3 music video inspiration pieces

My 3 videos of choice are: 

The Ordinary by Alex Warren, I’m not the only one by Sam Smith and when the party’s over by Billie Eilish

The Ordinary by Alex Warren

Cinematography: 

• A wide variation of shot types 

• Close - up shots

• To highlight the facial expressions of Alex and Kouvr in the music video

• Medium shots 

• These shots balanced out the close up shots, it was used to help show context in the video 

• Wide shots 

• The wide shots were used to 

• Tracking shots 

• Adds some movement to the video, it could also be used to show the progression of their relationship 

• Over the shoulder shots 

• It helps show the different emotions of the characters, by being able to see it from their perspectives, it makes the audience feel present 

Editing 

• All of the close up shots are slowed down by about 0.5 seconds which lets the audience understand it fully

• The shots are changed in the same seen on the beats, especially when the song starts so get going it becomes a lot more prominent 

Sound 

• The shots are cut to the sound of the song. 

• There are no other 

Mise-en-scene 

• The line of the song ‘angels up in the clouds’

• The female is wearing white, to show her innocence, purity and new beginnings 

• They also lift off of the ground at this point which can relate to her being his guardian angel and saving him from himself. 

• The beginning scene is in a laundromat, the line ‘if our time is running out’ is shown with the washing machine spinning in a clockwise motion fast, which can show time slipping away

• The forest scene is when he realises he needs to follow his ‘angel’ to help himself, when he gets closer it cuts to a different scene where it gradually gets more open, maybe showing him opening up.

• Alex Warren wrote the song as a love letter to his partner when they got married

• About how she made his life ‘extraordinary’

I’m not the only one by Sam Smith

Cinematography: 

• There are a lot of wide shots which are used to give context

• Lots of close up to show a strong sense of emotion

• There are extreme close ups of the protagonists eyes when a tear falls and also her lips when they are shaking 

• There aren’t many tracking shots and the camera seems to just turn from its set place, apart from when she is walking through the house, could possibly show how the sadness is following her.

• Over the shoulder shots to show the two sides of the conversation and to show what the other character can see

Editing 

• Many of the cuts refer to different parts of the song, with lyrics referring to ‘you say I’m crazy’ and then cuts to what would have been mad for a woman to do at the time. 

• There is a constant contrast between the husband and wife and the two different sides of cheating 

Sound 

• The video starts of with a snippet of their (the couple who the video is about) conversation to add context, from that the song then begins to play

• On some of the more powerful lines it cuts to Sam Smith singing them in a red curtain backdrop room, love is often thought of as red so it could be being used to show that love is behind them or that they are ending their story 

Mise-en-scene 

• When you can see the husband cheating on his wife the colour light that is being used is blue, which is often the colour for sadness and depression, but some also consider it to be the colour of loyalty, which would show that at the time his loyalties lay with his mistress instead of his wife.

• The dress that the wife is wearing is a long white dress, could even be mistaken for a wedding dress. 

• The color white is often represented as innocent, purity and honesty. 

• Showing how she is loyal and pure to him and he is not in his contrasting black suit

• Black could be instead represented as a liar and not truthful

• She's at home in a picture perfect life (seems to be based on a housewife) while he is out cheating on her.

• Her clean home aesthetic can be seen to severely clash with what is going on internally, showing multiple breakdown moments in the video. 

when the party's over by Billie Eilish 

Cinematography: 

• The whole video is filmed in one shot

• Is goes from close ups, to wide shots to then extreme close ups

• The focus is primarily on the black drink and then what that does to her

Editing 

• The tears began when the beat of the song increased. 

• Due to it all being filmed in one shot there isn't a chance for editing and more the mise-en-scene

Sound 

• The only audio that is heard in the whole music video is the song

Mise-en-scene 

• The drink that is used is a symbolism of a toxic relationship and what is does to you

• When she first force drank the black ‘toxic’ drink it had an effect on her

• It caused her to then uncontrollably tear up and the black liquid came out of her eyes, like it was consuming her

• With the range of close up shots it showed her strong emotions 

• In the end of the video it shows billie melting down, possibly then showing how the toxicness eventually killed her