Music Video Reflection

    My group and I decided to do a country song for our music video. After much debate we decided on the song “You Should Be Here” by Cole Swindell. Some conventions found in country song music videos are that they tend to follow a storyline throughout the video and that the storyline usually relates to the lyrics of the song. The storyline of the video is usually used to further convey the true message that the song sends. Country music videos also tend to use mise en scene such as cowboy hats, boots, jeans with big buckle belts, and button down shirts. Usually the setting of these videos are in rural areas or isolated areas where there are less people.

    Our music video follows country music video conventions in the way that the storyline of our video relates to the lyrics of our song. In the song we chose, the artist expresses the loss of a loved one and reminiscences on the times he had with them. Throughout the song the artist talks about how he wishes their loved one was here and how much they would enjoy the experiences the artist is going through. In our music video we decided to incorporate the meaning of the lyrics into the video through the scenes we filmed. We filmed scenes in which we did everyday activities, such as going to the beach, playing volleyball, or walking a dog. However, we had the same person “disappear” out of each scene every time. This was to show that we were now doing the activity without them, just like the video expressed about doing activities without their loved one.

   Our music video challenges conventions of a country music video because of the way we filmed and edited each scene. In our music video we wanted to somehow represent the passing away of a loved one. We decided the best way to do this was to have the loved one seem like they have faded away to symbolize that they are not here anymore. We achieved this by taking two shots of every scene, one in which the loved one was in and then one where the loved one was not. When filming, after the first shot was done, everyone other than the loved one that had passed away had to stay completely still so that the transition between both shots would look smooth. When we then went through the footage and edited it we made sure that both shots lined up perfectly so the transition would look pleasing to the eye. For some of the scenes, the two shots did not naturally line up so we had to do some adjusting and cropping to both shots in order for them to line up and look good. Our music video also challenges conventions of a music video because the common mise en scene seen in other country music videos is not seen for the mist part in ours. Our music video does not incorporate clothes such as boots, cowboy hats, button down shirts, or jeans. We also did not film in a rural area due to us living in an urban area. 

   Our music video represents people who have lost a relative, loved one, or just anyone who was close to them. Throughout our music video we show experiences that have to be done without the loved on or friend that has passed away. Many people can relate to this and understand how hard it can be to want someone to be there with you so bad but not be able to. Many understand the feeling of having to do many things for the first time without that person that passed away and how it doesn’t feel the same without them there.

   Our music video engages with the audience through the editing we used. The disappearance of one of our group members makes it seem to the audience that they are fading away. We also engage the audience through the settings we used. During multiple shots, views of the ocean and sand can be seen. This can engage with the emotions of the audience since many people have happy memories of them going to the beach. The music video also engages the audience’s emotion by invoking deep sentiment over someone they might have lost through the message that the music video conveys. Many people can relate to the feeling of losing someone just like it is expressed in the music video. The music video consists of a series of memories that are presented in a sort of flashback, so the anticipation for what the next memory will be can keep the audience engaged for longer.

    Our music video could be distributed on platforms such as Youtube. On Youtube it would be convenient to enjoy the music video since all you need is access to a computer and wifi in order to watch it. The music video could also be distributed over TV channels dedicated to music such as MTV.

    Throughout the making of this music video, my production skills overall improved. When it comes to filming, I learned the importance of using a stand or tripod to hold the camera. For the idea we had about transitions it was crucial that we keep the camera completely still between shots. We had to come up with creative ideas in order to make the phone stay in place due to us not having access to a tripod. I also learned more about how certain angles make a shot look better than others and can convey a message much better. While we were filming the funeral shot, our camera person tried many different angles and filmed the scene in many different ways. We tried a close up of our faces but soon realized that this took away from the emotion and sadness of the scene. Instead we used a pan to film the scene and then slowly zoomed in on a couple flowers that were on the ground. This made the scene seem much more sorrowful and woeful.

    When it came to editing, my skills developed due to me using the editing software on someone else’s computer. We decided to edit the music video on the computer of the person whose house we filmed at. Even though we have the same editing software, the software was much more sophisticated on her computer so this allowed me to learn some new things. For example, I learned how to edit transitions more thoroughly. Before I only knew how to change the duration and speed of a transition but from this project I learned how to edit specific features of the transition.

    From this project I also learned the importance of having a back-up plan along with having good communication skills with your group members. In our original back up plan, we were not very specific and did not incorporate many ideas in case something went wrong. We only planned for what we would do if we wanted to change our song choice. However what we didn’t plan for was what we would do if we were not able to film specific scenes or were not able to film at specific locations we had originally planned. This, unfortunately, ended up happening so we had to do some scrambling at the last second. I also learned about how crucial communication was in a project like this. Communication was important for planning out when we would get together to film. At first it seemed like something simple; we just pick a date to film and do it. However, we realized that it was much harder than it seemed because there was always something in the way preventing us from getting together, whether it be sports, after school activities, or even Covid. Through this we were in constant communication with each other which is why everything still worked out. 

     For our project, the software we used to edit our music video was iMovie. On iMovie we dumped all the footage and then used the software to go through each shot and cut out all the unimportant stuff. We then placed all the shots in order and used the software to add in transitions and make the whole video flow better overall. Some of the hardware that we used in this project includes the phones we used as cameras and the actual computer we used to edit. We used multiple phone cameras to film our video. One was an iPhone X and the other was an iPhone 8 Plus, both of which had pretty good camera qualities. The computer we used to sit our video on was a MacBook Pro, which had a great capacity, perfect for editing our project. In this project we used online technologies to upload our music video. We upload our music video to Youtube in order for us to be able to put it up on our blogs and make it possible for the reader of our blogs to watch it.