Blinkie: Don't Give Up (On Love) - Promotional Video Deconstruction

Blinkie

The South-African DJ/producer has been making music since the age of fifteen and has created a rich portfolio of music. Blinkie himself is said to be inspired by greats such as Quincy Jones, Rick Ruben and Kanye West. These artists have inspired him to produce creatively free and unrestrained music; this is shown in his manner and approach to life. "Life inspires and influences my sound. Literally anything could happen; someone could say something deep or funny; that then triggers an idea. I could hear a noise and that could be it! A lot of what I create comes from how I'm feeling at the time, music should be about emotions." - 16th September 2015,  Alana Schulz, The DJ List.

Blinkie has always been around music, his parents would always be playing music around the house and his older brother used to DJ as a hobby when he was younger. A lot of his friends made music and Blinkie was always around them. Blinkie looked up to his older brother and his friends. "Music has always been important to me, I've always found myself drawn to activities which involved music like dance and even MCing/rapping."

Blinkie works on both the underground and commercial scene, discovering and working with talents from all areas of the industry. He explains this is the best way to create music as it combines sounds from different mind-sets and motives.

Ultra Music

Blinkie hooked up with Ultra Music through Jamie Kemp (close friend) from Toolroom Records. Ultra Music is an American independent electronic music record label based in New York City that was founded in 1995 by former Polygram and Virgin Records executive Patrick Moxey, who is the owner of Ultra Music. Ultra also represents huge names like Benny Benassi, Tiësto, and Avicii.

Ultra's success can be shown through their official YouTube channel, which has over 2 billion views and 6,685,433 million subscribers (as of 15th August 2016). For the 24h Annual Winter Music Conference's International Dance Music Awards in 2009, Ultra Music won the award for 'Best American Dance Label', making it the label's award for the fourth year in a row. Ultra's music has also been featured in film, television, video games, film trailers, and advertisements including placements in Glee, CSI, FIFA and many more.

On January 23rd 2013, Ultra merged its operations with Sony Music in a deal that brought all of Ultra's artists, music catalogs and licensing rights into the Sony fold in exchange for Sony's investment in Ultra and promoting Moxey (who will retain ownership) to the newly established role as president of Sony's Dance/Electronic Music division under CEO Doug Morris.

'Don't Give Up (On Love)'

You and me, me and you
In the summertime
How we touched, how we kissed
Felt so right
Sun is gone, but the moon shines so bright
And I know we will share under the same star tonight
Oh, don't give up on love, don't give up on love, don't give up on love
Oh, don't give up on love, don't give up on love, don't give up on love

Dance with me like no one else can see
Hold me like you don't want to be free
Sun is gone, but the moon shines so bright
And I know we will share under the same star tonight
Oh, don't give up on love, don't give up on love, don't give up on love
Oh, don't give up on love, don't give up on love, don't give up on love

Cause' I just wanna dance with you
Won't you let me dance with you?
Just one more time, time, time
Just one more time, time, time
One more time, time, time

Sun is gone, but the moon shines so bright
And I know we will share under the same star tonight
Oh, don't give up on love, don't give up on love, don't give up on love
Oh, don't give up on love, don't give up on love, don't give up on love
Oh, don't give up on love, don't give up on love, don't give up on love
Oh, don't give up on love, don't give up on love, don't give up on love

Cause' I just wanna dance with you
Won't you let me dance with you?
Just one more time, time, time
Just one more time, time, time

Synopsis

The official music video is a 'concept' video that follows a girl as she travels through a city to a beach. Along the journey she dances in several locations throughout the video. The video consists of various shots with different locations/costumes/and time of day, as the girl dances. The video then ends with a shot of the girl on a bus looking up. She has a relieved look on her face, as if the dancing has freed her of her worries and cleared her head.

Timeline

• 0:00-0:08 The video begins with the Ultra Music logo swiping across the screen.
• 0.09-0.14 The first official shot of the music video is a close-up/high-angle shot of the girl's hands in the air. Her hands are superimposed in-front of a sunset with a purple tone. Typography is positioned in the centre of the screen. For three seconds "BLINKIE" is superimposed on the screen then it changes at 0.11 to "DON'T GIVE UP ON LOVE".
• 0:15 The opening close-up/high angle shot then cuts to a close-up of the girl sitting on a bus with a sad expression on her face. Her eyes are glazed with her lips pouted and she begins to cry at 0:18 as the opening line of the song is sung. "You and me, me and you in the summer time". This tells us the song is going to be about a broken relationship from the past, hence why the girl is crying.
• 0:19-0:20 A mid-clip of a couple pulling faces and smiling intently is inserted to show how they used to be happy "in the summer time".
• 0:21-0:24 The same close-up shot of the girl sitting on the bus. This time however, she is wiping away her tears as she looks out of the window of the bus.
• 0:25-0:27 Another close-up shot of the girls hands resting on her knees. For the first second it's location is in the bus then for the second, second the location changes to the beach at night-time. "How we touched" - as this line is sung the girls hands subtly squeeze her leg to show correspondence between the music video and the lyrics.
• 0:28-0:30 The girl is once again on the bus as is biting her bottom lip as the song plays "How we kissed" to show correspondence between the music video and the lyrics. The girl also looks down with a sense of longing for her lover and her to be reunited.
• 0:31-0:32 The previous shot then cuts to a low-angle shot of the girl's shadow that slowly pans upward as she walks foward. This is the second location change of the video and it looks to be a courtyard outside of a commercial building.
• 0:33 As the song continues to play the camera cuts to a low-angle/close-up of the girl's face on the bus again.
• 0:34-0:36 The camera immediately cuts back to the girl who is now in the courtyard. She is dancing and every time there is a sudden beat drop her body makes a pop motion to show correspondence between the audio and visuals.
• 0:37-0.49 During this period of the video as the song is building up to the main chorus there are several shots:

