FOSMV: Shot types and Sound

Shot types

Commonly in Synthpop music videos, the shots are medium shots of the character's shoulder and face as shown in modern Synthpop music videos such as Royal's 'Lorde' and is also present in 80s Synthpop music videos such as Kavinsky's 'Protovision'. There are also wider shots used in both modern and 80s style Synthpop music videos. Between these two types of Synthpop music videos, there appears to be a specific focus on each character in the shots with little focus taken away from the characters. This doesn't always seem the case in more general music videso such as Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" where there are shots of the surroundings and environment are shown and take the focus away from the characters which differs from Synthpop music videos.
In my project, I will stick to the shot types used by Synthpop music videos by keeping the shots focused on a character in each shot with most shots being variances of medium shots but also use some wider shots.

Sound

In terms of sound use in Synthpop music videos, there is the use of Synthesizers. This gives a warped sound to the voice of the singer. This is most apparent in Kavisnky's 'Odd Look' (shown in the audio in the video clip below) in the following lyrics: "You are the snake, get around me. And it came with rain". With this example, the unique sound of the singer's voice can be distinctively heard and appears to begin when the men begin to interact with the waitress in the narrative.

Similar sounds of singer's voices can be heard in Synthpop music videos such as Caravan Palace's ' Lone Digger'. In this, the singer builds up as the cats are entering the club and then reaches a peak when the actually enter the club itself. The changes are variances in the sound allow for a change in narrative just is the case with 'Odd Look'. Here, I can see that sound signifiers are often used when certain things like points in the narrative begin.

In my project, I am using the song Nightcall. This song does not have many variances in terms of tempo and volume apart from an extremely distinctive change between the female and male singer. At this point when the change between the singer begins, I plan to change the imagery just as other Synthpop music videos do. I also plan to change shots at the beginning of lyrics to keep the video in time with the singer. This conforms to other Synthpop music videos that use points in the song for a change in the images of the music video itself.  

FOSMV: Mise en Scene/costume/hair/make-up

Mise en scene and costume/hair/make-up in Synthpop music videos from samuelpilsworth

Above is a Slideshare that has been also placed below in a different form
Mise en Scene and costume/hair/make-up

In 80s style Synthpop music videos, costume/hair and make-up are used to create the distinctive 80s look. In Kavinsky's 'Protovision' and 'Odd Look', Kavinsky dawns an unique 'jock' looking jacket, sunglasses and moustache. This look in addition to his 80s style hair and biker gloves bring a distinctive look to the character. A similar jacket is worn by the characters in Lone Digger and is distinctively old-fashioned looking.


Unique 80s style clothing and haircuts are also seen in Daft Punk's 'Harder Better Faster' that is accompanied by a old-fashioned anime style.
For my project, I aim to include a quite exclusive look with my male character (just as is the case with Sythpop videos). The character will be bald with visible scarring and I plan to have them wearing a hospital style gown that will really contrast them with more general music videos and fit in more with the unique style of Sythpop music videos. I will also try to include 80s elements in the video to match the convention of Synthpop music videos.

In terms of props in Kavinsky's 'Odd Look', Kavinsky wears dark sunglasses. These are used in a sense to hide his identity but also as a character motif in the music video. The use of dark sunglasses is also an abnormal use for sunglasses that are meant to be used in the sun.This adds a mysterious element to the character that makes the character unique in the way audiences view him.

In Caravan Palace's 'Lone Digger', there is the use of cigars and alcohol that can link into the dark theme of addiction drawing a contrast with the suits worn by the dogs that make them seem sophisticated and professional.

As Andrew Goodwin wrote, there is the notion of looking in music video that is often used to entice or attract audiences. This is present in Synthpop music videos in music videos such as  Kavinsk'ys "Odd Look". In this,  there is a shot of the waitress from the perception of one of the attackers which also supports the theory of the 'Male Gaze' by Laura Mulvey and acts as an example of minor sexualization in Synthpop music videos.

