Influential
Videos
Coldplay - The Scientist
I really enjoy watching Coldplay's 'The Scientist' music video mainly beause of the idea and narrative. The entire video is filmed in reverse, but Chris Martin - the singer - looks as though he's still singing normally. Really he's singing backwards, which makes the video much better. The part about this video that could be of influence to my music video is the story-based narrative. Throughout the video I can see Martin walking through different locations as he sings about a broken relationship.
Similar to my narrative idea, I hope to be able to create a link between the lyrics and the visuals, forming a story-based narraive quite like this one. Maybe not so much filmed in reverse as that'd require a lot of time and effort, but with enough visual links and scenery to do it justice.
Kendrick Lamar - Alright
'Alright' is one of my favourite music videos thus far. The cinematography is spectacular, and it effectively uses the grayscale colour scheme. It's simple yet amazingly creative in a sense that, although it takes away the colour, it also adds much more to the meaning and theme. Considering the fact that the song is basically about the struggle and pain that African Americans go through, the use of grayscale almost says "I don't see colour" but shows that black and white are vivid and contrasting, which is why "not seeing colour" doesn't take away from the racial injustice that is occurring in America.
But apart from that, the shots look amazing.
This music video has influenced me and my ideas for my video, especially the use of grayscale. The removal of colour leaves much to the imagination and subsequently makes the video more creative in terms of visuals. Although I'm a fan of vibrance in colour, filming in grayscale just seems better as it creates a slight sense of ambiguity, reducing explicitness and allowing the mind to colour in the boxes.
Earl Sweatshirt - Chum
Another grayscale shot music video that appeals to me is 'Chum' by Earl Sweatshirt. I'm particularly interested in the slow-paced movements, grimy atmospheric scenery, and low lit settings. The narrative of this video is unclear but seemingly irrelevant, as it takes the viewer on a jorney through a dark street littered with giant frogs, burning trolleys, and maked people skating and playing drums. The minor obscenities within the sequence is something to think about; it leaves a slight bitter taste but has an effect on the viewer all the same.
This obscureness of the video has influenced me to want to implement ambiguity in my own. The idea of leaving the audience thinking - either in curiousity, wonder, doubt, etc. - is one of the many things I look for in a music video.
Flying Lotus - Never Catch Me
Flying Lotus' "Never Catch Me" is another of my favourite music videos due to its surrealness and beautiful cinematography. The choreography is amazing to watch, whilst the narrative is heart-warming and thought-provoking. Seeing the children dancing out the church and fleeing into the sunset makes me smile. Hiro Murai, the director of the video, often creates videos like this one: consisting of beautiful shots, slow motion editing, and steady camera movements.
The cinematography of this music video is one of my sources of inspiration; utilizing an understanding of composition and lighting is a perfect way to make a great video like the one above.
Lorde - Royals
"Royals" by Lorde is one of my influential videos because the video is made like a short film. Following a young boy and his regular routine is a simple narrative idea, yet it has accumulated over 500 thousand views on YouTube and won a VMA. Its simplicity is striking as one would expect more extravagance and flamboyance given the lyrics of the song. The meaning of the video is not completely understood, at least to me, but it's one of the few videos that are difficult to understand but still deserves appreciation.
The reason why this video influences me is that it consists of many consciously framed shots that are aesthetically pleasing. Composition is one of my favourite aspects of film and photography so seeing this influences me to try to relicate it in my music video.
Chance The Rapper
Hey Ma
Family Matters
Chance's music videos are slightly diverse in his own way, subverting the general stereotypes of Rap videos. These two videos - "Hey Ma" and "Family Matters" - stand out most for me because of the meaningful and generous narratives.
While his videos have a main focus on him, the artist, they still manage to shed light on the other big parts of his life, e.g. his family, friends, and fans. No video is solely about himself to a narcissistic level, he manages to pay respect to the things he holds dearest. For example, in his video "Hey Ma" Chance raps about his mother and how she was an important part of his childhood and growing up. In the video we see photo cards within which his childhood photos are displayed and also, using editing, he is seen rapping in the location seen through the photo cards. The video consists of mostly him but is actually dedicated to his mother. Liken to this is his "Family Matters" music video where we are shown childhood videos along with shots of his life now, showing a comparison between then and now. This comparison shows the growth and expansion of his "family" over the years (including his fans) and how they retain importance in his life.
These ideas of homage, selflessness, and consideration shown through these videos influence me in making my own music video; to somehow implement this in a way that stays relevant to our chosen narrative. I hope to create a video that isn't heavily narcissistic but humble enough to show appreciation of other important aspects of the artists' lives within the narrative.