TW: Analysis of Camera Techniques in Music Videos

 The stills below are taken from the music video for Riptide by Vance Joy analysed by George previously. This video is unique in that all shots are connected to the lyrics of the song for example one lyric is "and they come unstuck", the visual to accompany this lyric is off two ice lollies stuck together being pulled apart and becoming unstuck, this is a simple but quite effective way of filming a music video, especially with the very independent, stylish look the shots in this video are given.

The starting shot of the song shows a slow pan down from the sky, although simple this is effective as it can serve as a place to position the typography such as artists and song name as well as sets the initial scene simply. If the pan is done at the correct speed it can also fit the song pace well and look fitting.

Another interesting camera technique this music video uses is using very quick, side to side pan shots in order to change the setting of the video, this is effective as it can sometimes be confusing in music videos when the location is suddenly changed, giving narrative fuzz. An example of this is shown to the right, the video features a scene where two characters are searching in a graveyard with a fire torch, the quick pan changes the setting to a wood in which a woman tied to a tree escapes. This is important when using videos that feature lyrics that do not relate well which makes it difficult to progress from one scene to another, a camera technique we could consider in our music video.

 Although simple, the birds eye view shot is another camera technique used in the video, birds eye view shots are not frequent in music videos so may be seen as unconventional by may people. This is effective as these shots could be used to grab attention of the audience to make the music video more distinctive and perhaps more repeatable to watch.

The use of the close up 'meat shot' is frequent in most music videos, most often to show the performance of the artist and to create a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. As this is conventional of music videos it may be useful to try and incorporate this into our own video. Furthermore the positioning of the camera is important here, the positioning of the camera along with the lighting can give a very artistic look to some shots, like the shot to the right and can set the mood or themes of the video.