9 Frame Analysis

I came across the music video 'Cheap and Cheerful' by The Kills, which I perticulary enjoy. The video has many features that we are hopefully going to use in our video and is a great influence. The style of the video and editing has helped us to create new ideas and a different view towards ours. To help gain an indepth view and to identify some of the main features of the video I decided to do an analysis of 9 shots from the video to study.

Shot 1- The first shot shows a close up of Alison the main singer, by using a close up we are framing the artist to focus on her face. This is one of the main selling points as she is the most well known artist out the group and a close up helps to introduce and distinguish her making her more appealing and personal to the fans. Alison is shown wearing bright glittery make up that shows a fun and interesting side to her however the red lips also add a seductive side which will appeal to a different audience. During the shot shadows are used on her face which changes everytime to hit the beat, this sets a fun and outgoing theme and add to the feel of the music.

Shot 2- For this shot a green screen has been used as we see footage of Alison displayed on the screen behind and of the actual footage on screen. This editing technique allows us to play a piece of footage in the background whilst filming the shot we are after on screen. Alison is portrayed in a smart old fashioned band stand style outfit with a large drum. The drum connotes that music is imprtant to her and the fact she is stood resting her leg on the drum portrays her laid back outlook on life. The shot on the screen behind is a mid shot therefore by using the two shots together we get a more indepth feel to the artist and many different views of her.

Shot 3- For this shot the clapping sequence is used to fit in with the music thought beats, it is short and fast but effective with the style of music. A mirror shot has been used as the two artists are shown twice and this has been edited in to create a duplicate effect, possibly by the use of a green screen again in a studio. Shadows are also another convention of the music video as it makes it more realistic and interesting to the audience. Alison is portrayed in black this time wearing a blazer showing a more smart, sophisticated but mysterious side to her. The other artist (Jamie) is also shown in a smart traditional band stand style jacket, this fits in with the themes of the song.

Shot 4- In this shot Alison is wearing a blonde 60's style wig with sunglasses. This may may be a reference to some of her influences as an artist. Footage shown in the background is also edited to an old 60's style film with interference across the shot. The glasses and leopard print scarf connote a wild charasmatic side to her. The red lips suggest an attractive side and that she likes to present her self well. However the smudged makeup also suggests an emotional side to her and portray her feelings.

Shot 5- This shot shows Jamie in a military style jacket playing the drums, this fits in with the themes of the music video already created. A shot of him has been cloned 4 times to show us 4 of the same image but two with different jackets on, this is affective as it confuses the audience and makes them look twice at the artist. The drum symbolises the love for music and the close up of Alison on the screen behind shows the more emotive side.

Shot 6- This shot shows a green background with a long shot of the two artists. The green background may connote envy and the two artists are wearing the same military style suits. The background screen shows a mid shot of Jamie dancing in robot style movements and the two artists are dancing in a similar style on screen. The puppet style dance movements show a form of control and add a quirkiness to the video. It makes it more intresting and adds a fun element to the video.

Shot 7- One convention often used is a shadow effect as shown in this shot. A simple long shot of the artist can be made very effective by the shadow effect. A guitar and amp are shown in the shot showing the importance of music to the band and to suggest that they play all their instruments and are showing their fans everything they have. The shadow effect adds a dark mystery look which could be interpretated to some of the ideas in their music.

Shot 8- This shot uses one of the features we are hoping to use in our video by using writing on the screen. The bold red typography helps make it easier for the audience to join in and as a marketing feature helps the song stick in the audiences head. Again a shadow is used adding a mysterious seductive view towards Alison. She is wearing laid back clothes which suggests her calm outlook on life but her makeup suggests that she cares about what she looks like and maybe what people think of her. The bright eye shadow makes the shot fun and exciting and the direct mode of address makes it more personal to the audience.

Shot 9- This shot is edited to match with the 60's theme aimed for. A monochrome silhoutte type image is layered on top of the video footage to create the effect. Half the normal footage is visable with the other half being the edited part. The background image on the screen is blured out to create the contrast between the two shots. And the bright colours used help identify the different elements of the shot. This shot portrays the quirkiness and surealism the band were aiming for and adds an 'art student' creative type image towards the band.