Analysis of Music Videos

Analysis of Music Videos

I have analysed Ocean Drive - Duke Dumont and When We Were Young - Lost Kings as they incorporate similar editing effects that I would like to use in my own video. 

Ocean Drive is video about teenagers/young adults featuring a group of girl friends all hanging out with each other in different locations. There is no specific protagonist and no other social groups. It is set in summer and there are frequent shots of them driving around and the sea at night producing a feeling of freedom.

The editing style is definitely something I would like to recreate as it has handwritten animated lyric annotation which adds a lot more depth to the video. A lot of slow motion is used in this video but when the lyrics speed up briefly so does the video. There is a range of camera shots with some of them panning and others more static adding more variety and allows you to say the same message but in a dissimilar way. I also like the colouring used as it makes everything look vey warm toned and connotes summer.

Locations used are all outside either in a garden, at a petrol station or on the road all suitable for a small budget music video. The places they do go, connote summer alongside their clothes which are airy and reiterates the vibe of the video. Therefore, I think the costumes I use should reflect the message not necessarily of the song but of the video further.

When We Were Young is a retrospective video surrounding childhood. It features a young male protagonist seen in scenes on his own as well as with his friends and a suspected love interest. There are two social groups, male and female, although there is a heavy focus on the boy. It mainly depicts them messing around and having fun without caring encapsulating a youthful energy. 

Regarding editing, a multitude of camera shots are used especially in the beginning when he unpacks the camcorder. There is also an incorporation of VHS looking scenes heightening the nostalgia and something I think would be good to recreate in my video as a form of reflection for my protagonist. Several shots have been slowed down and these usually feature a few in a row and then some shots at normal speed which I think appears really effective and seamless. 

In terms of sound, at about 2:20 in the video the camera shots have been cut to fit with the  
beat which works really well. 

The locations they use are easily accessible as they use woods and then also a house and the juxtaposition between the security of your home and the potentially dangerous external world provides an interesting basis. It would be good to portray that my protagonist has different views about the inside and outside world, similar to how the protagonist in ‘Ocean Drive’ is inside he is in the present and looks contemplative and when the scenes are outside the audience knows it is the past and a flashback.

Costumes are just normal clothes as it is a realistic video.