Music Video Analysis

Lauv The Other (Official Lyric Video)

The shot types change between long shots, mid-shots, close-ups and even extreme
close-ups. This additionally happens in what seems to be a random order switching from
different shot types with what would seem for no reason, however I find it works in
presenting the idea of exploring the location the video was shot in.

Throughout the angle of filming is manly horizontal, however there is an up-side-down

shot as well as a very wildy moving handy cam. These angles give an extra spin on the
effect the music video gives to its audience.

Pull focusing is used many times as well as purposely having certain objects, especially
lighting, out of focus to create an interesting look or build mystery about the objects
within the frame of the camera.

Lighting within all the footage is either natural sun light or artificial lighting which would
already have been in the location, such as light bulbs within the buildings, no artificial
lighting was set-up for effect in this music video.
Certain sections of the video have visual effects added. For example some of the footage
is overlaid with a blue and green hue to give off a more abstract and strange feel to the
footage being shown.

Another visual edited effect is the coloured outlines which appear around objects. This
technique adds more energy to the video in aspects of colouring as this shot on its own
would probably look quite dark and moody so adding this colourful outline matches the
genre of this chill music.

The video has a sort of old 35mm film unstable jitter to it as well as this damaged film
burn effect which happened to multiple frames on the old film. The burn is coloured with
hues such as bright pink and blue. These film effects give the music video a much more
homemade feel which could again relate to the chill genre being very independent and in
touch with its audience.

Space is very much explored within this music video, there is exploration of larger areas
of the surrounding streets and buildings.

The music video seems to especially focus on small patterns and interesting aspects of
our world which we might miss if we were walking past them.

No props were used within this video as it is mainly an exploration of the surroundings,
however the objects within the video which are focused on give off an abstract artistic
feel as many of the shots could work as photographs, this style is probably mostly
conventional with independent chill music.
The location looks like a small city which is explored through its architecture, people and
strange objects within it. The buildings themselves are also explored which leads to
findings of interesting shapes and lighting.

As the music video is much more focused on its visual concept idea there is not a main
character centralized so costume and performance is thus not an aspect of this video.
Editing techniques used multiple times is the speeding up of footage whilst the camera is
in motion, mainly following objects and patterns or sometimes people.
There is additionally a lot of sped-up footage and a bit of footage reverse which makes
the visuals aesthetically pleasing especially seeing the vehicles driving past.

Editing two videos over each other to create a double exposure look is very frequently
used which looks interesting and helps to give an idea of adventure and travelling
around. For example in this screen shot below a person is walking whilst shots of the city
are shown.

At the beginning of the music video the editing pace is quite slow with the visual effects
mainly sticking to a more subtle look. Then the more the music progresses to the end of
the music video, the faster the editing cuts from shot to shot, and the more vibrant and
intense the visual editing gets.
The target audience for this I think would most likely be teenagers around 14 to adults
around 26. This is due to the energy and exploration present throughout the music video
which I think very much relates to this audience. The music is also very chilled and
expresses deep issues which again I think relates to this audience.
This then enforces the representation of people around teenage to young adult ages as
being quite deep explorative thinkers.
Overall I think this genre of this music video is chill-out due to its quite mellow and
aesthetically pleasing atmosphere with its almost abstract exploration of the location
that the video was filmed in.

Looking at Goodwins theory, at a first glance at this video it would seem like the visuals
are completely random, however some of the lyrics are matched with the visuals, such as
the singer mentions water, the audience are shown some water, or when the singer
mentions waiting, the camera goes from moving to a shot which is stable so there is a
relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

Mention of water

There is also a relationship between the music and the visuals as the beats of the song
bring the visuals to a new shot.
In many chill-out style music videos this armature film look with film burns is used many
times which gives it a certain iconography.
From Joan Lynchs work I would say this music video is a concept video, however it could
be said there are minimal narrative elements due to this idea of exploration.

