Planning Cinematography

Cinematography refers to the artwork of photography and camera work within film-making be that either within actual films or TV programs.

Cinematography is essential within a music video for a whole range of different reasons, the art of cinematography allows the production team to shoot the music video so to suit they're chosen style/genre etc. For instance using different camera shots etc can enable a production team to display a music video in a certain way which fits to how the artist wants to present both themselves and their music video. A close up is a good shot to use to help portray certain elements of a narrative as it highlights characters facial expressions indicating the characters thought and emotions to the audience which makes the experience appear more lifelike/realistic to the audience. Doing this enhances the audiences experience as it improves their knowledge and understanding of the artists work.

Hence within my group when planning and discussing ideas for our music video we decided to plan the cinematography elements to our music video in further detail:

During the 'walk of shame' scenes I plan to display both long shots and mid shots, which is conventional towards the soul genre as it shows a deeper meaning of these sad and upsetting scenes as the audience are able to see more of the scene. Thus improving upon the audiences understanding of both the setting and the situation the artist is in. This is most beneficial as it is these shots which help the artist to ensure that the audience are aware of what the artist is attempting to portray. Without having done this then the audience may not be able to note elements to the artist which are thought to be relatable to them. Meaning that the audience would be missing out on a key convention which they would expect from the sou genre experience. As artists of the soul genre are known for presenting themselves as being fairly relatable as presides from showcasing their talented voices they tend not to make reference towards the fame and fortune. Instead they often opt to sing about topics which are thought to be universally relatable such as love or lust, even money or social issues hence helping the audience to feel as though the artist is someone whom they could get along with as they share the same struggles suggesting that they view life through similar lights.  Through showing more of the setting  I shall be able to juxtapose this to the behave of the artist as it is hinted that she has just come back from a night out possibly even having stayed round a partners house the night before. This juxtaposes the scene as it takes place in a rather nature filled locations which provides connotations of innocence and purity thus this works to highlight the artists mental state and vulnerability. Because through these scenes the shots are able to showcase both the location of the artist but also her facial expressions, body language and body positioning. All elements of which are used to help portray a characters thoughts or feelings for the audience so that they are able to understand how the artist is feeling in certain situations or how they situations are putting a strain on them. This is beneficial as it helps the audience to follow the narrative an grow a further understanding for the artist hence they are more likely to understand her situation, find her relateable and therefore grow more kindly towards her.  The audience are also more likely to find themselves feeling more kindly towards the artist if they feel that they are able to understand what the artist has gone through or that the artist would even be able to understand them as this suggests that the artist would be someone they would be able to interactive with well if they were to meet. Resulting from this the artist becomes less of a stranger and almost feels more like someone that the audience know of however not well yet they still really like them and are rooting for them. This feeling encourages the audience to purchase the artists music as they are wishing for them to do well therefore they are more likely to go out and be support towards the artist.

Other examples of long/midshots in music videos:

Selena Gomez - 'Come and get it' (Mid shot)

Ciara - 'Like A Boy' (Mid shot)

Marina and The Diamonds - 'Froot' (Long shot)

Jessie J - 'Price Tag' (Long shot)





Close ups of the artist shall be demonstrated through out as relating back to Goodwin's theory it is likely that a record label would demand lots of close ups throughout the music video as this helps the audience to feel as though they are building a stronger relationship with the artist as they feel that the audience is sharing more with them as their face is closer to lenses which urges them to feel as though they are physically closer to the artist. It also suggests that the artist is providing them with more of them as they aren't hiding away from the camera but are up close to it showing that they are providing the audience with us much of love themselves as they can. It also urges the audience to view the artist in a voyeuristic fashion of which she is unaware. As the idea of a closer really focuses on her appearance hence this is a technique used in many music videos to show the attractiveness of the artist.

Examples of close ups of female artists used for this effect:

Christina Aguilera - for her music video 'Dirty'

Fergie - for her music video 'Big girls don't cry'

Billie Piper - for her music video 'Day and Night'






