Zeds Dead: Collapse 2.0 (feat. Memorecks) - Promotional Video Deconstruction

Zeds Dead

Founded in 2009, Zeds Dead is a Canadian electro-house production and DJ duo from Toronto consisting of Zachary Rapp-Rovan (left) also known as Hooks and Dylan Mamid (right) also known as DC. Rumour has it that the band name may come from a quote from Quentin Tarantino's 1994 "Pulp Fiction" when Butch Coolidge, played by Bruce Willis, steals a 'chopper' from a rapist named Zed, after Butch's enemy turned ally shoots Zed. When Coolidge gets home, his partner asks him where he got the chopper. He tells her he got it from Zed, she then asks "Who's Zed?" and he replies with "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead."

In 2004, Hooks and DC formed the hip-hop orientated 'Mass Productions' and then three years later released an independent album called 'Fresh Beetz' before switching to Zeds Dead in 2009. It was in 2009 where they embraced house music and the more abrupt/organic side of dubstep. 'Journey of a Lifetime' was their debut and also the first of many downloadable releases (available for free) in 2009. This was then followed by more free downloads and a remix of Barletta's 'Panther'. Throughout 2010 and 2011 Zeds Dead were increasingly active as they began to get their name out on a commercial level. They managed to release material on Steve Aoki's Dim Mak label and Diplo's Mad Decent label. One of the most well known remixes they produced at this time was Blue Foundation's 'Eyes On Fire' (original song featured in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, 2008) with 93,626,344 views on YouTube (18th August 2016). They also toured extensively throughout the USA during this time.

The Field Production Company

Representing a host of talented directors who specialize in music videos, commercial video production, and corporate video production is the full service production company - 'The Field Inc.' Since opening its doors in 2007, The Field has received much acclaim for its work, racking up over 75 Much Music Video Award nominations along with those from Juno and Canadian Country Music Awards. Based in Toronto, The Field is owned and operated by Executive Producer Cherie Sinclair.

Collapse 2.0 (feat. Memorecks)

I'm lying on my side and I'm wondering when will it all collapse
I'm lying to myself if I said that I'm never coming back
Can't remember all the things that you said, or the reasons why I left
But now this room is spinning while I'm trying just to fill in all the gaps

You're so used to walking away
And I'm left here on my own
I never listen to what they say
But you're already gone
Yeah, you're already gone
You're already gone
You're already gone
You're gone
You're gone
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

Lying on my side and I'm wondering when will it all collapse
You're gone
You're gone
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

Lying on my side and I'm wondering when will it all collapse
I lie here on my own when you're gone, but you're never coming back
And every time I'm down and out, I think of what we had
So now I'm driving round in circles trying to fill in all the gaps

You're so used to walking away
And I'm left here on my own
I never listen to what they say
But you're already gone
Yeah, you're already gone
You're already gone
You're already gone
You're gone
You're gone
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

Lying on my side and I'm wondering when will it all collapse
You're gone
You're gone
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

Yeah, you're already gone
You're already gone
You're already gone
You're gone
You're gone

Synopsis

This music video is a 'concept' music video that features numerous people in different artistic fashions. The song is about a relationship 'collapsing' and so many of the actors are doing just that in some way, shape or form. There is also a lot of destruction in the music video, with fires. sparks and various weapons featured.

Timeline

WHOLE VIDEO IS SHOT IN SLOW MOTION

0:00-0:07 - Wide-shot of a girl (1) sitting down, falling to the floor.

0:08-0:15 - Long, panning shot of a field full of different characters. Two males and one female are falling to the floor, there is a girl standing in the far-left with her hands in the air, girl (2) looks to be sitting on the floor screaming. Whilst all this is going on there is a cloud of red dust floating the right of the screen.  

0:16-0:17 - Close-up of girl (2) taken at a low-angle to the right. She is still screaming, with her mouth wide open and her head tilting towards the sky as she holds a bandana that is wrapped round her neck. Specs of ash/debris fall through the air in slow motion.

0:18-0:20 - The camera transitions to a mid-shot of couple (1) about to embrace as two other couples are fighting behind them to the left. On the right is just another girl running away.

0:21-0:22 - Long, panning shot of a man standing in a hunched position, opposite girl (2) whilst another girl stands to the left of him with her hand in-front of her face (as if to protect herself). In the background there are lots of bare trees that have bits of plastic stuck to their branches.

0:23-0:25 - Mid-shot of girl (2) again, this time taken from slightly further away but still to the left. She is still in the same position as at 0:16.

0:25-0:26 - Mid-shot of couple (1) kissing as a fire burns in the foreground and specs of ash/debris fly past them.

0:26-0:27 - Very fast pace close-up of girl (3). She is screaming as there are flames in-front of her face in the foreground of the shot.

