analysis of the editing of a music video.

Editing is used in every music video, as a way of taking the footage, and editing it, to improve and enhance the footage.
There is a real impact for editing music videos for three different matters:

• It creates shape for the video
• It reflects the music
• It gives the video MEANING!

Editing can be used, to create

• transitions
• continuity and non continuity editing
• cutting
• shot reverse
• paralell editing
• slow motion
• ellipsis
• post productuons
• visual effects
• expansion of time
• jump cut

The first song I looked at was the fray, how to save a life. I chose to look at this song as it is of the same genre as Alex Lloyd, contains both a narrative and performance view for the audience, which I really liked.

 

The video begins with a fade in, which works really well as an introduction to the song, and works really well with the piano, in the background. The faded visuals, arrive as the lyrics begin, introducing the music video really well. I really liked this idea, of starting a music video, and may use this as an introduction to my own. I am going to discuss this idea further with Emily to see what she thinks of this idea.

I also loved this text effect which is used throughout the video. At several points of the video, the different text is used at different parts of the song. This is really effective, as it gives the audience something else to focus on other than the visuals itself. It also gives the video a narrative storyline, whilst relating to the lyrics very well.




This effect is used further, as a fade transition. Here, the text is used in the fade, to another shot, by slowly fading into the text and then into the next shot.

At some points in the video, the text actually replaces the footage in the music video. For example here, this text replaces the footage of the people which was previously shown. I really like this effect also, and considering places this in my music video also, in order to replace a scene or part of the footage, as this has worked really effectively throughout this video.

 As the lyrics "where did  I go wrong?  I lost a friend" are played, the camera focuses upon close ups of people crying and showing hurt and despair. High key artificial lighting is used here, to focus upon this shot, and the people and feeling in the shot.

However this lighting was also used to show happiness, and enjoyment. The plain white background makes the viewer focus on what is in the center rather than the what is in the background, and this is what made the viewer focus on the people and their emotions so much. This effect is used again, this time with just the text in the high key lighting, on a plain white background, forcing the viewer to focus on the text alone.





Low key lighting is also used in this video to create the mood, and sense of despair, and upset in the footage. As you can see from this screen shot, the girl is in low key lighting, making her look scared, lonely and vulnerable, to the viewer.

Next I had a look at cold play- scientist, i chose to 

 look at this video, because is a very interesting video, which i really enjoyed watching, with the video played in reverse throughout. At the lyrics are introduced, the slow pace of the music is shown through the footage of the main character laying on the floor, as a slow fade is introduced into the next scene.  This works effectively with the pace of the music, and instruments in the background.  These fades are use similarly, throughout the music video,  with a fade from the scene to black. This also worked very well with 

the slow pace of the music, as well as ending one 

scene and moving to the next.

Throughout the whole video, the music video is played in reverse. This has been done as it links perfect with the lyrics "I'm going back to the start" 

Throughout the video the storyline is played in reverse, from the laying on the bed, to fade to the driving at the end. The use of this editing is to a very sophisticated technique to the point, that the main character, had to mime the lyrics backwards, so that when the video was edited and played in reverse, the miming would still make sense. This is a possibility, for our music video, however to make someone mime the lyrics in reverse takes great skill, of which i am not sure I know of anyone who has. However the possibility of playing a scene in reverse, without any speaking or miming of the character is still a possibility.

Next I had a look at Alex Lloyds videos, "coming home"
 The music video begins in the room of the main character. Instantly the editing of this video is made clear through the fade transitions used of the character fading  in order to show the passing of time whilst in this dark, low key lighting room.

A high angle shot is then used to show the main character laying on his bedroom floor. The passing of time is then shown again, this time through a slow zoom onto his face. The camera zooms into an extreme close up, where the main character has a moment of realization, and opens his eyes. The camera then straight cuts to him running in a medium shot in blue lighting.

The camera then straight cuts to a high angle shot of the busy traffic below once again the time is shown my editing the footage, to speed up the traffic, to make time seem a lot quicker and faster than it actually was.

Several fast straight cuts are then used again to show the speed of time, these shots are a close up of the man running, the traffic, crowds of people, and then the change of traffic lights, all of which have been edited to show fast pace editing.  As the man continues his journey the camera continues to cut from all the different places he has been, to show his journey and the speed of his journey in such a short amount of time, this works very well. I loved the use of fade transition throughout this video, to show the pace of time. I may consider using this in my music video to show how things have changed and to show before and after.