Ideas For My Video

First Idea

The first idea I had was to begin my music video with a sunrise and end it with a sunset. I thought this would be a good idea for a few different reasons. Firstly, these sights are seen as magnificent as they are natural and beautiful. They are also romantic as couples often like to watch the sunrise or sunset together, so this idea also goes with the love theme in the song. The sunrise opens the day and the sunset ends it so it makes sense logically that these could open and end a music video.

I thought about a location that I could use to film both the sunrise and sunset and the first place that came to mind was the Humber Bridge as I have seen the sunset from there before whilst travelling across and it looked quite nice from there, looking over the river. I thought that maybe I would use the woodland setting of the Humber Bridge country park for the main part of the video. I would have someone lip sync to the song in this setting.

Second Idea (Chosen idea)

I like the idea of the sunrise and sunset so I am certain that I want at least one of these included in my video, maybe just the sunset at the end. I thought about a different location, a beach landscape where the opening shot of the video could be one of the sea which is also seen as a magnificent feature of the world and the beach setting is also a romantic one. I thought this setting would look a lot nicer than the river.

The singer would then be seen, walking along the beach towards the camera. This shot would be the master shot, and would have shots of the sea and other things cut into it. When the singing starts, the singer would lip sync in a close up. Other shots of the location would be juxtaposed with shots of the singer. Maybe shots of wildlife, such as birds flying for example, could be used too as life on earth is another magnificent thing. As the second verse begins, the singer would still be in the same location but sat down on a rock or something rather than continuing to walk. Another idea I had, was at some point in the video, probably towards the end somewhere, to have a shot of something related to the song written in the sand. The sunset would then end the video.

I have decided that this idea was much better than the first and I think it will look good and work well in this natural setting. Next I will create a storyboard for the video and then I will decide on who will star in the video and what they should wear. After this, I will be ready to start filming.

LIIAR For Magnificent

Language - Some people believe that the song clearly features religious imagery and phrases, which I think is probably true. The song features a lexical field of love which dominates the song. Some rhymes are used in the song, for example "time" and "rhyme" in the first verse. Repetition is also used, as it is in most songs, with "I was born", "only love" and "magnificent" being repeated throughout the song.

Ideology - The ideas of the band, particularly Bono since he wrote the lyrics, are obviously present in this song. Although the meaning of the lyrics can be interpreted in different ways, there will be set ideas and values that Bono had in mind when writing the song and has when performing it. The lyrics were inspired by Cole Porter and Bach, according to Wikipedia. This is also this site which states that Bono has said that the song is about "two lovers holding onto each other and trying to turn their life into worship."

Institution - The music for the song was written by U2, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois and the lyrics were written by Bono. The producers of the song were Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite. U2 are signed to Mercury Records, a subsidiary of Universal.

Audience - U2 have a fan base consisting of a great number of fans. Since their career in the music industry has spanned over 30 years now, the ages of their fans range from adults of about 40 to 50 years old who would have got into U2 in the early years of their career, to young teenagers who have become fans of the band in recent years. This means that U2's music appeals to all ages and therefore so should their videos.

Representation - The lyrics in the song must be repesented through the video, not necessarily meaning an absolute representation of every single subject in the lyrics, but the video must match the theme and atmosphere intended by the lyrics. Camera angles, editing and the duration of shots will do this.

U2 - Magnificent

Now I will begin looking at my chosen song in more detail. Magnificent is a powerful song from U2's latest album, No Line On The Horizon. The song was composed in Fez, Morocco which is also the location used for the video. Despite receiving good reviews from most critics and becoming a new favourite with U2 fans, the song only made it to number 42 in the UK singles chart. However, the album itself took the number 1 spot, exceeding the platinum standard in many countries.

Q magazine featured a U2 special in their February 2009 issue, with 30 pages dedicated to the band and their new album. Q describes Magnificent as a "Slow-building anthem with the ambience of The Unforgettable Fire and laced with the wide eyed wonder of U2's earlier albums. Edge here is at his most dynamic."