0:27-0:30 - Another long, panning shot. This time there are a lot more people in the frame. Two girls are fighting in the left of the shot, one girl is chasing another as they run towards the camera, and another girl about to collide with another in the centre of the frame.

0:31-0:33 - Low-angle shot of a man about to crash into the floor as two girls chase each other in the background.

0:34-0:37 - A close-up shot of the same two girls as from the previous shot. They have fallen to the ground and you can see their heads/hair collide.

0:39-0:41 - Another long, panning shot, the same as at 0:21. This time however, there is a cloud of red dust floating towards the right hand side of frame.

0:41-0:45 - The camera then transitions to a mid-shot of the man standing in the centre of the frame as he falls backwards to a reaction from a spark in-front of him. The camera pans upwards as the man falls to the ground.

0:46-0:59 - A long, panning shot, the same one that was featured at the very beginning. This time round a male is rolling on the ground in the right hand side of the frame. As the pan continues we see girl (1) again falling to the ground.

0:59-1:00 - A close-up shot of a black man screaming as flames rise right in-front of his face in the foreground.

1:00-1:05 - Wide-shot of a girl (1) sitting down, falling to the floor as specs of ash fall from the sky.

1:06 - Another close-up shot of a black man screaming as flames rise right in-front of his face in the foreground. Ash falling from the sky is also visible in this shot.

1:07-1:11 - Long-shot of a couple (2) in their underwear lying on a bed, asleep, in the middle of a field. A huge amount of thick, black paint can be seen about to fall on top of them.

1:12-1.14 - Just as the paint is about to touch the couple's skin the camera cuts to an extreme close-up of flames in-front of a mans face as he looks directly at the camera (breaking the fourth wall) with an angry expression on his face.

1:14 - The same shot that was featured at the very beginning of the music video, of girl (1).  This time you see less of her body as it is a mid-shot and cuts off at her waist. She is still falling to the ground and dirt marks are noticeable on her arms and face.

1:14 - Within the same second the camera quickly transitions to the same shot as the one at 0:59.

1:15-1:21 - The previous shot then cuts directly to couple (2) on the bed. The paint has fallen and splattered all over their bodies and the bed.

1:22-1:27 - A long, panning shot again however in this one it is hard to distinguish the different actors because of the red smoke and white ash invading the frame. There is however one girl standing in the middle of the frame holding a black balloon over her head.

1:28 - A close-up of boy (1). He looks directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) with a terrified look on his face as specs of ash from the fire fly past his face.

1:28 - Within the same second the camera quickly transitions to an extreme close-up of a girl screaming as flames fly upwards in the foreground of the shot.

1:29 - A long, panning shot with two girls fighting in the foreground as some other actors stand and dance in the background. Red smoke is featured again in this shot.

1:30-1:31 - A close-up of Hooks from Zeds Dead. He is looking directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) as a fire burns in the foreground of the shot.

1:32-1:34 - Mid-shot of couple (1) kissing as a fire burns in the foreground and specs of ash/debris fly past them (same as the shot at 0:25).

1:35-1:36 - A close-up of DC from Zeds Dead. He is looking directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) as a fire burns in the foreground of the shot. He is also carrying a baseball bat, which is resting behind him on his shoulder.

1:37-1:38 - The same long, panning shot as the one at 1:29. This time you can see more characters as the camera is positioned slightly closer to the actors and also moves across the frame for longer.

1:38-1:40 - A close-up of Memorecks. He is looking directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) as a fire burns in the foreground of the shot.

1:41-1:42 - Mid-shot of couple (1) kissing as a fire burns in the foreground and specs of ash/debris fly past them (same as the shot at 0:25). Within this shot you can also see, on the left hand side of the frame, a man wearing a grubby, ripped white T-shirt, running towards the foreground.

1:43-1:44 - A wide-shot of all three artists. The individual close-up shots shown before were taken from this shot and edited in during post-production before the original shot was shown.

1:45-1:47 - A low-angle, close-up shot of a man falling to the ground.

1:48-1:51 - The same long, panning shot as the one at 1:29. This time you can see more characters as the camera is positioned slightly closer to the actors and also moves across the frame for longer.

1:51 - A mid-shot of a man being blasted with small, silver sheets of paper.

1:52-1:57 - A long, panning shot of a man, wearing a beanie hat, running towards the left hand side of the screen. The man from the previous shot (getting blasted with silver sheets of paper) can be seen from a long-shot perspective and you can also see the woman blasting him.

1:58 - The same shot as the one featured at 1:51 is shown again. This time however, the motion is set to reverse as the sheets of silver paper get sucked back into where they came from.

1:58 - Within the same second the camera quickly transitions to a long-shot of a girl in a white dress standing in a field by herself.

1:59-2:00 - The camera then cuts to the same shot as the one shown at 0:30. This time the man actually makes it to the ground and as he collides, specs of dirt fly upwards into the foreground.