I plan to mainly apply close ups of the artist throughout my music video for scenes where the artist is seen performing. Although the artist shall be dancing as she belongs to the soul genre she won't be performing big dance routines as you would expect from other artists of more mainstream genres such as Pop, Hip Hop or dance. However I think it would be best if the dancing was very tame for this scenes as this way it is easier for the audience to focus on the artists face. Which is important as it is this connection which the audiences feels when they look at the artist which helps them to build a bond. As the audience feel that they are closer to the artist as the artist is physically closer to the lenses; which suggests that they are attempting to build more of a relationship with them as they are seemingly putting in more effort as they show more of themselves off to the audience and focus their efforts more directly towards them. Although any dancing shown throughout this scenes shall be more tame the element of performance shall still be very much alive throughout these scenes as the artist shall be seen lip syncing. Hence it is even more important for the artist to get the lyrics right for these scenes as the artists facial features shall be really highlighted throughout these scenes the audience are likely to be looking more towards her lips to see if they are able to find any mistakes. Not only shall this ruin the effect of the music video for the audience but it shall also provide the artist with negative connotations as this is seen to be something which is a very negative attribute the music video suggesting that the artist isn't as a good performer as she is expected to be and that she isn't very professional. Due to this the audience is less likely to look to the artist as a credible artist and therefore resulting in them becoming less interested in the artist often preventing them from purchasing the artists music. I plan to film a variety of different close ups for the scene whereby the artist is seen performing on stage. I plan to do so as this is were the artist is thought to be in her element as the entire scene is made up of conventions by it the location, Mise en scene etc. Hence I want to really highlight this scene so to convey the artists genre to the audience in order to help them understand her and allow members of the soul audience to recognise that her music belongs to them. Which helps to form a relationship as they feel that the artist is someone they could easily get along well with and relate to. I also plan to use a variety of close ups of the artist when she is performing in the bedroom scene as this shows her at a more vulnerable state thus encouraging the audience to feel as though they are being provided with a clear and insightful view of her at her vulnerable state. This urges audience members to feel as though having seen the artist in such a state that they really know and understand her as well as the situation she finds herself in. Not only does this develop upon the bond between the artist and the audience as the audience feels that they are more able to relate to and understand the artist but it also impacts this as the audience are made to feel that the artist is being more honest with them. She doesn't have to portray herself in such a way and she certainly doesn't have to do so employing close up shots where she doesn't exactly look her best with her make up smudged and her hair messy. The fact that she does represents to audience members that the artist is trying to put on a certain persona or that she is trying to fool them into perceiving her to be someone that she isn't so to appear to be more together and successful. This informs the audience that the artist really cares about her relationship with her audience as she is willing to put herself out there in such a way that she ceases to care about what people other than her fans who understand and appreciate what she is trying to capture for them with her music think about her. This urges the audience to feel more kindly towards her  as they appreciate her efforts for them. Thus the audience are more likely to purchase the artists music as they think of her more as someone they who and are rooting for to do well rather than just another artist in the industry.

Panning shall be used as the artist is shown moving around her bedroom contemplating her situation. This works to represent the artist as being fairly lazy and unmotivated which suggests an almost depressive state which is effective for the narrative as it portrays the sadness which the artist is currently unable to escape through this part of the story-line. Highlighting how effected she is via this bad break up. Being set to contrast the party girl antics which are yet to be shown the juxtaposition between the two states of the artist work as they showcase the extremes of both sides to the character. This makes for a more interesting story-line keeping the audience engaged as they are intrigued via the narrative particularly the questionable antics of the artist wondering how she will be behaving as the music video comes to a finish. Applying two different sides to the artist also means that more audience members are likely to find her relatable as she is demonstrated behaving in ways suiting to two separate characters meaning that there is a wider range shown of the artist for audience members to relate to.  I plan to use a panning shot for this scene as panning shots add further to the audiences experience as they watch the artist they feel as though they are joining the artist on there experience and therefore feel as though they are more familiar with both the artist and the situation they are in. Because they are made to feel as though they are following the artist which leads them to believe that they obtain a better understanding of the artist as they feel that they understand the artists thoughts and emotions due to this experience. This is beneficial as it embarks upon a relationship between the artist and the audience which is important as this bond urges the audience to support the artist further as they really feel kindly towards them and therefore want them to do well which means that they are more likely to buy into the artists music. A panning shot also allows the audience to gain a better understanding of the location which is usually beneficial as it allows the audience to obtain a better understanding of the artists whereabouts and the situation they are in. However it is even more usual in this instance as the artist is seen in what appears to be her bedroom. Bedrooms are thought to be very private and personal places where people are free to be themselves hence it is often thought that the things you find in someones bedroom or the way in which they choose to decorate it expresses a lot about them.

Examples of panning in other music videos: 

Billie Piper - 'She wants you'

Arctic Monkeys - 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?'

