On Friday 24th June we met our music director who is going to help us with our Five video: Jake Wynne.
It was really interesting to talk to him and learn more about the process of shooting and editing a music video.
A few main points I learnt:
When shooting from different set ups, you should shoot the whole song (even if you want only a few lines), in case you want footage from other parts of the song later on.
It is important to have 'beauty shots' (as shown below) which show the artists to be flawless. For this, strong lighting to eliminate shadows must be used.
When lipsyching, it is important to actually physically sing, because if you are just mouthing the words, your throat won't move, and viewers will be able to see that you're not singing.
Keep it simple: trying to do too much (like his Nojahoda video) complicates things, and can end up with a music video with a confusing narrative which doesn't make any sense.
Shooting takes a full work day (about 12 hours), so it may get very tiring, so it is important to keep all your crew and cast motivated and excited to create a great looking video!
There may be many complications in the day, so if time runs out, it is the director's job to think fast and make decisions, e.g. which different shots to cut out.
And finally, I learnt that you really can be successful in the media business! Jake used to go to our school, and he made it. From filming short films in the woods to directing music videos for the likes of Geri Halliwell and Mark Ronson, it shows you really can make it if your try and work hard!
Instant Impact - Before we even play the music video we can see that it is quite unusual and different due to the fact that it is over 9 minutes long. The video starts with a black screen and the titles 'Justin Timberlake' and 'Scarlett Johansson', similar to the opening credits of a movie. It then shows the writer and director of the video, connoting that it will in fact be more similar to a mini movie than music video.
After the credits we see a scene between Justin and Scarlett, setting the scene for the mini movie. So there is already an instant impact as viewers are intrigued to see what happens next, and the song hasn't even started yet.
Non-linear Editing - Similar to almost all music videos around, there is a lot of cutting between different scenes. Throughout the whole video, we see many different scenes: Justin singing with his microphone, Scarlett cheating with another guy, the pool scene, the fight/confrontation scene, and finally the car crash. As this music video is almost a mini movie in itself, chronological order is still needed to make the story still make sense. However, to make this still comply to music video conventions, there is a lot of cross-cutting between the scenes, especially between the storyline and Justin lipsynching the song.
Repetitions - There are a few repetitions in this music video, the main being the shots of Justin singing. We see various shots of the venue he is singing in throughout the whole video, especially shots of the circus performers playing with fire.
Strong Sense of Artist Identity - Justin Timberlake is known for singing songs about girls and love, and this music video shows how in love he is with Scarlett's character. Instead of most songs where he is flirting with other girls (e.g. Senorita and Rock Your Body) this shows the other side of love, and the pain he felt when someone cheated on him. We get an idea of his personality through the lyrics and the acting, especially his jealousy and anger when he finds Scarlett's character with the other guy.
A Performance - As mentioned above, there is one main scene of Justin performing and lipsynching to the song. We see many different camera shots and angles of him singing, as shown below. He is standing on a stage in front of a flight of stairs, in a beautiful grand venue. Although it may not seem like much of a 'performance' as there are no choreographed dance routines or anything, we seem him singing into an old-style microphone and moving to the music. This simplistic approach adds to the video as it doesn't take away the focus from the storyline, but seeing him singing shows that it is still a music video, and we can see the emotion he has put into the song.
Visual Pleasures - This music video is very aesthetically pleasing, with the beautiful settings, chandeliers, fire throwers, costumes, and most importantly, the people. Justin Timberlake himself is very attractive and known for being a teen hearthrob, and Scarlett Johansson is a beautiful woman, attracting both males and females (who look up to her).
Wow Factor - This video has the 'wow factor' as it is so different to the other music videos, and is so interesting to watch. The storyline is beautiful and goes along with the lyrics of the song: a story of how his love cheated on him and got what she deserved.
Provoke a reaction - This music video definitely provoked a reaction as it was a mini movie itself, with Justin Timberlake and a cameo from Scarlett Johansson. The most shocking part of the story is when Scarlett's character dies at the end in a car crash, and this provoked a reaction and made people talk about the video to others. The most significant shots are when we see her in the car, as these shots are played in slow motion.
Works on different levels - This music video works in many different levels as it acts as many different things: a visual representation of the song, a mini movie, and even an advert. It's a visual representation of the song as it shows the story of the lyrics on screen, of how the love of his life is cheating on him. Secondly, it acts as an independent short film, as the whole story is captured in 9 minutes, showing love, lust, pain and anger. And as it shows Justin acting, you could also say it acts as an advert for his acting career as well as promoting his music and album. Pop Culture - As mentioned many times above, the video had a cameo from famous actress and model Scarlett Johansson, attracting both males and females.
