Firstly with me choosing the artist Taylor Swift and her
song Safe And Sound I decided to explore 2 of her individual songs and one with
another artist B.O.B this was to see if the conventions of country music
changed when interacting with a major R&B artist.
The first clip I annotated was Safe and Sound, mise-en-scene was the first thing I looked at
was the setting, this video was set in the woods the opening shot been a tiny
run down house, the only light source provided was the glowing from inside the house
this represented that inside was her home the only place she could feel safe in
such a big silent area which is the forest. During the video Taylor is showing
in a multiple of different shots walking around the forest singing with
interruptions of extreme close-ups of her surroundings such as dead branches
and scenery. To me I think that a simple setting is a convention of country
music videos because it allows the audience to interact with the video feel
like they can relate to it by being in such a big empty place yet feeling
scared whereas an audience cannot relate to a R&B artist dancing in a
studio or an exotic island I think that performance also links in very nicely
to the setting. In a country music video it’s all very simple the costume,
setting and performance. Taylor Swift tends to be seen playing her instrument
which is the guitar she also walks around the setting which relates to the
video for example in her video ‘Fifteen’ her lyrics are ‘take a deep breath and
you walk through the doors it’s the morning of your very first day’ as she is
singing it she walks through the doors to a school again like ‘safe and sound ‘
video the audience can relate to this they have been in this situation so they
adapt to the videos and feel like the artist knows them, through my research on
Taylor many people comment on her videos ‘I think Taylor stole my diary’
meaning they feel she knows them so well I chose this music because it’s the
way I feel to this music and I want a chance to be able to create that feeling
for someone else through my video. Her costumes are always simple dresses in
both fifteen and safe and sound again people can relate to these costumes they
own something similar in R&B videos we know realistically we will never own
the £1000 designer outfit they do. The Cinematography of the two videos are
also very similar for example there is multiple extreme close up’s of branches
and tree barks in the video fifteen there are close ups of different types of
flowers as she sings about her first love in safe and sound the branches
represent purity and how things can be neglected and how the world is full of
people yet you can feel so bare I like the way that everything has a meaning
which is what I want to achieve. Close-ups of the artist singing is also very
common in these video’s it’s almost asif the artist is talking to you warning
you of the mistakes that can be made in life and the emotional side to the
song. The editing is usually the common cuts from shot to shot this is because
Taylors music is usually telling a story the cuts act as like flashbacks from
the times Taylor can remember and what the song is signifying like in fifteen
she cuts to her best friend on her first date then she cuts to her having her
heartbroken in safe and sound it cuts from the scenery back to her then back to
the house connoting how she is so lost in the forest area yet feels safe at
home. In both of these videos fades are used as well I think that fades are
used to close the story as though she is closing her eyes to forget the past
and what she can remember again it all links in very well to complete a story
and I think the videos work really well and is something I would like to
produce.
Lady Antebellum videos are another type of video I
researched she is a country singer like Taylor Swift. I wanted to explore more
than one artist in the country music industry so I could compare the two and
get a final solid list of the main conventions I need to focus on to produce
the right country video. Like Taylors videos the setting where very simple in
her song ‘I need you now’ the music video is set in her bedroom and also in a
hotel corridor. Mainly because her bedroom is her personal space like in
Taylors videos Lady Antebellum tells a story her lyrics being ‘picture perfect memories
on the floor’ then the editing is cuts of a wine bottle and his clothing on the
floor remembering the times she shared with the person she is singing about. So
the editing stays very simple like in Taylors videos, the audience can also
relate to this because many people have been in the situation she is in and
their bedroom is the personal space where people go to think about their
problems in life, the meanings of the video’s are very similar to Taylor
Swift’s. In the video ‘Just A Kiss’ like ‘I Need You Now’ and Taylor’s videos
extreme close ups are used to signify some of the most little things that have
such a big meaning like the flower in ‘Fifteen’ representing first love and the
branches interrupting Taylor’s view representing something is always holding
her back getting in the way, the wine glasses in ‘ I need you now’ representing
the loss of a loved one and how they shared so many memories together in ‘Just
a Kiss’ an extreme close up of a flower is shown the camera cuts quickly to it
interrupting Lady Antebellum singing suggesting it is a sudden flashback she
remembers. Close up’s are used to show the emotions she is going through whilst
singing the song like she’s telling us her story.
During my research I thought that it would be a good idea to
look into one of Taylor’s videos with a big major artist R&B artist B.O.B I
wanted to see how it affected the genre but I found that it was pretty much the
same it had more of an affect for B.O.B’s R&B image the video was set on an
estate and focused on children and how life can be so unfair and how people are
judged. Taylor was shown singing in an overgrown field whilst playing with a
dog and B.O.B features singing on a run done estate with graffiti on the walls
then cutting to children from the estate showing how together they are a
community and are judged by upper class people.
After my research I produced a list of main conventions that
I need to focus on when looking at producing my storyboard for my own music
video.
Cinematography;
Extreme close up of little things that have a big
significance to the video.
Close up’s of the artist to show emotion and for the
audience to interact with the singer.
Long Shot’s of the setting so that the audience can see the
surroundings and connote it with something similar.
Mise-En-Scene;
Simple setting that an audience can relate to.
A simple costume again so that the audience can feel like
they are the artist in that very situation.
Simple hair do and make-up the videos are all about purity
not flashing themselves about.
Dimmed lighting to show that revealing the past can be
hurtful but you need to tell the story to release the emotion.
Edititng;
Quick cuts to act like flashbacks of a story
Fade to black at the end of a sequence as though you are
closing the book of a story.
Performance;
Keep the performance really simple try and use the
instruments to show the music is made up because of the artist, and make it
look as though they are talking to the audience as they sing, the performance
is slow and simple rather than quick paced and made up of complicated dance
moves.