Girlicious - 'Like Me'










Tracking shall also be used throughout the 'walk of shame' seen so to make the audience feel as though they are engaging upon this journey with the artist hence building upon the relationship between the artist and the audience as the audience feel as though they are well enough equipped to comment on the artists current situation. Due to the fact that they feel as though they have embraced these journey with her and therefore know everything there is to know. Hence being conventional towards the genre as it captures this relateable element to both the artist and the music video which is important as adding conventions helps the audience to feel comfortable with the music video as they are viewing elements which they know and love within it. It is conventional for soul artists to provide relateable elements within their music videos as they songs are known for being so as artist sing abut topics closer to their hearts usually away from fame hence being relateable for their audience. Tracking provides a similar effective to panning as once again the audience feel as though they have followed the artist for parts of their journey again helping the audience to feel a bond with the artist in the same manner that  a panning shot would therefore providing the same benefits.  I want to use the tracking shot so that the camera is placed in front of the artist and she is seen walking in front of it as she lip syncs to the lyrics. Meaning that this scene shall be highly involved in both the performance and narrative sides to the music video as it clearly demonstrates the reality of the artists situation as well as her thoughts towards it as she isn't seen attempting to cover up or even hide herself or the truth of the situation this connotes a lot about the character the artist is adopting suggesting that she involves herself in this kind of behave quite a bit and that she is a very confident person who doesn't care much for what others think of her or in what is deemed as socially acceptable. It also follows the performance side to it as the artist is clearly seen lip syncing to the words which conveys that she is singing along as  she walks. Also the artist is going to be walking to the beat and with a bit more of a stride in her step that you would expect from someone who was just causally walking from A to B. Thus this follows the concept of a performance based music video as she is more performing than walking almost like a dance.

Examples of tracking in other music videos: 

Arctic Monkeys - 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?'

Pussycat Dolls - 'Wait A Minute'  Ft. Timbaland

Low angles shall also be used throughout the production of my music video for instance during scenes where the artist is on stage performing. These will be used to show that although the artist is relateable following Dyer's theory she is still more talented than them. This technique maintains audience appreciation as they grow towards the artist due to the fact that they find they are easily able to relate to their therefore growing a further understanding for them and their situations, yet they still find this desire within the artist as they obtain this talent which the audience looks up to. The concept of a low angle represents the artist as being above and therefore better than the audience hence tied in with all of the relateable codes and conventions used throughout the music video works to create this method. It is important to highlight that although the artist and the audience are able to find common ground and suggested that they would be able to get along well if they were to meet that the audience remembers that the artist still obtains this level of success which they cannot reach. Without this the audience may begin to feel that there is nothing special about the artist as they are presenting themselves as being so relatable to the audience that they appear to be as average as someone they met have simply met at school rather than being someone it would be considered a pleasure to meet. It is this added concept that the artist is someone to be looked up to that enables their success and this is what encourages the audience to feel as though they should be listening to their music and buying into it.

The use of long shot, mid shots, tracking and panning will also be beneficial as it shall be me make reference to the lyrics throughout my visuals following Goodwins theory. On a number of occasions the lyrics for my song make reference to a river; "River of no return" so I decided that it would be a good idea to film the 'walk of shame' scene nearby a river and make sure the river is shown in the footage. It shall be beneficial for me to get the river in the footage as this shall help the audience to remember the lyrics as they are provided with a visual image so to help them remember. Also if the audience face any confusion with the lyrics then seeing visual images helps them to clarify that they are right with the lyrics as the artist has clearly put these elements into their music video so to create a relationship between the visuals and lyrics. With this in mind and the audience are more easily able to remember the lyrics to the song this means that they are more likely to confidently sing the song in public therefore working as word of mouth promoting the song to others. Hearing other sing the song makes it seem more relevant to audience members as they hear it more often it suggests that it is a better well regarded song. Not only does this help to promote the song but it also applies this connotations upon the artist as audience members feel that the artist has a better reputation surrounding them as people are happy to openly sing their songs in public. If the artist had a negative representation people may feel embarrassed singing their songs out aloud in public.

Other instances where low angles have been used in music videos:



Billie Piper - 'Something Deep Inside'












Nirvana - 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'

The Pretty Reckless - 'Make me wanna die'

Natasha Bedingfield - 'Strip me'











As these shots all have their uses and structures the audience is more able to build a relationship with the artist on a more varied experience. If I was just using similar shots with the same technique to build a relationship between the artist and the audience the audience may feel as if they are not being provided with enough of the artist to create a true opinion of feel that connection with them hence it is important to keep trying to make this connection even once elements have been secured which are designed to do so.