Analysis of previous student’s workBy Megan Sellar

I have decided to analyse Amy Wichelow’s final music video to Florence And The Machine – ‘Spectrum’ as she has created a performance based music video which I would like to do for my final music video. The total length of her music video is 4:16.

CostumesHer music video revolves around one main protagonist showing the girl in different locations with a selection of different outfits and props. For example, at the beginning the girl is shown to be miming to the lyrics of the song wearing a green dress and light make-up. The camera then changes to a mid-shot of the girl dancing in the studio in a long, purple dress. The purple dress is an important symbol conveying the genre of the music video – pop music. This shows Amy has thought very well about her choice of outfits and costumes before the production of her music video. The main protagonist is also shown to be a dressed in a suit/tuxedo which juxtaposes with the very feminine dress conveying a change of character. This is ideal for performance based music videos as it important to keep the audience interested as there is no narrative to follow.

Amy has also filmed her music video in a number of different locations. The video shows scenes from a garden setting with bright lighting suggesting this scene was perhaps filmed at night. She has also filmed other parts of her music video in the garden but with a different background behind. She used fairy lights behind with a different source of light to create an effect that this is two different locations. She also includes a studio setting conveying the girl dancing in a long purple dress and also in a suit. I like the idea in the change of locations as it makes the video more interesting to watch capturing the audiences attention and them wanting to see more. Amy has also used a combination of different light sources which help evoke different moods from the audience.

Locations

Amy has used a variety of different camera shots, angles and movements throughout her music video. She used a large selection of close up shots of the model enabling the audience to connect with the artists and see her emotions clearly. I noticed she included close up shots of the artist miming which is important as it shows the model to be in control of the song. There is also a visual dichotomy of fast and slow clips seen throughout the video. Slow motion is also used at times which gives the audience a chance to take in the video and focus solely on the artists movements.

Camera and Editing