Unit 12 - Research

For the main plot of the video I was predominantly inspired by Jordan Peele's Get Out and the song Desire by Years & Years , which I'm using in the final video. In Get Out the main character is hypnotised and goes to "the sunken place", the visuals of this scene are really unique and I would like to use this scene as a basis to visually show that the character in my video has been hypnotised. I think the set they used for this scene is really good as it gives the atmosphere of a therapists room/office but at the same time homely and comfortable. However in this scene the tone is quite sinister and dark which wouldn't work with the start of my video, this is because I want to focus on the actual discovery of the plot.

I want to use contrasting colours when showing the overlapping shots so that it will hopefully give a more interesting and intense effect to the video. In the shots showing a nice memory, I want to use very earthy and natural colours to show the peacefulness and happiness of the moment, this is inspired by Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled. Coppola uses lots of natural light in the film which makes the shots look really peaceful and tranquil which is juxtaposed to the storyline of the film. For the shots showing the persons death and just after, I want to use darker colours such as deep reds, blues, purples and blacks. I will experiment with this first however, to ensure that this technique gives the right effect that I'm going for.

After experimenting with a few techniques in Photoshop, I have created a few images/mock ups of what some shots may look like in my music video. I am happy with the way they look and may use the way they have been overlaid when editing my final piece as I think it gives it a reminiscent yet murderous tone, which is exactly what I want in the finished video.

I would also like to use some shots that look they have been filmed on an old camera. I like the style of a Super 8 camera and I think it would be a good addition to my video to make it look more like memories. I found this footage from a super 8 camera and a tutorial video so I can recreate the look.

The song I'm using for the music video is quite fast paced so I want to use the editing techniques shown in the two videos below to match the pace of the song and to make the videos plot disjointed, this is to show the main characters mindset.

The title sequence to American Horror Story: Murder House uses this editing technique to create a sense of mystery and horror early on in the show. The title sequence in all of the seasons of American Horror Story gives a hint to the audience about what happens in the season without directly telling them. This leaves the viewers seeking an answer to how the title sequence is related to the season and what it tells them about how the story will play out. I like the way the shots are edited together to only give the viewer a split second to see what it is, it creates an uneasy atmosphere and leaves the audience questioning what they saw. I think this technique will work really well in my final piece.

In this music video to Paparazzi by Lady Gaga, I particularly like the way the director shows the various dead models (4.09 - 4.54). The director, Jonas Åkerlund, uses really quick shots showing the death from different angles and distances. I like the effect it gives no explanation and the audience is left wondering what happened to them, which is what I would like my video to do. I'm going to experiment with this technique and see if I can recreate it effectively.