FICTION ADAPTATION: Inspiration - Experimental Videos / Music Videos

In order to gain some inspiration for my experimental short film, I decided to have a look at some music videos which followed a narrative. I found many music videos that seemed to follow some of the experimental techniques that we have learned about whilst also following a narrative.

The Wombats - Greek Tragedy

Synopsis: A young girl is obsessed with the band - almost on a stalker level. We begin in the present with flashbacks (in the form of what looks like old video recordings). We then follow the girl from the past to the present day (following her schemes to murder and tie up the band in an old abandoned warehouse so that she can have them all for herself). 

How it has inspired my work: The music video starts with some flickered images, which is something I want to do in my adaptation. The video flickers from a slow motion shot of a girl in some dark surroundings to some flashback scenes and then back to her again. It repeats this several times. I plan to do this in my adaptation by layering different opacity shots, however they have achieved this by showing several different opaque shots. It has made me consider different ways I could achieve my flicker effect.

The music video starts off with a few shots in this style - slow motion dark shots just focusing on this girl. Then flashbacks are inserted in time with the music. This is similar to how I would like to achieve the present / absent shots of my character walking through the different locations - I would like to use a similar technique to flicker the image.

This screen shows how it flickers between shots. I like the effect of tv static, however, I don't think it would work for my piece as it would then suggest the character is watching back an old recording. Instead of using a tv static flicker, I will change the opacity of my shots and layer them.

It then flickers back to another slow motion shot from a different angle. I will be doing something similar, but instead of flickering back to another angle, I will flicker to a different location.

Interspersed in the flickers are some flashback images that foreshadow what happens at the end of the video. This has made me consider whether I would like to include some flickered images of a car (to allude back to the idea of a car crash) - this is something I will consider and experiment with to see if I can pull it off effectively - my concern is that it will confuse the audience as to why there are just random images of a car.

Foster The People - Coming of Age

Synopsis: The music video features many different stories related to the song title - coming of age. 

How it has inspired my work: The shots used in the video are all very interesting in terms of the framing, the camera movement and the colours. I was drawn to this one shot of the camera circling around a couple as they meet and thought I may do something similar in my adaptation as I have the idea that at the end, my characters will briefly reunite. 

As the characters meet, the camera circles around them. This shot creates a sense of disbelief in the characters as they almost can't believe they are together (either again or for the first time). The circling creates that confused feeling which adds to their disbelief. I think this would work well in my piece.

In a series of shots, the camera tracks into each character (the male as he gets off his motorbike and the female as she looks out over the valley). I really like the look of the constant tracking in, I think its effective in making the audience want to know more - why are we getting closer to these characters? what does it mean? I would like to do something similar in my adaptation but following the characters - hopefully this will pose the question of why we are following them.

Crystal Fighters - Follow 

Synopsis: A woman follows a scarecrow through an alley. After the first little video section, the rest of the video is in stop motion. The colours they are wearing and details such as objects in the photo frames change in each frame. 

How it has inspired my work: I aim to follow my characters through different locations. The idea of doing this through stop motion and changing things around the characters in the scenery is quite fascinating. I could possibly use this to show my character being present then absent in the shots, however I feel like this could end up looking like a mistake rather than it being the purpose of the shot. 

This video has also given me ideas with how to frame the scenes as both this and my piece are about following.

I like the idea of following one character from behind and the other character walking towards the camera.

Crystal Fighters - Good Girls

Synopsis: The video follows a character on a bike.

How this has inspired my work: Whilst a lot of the locations in this video are quite suburban and built up, I like the colours used and feel I could use this for inspiration in my work. This video uses a lot of blue toned images with colours like orange standing out. I want to use colour as a prominent feature in my work and feel this has provided a lot of inspiration for me in terms of contrasting colours.

The blue sky and blue tone of the building contrasts with the orange sign. Whilst it is very subtle, I like this contrast and will attempt similar in my work.

This shot tracks out with the goal posts / square in the centre of the frame. I like the idea of tracking out from somewhere where there is a reference point in the frame. I also like the contrast of the orange bike part with the blue surroundings.

Kodaline - Brother

Synopsis: The video starts with a funeral which is later understood to be that of this little boy's brother. At night, the boy discovers his brother hiding under a blanket (like a ghost). They spend the night together playing. In the morning, the boy wakes up to find his brother gone. As his parents comfort him, you see the brother's reflection in a photo frame before he walks away.

How it has inspired my work: This music video has a very similar theme to my adaptation. The boy is playing with a brother he thinks it there but actually isn't. There are little nods throughout the video that the brother isn't there anymore. Firstly, the fact he is dressed as a ghost hints that he himself is a ghost. There are unnatural occurrences such as the brother being able to make fruit float around. As they walk past a mirror, the brother isn't hooded in the real shot but is in the mirror. And then finally he is gone in the morning, just to be seen in the reflection of a photo frame. 

The video has given me a few ideas of how I can suggest that the character is no longer alive in body - showing a different / no reflection in the mirror, show them gone from real life but around in a reflection.

Swim Deep - One Great Song and I Could Change the World

Synopsis: We follow the singer around with tracking shots.

How this has inspired my work: I aim to use tracking shots in my work, following my characters through different locations. I wanted to look at this video to see how far away from the camera the character stands and how different techniques can be used to follow them.

Bastille - The Draw

Synopsis: The video is a constant sequence of black and white shots which track backwards.

How this has inspired my work: I aim to track my characters through different locations. This video has shown me that even simple camera movements can be effective.

Frank Ocean - Pink + White

Synopsis: The video is full of imagery to match the lyrics of the song.

How it has inspired my work: Whilst it doesn't directly relate to anything I am doing in my work, the video is full of natural imagery that has given me ideas for shots I could use in my work. 

I would like to use a wooded area in a scene in my adaptation and thought this looked striking. I do not think it will be possible to find a location as ideal as this but I would like to bring features of it across such as sunlight flickering through the trees (which also depends on the weather).

Again, whilst this doesn't directly relate to my work, the colours and framing used were really striking to me. I like the contrast of the pink skin with the blue hue of the city. Contrast is something I would really like to experiment with in my adaptation, especially with warm colours like pink and orange with cool colours like purple and blue.

London Grammar - Oh Woman

Synopsis: This video uses some experimental techniques with opacity and colour - two things that I would like to experiment with in my project. 

How it has inspired my work: I would like to use contrasting colours as well - where they have used green and red I would like to use colours like blue and orange. Techniques are used to flicker the beginning of the video as well - something which I want to use as a theme in my piece.

Looking at music videos has given me more ideas of how I can create mood and atmosphere in my piece as well as focusing on the narrative. I have also found new ways I can follow my characters - i.e. following from behind, having them walk towards the camera, tracking shots etc. I may attempt stop motion but I feel this would be too difficult with my narrative arc. I also have a clearer idea of how to convey that my character is not there in body anymore.