Planning, lighting and colour - Miss Georgiou

Obtaining a variety of different of lighting styles and colours is essential regarding the planning and production of a music video. These elements are  key as they provide so much for the music video; they're able to guide the audience in the direction of which the video is taking, for instance with the soul genre much low key lighting would be expected as it is conventional towards the genre applying the usage of these elements so to create codes and conventions towards the artists chosen genre is beneficial for both the artist and the audience as it aims towards the artists target audience as they are attracted via the codes and conventions of their chosen genre thus engaging with them and encouraging them to view the artists work. This technique also provides the artist themselves and their production team with a route to go down when planning the production for their music video, as planning with them elements in mind in the scheme of matching them to the chosen genre is it much easier to view what would work and what wouldn't. Not only are these elements important to plan for as they provide benefits for the music video but they're also essential. Without these factors the music video would appear unprofessional to the audience even if they were unaware of what was missing as they are so used to viewing these aspects in music videos that the absence of them would leave a large impact.

As I stated above I will be using high key lighting throughout my music video one way in which this will be beneficial is that low key lighting is conventional towards the soul genre as the genre is known for it's artists singing about topics which are closer to their hearts and often more relateable compared to artists who sing about their lifestyle etc of which the audience cannot relate. Hence the use of dark lighting connotes the idea of deeper/more sinister topics being approached as while as suggesting or highlighting the mood of the artist of their persona for this particular song/music video. As well as adapting the music video to it's chosen genre the use of low key lighting shall also be useful as this shall highlight that 'the walk of shame' is taking place in the early hours of the morning. Hence there shouldn't be much light so to bring this across. This adds to the narrative of the music video as it both represents and demonstrates  the hectic, party girl life style of the character allowing the audience into a further insight of the character  enables them to connect further with the narrative as well as find further enjoyment in it as they are confident in their knowledge of the story-line hence being open to it and therefore able to allowing me to portray the experience I am hoping for with my music video.

Examples of high key lighting within music videos: 

Billie Piper 'Because we want to' 

Gwen Stefani 'Hollaback girl' 

Britney Spears 'If you seek Amy' 

Justin Timberlake 'Cry me a River' 

Contrasting low key lighting I shall also be using high key lighting. Although high key lighting may be considered subversive towards the soul genre it can still be useful to the genre as it will be in my music video as the it allows the artist to highlight elements to their narrative. Contrasting these two lighting types together shall signify the mix of moods and emotions that the character shall be suffering throughout the journey the audience joins her through. As I will be using high key lighting for the scene where the artist is in her bedroom getting ready to go out with her friends I wanted to illustrate the fun side to her which shall be relateable to most people as they are reminded of times when they have been prepping themselves for a night out with friends before hand, seeing the artist engaging in activities they would helps the audience to grow towards the artist as they can see themselves entering the same circles and finding themselves facing the same issues as her. If the artist was to be shown appearing quite sad and depressive when getting ready to go out with friends with the use of low key lighting although this would be conventional towards the genre it wouldn't help the audience to find a likability factor within the artist. Picturing the artist as the kind of person who ruins the atmosphere when meant to be having fun with friends doesn't encourage the audience to like them. Showing that the artist is capable of being so happy and fun yet still in a nice manner is set to contrast the other sides of the artist so to highlight them and the fact that she is still a nice, fun loving girl that anyone could get alone with building upon the audiences relationship with the artist creating further sympathy for her. Meaning that the audience have gained more for their experience of the music video hence they are more likely to remember it and the song which goes with it as well as the artist herself. 

Examples of low key lighting throughout music videos: 

Linkin Park 'Numb' (The use of low key lighting with back fillers) 

Arctic Monkeys 'Arabella' 

Nirvana 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'

When performing a spotlight shall be shone on the artist, which is conventional as it connotes to the style soul artists have approached with their performances since the genre was created in the early 1950s to late 1960s which the genre hasn't developed much from hence elements which would have been conventional in that period are since conventional today. It is important to convey back to the conventions of the genre so to ensure that the audience feel comfortable with their viewing experience of the music video meaning that they shall be enjoying it providing both the artist and the song imparticular with a good image. The use of the spotlight shall also enforce the image of the performance side of the music video which is important as I plan to conform to both a performance and narrative based music video. The idea of a performance based music video is conventional towards the soul genre as it conveys the classic image of big, flashy, stage performances which artists of the soul genre have been known to confirming to since the beginning of the genre. Not only does the use of a spotlight conform to the image but the contrast between the low key light around the spot light hitting the artist shall help to embrace the concept of the artist performing hence another element of the theme making it conventional to the genre.

