Questionnaire

This Questionnaire will help me decide what elements to include in my music video, and what elements to leave out.

Name:
Age:
Gender:


1. In a music video, is it important to you that there is a strong narrative directly linking to the song?
    YES......                NO.....


2. Should sounds that are relevant to the video be left in or should the song be the only audio?
    Sounds left in........               Leave only song audio..........


3. What is your favourite music video and what are two key elements you enjoy about it?
    .......................................................................................................................................................
    .......................................................................................................................................................


4. Should there be an actor singing the words in sync with the song or is this not important?
    Yes......                NO......


5. Does a variety of locations matter in a music video?
    Yes......                NO......


6. Which Artists have impressed you with their music video's?
    ........................................................................................................................................................
    ........................................................................................................................................................


7. Where do you expect to see the Artist, Song and Album name in a music video?
    ........................................................................................................................


8. Where do you spend the most time watching music video's?
    TV.....  Internet.....  Mobile Phone.....  Other (please specify).....


9. Do you prefer a music video to stay at the same pace as the music or should it have its own pace?
    Same pace......                     Own pace......


10. Do you enjoy music videos with lots of effects put on to them or do you prefer a standard, plane style of filming?
      Effects......                Standard style......

Results:

Question 1: 5 people said yes, and 5 people said no. This does not provide a conclusive answer as to whether i should include a narrative or not, however, it would certainly seem to be a good option as it would please both those who believe it is important and those who do not.

Question 2:  9 people believe that extra sounds should not be in the video and the music should be the only audio, with one person believing that other sounds can be added in without ruining the music. when asked, the people who disagree with extra sounds gave reasons such as that it ruins the song as a whole and serves no real purpose as a music video is not the main attraction to a song.

Question 3: Among other answers, one was Oasis - Supersonic. The reason given for liking this video was that it is a simple yet effective video with lots of colours. Another answer given was Take That - Shine. The reason given for this was that it is a music video that is based on looking like a performance of the song and so is not pretencious in trying to convey a message.

Question 4: All of the people asked said that it was not important that there is someone singing the words in sync with the song, however when asked further, many of the people asked said it often improves the look of a music video and gives it a better quality feel.

Question 5: 7 people said that it is not important for a variety of locations to be used, with 3 people saying it is important. There is no doubt, however, that a variety of locations ensures a music video is kept fresh and doesnt get boring the longer it is watched.

Question 6: Answers included Kate Nash, Kasabian and Bob Dylan. Particularly with Kate Nash and Kasabian, people enjoyed these music videos because they were colourful, with plenty of changes of scene and they all include scenes relevant to what the songs underlying principle is.

Question 7: 10 out of 10 people asked said they expect to see the titles in the bottom left hand side of the screen, showing that i should follow already established techniques in this department.

Question 8: 8 people asked said they watch the most music videos on the internet on sites such a youtube. i should therefore tailor my music video for internet use.

Question 9: 10 out of 10 people said they see no problem for a music video to have its own pace, seperate to the song itself. i initially thought the opposite would be true, however this does mean that a video can be created much easier as you have less to worry about, trying to keep the song and video at the same pace.

Question 10: 7 people agreed that they preferred effects in music videos, with 3 saying they prefer the standard style of filming. However, interestingly, the 7 people who said they prefer effects were all under 20 years old, and the 3 who prefer no effects were all over 30, so perhaps this indicates that i should include effects depending on which generation i am aiming my music video at.

kasabian : Fire music video analysis

This video starts off with non diagetic dialougue, setting the scene for the music video, with lead singer, Tom Meighan, staring at his reflection, showing that he is reflecting on something he is done, or perhaps a plan  of what he is about to do.



This opening also gives the audience their first glimpse of the lead singer of  the band, and as he is the front man, he is first to be seen. This identifies him as a leader.



The next scene cuts to a close up of guitarist and main songwriter of kasabian, Sergio Pizzorno, also looking like he is reflecting on something, giving us the impression that he is linked somehow to Tom.
The music video is shot with a golden tint, making it look like it is happening in the past. Also, this music video has quite an abstract style and, although it does tell a story, the story is not that of the songs original intentionality.

The music starts, and the titles come in, displayed in the bottom, left hand corner, which seems the convention that most music videos obey.
The camera cuts back to Tom Meighan looking at his reflection when the words of the song start, and Tom sings them in sync and in time with the music.

There is then a close up of a young boy in a car, with a music note tattooed on to his upper cheekbone. The deserted streets show that something big has happened or is about to happen.

When the chorus kicks in, and with it the music speeds up, we see a CCTV-like image inside a bank where the band appear to be commiting a robery. With the quickened pace of the music, the videos pace changes to a much faster one.

An interesting idea in this video is that instead of guns, the band are holding guitars in the same way you would hold a gun to rob a bank. This injects a music element into the video, and lets the audience see that they are all in the same gang in the video, and band in real life.

When the chorus is over, the camera changes from the CCTV images, back to the gold tinted shots of the street and of Tom singing to his reflection for the entirety of the next verse.

When the chorus comes back in, police arrive at the bank and a shoot out starts.

There are lots of slow motion action shots, this slow motion allows a more detailed look than regulare speed would allow, and delivers more impact than a standard shot.
Also, there are noises such as gunfire which is added on to the video which is diagetic. This is unconventional as usually in a music video, bands are fearful of ruining the actual song with added on sounds in the video.

 

The band escape from the police using a fire escape, and this ties in nicely with the song, as the songs title is "Fire". When the band burst through this fire escape, there are some hand held, shakey, camera shots which show urgency and the frantic nature of the escape.

When we see the bags of money that have been stolen from the bank, another clever idea within the music video is revealed, as we see  that this is not money at all, but paper with music notes on it. This represents one of Kasabians main philosophys, which is that music is treated like a money making tool, when it should be used as a source of inspiration and free listening for anyone.

The music video ends by going back to the start of the bank robbery, and follows the band into the bank before cutting to the end of the video.