It's that time again. Analysing. We were set the task of picking 3 music videos of our choice; explaining why it is that we like them. Commenting on things such as camera techniques, mise-en-scene, and editing. So here we go, my first of three chosen videos is...*insert drumroll*
Charli XCX - Nuclear Seasons.
First things first. I adore this song. Why? It is catchy yet different. I particularly like the instrumental used, the tingling of bells it sounds and some sort of echo. It gives it this unique sound and makes me want to keep listening. It's got that beat that makes your feet automatically tap. Not only is the music the only reason I love this song but the music video is something that caught my eye. It focuses mainly on editing effects which is something I've not thought about much when thinking of my own music video. But I actually really enjoy this. The effects for 'Nuclear Seasons' are hypnotic, retro and distinctive. The use of colour and the 'white noise' brings forth something not many 'pop' based artists use.
(Reverse colour effect and use of mirroring.)
The camera angles are quite simple which most music videos use. Shots such as close ups, medium shots, long shots and establishing shots are most common. In Charli's video we see a lot of these angles in play.
(All the different camera angles the director has chosen to use from long shots, close ups, establishing shots, big close ups and medium shots.)
The use of many close up angles relates back to Andrew Goodwin's theory of the stars image being consistent throughout the video. It's clear the director has followed this rule with multiple big close ups of Charli XCX. It makes the video quite intimate and involves the audience.
As for the mis-en-scene, the props that stick out most to me are the use of the wolf and the locations. The locations are quite deserted which reflects back to the title and lyrics of the song Nuclear Seasons as the after math of nuclear explosions leave the land barren and uninhabited. We also see this near the end of the video where the star is placed in front of explosions from nuclear bombs. As for attire her clothes are raggedy and worn as if affected by disaster. The word 'wolf' means a wild, carnivorous animal and through this music video we, the audience, understand that through the effects and mis-en-scene chosen that the song is about a wild, untamed love. That of a nuclear and barbaric passion. This also echoes from Charli's hair which is dishevelled and untidy.
(All the various mis-en-scene props/locations used.)
Now on to the editing. My personal favourite part. The editing for Nuclear Seasons is something to admire. There is a lot of use of effects to create the illusion of nuclear occurrences with jittery movements, mirroring and overlays/shadowing as in mutation has occurred. There's also a lot of shapes used in the editing which I find interesting - as you don't really find many music videos embracing shapes effectively into them. The particular shapes are quite basic such as squares, diamonds and hexagons. There's also use of multiple screens again referring to the nuclear mutation side of the song.
(Different effects used such as shapes, mirroring, shadowing, multiple screens and a white noise effect.)
No comments:
Post a Comment