Below are the lyrics of the song:

Magnificent
Magnificent

I was born
I was born to be with you
In this space and time
After that and ever after I haven't had a clue
Only to break rhyme
This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue

Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar

I was born
I was born to sing for you
I didn't have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice from the womb
My first cry, it was a joyful noise

Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar

Justified till we die, you and I will magnify
The magnificent
Magnificent

Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love unites our hearts

Justified till we die, you and I will magnify
The magnificent
Magnificent
Magnificent


I have read that the song is about "two lovers holding onto each other and trying to turn their life into worship." I have also read through some U2 fan bases and forums to see how people interpret the lyrics. There are two main interpretations of the song. Some people think that it is clearly religious as many of the lines of the song can be related to God. For example, "I give you back my voice" could mean giving the voice back to God, as people believe that we should give to God. "Joyful noise" could be another religious phrase, as this repeatedly comes up in the book of Psalms. There is also the subject of "magnifying the magnificent" which could mean magnifying God to the world. Others think that the song could be about the relationship between mother and child, with the references to the "womb" and "scars".

A questionable lyric in the song is who is referred to by the use of the word "you" in the lines "sing for you" and "lift you up" for example. It could be referring to God, as in lifting Him up to the world and magnifying His existence to all, but some people question whether you would need to lift God up, since He is almighty and all powerful. Plus, this would dismiss the Christian belief of having faith and trust in God, as if everyone knew He existed then we would all believe anyway. The "you" could maybe refer to U2 fans in general. Bono sings for us and lifts our spirits and moods. The music makes us feel good.

I think that it is okay to have different interpretations of the same song, as music can reflect different things depending on who you are and what you have experienced in life. It is quite a plausible theory that the song is about God and religion but it is also quite possible that it could be about a mother and child, or maybe it could be both. The song could be about love in general, be it love for a God, a child, a mother or a partner. When I hear the line "only love, only love can leave such a mark", I have always thought that it meant the love from a previous relationship. The love that you once had has left a mark and has had an impact on you. The next line, "but only love, only love can heal such a scar", could mean that only finding love again in someone else can heal the scar from your previous love. This suggests that we need love in order to be fully happy and complete.

Conventions Of Music Videos

After analysing the three U2 videos, I am able to make comparisons between them and find the common features that they share. Firstly, all three videos use many close ups so that we can clearly see the performer/performers, as this is obviously what the fan wants to see. Another convention is for the performer to look directly at the camera to interact and involve the audience. Sweetest Thing is the best example of this, as Bono looks directly into the camera most of the time.

I also noticed how the editing is done so that it matches the music. In With Or Without You, there are a lot of fades and overlapping of clips which match the slow, atmospheric music. In Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, straight cuts between clips are used throughout, and the cuts are done in time with the music, for example when there is a change in the music, like from the verse into the chorus, there will be a cut to another scene.

A variety of different shot types and camera movements make videos interesting. In Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, there are long shots, medium shots, close ups, pans and forwards and backwards tracking shots. Sweetest Thing is done in all one clip, but this is effective in this particular video. The camera pans to the left and right in this video and tilts up at one point too.

The lyrics tend to match the theme of the video. Sweetest Thing is 'sweet' because it is about love. The audience see all the effort Bono has put into his apology with all the things he has bought and hired for his wife, and they think how sweet it all is.

Third Music Video Analysis

For my final music video analysis, I have chosen to look at U2's Sweetest Thing, which was originally a B-side on The Unforgettable Fire single in 1987. The song was later re-recorded and released as a single for The Best Of 1980-1990 album in 1998. The song was written by Bono as an apology to his wife, Ali Hewson, after missing her birthday whilst working on The Joshua Tree album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WybiA263bw

The video begins with a medium shot of Ali getting into a carriage. She looks directly at the camera and there is an eyeline match to see who she is looking at, as we get a cut to see Bono sat opposite her, dressed in a grey suit and hat with sunglasses and holding a CD player. He presses the play button and puts the CD player down on the floor as the song begins to play. He looks directly at the camera, engaging with the audience and also with Ali as we know she is in the place of the camera. In other words, this is a point of view shot from Ali's perspective.

The interesting thing about this video is that it is just one long clip, apart from the beginning shot of Ali. After this, the camera stays fixed in the same position throughout the video, staying mostly on Bono and panning left and right and also tilting up at times to view his variety of apologies. First we see him produce a bouquet of flowers, and then Boyzone appear, dressed in white suits, and gather around behind him to sing for Ali. Up above them appears a white banner with the text "I'm....sorry" written on it. Bono looks upset, maybe because Ali isn't impressed by his efforts so far, and gestures the group to leave.

