Still Frame Analysis (Jonny)

I have looked at examples from three bands in a similar genre and format (3/4 male performers) too the village musicians. I have taken some still frames from a selection of music videos they have produced and analysed these. This will help us when planning and story boarding items such as band performance and narration. 

2 Door Cinema Club

Full Band Shots
These are still frames that have been taken of the full band performing their song during the music video. A clear similarity between them is that the lead of the band (which in this case are all singers) always stands in the middle, flanked either side by background instruments/ vocals. The still frame of Noah and the Whale and of Mumford and Sons  involve the band playing in very

Noah and the Whale

'set up' locations which add effect to the genre of the song
(This coincides with goodwins rule that the visuals in the video 
will relate, amplify or contradict the lyrics of the song). In contrast 
2 door cinema club are playing behind a very simple white back
drop. I believe they have chosen this because of the bands ethos
of it being 'all about the music' therefore they want the audience

Mumford and Sons

to concentrate on the music being played and not the backdrop or location. I like the idea of playing behind a block colour background as it gives emphasis on the band characters with what they are wearing and especially the music that they are playing.
I think it would be very effective to have our band behind a 
block coloured screen in parts of the video when they are 
performing.








Instruments Being Played

I have taken some still frames which show a variety of shots and angles that are used when focusing on a particular instrument being played. In these cases the instrument being focused on is often the prominent sound in the music video at that time. I think that the first two examples given are really effective as they clearly show the instrument being played with a clear view of the hands and the instrument. The third example shows a full shot at eye level of the drummer in Noah and the Whale. Although it is a full shot he is the only band member in the shot. This is good at isolating each band member and representing them individually as the shot can look too clustered if all band members are squashed in to it.

 Lead Band Member

I have taken a still frame of each bands lead member from the same music video as the group stills. These stills focus on the lead band member on their own. I have purposefully chosen a mid-shot, close up and long shot in order to compare the effectiveness of each. Firstly the mid shot of the lead from 2 door cinema club. In this still frame he is placed behind a white back drop with the mid shot allowing the viewer to see his face and the top half of what he is wearing. This is an important shot as by including what the lead is wearing helps represent the Indie image that the band represents. The emphasis in this shot is image. The second still frame is a close up of the lead from Mumford and Sons. This still frame focuses solely on the lead, this shot is taken whilst he is singing so is likely to relate to the song being sung in the music video. The emphasis in this shot is performance. The final still frame is a long shot of the lead from Noah and the Whale. This still frame focuses both on the lead playing his instrument and his surroundings. This shot can amplify both the lyrics and the sound if the surroundings relate to the lyrics of the song. The emphasis
on this shot is both performance and image.










Narrative

I have included a variety of narrative still frames, one from each of the bands. I have chosen still frames which I think may promote inspiration towards our own music video. The first still frame is the introduction to Noah and the Whales music video. I like the use of a title as it is rare to use one when creating a music video. This title adds to the nostalgia of the video which is produced as if it were a home movie. This is similar to the concept we are hoping to create when producing our video and therefore, in our case, using a title may be effective. The second still frame is from a Mumford and Sons music video, it entails a boy and a girl sitting together on a car bonnet. I have chosen this frame as the use of a long shot looking in to the sun set helps set a good image of relationship, but more importantly would amplify the lyrics of our own song. This would allow us to use another one of Goodwin's rules. Finally, I have taken a still frame from a music video by Two Door Cinema Club. This still frame has given me some ideas on how we could represent sadness and emotion.

The high camera angle which is often used to make the character on screen big and powerful is effective in this case by giving the illusion that the character is unaware that he is being watched whilst he sulks looking out the window. It would be good to use this angle towards the end of our music video when we want to portray a sad emotion.