GEETA BAHRA
G322
SOMETHING GOOD CAN WORK
TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB
For any music video to be successful, its creator must carefully select a number of elements that will work effectively with the chosen genre, song and artist/s; this elements are: sound, camera (angles, movement, shot, etc.), mise-en-scene and editing.
Firstly, the official video for "Something Good Can Work" uses an array of extremely intriguing as well as conventional camera shots, angles and movements. After the first transition of a fade to black, we are presented with a close-up of the first character we see: the lead singer of the band, Alex Trimble. The camera then in quick succession cuts and jumpsbetween three different angles on the same scene, Alex sitting alone at the bar. The use of quick cuts occur just as the audience begins to hear the strum of the lead guitar and therefore this editing emphasises the fast-pace and in turn the joyful nature of both the song and the genre.
ANNA GILLERAN
The next shot is set at an expensive looking poolside and filmed using a
Go-Pro showing an aerial shot which tracks the artist's movements as he jumps into the water. This is an extremely effective shot as it almost appears as if the scene has suddenly been turned upside without any trace of doing so. After filming the impact into the water, we see an extreme close upof the singer's hand as it grabs the camera and flips it back up through the water. Once falling back into the water an extremely quick ripple of a cross fade is used as to move the audience into the next scene that features all three of the band members for the first time in the video; this is seamless editing so everything is in good flow which helps to conveys that this is the real lifestyle of the artists. Click on the clip directly below to see these effective techniques in action.
We see all three artsits stood in a narrow cobble street, with the lead singer forefronted and his fellow band members stood behind him on either side; such positioning remains throughout the majority of the video in order to privilege the lead singer. that is extemely common within the majority of music videos, especially those that fall into the indie category. The first shot within this setting is filmed with a high angle and has a slightly shaky movement as it is filmed using a quadcopter. We then see the band, in the same positioning, walking down the streets carrying their guitars with a central lens flare that has been enhanced with editing software such asPremiere Pro and 'After Effects'. Yet again, another high-tech camera is used: a Go-Pro. This camera has been attached onto the neck of the lead singer's guitar; this shot is conventional and effective as it highlights the instruments that are prominant within both this particular song and genre. Next, the shot changes the positioning of the camera to floor level and is focused on the artists' feet as they walk along what looks like a European street. The fact that even the street looks slightly exotic, which is enhanced by the lens flare, helps to convey the glamourous lifestyle that the band members are lucky enough to possess, that includes travelling the world During this particular part of the music video, there is an extremely quick succession of cuts that match the timing of the beat of the audio, which alternate between two shots: the feet from the front and the back. Another cross-fade is then used but the editing appears almost seamless as the artists appear to walk through the two scenes as they have all been filmed remaining in their same positioning from the previous scene as well as matching their walking pace. Play the clip below to see the key parts within the 'street-singing' scene that I have highlighted.
The camera tracking the artist into the pool.
An extreme close-up of the lead singer's hand as he is about to fling the Go-Pro back into the air.
A still shot of the ripple that is the transition between the underwater pool scene and the band singing in the middle of the street.
A Go-Pro being strapped to the neck of a guitar
and an ehanced lens flare.
All throughout the video, the editing is compressing time and the lighting is accomdating this as the very first shot is at sunrise whereas the brightness levels are a lot lower within forest scene in comparision to the poolside and street shots. This is continued when we see the band enjoying the entertainment provided by a fun fair. Also within the forest scene, we begin to clearer and more frequent shots of the other two band members, Sam Halliday and Kevin Baird; the video has been edited in such a way that the fellow guitarists get more screen-time, and are thereby privileged by the camera when the sound of their played instruments, which are used as props within the video, to highlight what the audience is actually listening to, as well as highlighting the multiple talents that artists of this particular genre tend to possess: a high quality of both vocals and instrumental value. Although, Alex Trimble remains in the spotlight as even though we see a close-up of the bass player, the shot is out of focus; this could represent the genre as it is believed that those artists of the indie genre are successful because of their raw passion for what they do; as the bass-player feels this way, he does not need to 'shown off'. Furthermore, this idea is supported through the mise-en-scenewithin the video and in particular the choice of clothing. For example, the lead singer is in a minimalistic outfit that consists of a plain black polo shirt and unbranded lightly tanned trousers; this also ties in with the minimalistic setting of a clearing within a forsest. Although, we are shown a snippet of the band's wealthas result of their international success as Alex is shown in a close-up while on the back of a car in a black pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.
Minimalistic styling across all three band members.
A close-up of the lead singer wearing a
pair of RayBan sunglasses.