Saturday, 7 May 2011
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Analysis: Nikon Advert
This video uses music very well to create atmosphere and emotion. It's based on memories and experiences that people can relate to.I think it is important to try and bring back memories to sell something. If people feel they have a personal link to the product, they are surely more likely to buy it.
The use of the handheld camera is why I mainly chose to look at this. It manages to be a successful piece of footage despite not doing anything particularly ground breaking. There are very short stills, presumably not to break up rhythm.
The style is 'home video', but the image and sound quality is very high and obviously works for this purpose. I am intruiged as to whether this could work to promote a city though. I said earlier about the importance of memories, and home videos have an intrinsic link with memories. This is something that could be exploited for promotional video.
In this video, the part where Robbie speaks is excellent, and demonstrates what I would try to do by recording sounds of the city and placing them over a soundtrack. I mentioned this previously in a video analysis of a Tokyo video.
It's almost a shame that this video is an advert because it is of such quality!
The use of the handheld camera is why I mainly chose to look at this. It manages to be a successful piece of footage despite not doing anything particularly ground breaking. There are very short stills, presumably not to break up rhythm.
The style is 'home video', but the image and sound quality is very high and obviously works for this purpose. I am intruiged as to whether this could work to promote a city though. I said earlier about the importance of memories, and home videos have an intrinsic link with memories. This is something that could be exploited for promotional video.
In this video, the part where Robbie speaks is excellent, and demonstrates what I would try to do by recording sounds of the city and placing them over a soundtrack. I mentioned this previously in a video analysis of a Tokyo video.
It's almost a shame that this video is an advert because it is of such quality!
Analysis: UK 24hrs
Uk 24hrs from Chris Boyes on Vimeo.
The shots at the beginning are exactly the sort of shots I would like to initially try to emulate. Some of them remind me of The Apprentice, others remind me of docu-drama filler shots.
I feel I would be able to do these shots better as my video has an intended purpose, so I can film with a use and audience in mind.
While I think this video is well filmed, I criticise it for not doing what it says on the tin. It is sold as 'London to Leeds', but is half London, then half... somewhere inbetween? There are no shots of Leeds. This is only a minor issue, but it is important not to mis-sell a video. Additionally, the video does not depict a journey particularly well.
What it does do though is capture life well. By slowing down some shots and showing long, every day scenes, the monotony of every day life is demonstrated. One might assume therefore that to do the opposite, ie to speed up shots and have short shots would imply vibrancy and life.
The film is one of contrasts. Initially, somewhat desaturated shots put negativity onto the city, but full colour shots bring life to the country. It is interesting how colour can affect emotion and I'd like to explore this in videos I make about Leeds.
Monday, 25 April 2011
Analysis: Tokyo Tomorrow
Tokyo Tomorrow from Jon Bryant on Vimeo.
I chose to look at this video as it was filmed in the space of 48 hours, and in one of the world's busiest cities. So how does the video maker portray a pulsating city when he has just 48 hours to film it?
The video opens with a simple lift and a slow pan across reception. The timelapse is good though- both this video and New York Mindlapse video show that timelapse can help capture city life perfectly.
This video has relatively long shots, which makes Tokyo seem relaxed. It also shows traditional scenes mixed with modern, so I'm not sure what the intended purpose of the video is. Some scenes are serene, others are busy.
The use of the escalator is good. Most amateur videos cannot afford expensive equipment so it's good to use the resources already around you.
I don't think the video maker has got the music choice right. I'd like to hear the sounds of the city, not synthetic music. I believe I could improve on this by taking sounds of the city and putting them over the video.
I also dislike the use of fades. Fades can work, but they are not particularly natural. I can imagine this footage working on a holiday programme or potentially a travel documentary. Towards the end of the video, I think some of the shots are underused and thus unnecessary. I like the close up of the taxi though and depicting unique features of a cityscape can help imply identity.
Friday, 22 April 2011
Analysis: UK Tour - Leeds
There are aspects of this video I really like. I think the video works well as a whole, but feels almost incomplete. It's as if it is almost the establishing or closing shots from a longer programme. If it were those, they would be great though.
The journey into Leeds makes a natural introduction to the city, and the style it has been filmed in works. The video itself serves no purpose though, but if it were to I can envisage it in two scenarios. Some clips would work really well in creative documentaries, such as those high quality documentaries narrated by Andrew Marr, accompanied by sweeping aerial shots and packed with statistics.
Another use for it could be as an introduction to a drama. It reminds me of the opening shots in 'This is England', which I am sure is helped by the choice of music.
One thing that it does though is make it feel as if you're leaving the safety of London and entering into an alien world. It would be my aim to turn this around, and give it a sort of 'arriving home' or 'welcome' feel- perhaps one that attempts to build excitement. Unlike with reportage, I feel promotional videos need to communicate a sense of place to the viewer; one where they can really engage with the environment.
Whatever the case, I do feel that this video has given me ideas on introducing films.
The journey into Leeds makes a natural introduction to the city, and the style it has been filmed in works. The video itself serves no purpose though, but if it were to I can envisage it in two scenarios. Some clips would work really well in creative documentaries, such as those high quality documentaries narrated by Andrew Marr, accompanied by sweeping aerial shots and packed with statistics.
Another use for it could be as an introduction to a drama. It reminds me of the opening shots in 'This is England', which I am sure is helped by the choice of music.
One thing that it does though is make it feel as if you're leaving the safety of London and entering into an alien world. It would be my aim to turn this around, and give it a sort of 'arriving home' or 'welcome' feel- perhaps one that attempts to build excitement. Unlike with reportage, I feel promotional videos need to communicate a sense of place to the viewer; one where they can really engage with the environment.
Whatever the case, I do feel that this video has given me ideas on introducing films.
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