I have gained many ideas from this music video. I would like to implement double
exposure, reverse footage, intentional out of focusing and I would like to test out the film
burn effect as I love the feel it gives as it acts like a sort of nostalgia. I also like the idea
of adventuring through the additional use of what seems like random footage which is infact quite aesthetically pleasing.

Lights & Motion The Spectacular Quiet

Long shots, medium close-ups, close-ups and extreme close-ups are used within this
music video to help tell its story, which is very similar to a film sequence, however it has
more aspects of music video which is expected.

The camera tends to keep very close to the two space mens heads, most likely to make
sure their emotions are visible and also to emphasize these emotions due to the quite
sad yet quite ambiguous story being told.

The shot angle is kept horizontal mostly throughout, except for the star field shots where
the camera is slightly angled turning around, or in this low angle shot facing up at the tall
silhouetted trees and the sky.

The location is clearly set in some sort of large woods, with the only other location being
a space ship which one of the space men flies.

Lighting is natural on footage which serves as what seems to be flashbacks, there is also
natural lighting for the space men in the woods, however there is also artificial lighting
used in the space ship scenes and to create an interesting reflection on one of the space
mens visors.

Space suits and spacecrafts do not particularly have conventions to a specific genre
however I can make a comment upon the look of the space suits, as the suits themselves
are not conventional to the normal space suit, they are a lot thinner and have this sort of
child-made idea about them as the helmet is so big and round with pipes coming out of
them with no clear use. Which gives the video a more independent abstract atmosphere
which would fit into the genre of the music being ambient/chill.
The performance of the actors is very slow and serious which I think works very well in
enforcing the ambient musics emotional sound and speed.
Throughout a lot of the music video, especially when the camera is on the space men the
speed of the footage is slightly slowed down I think to make the visuals look aesthetically
pleasing and to further emphasize the emotion
Time-lapse is implemented many times, for example with the low angle long shot of the
tall trees, the stars all move across the sky due to the compression of time.
Editing is used to reverse footage at least once in the video.

Through visual editing there are sections within the video that blink up pink or green
hues which similarly to my first video I found as inspiration, gives a nostalgic film look
which I think helps the audiences engage more with the video and the effect also looks
quite artful.

The pace starts very slow introducing the two space men, with what seems to be
flashback footage playing alongside. This footage symbolises natural aggression and
danger such as the large tides and forest fires. As the music video progressing the pace
inevitably picks up, with some editing looking very jittery and glitch, for example going
back and forth different footage of the moon and other more aggressive natural dangers.
I think this video is potentially for older audiences than the first video I analysed due to
its more serious nature as well as the darker meanings behind it, as it could be read that
one of the space men has been lost or even died. So it could be for teenagers at 16 to 28
year old adults.
This music video looks like a video for ambient music, since ambient is a subgenre of
chill-out music it has very similar aspects to the first video I analysed which was of the
chill-out genre. The music video clearly has a narrative side, however it is combined with
less conventional narrative aspects more likely to be concept ideas, such as the footage
which could seem randomized (natural earthly dangers) and also the fact that the
narrative is not very clear with no conclusion making it seem more of a concept. Through
Joan Lynchs basic video structures I would say overall this video seems to be a hybrid of
concept and narrative.
Andrew Goodwins theory can be applied through a couple of aspects in this video. Firstly
there is a relationship between the music and the visuals as the shot switches to another
shot when the piano in the music is played.
Similarly to my first music video analyse this ambient genre fits along with the chill-out
music so the coloured hues and possible deeper meanings of the video are quite
conventional and iconic to the genre, also it is possible this film is intertextually
references other films set in space.
I do not think this video applies to Jon Gows theory as the song has no lyrics and is not
performed.

Inspiration I have got from this music video is to involve a slight narrative aspect within
my music video, also in inspiration of the use of time-lapse I want to create a similar
effect through using motion control to speed up my footage. I really love the slow-motion
used as it has a very atmospheric effect that can emphasize the situations happening on
screen. The hue overlays looked very effective and atmospheric too so I would also like to
use this idea.