2:00-2:02 - A close up of a girl screaming as flames fly upwards in the foreground of the shot. It's the same shot that is featured at 1:28, this time however the camera is further away from the girl as her hands are visible in this shot, which they weren't previously.

2:03-2:04 - Low-angle, close-up of a boy lying on the ground. A bandana covers his mouth and nose so it is unclear what his expression is but he has his eyes closed.

2:05-2:06 - An extreme close-up shot of a girl screaming behind a mass of flames, covering the foreground of the shot.

2:07-2:09 - A mid-shot of DC throwing a grenade into the air as he looks to the left of the frame. Behind him to the left stands a wooden cross covered in a white sheet and flames fly upwards in the foreground of the shot.

2:10-2:13 - A close-up of boy (1). He looks directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) with a terrified look on his face as fire starts to burn right in-front of his face.

2:14-2:17 - A mid-shot of the girl wearing a white dress falling backwards through the air.

2:18-2:20 - A mid-shot of a girl falling backwards through the air. Her top has risen up to her chest at the sheer force of the wind from the blast.

2:21-2:24 - A long, panning shot of a couple tied together whilst various characters fight to the left of them. A red flag is positioned in the centre of the frame as red smoke flies through the background of the shot.

2:25-2:27 - The camera transitions to the same mid-shot of couple (1) embracing at 0:18 as two another couple fight behind them to the right of the frame.

2:27-2:28 - The camera quickly transitions to the same shot as the one at 0:59. This time however there are less flames so the mans face is more visible.

2:29-2:32 - A long, panning shot of four people fighting in the right hand side of the frame, one girl dancing in the background and another man just walking towards the fight. A girl with lilac hair can be seen in the foreground shaking her head as she looks down.

2:33-2:35 - A mid-shot of a gothic woman holding up a grenade, whilst a battered red flag stands to the left of her.

2:35-2:36 - A close up of a girl screaming as flames fly upwards in the foreground of the shot.

2:36-2:39 - A long-shot of the same gothic woman standing on two cases that weapons would normally be kept in. The mid shot taken at 2:33 originally came from this shot and was edited in before the original shot in post-production.

2:39 - A close up of a girl screaming with her hands raised as flames fly upwards in the foreground of the shot.

2:39 - Within the same second the camera quickly transitions to a close-up of boy (1) looking directly into the camera (breaking the fourth wall) with a less terrified expression on his face.

2:40-2:43 - The same long, panning shot of a couple tied together whilst various characters fight in the background of the shot. A red flag is positioned in the centre of the frame.

2:44-2:47 - A mid-shot of couple (1) kissing as a huge spark explodes behind them.

2:48-2:50 - A mid-shot of a girl falling backwards through the air (same as 2:18). This time there are more specs of dirt flying upwards with her.

2:51-2:57 - A mid-shot of a man standing in-front of a spark (which is about to explode) whilst three girls sit in the left hand side of the frame covering their faces and running away.

2:58-2:59 - This shot continues on from the shot taken at 2:03 and now you can see more of the boy's body as he has fallen further into the frame.

3:00-3:02 - Wide-shot of a girl (1) sitting down, falling to the floor.

3:02-3:03 - A mid-shot of DC standing and looking to the left of the frame as he has just exploded the grenade he was holding at 2:07.

3:04-3:05 - A mid-shot of a girl falling backwards through the air (same as 2:18). This time there are more specs of dirt flying upwards with her.

3:05-3:06 - A mid-shot of couple (1) pulling away from their kiss.

3:07-3:08 - A mid-shot of the girl wearing a white dress falling backwards through the air.

3:09-3:13 - A mid-shot of girl (1) just standing up in the field looking into the distance after all the violence has calmed down.

Mise en scène

Due to there being a seeming lack of any overt geographic marker (because the setting is just a field full of baron trees) I needed to look into where the music video was shot a little closer. A few pointers has led me to believe that the video was shot somewhere in Canada because:

1) In the description box underneath the YouTube video it states "We acknowledge the financial support of FACTOR and Canada’s private radio broadcasters".

2) The video was produced through a Canadian production company.

3) Canada is renowned for its cold climate which could explain the lifelessness of the greenery surrounding the actors of the video.

There is little to say in terms of the meaning of the objects within the video because there are very few. However there are some interesting things worth mentioning. A red flag is featured a couple of times throughout the second half of the video. When investigating what this might mean, I discovered that a red flag is the symbol of socialist revolution or a warning of danger. Lots of music videos have political symbols but I feel like this music video relates to the pressures couples and friends face from society, resulting in break ups and arguments. This can also relate to the red smoke passing through the background of many shots during the video.

