R+P Post 5: The kind of video I would like to make

Currently our group is looking at a hybrid performance and narrative music video within our chosen genre- both parts will likely be of equal importance. We have not yet firmly chosen a genre as we are still in the research phase, but we have some idea of where we are heading as a group, as well as individual ideas of what we would like to see in the video regardless of decisions such as genre.

I looked to music videos I know and like for inspiration. I think visual effects and possibly even filters would be quite interesting and good-looking, even simple ones. "We Want To" by New Young Pony Club is a music video that inspired me on this matter- it is a mix of performance and narrative like we are planning to make, although rather than being interspersed throughout like we are planning, it has narrative at the start and performance at the end. It has a grainy filter applied throughout, and lots of effects such as cuts, animations, graphics, and more. I think many of these things could be present in our music video to give it an interesting edge, even if it was in a more simplified form.

"We Want To" by New Young Pony Club. Right from the get-go the different effects can be seen- the video remains narrative driven, as a mock TV advertisement, up until around 02:20, where it changes to performance. However, even when this change happens, the presence of effects remains constant. Click to play.

Another idea I had that we could incorporate into our music video would be references to pop culture and media. I think references like this, even ones to very specific things, can work within any genre, even ones outside of pop music. "Shrunk" by Aesop Rock is a rap song and music video that does this in quite an interesting way- it has performance sections broken up with narrative segments like we plan to have, but its narrative is animated. The live sections take place in an arcade, with various classic and recognisable video game machines all around and visible in the background. The animated parts reference video games as a whole by being done in a pixellated aesthetic and showing the singer playing a game version of himself to complete what would usually be everyday tasks, taking us through multiple kinds of games, and even referencing specific games such as Tetris at around 01:28. We do not have to reference video games in our video, although we could- but I think referencing recognisable and enjoyed pieces of media and/or pop culture could increase audience enjoyment no matter the genre, and make the video more interesting.

"Shrunk" by Aesop Rock. The video starts with the singer going to an arcade, and he begins to play a video game arcade cabinet that reflects what he is singing about. It contains a few different visual styles as well as other references to games, and overall makes for an interesting video that uses its references to link the performance and narrative parts of the video- the narrative game is accessed through the performance. Please be aware there are one or two instances of strong language, but nothing over the top, and some mild cartoon violence too. Click to play.

One last thing I was thinking about that we could include in our video would be an intro and/or outro. It might be hard to do if we chose a song close to the time limit we have, as we wouldn't have much space before and/or after the song to experiment with without going over, but if our song was the right length I think it would be an interesting way to introduce the main bulk of the video. "Scatman's World" by Scatman John has a music video that uses this- it has an intro that lasts all the way up to about the 00:50 mark, which is where the actual song starts. The intro is narrative, and is a news reporter introducing the titular "Scatman's World," or 'Scat Land,' as an actual place that people are going to, like a theme park or something, which plays into the idea of the song which is trying to present a perfect or happy world. This bit of narrative thus not only transforms the mostly performance based video into one with a narrative, but also serves the meaning of the lyrics. This is a really clever way to add an interesting twist into the video, and I think using an intro (and/or outro) in this way could really aid both the narrative and performance parts of our video.

"Scatman's World" by Scatman John. The video itself is quite interesting despite simply being Scatman John and the boy from the intro performing, mixed in with some camera footage of different scenes, but the intro elevates it into an experienced, almost like a theme park ride, that the boy is experiencing, lead by Scatman John, who is taking him through all the places and events seen in the footage with lyrics to match. Click to play.