For the female character in my music video, I am looking to not sexually exploit the character (as is the case with many music videos) but instead treat the character slightly differently as Synthpop music videos do. I will have my female character singing the lyrics towards the camera and will have the character be attractive but will not have them act in an overly self-objectifying way. The character will also be wearing a hoodie and other non-sexually suggestive clothing to better conform to the characteristics of Synthpop music videos that have minor
  

FOSMV: Audience and Performance Space

Audience

Male lead: Kavisnky in Protovision

Synthpop music videos are generally aimed at quite niche audience groups that are primarily select older teenagers and young adults that are male.
This niche audience of Snythpop mainly follow the singer themselves and are drawn by the deeper connotations of the video.
However, Synthpop music videos do contain some other features such as containing male leads to reach out to male audiences that are fans of the singer/performer. This is evident in the following

Male lead of a group of cats in Lone Digger

music videos that contain primary male leads: Odd Look, Protovison and Lone Digger.

Like Synthpop music videos, my project will contain a male character. I will create a piece that is aimed at the same audience that is a more niche selection of people who's interest are more on the meaning behind the music video itself.

Performance space

Habits- Stay High

In terms of performance space in 80s style Synthpop music videos, the videos are often more narratively based and so there is little use of performance space. However, in more modern Synthpop music videos, the performance space is often in front of the camera and in isolated rooms (as shown in 'Habits (Stay High) on the right where she is in a dark room alone). This is also the case in 'Royals' where the singer performs in front of a blank wall in a room alone.

Royals- Lorde

In my project, I will conform to this convention by having my male character perform the song in an isolated room facing the camera.

FOSMV: Editing techniques/Use of digital effects

Editing techniques and use of digital effects

In Caravan Palace's "Lone Digger" and Daft Punk's "Harder Better Faster", the music videos are solely made up of animation whereas Kavinsky's videos are mostly live-action with use of digital effects. This differs from more general music videos where there is often little use of digital effects.
In my project, I do plan on using a black and  white effect on the video which conforms to the existence of the use of digital effects in Synthpop music videos.

Most Synthpop videos use chronological ordering (as do most music videos) but with cuts in a more 'movie' style compared to most music videos. This is the case in Odd Look where the camera lingers on each character and on the scene around the characters.

For my project, I plan to also (like Synthpop videos) use longer takes than the shorter takes that most music videos use. My shots will mostly focus on the singers but will also focus slightly on the scene as a whole which conforms to the genre of Synthpop music videos. This is present in Synthpop music videos such as Odd Look (left) where the opening shot lasts around 18 seconds before cutting. 

FOSMV: Narrative, Tone and Lyrics

Narrative, tone and lyrics 

Conventionally speaking, Synthpop music videos often contain quite tragic and negative narratives with accompanying dark and brooding tone. This is evident in multiple different Synthpop music videos.

In 'Odd Look', the narrative follows a waitress in a restaurant who is attacked by a group of threatening men with the intention of raping her and is then saved by Kavinsky which has a grim tone forcing characters to have to fight with others just to save a waitress. The lyrics are also dark with the line "You were right to enslave me" that give a hint to the dismal subject of slavery. These features in "Odd Look" therefore conform to the features of Synthpop music videos.

In 'Lone Digger', the narrative follows a group of cats attending a bar and then being involved in a momentous fight with a group of dogs that results in most of the bar's occupants being dead by the end of the music video. The tone and lyrics are innocently violent with the line "Don't leave the party dying" with the joy of a party combined with death that occurs in the narrative.
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Royals- Lorde, bloody mirror

In 'Royals', the narrative is also melancholy and foreboding with the inclusion of violence. In some shots, there is imagery of a bloodied individual smiling at his bleeding mouth. Also the music video follows individuals suffering from poverty and deprivation in a number of areas. This deprivation is shown in the lyrics "Let me live that fantasy" where the singer wishes to fantasize about a better life and the line about their living arrangements in "torn-up town". The violence is shown in the lyric "Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room". These lyrics and tone of the music video that follow a dark narrative of a deprived life conform to the features of other Synthpop music videos.

Overall, I can distinctly say that, after having looked at multiple different examples, the narratives, tones and lyrics of Snythpop music videos are generally quite pessimistic and dark. This feature diverges from most music videos that generally contain narratives about relationships and love/romance. For my music video, I will keep to this by having a dark story line of a broken character with inferences to negative subjects.

