Deconstruction of Music Videos

There are many different types of music video. Some have a story line, some are conceptual, and some are very simple, yet effective. I am going to deconstruct and analyse two music videos which are somewhat close to what I am aiming for in mine: the first is the video for "Comin' Home" by City and Colour.


City & Colour - Comin Home from Alaska Fairweather on Vimeo.

Directed by Chris Sargent, released in 2005, the video features the artist performing the song in a variety of rooms. As well as this, we see a woman and the artist visiting different rooms, but never being in the room at the same time. The whole video is in black and white, which I think contrasts well with the texture of the song, as it is just an acoustic guitar and vocals (which is exactly the style of music I am using) with added solos from an electric guitar. Although being a simple concept, there is a lot of editing within the video, especially in the technique of when the artist is playing, the camera is split, so one side of the screen shows his face, and the other him playing guitar. This is an effect that I could possibly adapt into my own video. The use of fading to either change to a different scene or juxtaposition is utilized quite well, perhaps to give the effect and reflect the means of the lyrics of the song, that things are "fading away". I very much like the intro of the video, where the artist comes in, sits down and starts playing. This is very similar to the concept I have as to the intro of my video, and I may chose to take influence from this, specifically, the use of black and white, and distortion of the lights in the background. The camera is predominantly focused on the artist, with the shots being mainly close ups. Most of the other shots are wide, as to include the entire set when needed. The target audience for this video are possibly a combination of males and females aged 18-30. This could be exampled by the age of the artist, as he is relatable to, and the theme of the song and video: relationships.

Another video that is relevant to the type of video I am wishing to create is "Your Body is a Wonderland" by John Mayer:

John Mayer - Your Body Is A Wonderland from Wut Andeweg on Vimeo.

The video contains a variety of storylines, which are: the artist, performing the song to a woman, him and the same woman frolicking, and him filming her when outside, the artist writing the song, and him performing live/tour footage. There are a lot of close ups on both the artists and the woman face, and a lot of shots where there faces are together, this details the intimacy of their relationship, possibly allowing some viewers to relate. For a majority of the shots, the background is subject to a partial distorted effect, this helps to keep the audience focused on the two main characters of the video, and make them stand out. Although the screen time of the artist and the woman is seemingly equal, I feel there is more focus on the woman's expressions, which, being very happy and joyful, give the video a very positive and emotive feel, as well as featuring the artist playing the song specifically for her, make this a very romantic video, which, in turn I wish to have as a feeling within my video. Many of the shots and camera angles are very close, which helps encourage the feeling of intimacy between the two characters. The fact the use of home video footage is used also give a unique personal feel to the video.  Target audience for this video is practically the same as my first video: Males and females ages 18-30, possibly for the same reasons, Although this video features a much more intimate and romantic theme between the two characters, and the nature of the song suggests it could target teenagers/young adults in relationships.