A different lighting type I shall be using throughout the production of my music video shall be strobe lighting. Which I shall put in place throughout my house party scene. Although this shall be by far the most subversive lighting technique I use throughout the production of my music video as strobe lighting applies connotations of a very different partying scene to the of the soul genre including, the younger generation, heavy drinking of alcohol, drug abuse and a very different range of dancing. However this shall still suit my music video as it shows the life of a modern day soul artist still trying to confirm to a social life which provides us with the perfect location to demonstrate what Winehouse's lyrics are about hence the tension between Winehouse and the male she is singing to shall be showcased throughout scenes as this party. The use of strobe lighting shall intensify this scene because it sets the party up to be more entertaining as it appears more than just a standard gathering of people at a house it shall also help to display the situation from both points of view of the artist and the person she is singing to as it portrays the annoyance Winehouse has to endured still receiving aggravation from this lover when she is out with friends trying to enjoy herself  which the lighting shall embrace as it appears to be a bigger occasion as it is suggested more effort as gone into the planning for the party as strobe lights aren't something which you would expect to see at every household. Yet from the males point of view it will suggest how effected he is by the relationship between the pair that he still struggles to enjoy himself at such an event where it would appear everyone else is able to. As well as highlighting how one sided the love and care between the pair is as the artist is so able to engage in a the party scene enjoying herself forgetting about her troubles. Although it may appear that it is only lighting the use of this lighting technique really helps to convey the hardcore party girl image I wish to apply to the artist as it provides various different suggestions about the kinds of parties that the artist attends and the kind of scene she is involved in suggesting more about her lifestyle and adding further to the narrative hinting at what the artist may have engaged in before her 'walk of shame' scene. The only negative behind this is that it may be hard to film however this is something I shall over come with my production team when planning other areas such as cinematography. The use of strobe lighting shall also be effective as viewing this kind of lighting helps the audience to feel as though they are really their engaging in this experience with the characters on screen as the lighting is showed between the two groups in the exact same way hence applying similar effects. Engaging the audience more with the music video is beneficial as it helps them to remember the music video and the artist more easily.

For colour I shall be using a black and white filter. So to highlight to my audience the transition between the past and present scenes without doing so it would be likely for the audience to become confused via the narrative. As one minute the artist appears to be happy with the fact that she no longer feels this emotional connection with this boy, the next she is seen clearly very happy to be around him hence not clearly showing the difference between these scenes and allowing the audience to understand what it is that the different scenes are representing they are likely to grow confused via the narrative possibly even coming up with one of their own which won't make sense as it doesn't match the lyrics. Not only does a black and white filter help to clarify the different time frames within the music video to the audience but it also follows codes and conventions towards the genre of soul as the concept of black and white viewing reminds the audience of times when colour filming wasn't available hence indicating the concept of going back in time which is conventional towards the soul genre as the genre hasn't developed much from the period in which it was developed (1950s/1960s) as the audience are known for admiring the classic vibes created within the dolour genre. Hence it has become a larger sector to the genre. Thus not only is applying a black and white filter beneficial to the effect of my music video, ensuring that it works professionally and appeals to the audience ascetically   as the effects of black and white filters are thought to create rather picturesque scenes  but it is also beneficial as it adds to the flow of the music video and is able to follow the codes and conventions set via the genre. Many artists throughout the industry have used black and white filters throughout their music videos both from the soul genre and various other genres.

Examples of black and white filters being used within music videos: 

Amy Winehouse 'Back to Black' (soul)

Arctic Monkeys 'R U Mine?' (Indie Rock)

Adele 'Someone like you' (soul)

Nirvana 'In Bloom' (Grunge)










The lighting used within a music video does more the set the scene for that particular scene within the music video but it is also able to represent, connote or even suggest other things hence the though process behind the lighting is one which must be well thought out. However the lighting is also important when considering how professional the video is going to look in terms of how effective the lighting looks. Working in the same way as how bad lighting can ruin a photo it may ruin a music video. If lighting is reflecting different things onto characters face looking rather strange it can take the audiences attention away from the antics on screen and focus them more towards the thought process and production of the music video. Something to avoid as it ruins the audiences effective of the music video preventing it from doing it's job effectively.