After looking at previous students music videos, I have chosen one which I think was very successful.

This music video is for Billie Eilish’s “Bury a Friend”. After watching it a few times, I was able to identify some features which I really liked and what I thought made the media so successful. These are listed below:

• The lip syncing is pretty much perfect. This creates the impression that the star in the video is actually singing the words you hear.
• The narrative is very clear and the Mise en Scene used fits very well. This is important as it allows the audience to be fully engaged and know what is happening. The video is set in the underground hospital which I believe is a perfect fit for the type of song it is. The student has clearly thought very clearly about the Mise en Scene. For example the props (chains, scissors, etc), make up (messy hair and ruined makeup) and the costume (large white hospital gown).
• The shots are very varied which makes the music video very interesting. Some of my favorites include a close of the stars face, using depth of field when filming the scissors and a wide shot to show the location (establishing shot).
• The editing of the clips match the timing of the music.
• There are some very cool editing techniques. I really like when the star is edited to provide another figure. This creates the look of a ghost. When the image in the clips distort it also creates lots of interest. It is very unique and follows the style of music. Another editing skill I loved was when the eye of the star is taken and rotated to merge into another clip. This was very interesting and excited me as the audience.

From looking at the music video above and watching other previous students work, I have been able to learn things that I can use when creating my music video:

• I need to make sure that my star knows the lyrics of the song so that the lip syncing matches the sound.
• I need to consider who I use for the star to make sure they perform well and tell the narrative right. Some actors were not very confident or were not very expressive. This impacted the way in which the narrative was understood.
• The Mise en Scene needs to be well thought about to ensure that it follows and helps to tell the story. This includes considering the location, costumes and props.
• I need to include various different camera shots to make it as interesting as possible.
• The editing needs to be in time with the music and must follow the genre of music. For example, you don’t want quick shots in a slow, ballad song.