Labrinth - Express Yourself

Released in May 2012, Labrinth's interpretation of Charles Wrights 1988 song, is a feel good soul song that expresses how good it is to be yourself. The video mimics The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and has a 90s theme all round. 

Mise-en-Scene	Camera Angles
What lighting is being used? The lighting is bright however it has a soft edge to it.	What angles are being used? What effect does this have? Direct address to the audience – why sing directly to the viewer? Tilted angles occur in order to see the characters faces through there hair ‘hiden emotions’ High angles also occur to when Labrinth is singing. Labrinth sings directly to the camera / viewers throughout which makes the already personal song more personal.
Do the make-up and costumes also contribute to make a convincing product? The costume of the characters fits the persona they are playing.	What movement is used? Does this disorient? Is that the preferred outcome? How can movement contribute to the type of music? Running, dancing and skateboarding occur, showing the different movements individuals express.
What locations are being used? Why do they do this? There are street locations, action going on inside a house, at the beach  and finally Labrinth alone in his spinning chair.	Distances: are they varied? What difference does a close up have compared to a medium? What are they designed to capture? There are distances from far away to capture all the activity going on, also close ups for intimate responses.
Do they use the instruments needed to make the music for that genre? Why would they include/omit them? No instruments are viewed in the video although you would expect to see a saxophone.
Editing	Sound
Transitions: How are these being used? What effect do fades and white/black cuts have? The short stories end after a cut and the next one starts, however it also transitions to Labrinth singing on his chair.	Synchronous editing (matching to the beat) being used? Why include elements of sound to match specifically with visuals? What impact does this have? The synchronous editing was when a lady was running and the beats fitted in time to the steps and also dancing in time to the beat.
How are the narratives arranged? Is cross cutting used throughout to indicate a parallel storyline? Do jump cuts make it confusing? Cross cutting occurs, through the stories going on and Labrinth singing.	Interruptions in the song: are there elements added to build on the narrative of the video, rather than the song? Don’t be afraid to do this in your own work? No.
What effects are used? How do these contribute to your understanding and feeling towards the artist? The artist is quirky and as was the whole video, effects weren’t really used but I don’t think it mattered particularly

The aspect I'd take from the video is the "feel good" vibe of it, the dancers and the quirkiness of the whole extract made it an enjoyable and definitely something to consider when making my video. 

Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)

Katy Perry is a female popstar who's had a number of number ones. Last Friday night was released in June 2011 and was produced by Dr Luke and Max Martin. The videos inspiration came from American highschool parties, where the nerd can be transformed into the life and sole of the party. 

Mise-en-Scene	Camera Angles
What lighting is being used? Bright lights are being used but also includes flashing lights to suggest a party going on.	What angles are being used? What effect does this have? Direct address to the audience – why sing directly to the viewer? There are close ups of the singer singing directly to the audience to entice them and make it personal. High angles are used to get to grips on the scale of the party and the after effects.
Do the make-up and costumes also contribute to make a convincing product? The transformation of Katy Perry fits the video perfectly and all the characters costumes involved fit the conventions well.	What movement is used? Does this disorient? Is that the preferred outcome? How can movement contribute to the type of music? Dancing, running and skipping is included, this is more of a fun attitude and the audience can observe the joyfulness of the teens.
What locations are being used? Why do they do this? An American house is used for filming and also the garden, this is to fit usual American house parties and so the mess can be viewed well.	Distances: are they varied? What difference does a close up have compared to a medium? What are they designed to capture? Lots of different distances are included, a close up is personal compared to the medium observant shots.
Do they use the instruments needed to make the music for that genre? Why would they include/omit them? At 3:40 there is a saxophone being played and the teenagers are dancing to that, also music is played throughout which they are dancing too.
Editing	Sound
Transitions: How are these being used? What effect do fades and white/black cuts have? They cut from action to Katy singing directly at the audience. They also cut to different sections of the party and the two different Katy’s.	Synchronous editing (matching to the beat) being used? Why include elements of sound to match specifically with visuals? What impact does this have? Dancing is done to match the beat and also some cuts towards the end, matching sound and visuals build up tempo and atmosphere.
How are the narratives arranged? Is cross cutting used throughout to indicate a parallel storyline? Do jump cuts make it confusing? It is a flashback so cross cutting is used in the beginning and end, it isn’t confusing though as you see the result of the mess in the first section.	Interruptions in the song: are there elements added to build on the narrative of the video, rather than the song? Don’t be afraid to do this in your own work? 3:32-3:50 has no lyrics just music where dancing takes place, this empathises the nature of a party.
What effects are used? How do these contribute to your understanding and feeling towards the artist? Slow motion, it is also present in the way of a short movie which shows of Katy Perry’s quirky nature.