- Close-up of the girls legs on the beach as she dances (different location and clothing).

- Over the shoulder shot of the girl looking out to sea at night-time (different time of day and clothing).

- Very quick mid-shots of the girl dancing in the courtyard and on the beach.

- Wide-shot of the girl sitting on the bus looking out of the window.

- Low-angle/close-up of the girl looking down at her lap on the bus.

• 0:50-0:54 Those fast paced shots then cut to a wide-shot of the girl standing on the edge of a hill looking out at the skyline of the city at night. The camera pans left and right during this sequence.
• 0:55-0:56 Two close-up shots of the girl dancing from side to side in the courtyard and on the beach.
• 0:57-1:03 During this period there are two shots of the girl standing on the hill again. The first shot is a wide-shot of the girl that pans then immediately cuts to a long-shot of the girl standing in the centre of the screen with her back to the camera looking out at the city below her.  
• 1:04-1:22 As the chorus of the song plays there are various fast pace cuts and shots of the girl dancing in two different locations (the beach and the courtyard) - some of which are filmed during the evening. The girl changes her outfit every time the shot cuts to a different one.
• 1:23-1:24 The camera transitions to an establishing shot of the ocean.
• 1:25-1:26 This then cuts to a wide shot of the girl (who has changed clothing again) looking out to sea at night-time.
• 1:27-1:30 Various cuts of the girl dancing in the courtyard with two costume changes. The shots intertwine with the costume changes.
• 1:31-1:32 The camera transitions to a low-angle/close-up shot of the girl looking out at the sea smiling to herself whilst the song has become more upbeat.
• 1:33-2:11 During this sequence of fast paced shots the camera transitions to lots of different locations and the girl changes her outfit numerous times. Because this is the middle of the song - this is where it is most upbeat. This is why the director chose to have so many shots in such a short space of time. There are numerous shots of the girl smiling to herself as if she has let go of what was troubling her.
• 2.11-2.18 The camera pans down some rocks on the beach as the girl is walking down them towards the ocean. The moon is visible in the sky and relates to the lyric "but the moon shines so bright" sung at the start of the song.
• 2.19-2.22 A clip is inserted here of the couple laughing together at a friendly gathering. During both clips that are inserted the black boarder around the video gets larger as it changes from only two horizontal bars to four bars surrounding the whole visual.
• 2.23-2.42 As the song is building up for the final chorus the shots here change every two seconds or so of just the girl looking out into the distance or directly at the camera (breaking the fourth wall). By the actress looking into the distance it shows that she is waiting for something - as are the audience, because they are waiting for the song to climax.
• 2:43-3:14 This is the songs climax so again the director has chosen to include lots of fast paced cuts and shots with the girl dancing and spinning in various locations in different outfits. Some of the spinning shots are in slow motion to make the video more interesting and easier to follow.
• 3.15-3.17 Another clip has been inserted of the couple kissing as the song comes to an end.
• 3.18-3.23 Even though the song has finished the video still plays on for a few seconds of just a close-up shot of the girl rolling her head on the bus window, smiling to herself s we travels home.

Mise en scène

The song was released in September of 2015 and Blinkie has not released much since. Despite its 1,983,215 views on YouTube, there is very little information on the making of the video; therefore, I needed to investigate the setting of the video using visuals only. It is evident that the video is set in a hot country because palm trees are featured in numerous shots, and generally such trees grow naturally in countries with a warm climate. Furthermore, in many of the shots the sun in shining and the girl is wearing summer clothes (T-shirt and shorts).

The location is also well developed due to high-rise buildings, adequate public transport systems that the girl uses throughout the video, and a lack of signs of poverty.

The shot at 2:06 shows the girl sitting on a bus with her eyes closed. I noticed when trying to discover the setting of the video that if the viewer looks to the left of the shot they can see a sign that reads "100€", making it clear that the video was shot somewhere in Europe.

Upon investigating the video's mise-en-scène, I came across a news article that stated where the video was shot: Barcelona. As you progress through the video there is a sequence of panning shots that follow the girl through a street full of graffiti (much like those of Barcelona).