Next, the camera pans to the left to see Larry driving a silver car alongside the carriage with Edge and Adam sat in the back playing their guitars, all three of them looking directly at the camera. The camera pans back to Bono who looks rather upset again, then has an idea, clicking his fingers and leaning forward, as the camera pans away from him to the right, where we see a marching band come into view. As the camera pans back to Bono, the band continue to march behind the carriage.

A man in a green checked shirt enters the frame, transforming Bono into a boxer with a white towel around his shoulders and a mouth guard coloured green, white and orange representing the Irish flag. After the man leaves, Bono leans into the camera so that he is now in a close up as a fire engine comes in to the right of him, with firemen dancing on the top. As Bono leans out again, he looks over to his left whilst producing a dog puppet on his right hand. The puppet is holding a white flag, used to surrender in battles. At this point we see a second banner reading "I'm really sorry".

The camera then pans to the right as the U2 bobble heads come in dancing, with another vehicle driving up behind them. The camera pans back to Bono who removes his hat and pretends to play the violin. The camera pans right again as the vehicle draws up alongside them with a group of children on board playing violins. The camera pans back to Bono, who's hat is back on now, with the bobble heads and firemen (now topless) dancing behind him. Bono leans forward and looks down at the floor, then sits up and looks up into the sky. The camera tilts up to follow his gaze to see another banner with the text "I'm really really sorry...." written on it with a heart shaped cloud in sky. The camera tilts back down and pans to the right as a group of Irish dancers enter the frame.

The camera pans back to Bono, who is now singing along with the song and removes his glasses as Larry, Edge and Adam gather behind him. The camera pans to the left where a chef holds out a plate of food, whilst Bono covers his face with his hand in embarrassment. The chef leaves and the camera pans back to the band and then pans slightly to the left again where we see an elephant walking along, bearing the text "Sorry" on its head. The camera pans back to the band, and we see that Bono is looking upset again. He removes his hat, and Larry holds a silver hoop above his head, representing a halo. Bono looks directly at the camera, mouthing "I'm sorry" with a slight smile and the video fades out.

I think this video is very creative and cleverly done, and must have taken a lot of effort to film with all the different things included in the background. The fact that almost the full video was done in one shot must have made it quite hard to set up and would have needed a lot of planning. I like the video and the variety of methods used as the apology. Bono stays mainly in a medium shot throughout the video with some close ups, and the way most of the featured people interact directly with the camera is a good technique to involve the audience.

Second Music Video Analysis

I decided to look at an older U2 video for my second analysis. I have chosen to look at the video of one of the bands most popular songs, With Or Without You from The Joshua Tree album in 1987.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSdTa9kaiQ

The video starts with a fade in to a medium shot of Bono. The camera pans slowly to the right whilst the singer stays stationary as the music begins. A smokey effect is used as the shot fades into the next, which is a medium shot of Larry and Edge playing their instruments, with speakers and amps in the background. The camera slowly zooms out until the men are positioned in a long shot and then the shadowy figure of Bono appears over the top of the shot, shrouded in the smoke. He fades away and we see a medium shot of Adam playing bass guitar. Bono fades back into the shot as the singing begins. He steps back into darkness and we see a lightning effect flash up before he appears again, now looking directly at the camera whilst singing. A shot of what appears to be branches of a tree swaying in the wind fades in over this and then a shot of the band playing fades in. The camera moves in towards Bono as he sings. A hand held camera is used to enhance verisimilitude, to make the viewer feel as if they could actually be there.

Next there is a straight cut to some more lightning images. A medium shot of Bono fades in over this clip, singing directly to the camera before looking away and fading into the darkness once again. A close up of Larry follows this, also fading out into darkness, which Bono then emerges from, again making eye contact with the viewer. He raises his arms and crosses his wrists, with the camera tilting up to follow this. As the shot fades out, smoke appears on the floor briefly, with a figure walking through it. This vanishes quite quickly, as a shot of Bono fades back in, so we don't get to see who the figure was.