Nicki Minaj - Superbass

Nicki Minaj is an international female rapper, signed with 'Young Money' her video Superbass was released in April 2011 and Directed by Sanaa Hamiri. 

It features Nicki Mianj surrounded by men and pink props and is supposed to connote a playful relationship between a man and woman. 

Mise-en-Scene	Camera Angles
What lighting is being used? A bright light is used and it makes a prosthetic shine come off props and people involved. Also a UV light is used in one section of the video.	What angles are being used? What effect does this have? Direct address to the audience – why sing directly to the viewer? Most angles are straight on mid or long shot, and usually the artist is looking straight at the camera, however it doesn’t feel personal but instead a fake relationship.
Do the make-up and costumes also contribute to make a convincing product? All of the female dancers are dressed and made up to look like Nicki Minaj which is a mix between a Barbie and a Mermaid.	What movement is used? Does this disorient? Is that the preferred outcome? How can movement contribute to the type of music? Only dancing is used really or slow walking in high heels, this fits pop music as it does make you want to dance.
What locations are being used? Why do they do this? A pink dance area, a uv styled room and a pink pool surrounded by ice. This is used to promote pink and glamour as a way of a girls lavish lifestyle.	Distances: are they varied? What difference does a close up have compared to a medium? What are they designed to capture? Distances aren’t varied much, they are all of a similar distance and don’t have much variety.
Do they use the instruments needed to make the music for that genre? Why would they include/omit them? No instruments are used, only large ice speakers in which the girls dance to the music.
Editing	Sound
Transitions: How are these being used? What effect do fades and white/black cuts have? They move from one scene to another with a different location and outfit. They make the contrast clear and apparent.	Synchronous editing (matching to the beat) being used? Why include elements of sound to match specifically with visuals? What impact does this have? Synchronous editing isn’t used in this piece as their aren’t fast cuts to match the fast beat.
How are the narratives arranged? Is cross cutting used throughout to indicate a parallel storyline? Do jump cuts make it confusing? It isn’t confusing as no real story line is apparent, it just jumps from one scene to another.	Interruptions in the song: are there elements added to build on the narrative of the video, rather than the song? Don’t be afraid to do this in your own work? None
What effects are used? How do these contribute to your understanding and feeling towards the artist? Slow motion, uv light are used, however this doesn’t change feelings on the artist.

Modestep - Sunlight

Produced by London based dubstep group Modestep, Sunlight was released on August 2011, It is a humour piece and includes OAP's taking part in a typical Teenagers life style. 

