Research into Music Videos

As acting director I decided to do some research on music videos, looking at the way they've been filmed & also looking at the typical plot line. I've mainly looked at David Guetta videos, so I can keep in the same style to make it look more realistic and professional.


David Guetta - Kid Cudi - Memories (Featuring Kid Cudi)

Looking at this video by Guetta (Directed by Keith Schofield) from first glance it doesn't really look like the typical video of the artist (or at least at the beginning). 9 out of 10 of Guetta's videos have gorgeous women starring in it, or at least looking very sexualised throughout. You see this a lot when looking at music videos in general because the sexualised woman appeals to both genders in that men fancy her and women wish they could be her.

However this video plays a little trick because if you look closer at the camera following Kid Cudi on his journey to the party, you can see that the entire camera crew is composed of naked beautiful women with words (added in graphically) covering their modesty.

Guetta's music videos tend to be based around partying and living the typical rockstar/Dj lifestyle of simply having a good time. This video is the prime example of this. The entire video is centered around a party. This is probably largely to do with the fact that the song itself is talking about going out and getting absolutely wasted. Right at the end of the video we see a very typical scene in Guetta's videos which is the big party scene at the climax of the song.


Magnetic Man ft Katy B - Perfect Stranger

The difference with this music video (directed by WIZ (who does lots of music videos)) is that the plot of the video seems to be quite hard to understand, or at least from a personal point of view. The song itself is about meeting the 'Perfect Stranger' and instantly connecting with someone who you've just met. However the video seems to be presenting the idea of a rebellion in a rural city and the fire department are there to try and calm everything down.

The video is filmed mainly using black & white, and idea we're thinking of using in our own video for the memory scenes to show nostalgia. There are lots of slow motion shots used in this video as well, like for example when Katy B (the singer) is being chased by one of the fire brigade. The slow motion really adds emphasis on all of the emotion to the chase; The fear of her being caught is really accentuated through the slow motion, which really adds an interesting effect to the video. We could also use this in our video to show the devastation of the girl missing the train/plane or even or even to show the amount of love between the couple.


Chase & Status - Pieces Remix

The hand held camera used in this video really adds a good effect to the entire piece. The song is about brwaking up with someone who never really cared about you but won't let it go.

The video matches the song perfectly, in my opinion. The idea of it being filmed in night vision adds to the thought of it being forbidden and that she's not supposed to be there, as though its a security video. The trashing of the flat is filmed in a very skillful way, in that it manages so show everything that is happening without seeming like it's an actual homemade video. All the camera movements are very smooth and any edits are done with good precision and look good for the type of video that it is. Personally, my favourite part is when the singer is walking up the street and the cuts have gave an excellent effect on his face and the way the street is lit etc..


Willow - Whip My Hair

Because the artist in this video is so young, the video itself is fairly innocent and simple. The song is literally what it says on the tin, and is about whipping your hair back and forth!

With Willow having a famous Dad (Will Smith), it means she's more likely to have a larger budget to have more dancers and effects and you can she that this has been used to her advantage. Throughout the video she has a wide range of insane hairstyles (which I positively ADORE!) and her costumes are very wild and stylish. This compliments her age but also adds to the effect of the song as well.