The lyrics in my music video will however not be as dark as the other Synthpop videos but will still have a somewhat dark tone.

  

Features of Synthpop music videos (FOSMV) and the artist Kavinsky

Born Vincent Pierre Claude Belorgey on July 31 1975, Kavinsky is a French house (European dance/disco music) artist whose musical style is very similar to the electropop soundtracks of films from the 1980s. Kavinsky has claimed that his music is mostly inspired by many films that he watched as a child and that he has picked the best parts from them and then merged them into one concept. Kavinsky has been compared to many similar French house artists that include Daft Punk and Danger. One of his most noted pieces was "Nightcall" that achieved major mainstream recognition after being featured in the 2011 film 'Drive'. Kavinsky's music videos include "Odd Look" and "Protovision". Apart from Kavinsky, similar artists include: Caravan Palace and Daft Punk

For my music video, I am using the song "Nightcall" by Kavinsky. This song is the genre of Synthpop. When creating my music video, I need to ensure that I keep to the conventions of the Synthpop genre and consider how they are similar or different to more general features of music videos that I have looked at. I will look at a number of Synthpop music videos and then will compare them against more general music video conventions and also will decide which of these elements will be in my final project.

I will be looking at the following music videos that are the genre of Synthpop and have an 80s style to them:

Odd Look by Kavinsky

Protovision by Kavinsky

Lone Digger by Caravan Palace

Harder Better Faster by Daft Punk

I will also be looking at these more 'modern' music videos that are the genre of Synthpop: 

 Habits (Stay High) by Tove Lo

Royals by Lorde

I will research these music videos in the following areas to find conventions of Synthpop music videos:
Narative
Tone
Lyrics
Editing Techniques
Use of Digital Effects
Costume
Hair
Make-up
Mise en Scene
Shot Types
Audience
Performance Space
Sound

Choosing A Song

Below is a minor analysis/opinion of a few of the songs that I have considered for my music video. It should be noted that if I conclude that I am unlikely to use a song, that is not a comment on the quality of the song but rather a conclusion of the appropriateness for this project considering my skill, capability and intentions.

Bohemian Rhapsody

From immediate perspective, this song appears quite appropriate for me with the goal of creating a unique and original music video. The song’s varied tempo, speed, lyrical meaning and changes of genre are amalgamated to create a song that reaches highs and lows throughout the song’s 6 minute length. This song would allow a varied approach in terms of planning, filming and editing and would allow a wide range of skills to be demonstrated throughout the whole process of creating this project.

However, this song also contains many issues. The variances in speed would make it very difficult to to create imagery for as shots would be cut down. The long length of the song is also very difficult to account for as enough content has to be available to cover the 6 minute run time. The original song sung by Queen in their music video does not have this issue as the imagery is just them singing on screen without the need for cutting to match the song. The Suicide Squad trailer uses a shortened version of the song to 02:32 which means that they do not need as much imagery to cover the whole song. 

In conclusion, I think the issues brought by this song are too great and so I think the viability of using this song is poor. This means that I am unlikely to choose this song for my music video project.

Likelihood of use: Poor

Down with the sickness

This song is a variation of an original song, sung by Richard Cheese in a positive and uplifting manner with contrasting dark themed lyrics that adds a comedic effect to the song. In terms of what sort of imagery I could use for this, I have an idea of a man in a suit (walking through an abandoned building) singing directly towards the camera whilst the song plays. As this happens, the man in the suit slowly becomes more and more deteriorated like a zombie. This would begin with the scuffling of his suit and then eventual bites appearing on him and his skin becoming grey and zombie like. This would require lots of make-up and for the camera to move quite fluently during filming which could be difficult to achieve. Because of the manageable difficulties here, I willconsider using this song for my project but will compare it to other songs to see if they are more viable.

Likelihood of use: Medium



Fireflies

The sombre electronica ‘bleepy’ synthline feel to the song includes lyrics about insomnia, fireflies and summer. I feel that this song would be brilliant for my project to be created but I am currently unsure as to what imagery I would use so I will consider the song to a degree.

Likelihood of use: Medium

Help!

