Influential Music Video:Eliza Doolittle - 'Rollerblades'

Anna Wylde

Eliza Doolittle, not only in this video, but in general, is inspirational for the artist we wish to create for many reasons. Her music is quirky, calm and happy, and her music videos reflect this. She gives off summer vibes, and although the theme of our video is wintery, they are similar in that her videos are cheerful and upbeat and this is what we want to achieve in our video.

In this particular video, 'Rollerblades', there are many similarities between the video, and the vision for our music video. For example, there is no concrete narrative with a beginning, middle and end, however there is a basic storyline that the audience can figure out from the lyrics and the visuals. In the video she is seen with a male character, who is presumably who she is singing about. However, the video is far more focused on her (as she is the star) rather than him. This is what we plan for our video. That the main focus of course will be on the female star, but there will be appearances from a male character.

Another thing about this video that I think is an example of how we want our music video to look like is the use of natural lighting. The video has a very natural look and doesn't give the impression of being shot in a studio or having lots of effects used. The makers of the video have utilized the natural sun lighting, which is something that I personally looks very pretty and adds to the image Eliza Doolittle is hoping to achieve.

The use of natural sun lighting is something I definitely want to have in our video as it will help achieve the 'natural' look that we want.

Another thing I like about this particular video is its effective simplicity. If the music video for this song had been full of computer generated images, or special effects, it would not have suited the song/lyrical content OR the image of the artist. In the video for 'Rollerblades' there is no complex plot or loads of characters or locations. It simply focuses on the star having a bike ride.

Because our song 'Life Happens' is a simple song with a positive message telling us to enjoy life, it would be confusing to make an action-packed, futuristic video. This is why we have planned to make a home-video type, simple video, with visuals that we hope will compliment the lyrics.

I take inspiration from Eliza Doolittle as she has a similar laid-back, fun-loving vibe to what we wish to create.