Costume & Make-Up

The girl in this music video has a total number of four outfits:

1) Red striped top & denim shorts

2) Plain white T-shirt & denim shorts

3) Black hoodie/denim jacket

4) Blue stripy top & denim shorts

All the outfits worn by the girl depict the typical summer 2015 style for a girl of her age. The girl portrays two different types of people throughout the video as her mood changes as the song plays through, which is uncommon for a music video as most would portray one emotion to suit the genre and song's subject. At the beginning of the video she is crying whilst on the bus and wearing a black hoodie/denim jacket. She feels sad because she misses her former lover; this is reflected through her attire due to the dark colours (black) depicting feelings of depression/sadness.

The rest of the outfits worn are very much the opposite. The plain white T-shirts and denim shorts, along with her long, untamed hair emit a carefree attitude that most teenagers/young adults acquire. This corresponds to the meaning of the song 'Don't Give Up...'. Young people have a better sense of optimism as most are yet to experience any kind of traumatic situation, therefore it is easier for them to live carefree and not think too hard upon subjects that upset them. Her style also gives off indie/hipster vibes with the old school hoop earrings seen in the clips with her partner and the many rings she wears.

Her complexion is natural and not aided by a lot of make-up or lighting. During the scenes filmed outside her skin looks glowing, showing she takes good care of herself. Her face does not consist of any dramatic features: e.g. eyebrows - everything is fairly neutral, which is common of young, carefree girls.

The colourful/summery clothes and minimal make-up serve to highlight the carefree/optimistic attitude aimed from Blinkie.

Key Shots, Camera Movements & Edits

Arguably the most effective sequence of shots/edit of the whole music video for me would be at 1:05-1:22. This is when the first chorus is sung so therefore the director/editor, Ozzie Pullin, chose to use this impressive combination of shots and cuts at this time to make an impact. The reason why I believe this to be the striking part of the video is because the girl is dancing to a routine but each time there is a new dance move/step, the camera cuts to a new location and the girl would have changed clothes whilst continuing the routine in perfect timing and sync. Pullin has also managed to position the dancer in the exact same space in each of the different frames; this gives the video a consistent flow, enhancing the technical and professional ability of the production team/equipment used. The use of different locations, clothing, and times of day help keep the audience entertained as music videos from the dance genre can become quite repetitive.

 

Another interesting aspect of the music video is the two times a clip of the couple is inserted. Obviously these were filmed in the same format as the rest of the video and edited to look like older/more organic film clips in post production. Despite this, when watching the clips as they come on during the music video it helps the audience to feel as if there is a meaning to the video and that the song's concept is grasped by the actors and not just Blinkie himself.

The final sequence that I found effective was at 0:35-0:42. During this period of the video the beat of the song starts to pick up and the music gets faster. As this is happening the dancer responds to every beat change with a sudden movement. This is also tied in with the exceptional editing to create the video's iconic flow. The way Pullin has edited this makes it easier for the audience to believe the dancer and song are connecting and that the girl can actually relate to the song, not just because she is being paid to dance in Blinkie's music video, as there is no lip-syncing and the actual singer, Alahna, is not featured.

Focus Group

"This dance video is exploring heartbreak, but decidedly turns into an uplifting homage to summer, love and dancing through the streets, which is why I like it because it has some kind of story and is not just a girl dancing to a catchy one-hit-wonder. Having said that, towards the end of the video I could tell that they only had a few days in which to film as I got the sense it was a bit repetitive and lacked some kind of big variety. Perhaps if they added more clips of the couple or had more than just one dancer it would look less rushed."

"I like how minimalistic the video is. The setting is not clear to the audience and we know nothing about the girl, e.g. what kind of house she lives in/hobbies etc. It shows that this story is very relatable and usually when you exploit relatable scenarios they are responded to well. I felt like that story could have taken place in any country/city to anyone of any nationality/gender and therefore gives the video a lot of validity and does not seem too far fetched for the audience watching of this day and age."

Lessons to be Learnt

• Tone/concept of song needs to match mise-en-scène.
• It is a good idea to combine some aspects of the visuals with the lyrics of the audio as it helps highlight the concept of the song and makes the employed metaphors easier to grasp.
• It is well worth considering incorporating elements that are symbolic into the video.
• Bulk of music video consists of long-shots and close-ups, so these would be good to include when it comes to filming my own music video as they seem to be popular and effective.
• Breaking the fourth wall can help the audience and actors connect through film.
• It can be important for elements of the video to be relatable to the target audience; be that the protagonist or the setting.
• People tend to enjoy videos which reveal a deeper meaning.
• It is well worth considering incorporating elements that are symbolic into the video.
• It is worth experimenting with ways of establishing enigma from every aspect of the video, from setting to lead character (minimalistic).
• The editing of the video needs to match the song; in this instance, the repeated cutting of clips whilst keeping the flow of the video at 1:05-1:22.