I feel that this famous song by the Beatles would be a poor choice for my project. The song itself lacks the ability to create any meaningful imagery and is sung so quickly that most shots would be cut short. The combination of multiple singers make it further difficult to fit this into a music video and is better left for on-stage performances.

Likelihood of use: Extremely poor







Keeping your head up

This song has a great feeling of building up to a point and contains lyrics that allow for interesting imagery however the change in speed and repetitious lyrics may make this difficult to overcome. I feel that I may use this song for my project, but it is likely to be less likely chosen over other songs that I have selected to choose from.

Likelihood for use: Low/medium

Mad World

This song (famous for accompanying emotive imagery in media such as the Gears of War trailers) is a song that I would highly consider for my project. I would however (like with the Gears of War trailers) have to have the imagery at a much faster pace than the extremely slow song that could prove potentially jarring for the audience. I currently do not have an idea for what imagery I would include but I do think that it would be quite dark themed. 

Likelihood of use: High



Nightcall

Inspired by the 2011 film ‘Drive’ starring Ryan Gosling that used this song in its opening and uses this song as its theme, I found this song to be the exact song that I am looking for. This song contains a slow enough tempo that shots can continue without needing to be cut. The lyrics are present yet almost exist concurrently with the music allowing them to flow together without one overwhelming or dominating the other. Although not severely dark in tone, the overall tone has a dark undertone contained in lyrics like “There's something inside you” that gives an almost demonic feeling to the character the female singer is talking to/about. The song also contains other lyrics that allow the ability to create interesting and unique imagery. The lyrics are split between two singers (female and male) which gives an excuse for changes in imagery and shot types to show the contrast of characters that are singing.

As for my ideas for the actual imagery, I have an idea of two characters singing directly towards the camera. The male is a broken, hidden character that is wheel-chair bound, alcoholic, a drug abuser and potentially ex-military (inferring he suffered some extreme event during his service causing him to suffer from issues like PTSD). I envision this character being quite old, potentially bald and have quite a serious, disturbed look in his eyes. He will likely be positioned in a dark, closed off room and will appear as a recluse. The character will be dressed in old, raggedy looking clothing and surrounded by different props like military dog tags.

As for the female, she will be set in a different location that is most likely outdoor or looking outwards like in a doorway. She will likely be far younger and dressed in more ‘modern’ progressive clothing that matches her age e.g. hoody and jeans. This character will seem (as the lyrics suggest) quite interested in the male, noticing that “There's something inside” the male character but that she sees him as “still the same” and not a monster or a person to be hated.

Overall, I feel that this song is perfect for my project and I feel that it fits all my requirements with the additional inspiration I have in terms of imagery. Because of this, I will definitely consider this song as my first choice.

Likelihood of use: High




Wicked Game

This cover of Chris Isaak's song by James Vincent McMorrow adds a more emotive and slowed pace compared to the original. Although potentially difficult to match the long takes required for the slow pace, I feel that the potential brought by this music could lead to a very promising music video.

Likelihood of use:Medium/High

Take Me To Church

If I were to use this song, I would most likely avoid the homosexual element present in the original music video by Hozier but would use the religious element. My idea for this song would be about a young girl and her parents escaping from a Nazi-run concentration/labor camp set in the Second World War. The video would show a family on the run as they are being perused by soldiers and taking refuge in a church as they try to hide from being recaptured. After their hiding place is discovered, the family take a one last attempt at escaping down a railway track until reaching a fence that blocks their way to freedom. Allowing her to escape, the parents hoist the girl above the fence and are shot in the back by the Nazi Captain from afar. The girl is forced to leave her dying parents on the other side of the fence and flee to avoid the same fate. The exterior sets for this video could prove difficult but I feel this song opens up the ability for some very emotive and meaningful imagery.

Likelihood of use: High





Conclusion

I have decided to choose the song Nightcall by Kavinsky. I feel that I have the best idea for this song that will allow me to expand my skills to their greatest capabilities.

After having chosen my song and proposed an idea for the imagery, I now have to research into the different features of music videos. I will however note that I have inspiration for some of my imagery from the music video I FINK U FREEKY by Die Antwood. From this video, I feel that I will draw from the minimal color, close up on faces and use of wider angles. However, I will try to avoid the 'creepy' feeling from the video itself.