Weapons, such as grenades can be seen throughout the video. I believe the director chose to include these objects because these objects are used to destroy things, which relates to the theme of a broken relationship. People often get depressed when they experience a break up from a lover or friend and so the black paint, which is poured on the couple lying in bed at 1:15, could perhaps represent feelings of sadness or depression.

Costume & Make-Up

Most of the characters in the music video are wearing very plain clothes. For example, most people are in black and white clothing or just ordinary jeans and a T-shirt. There seems to be no correlation between characters in terms of their clothing. However there is one girl who stands out from the rest of the actors. This woman's clothing is very different to anyone else's clothes. Her skin-tight leather dress, knee-high black socks matched with black high-heels, dark hair/make-up and piercings help her to emit a rebellious/gothic vibe. This can also be seen in the use of the black bandanas worn by many of the actors. The rebellious attitudes of the actors clothing can relate back to the red flag being a symbol of revolution as rebels often wear dark clothing and bandanas to hide their true identity so they do not get caught for their crimes.

Key Shots, Camera Movements and Edits

The main reason for the selection of these shots are because artistically they are great and the slow motion effect is very endearing.

The specs of paint and mini spark explosions make for lovely shots due to the aesthetically pleasing detail involved.

Focus Group

"I think the concept of this music video works well with the song because the link between the audio and visual is obvious enough for the audience to understand, yet it takes perhaps more than one watch to understand the metaphors and symbols completely - showing depth. I also love the sleek movement of the camera and the exceptional editing skills. You can really tell the equipment used was of a high standard and therefore the video looks so professional and clean - making me want to tell my friends about how good the whole production is."

"I do really like the music video but I think that the fact that there was only one setting makes it slightly boring and repetitive, therefore it leads me to only listening to the song through e.g. Spotify, rather than watching the video regularly. If the setting was interesting perhaps my view would change but because it is just a field I found it rather dull, despite the destructive scenes. I also don't like how disconnected the characters seem. I understand how they are meant to act violent towards each other due to the nature of the song, but there is something very off-putting about how they act like no one but themselves exist. It makes the whole video seem very isolated. On a more positive note, I do really like the tone of the video. I think the director has chosen to use a filter or perhaps colour graded the visuals in post-production because the whole video has a deep red/maroon tinge to it. I think details like this help the audience understand and appreciate how much time and effort gets put into a music video."

"I love this music video, I think it is really different and unique - I have never seen anything like it before, especially for a dance music video. The fast edits contrasting with the slow motion makes for such a unique watch. I also found that the actors were very committed to the making of the video - their facial expressions and body movements seemed very natural and not forced at all - like they really were scared when fire came flying up into their face instead of making it obvious that they knew at the back of their mind that it was all going to be okay. I also really like the fact that the limited mise en scène can all relate to the lyrics/meaning of the song as this proves the concept of the music video has been well developed and understood by the audience."

Lessons to be Learnt

• Tone/concept of song needs to match mise-en-scène.
• Breaking the fourth wall can help the audience and actors connect through film.
• People tend to enjoy videos which reveal a deeper meaning and so it is well worth considering incorporating elements that are symbolic into the video, e.g. red flag relating to danger (dangers of the outcome of a failing relationship).
• 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 can be important for elements of the video to be relatable to the target audience; be that the protagonist or the setting.
• Bulk of music video consists of long, panning 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.

Blinkie: Don't Give Up (On Love) - Digipak and Magazine Advertisement Deconstruction

Don't Give Up (On Love) - Single - Digipak

Focus Group

"I love the use of the two colours fading into each other. I think that when in comes to dance/EDM music it's all about letting go and just feeling free. The way the colours merge into one help emit that feeling and gives the cover a softness against the sharpness of the font and bold capital letters."

"I like the single cover, however I think I would have preferred to have seen the girl featured in the music video on the cover because the video created such a strong connection with her. Although I can understand why Blinkie chose not to have her featured, Perhaps it was because people would just naturally associate the song with the concept of her story and not envisage their own, which is one of the many things music allows people to do."

"I like how understated the artwork is but I think it would have been more effective if it related to the music video, e.g. make the artwork bright and colourful whilst keeping the photograph to duplicate the tone of the song and its visuals."

Lessons to be Learnt

• It is very important to include all of the conventions of a typical single cover artwork, e.g. artist logo.
• Simple, understated designs can be very effective.
• Brand recognition is vital so it is a good idea to use familiar themes, symbols and images that connect your promotional materials to the artist and themselves. It might be worth using the same font as in your music video and the album artwork or the same image for the album artwork and magazine poster.
• Important to think about how you want the audience to perceive the artist and their values shown through their music. How can my artist's personality be shown through the promotional materials.
• If we chose to superimpose text or logos onto the image we are using, it is important to think about the colour choice of the image and the text, e.g. will they go? It is also important to think about the positioning of the text, will it be obscured by the colours of the image or will the text block key aspects of the image?
  

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.