With smoke whirling in the background, Bono sings directly to the camera which stays stationary in a medium shot. This shot fades out into darkness and we see the figure in the smoke very briefly again before a medium shot of Bono fades in with Edge playing in the background. The camera slowly moves forward towards Bono and then turns left away from him to frame Edge in a long shot. He fades into a cloud of smoke and a close up of Bono fades in. After this, we see a shadowy figure with light moving over the body. The image is sideways and appears to be a woman with a white sheet wrapped around her. This fades out and back into a clip of Bono singing with Edge and Larry in the background. The camera rises up into a high angle shot, looking down on just Bono and pans slightly right as he raises his arms, crossing his wrists as he did earlier. A rectangle of light shines down onto him, projecting his shadow across the floor. The camera zooms in on Bono as he lowers his arms and bends over whilst singing. He stands up, stretching out his arms as the camera draws in close and looks directly at the camera. The camera pans left, away from him and a close up of the woman's face, upside down, fades in.

Next we see a short clip of Adam positioned in a long shot and then a fast, blurred pan of a guitar, after which we briefly see Edge before a clip of Bono framed in a medium shot flashes in. The light expands and we see Edge stood behind him. This cuts to another blurred pan of a guitar which fades out to reveal a medium shot of Edge playing with Larry blurred in the background on the right. A medium shot of Bono fades in, with Bono taking the position of Larry, who can still be seen in this clip in the background but now on the left. The camera pans slightly to the right to view Adam in the background too.

A close up of the woman fades in, brightly lit now, with her arms up and crossed at the wrists like Bono earlier in the video. After this, there is a montage of clips all overlapping each other, starting with a clip of Bono in a medium shot singing with a close up of his face over this image, both on the screen at the same time. This continues with close ups of the other band members fading in over the main image of Bono singing. Another guitar image is also used. Then there are two sepia clips, one of Bono and the other of Edge, before switching back to colour with a medium shot of Edge playing with Larry in the background. This cuts to a close up of Adam who turns away from the camera as he plays.

Next there are clips of the woman again, who appears to be naked, juxtaposed between clips of Bono singing. This then cuts to a black and white close up of Edge in which the camera tilts up quickly over his face. He fades into darkness and then there is a close up of Larry, looking directly at the camera. This cuts to a close up of Bono removing his guitar, with the camera zooming into his face quickly. This cuts to the woman again who we now see is with a man. This cuts to a short clip of Larry playing and then to Bono, who is swinging his guitar around with a spotlight shining on him so that his shadow is projected onto the wall behind him. This cuts back to a close up of Larry from a different angle and then to a medium shot of Edge playing, and then back to Bono. We then see the man and woman again briefly before a cut back to Bono, and then to Larry. Then we see an arm of what I assume to be the woman's, stretching out with the smoke swirling around her body. This cuts to a close up of Adam and then the video ends with a cut to Bono who is spinning his guitar around in a circle.

I think this is a good video because it uses many different shot types and camera angles which make it interesting. The use of the hand held camera works well in this video because I think it adds a sense of confusion and it also makes you feel like you could actually be there. The video is rather dark in colour overall, with the shadows and dark clothing worn by the band. Some parts of the video are filmed in black and white, some in sepia and some in colour which also contributes to making the video interesting. A lot of transitions are used between clips, mostly fades to make clips overlap. I think these go well with this song as they sort of fit the music, which is quite slow and atmospheric, where as these transitions may not have worked very well with other U2 songs, including Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own. Also, Bono and the other band members often make eye contact with the camera, and thus the audience, which makes them feel involved.

Analysing Music Videos

I am now going to look at some already existing music videos to find conventional features and get some ideas for my own music video. I absolutely love the band U2, so I have decided to choose a U2 song for my video. The song I have chosen is Magnificent from the bands latest album, No Line On The Horizon. Before looking at this song in detail, I will analyse some popular U2 videos to look at the techniques used.

Firstly, it may be useful to know a bit about U2. The band formed in Dublin in 1976, and consists of four members; Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton. Arguably the biggest band in the world, U2 have enjoyed a very successful career in the music industry, having released 12 studio albums in total and winning many music awards, as well as having a very large base of loving and dedicated fans, ranging greatly in age.

