MGMT’s Time to Pretend

video combines animation and

real life, which I’m not going to

do but it has still influenced me

in terms of mise-en-scene. I

love this beach location at the

beginning, the colour of the

sky and their costumes which

seem a bit out of place.

San Cisco’s Awkward video is one that has had a huge impact

on me. I love the way they have done it, the performance, the

costumes, props, make-up etc. The images above are to

demonstrate the costume that I like best in the video, and the

female singer’s hair and make-up. I think it fits the genre, as

well as suiting the retro/vintage style I want for my own video.

These are some of the props in the

video. I think it combines modern

with retro very effectively. The props

are interesting to look at but also

relate to the themes within the song,

which seems to tell the story of a

guy who won’t stop contacting and

stalking this girl.

The

cinematography in

this video is

another thing I

really like,

particularly the

framing. I love the

symmetry in this

shot and want to

include something

similar in my own

work.

The Royal Concept’s video for On My Way is another

one that has inspired me. I like the series of one or

two second shots at the beginning that show the

group of friends spending time together in the city, in

the pool, as the sun sets etc. I think it captures that

youthfulness I want in my own video so I find it quite

inspiring.