Inspiration/Ideas on Music Video Techniques

As a visual 'moodboard', I created a short video displaying some music video examples that inspire me going forward to creating my own video. For many of the videos i have included I am not inspired by the whole clip yet often just small elements such as colours or techniques used.

I have pieced together examples where a video inspires me because of its lighting or how it is filmed, for example here is a list of the videos I have included in the video for future reference:

Lighting

-    ‘My My My’ (Troye Sivan) - I like the blue and red aesthetic of the video as well as how the video switches from black and white to colour because it makes the video more interesting and keeps the viewer on their toes.

-       ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ (Sigrid) - The pink light reflected onto the artist is really nice and creates a dramatic mood especially with the pitch black sky behind her. This creates a tone of innocence and femininity so I am inspired by this video in particular to use coloured lighting gels in colours that represent different emotions.

-       ‘You & Me’ (Disclosure ft Eliza Doolittle) - I like the simplicity of this video as well as the almost vigenette effect using lighting which makes it look vintage. It is bright and the lighting makes the content feel quite intimate.

Costume and makeup

-       ‘King’ (Years & Years) - I really like music videos with a theme running through the costumes, such as all of the dancers as well as the artist like in this particular video. This makes the video more cohesive and can symbolise an emotion or tell a story.

-       ‘IDGAF’ (Dua Lipa) - Dua Lipa's 'IDGAF' uses costume in this way, to tell a story. There are two 'teams', one dressed in blue, the other dressed in red, to symbolise the two halos of Lipa's personality, and her conflicting ideas in her head.

-       ‘Isombard’ (Declan McKenna) - The costumes in this video are very retro-inspired, such as trainer and graphic tees, which gives the video a relaxed feel.

Editing/Camera

-       ‘Him and I’ (G-Eazy ft Halsey) - This video was either filmed on an old camera or edited with filters to achieve this old, vintage effect which looks like an old TV, with the picture having a lot of noise. This is something I would like to incorporate into my own video because it is trendy to have an 'old school' aesthetic.

-       ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ (Calvin Harris & Disciples) - This is one of my favourite videos in terms of editing techniques as I like the change in pace and the way it looks really modern, as well as the coloured lighting.

-       ‘Breezeblocks’ (Alt-J) - This whole video is in reverse and is an interesting concept which I could introduce into my own video for a specific meaning.

Themes/Aesthetic

-       ‘Strangers’ (Sigrid) - I really like how the theme is created by relating the visuals to the lyrics; 'not like in the movies' is played whilst the artists danced around a movie set which makes it quite ironic. the visuals are also fresh and crisp.

-       ‘Same Love’ (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft Mary Lambert) - The meaning behind the video is very powerful and it is the way it is presented along with the music that makes it very empowering. I also like the switch between full screen and wide screen which makes it look retro, along with the picture noise.

-       ‘Boys’ (Charli XCX) - The video has a very retro feel and is themed along one simple subject which is nice because it is easy to follow and not too complex.

Location

-       ‘New Rules’ (Dua Lipa) - The apartment scene as well as the outside location works well because it symbolises moving on from a toxic relationship.

-       ‘Girls’ (The 1975) - Filmed in a studio, the white backdrop acts as a blank canvas for the artists to write upon in order to voice their opinions, with use of props and costumes.

-       ‘Perfect Places’ (Lorde) - The setting for this video is beautiful and picturesque, perfect for cinematics. If I find a place like this I will include shots similar.

Inspiration/Ideas on music video techniques from Greg Clarke on Vimeo.