The first video I have looked at is Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, from the 2004 album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuDqHtAR6L8

The video begins with a fade in to the black and white video, which starts with Bono walking down a street. He walks towards the camera, and the camera moves in a backwards tracking shot, keeping him in the frame. He is dressed in a black hoody, with the hood up and sunglasses on. A series of sentences fade in, hand written text by Bono, talking about his father, the late Bob Hewson. This song was written as a tribute for him.

"My father Bob worked in the post office by day and sang opera by night. We lived on the North Side of Dublin in a place called Cedarwood Road. He had a lot of attitude. He gave some to me - and a voice. I wish I'd known him better - Bono."

After the last sentence has faded out, Bono begins to sing. His voice is the dominant sound to start with, and the music quietly comes in with it, rising in volume. His recorded voice is heard as well as his actual singing in the video which gives an echo effect. Bono gets closer to the camera throughout this sequence. The backwards tracking shot starts with him in a medium shot and by the end it is a close up.

Next, there is a cut to a coloured clip of the Edge and Larry playing in front of a plain white background. This cuts to a shot of the Edge, Larry and Adam silhouetted against the white background. The music is full volume now and there is no longer two Bono voices, but just the prerecorded one. A series of different shots of the band follow, and then there is a cut back to the original backwards tracking shot. During the chorus, the video cuts between this black and white shot of Bono and the colour shots of the band.

As the second verse begins, the location changes to the interior of a house or flat. The shot begins on a cream coloured wall and tracks sideways to look through an open door at Bono who is laid on a bed, in colour now. This cuts to a closer up shot, which pans from left to right over Bono as he lays singing. Here, he is dressed all in black, but he is without the hoody and sunglasses. This cuts again to the black and white backwards tracking shot of Bono walking as he continues to sing, dressed as he was in the first sequence. This cuts back to the colour shot of Bono, now sat on the edge of the bed, and then back to the tracking shot.

As the music builds back up to the chorus, the video cuts back to shots of the other band members playing in front of the white background like before, interspersed with two more shots of Bono in the room. These shots are more close up than the previous, and in the second of the two shots Bono looks directly at the camera, and thus straight into the eyes of the viewer which makes them feel involved. After this, there is one final black and white backwards tracking shot of Bono walking down the street, which then cuts to a forward tracking shot following Bono as he enters what appears to be an alleyway, now in colour with the most predominant colour being red. This cuts back to a backwards tracking shot and then back again to the forwards tracking shot as Bono enters a red doorway. The shot switches again back to a backwards tracking shot and then to a forwards tracking shot to follow Bono down corridor, with dark red and white walls. Next there are another two shots of the band playing, before we see Bono again, emerging from a doorway after a change of clothes, now wearing a red shirt. This cuts back to the band, then back to Bono and then to the band again. Next we see that Bono has joined his band members in front of the white background, and Bono takes to the microphone, ready to perform the climax of the song.

We get various shots of the band and see the white background rising up behind them to reveal a classy looking setting behind them, as if they're on a theatre stage or something of that sort. A long shot of the full band is used to show this setting at the same time as Bono sings the longest note of the song, the most emotional part. This cuts back to the black and white shot of Bono walking, and then continues to switch between this and the stage setting. The video finishes on a shot of Bono walking, with a fade out at the end.

I really like this video as I think it has a clever use of cinematography with a wide range of different camera shots to make the video interesting. The use of colour is also an interesting feature of the video, from the black and white shots of Bono walking to the bright reds in the colour parts of the video towards the end. Black and white connotes realism and I think that the black and white in this video reflects Bono's loneliness as the only parts of the video that are black and white are when he is alone. Walking the streets symbolises how he is maybe trying to find himself and think things over. As for when he is with the band, this may represent how he is stronger when with others which is why this part is in colour. However, colour video connotes fantasy, so maybe the colours are hiding him from real life in a way.

Throughout the video, Bono engages with the viewer, keeping them interested. He does this in a number of ways, by occasionally looking straight at the camera, as well as shooting an uplifting smile at the viewer in one of the walking shots. The shots filmed in the room let the fans see Bono in a different way, in a natural state looking somewhat vulnerable. This makes the viewer feel as if they are prying into more personal and intimate footage of the singer.