The Fundamental Step: Research

     Hey guys! So the next step of the music video process was to research music videos of songs similar to the one we are using in order to understand some of the common conventions used. The song we are using for the music video, "Attracted to you" by PinkPantheress, is classified as being alternative/indie and pop.

    So, the first thing we did was look up alternative/indie songs. When looking at different music videos for these songs, we saw many constants. The first thing we saw was that many music videos portray a literal representation of the song. For example, when looking at the video for the song "Riptide" by Vance Joy, each scene would literally represent the words being said, like a woman in a dentist chair and a dark room for the line "I was scared of dentists and the dark." We saw something similar in the video for the song "Sit Next to Me" by Foster the People. We find this literal representation to be interesting and something we can possibly use in our music video.

   We also noticed the use of instruments as props and the lip syncing that occurred in these music videos. For example, in the music video for the song " I Love you so" by The Walters, people are shown playing instruments in space and lip syncing into a microphone. Throughout the video, people were often lip syncing to the nondiegetic sound of the song, and other times, they simply acted out their parts without using words at all. 

    Another thing we noticed is the use of many establishing and medium shots throughout the videos. For example, in the music video for the song "I Found" by Amber Run, an establishing shot was used to show the house in the beginning, and later on, many medium shots were used to show the characters and their surroundings in the field. That is one other thing we noticed. The music videos we researched often took place in scenic places like fields and beaches, and they also tended to use natural lighting. 

    After researching alternative/indie songs, we then researched what music videos for pop songs tend to look like. One thing we noticed about many of these music videos is that because pop songs are typically about love and relationships, the stories portrayed in the videos follow that same theme. For example, in the music video for the song "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran, the story follows a guy and girl who are friends that spend time together and fall in love. Since the song we are using has lyrics that follow the theme of finding love, we wanted to keep this in mind for our music video. 

    In many of the music videos we saw, they tended to use diegetic sound in either the beginning or end of the video. This includes sounds like traffic noises, car screeches, laughter, etc. This is seen for example in the music video for the song "Adore You" by Harry Styles. This is something we are thinking of using for our own music video, as we feel that it can help add to the story we are trying to portray. 

    Since the song we are using is both alternative/indie and pop, we decided that our music video should incorporate aspects from music videos of both genres. The music videos that we watched gave us a lot of new ideas to work with and helped us to understand some of the elements that should be incorporated into our own. I think that the song we chose gives us a lot of room to be creative with our music video and I am so excited to continue working on it!