Mise-en-Scene	Camera Angles
What lighting is being used? The lighting used is a normal sunlight colour however there are patches of red in the corners perhaps used to make the video seem older. Some of the lighting in the club is a lot lighter on the OAP’s.	What angles are being used? What effect does this have? Direct address to the audience – why sing directly to the viewer? Several angles are used, mid mid shots are used so all the characters can be viewed straight on and similarly long shots too. However close ups are used to capture the expressions of the OAP’s in the antics they get up to. When Modestep perform however they do not look directly at the camera.
Do the make-up and costumes also contribute to make a convincing product? The costume are stereotypically what an older person may wear.	What movement is used? Does this disorient? Is that the preferred outcome? How can movement contribute to the type of music? Dancing is apparent almost throughout, fitting the dubstep genre of ‘skanking’ perfectly, moving your head and shoulders in time to the fast beat is apparent and typical.
What locations are being used? Why do they do this? Many locations are used including a house which belongs to an older person judging by the décor which makes it realistic. The pub and clubs are also used where the OAP’s are made the centre of attention and to be looked out of place. The seafront if used where they take place in riding scooters and bikes across, this is a humours aspect.	Distances: are they varied? What difference does a close up have compared to a medium? What are they designed to capture? Distances are varied through the piece, the close ups are mainly the reactions of the OAP’s where as the further away shots catch them in action. In this piece they are both used in an humours manner.
Do they use the instruments needed to make the music for that genre? Why would they include/omit them? In the sections where it cuts to Modestep performing the use of DJ boards and drums are used, this is appropriate for the genre in question.
Editing	Sound
Transitions: How are these being used? What effect do fades and white/black cuts have? Fast black cuts are used in-between the OAP section and the Modestep section, this makes it clear one has ended and one has begun.	Synchronous editing (matching to the beat) being used? Why include elements of sound to match specifically with visuals? What impact does this have? There are a few sections where the fast beat matches the equally fast cut, this makes the piece look fast and lively and fits the dubstep genre. The visuals are all fast paced such as dancing and drinking so they fit the fast paced music.
How are the narratives arranged? Is cross cutting used throughout to indicate a parallel storyline? Do jump cuts make it confusing? Jump cuts are used between the two different sections going on.
What effects are used? How do these contribute to your understanding and feeling towards the artist? Very fast cuts are used to create a flashback of the night before, and also blurring of the shots make it clear indecent things are going on.

From this video I again like the humour aspect, I also would like to interoperate the fast movements along to fast beats, lots of cuts would make the piece look good. 

Mac Miller - Party on 5th Ave


Mac Miller is a American rapper who's success has spiralled, he went from online mix tapes to producing his own album. This song / video comes from his album Blue Slide Park and it was directed by Ian Wolfsong

Mise-en-Scene	Camera Angles
What lighting is being used? The lighting used is light but not to harsh, it is almost a weak sepia effect. The use of this makes the video look amateur and with a vintage feel.	What angles are being used? What effect does this have? Direct address to the audience – why sing directly to the viewer? Several different angles were used to help create the sense of scenes finishing and starting. Directly singing to the audience makes it feel more personal and in this situation increases the audiences humour.
Do the make-up and costumes also contribute to make a convincing product? The costume and make up used created a humorous effect which the video was aiming for, it was professionally done and quite realistic.	What movement is used? Does this disorient? Is that the preferred outcome? How can movement contribute to the type of music? A section of the video includes darkness where only the mid shot of a light outline of a man dancing can be seen, this shows different movement of the characters involved.
What locations are being used? Why do they do this? A local neighbourhood and an abandoned warehouse was used, the use of the normal neighbour hood made it more humorous and was cleverly done. The use of the abandoned warehouse in which they host a party in was also funny as it takes a youth stereotype and twists it.	Distances: are they varied? What difference does a close up have compared to a medium? What are they designed to capture? A close up is used to to see expression whereas a medium allows and insight into what is going on around the character to. A close up is more personal to the audience compared to a medium.
Do they use the instruments needed to make the music for that genre? Why would they include/omit them? No instruments were used.
Editing	Sound
Transitions: How are these being used? What effect do fades and white/black cuts have? The whole video consists of quick cuts which particularly happen in the section where Mac begins to rap, this helps to build up momentum for the video to reach its highest beats and the action to begin.	Synchronous editing (matching to the beat) being used? Why include elements of sound to match specifically with visuals? What impact does this have? There is synchronous editing at the start as the fast cuts seem to be matching the current beat, however this is the only synchronous editing throughout the video.
How are the narratives arranged? Is cross cutting used throughout to indicate a parallel storyline? Do jump cuts make it confusing? Some of the cuts cut out action happening, this makes it confusing however you do get to see the characters expressions and then back to the after effect.
What effects are used? How do these contribute to your understanding and feeling towards the artist? Slow motion is used to empathise humour especially when the older men are walking, this is to enhance their already slow movements and also in the comedy parts when one of the men fall over.

In my piece I'd like to include the synchronous editing Mac presents at the start of the video, but also the feel good comedy and irrelevance to the song that Party on 5th Ave presents