Investigating the use of Close-ups within Music Videos

Today we looked at the types of shots used in music videos, and began by listing all of the shots we could think of:

• Close up
• Extreme close up
• Point of View (POV)
• High angle
• Low angle
• Long shot
• Mid shot
• Over the shoulder
• Crane/Bird's eye
• Tracking
• Panning
• Shot - Reverse - shot
• Establishing shot
  

We then watched 4 different music videos including:
~ Adele, 'Chasing Pavements' (Pop/Ballad)
~ McFly, 'Five Colours in her Hair' (Pop)
~ White Stripes, 'Seven Nation Army' (Rock)
~ Goyte, 'Somebody I Used to Know' (Pop/Indie)

 

 For all of these music videos, we observerd what types of shots were used. We found a common shot that was used amongst all content was the close-up; every video used it at least once.

Wikipedia definition: a close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography and the comic strip medium is a type of shot, which tightly frames a person or an object.

 

It is commonly employed to give a stronger connection between the audience and the artist, adding to the non-physical relationship they have with one another. They are usually of the artists face, but can also focus on certain body parts too, such as eyes, lips, hands etc to make the audience feel intimate with their idol.

 

 

This in turn will encourage more people to watch the music video, as there is a kind of curiosity as to what people actually look like, and by studying certain features, fans can start to build up an image in their head of what their looks like to them - developing their own interpretations.

It also holds connotations to focusing on the smaller details rather than the broader image, which is often very important in life as it is the small things which make a difference, however this will be interpreted differently by everyone. Overall it is an extremely important shot to include in a music video, and certainly one we will be employing within ours.