1st draft analysis

This is the first draft of our music video recreation, 'Hall of Fame' by The Script.

Within the video we have tried to display the message of 'work hard and you will succeed' through the use of a sports theme. We felt that a sports theme would best convey the message we are trying to achieve due to the effort that successful athletes put in to winning races, something we have tried to display in this video. This message that we attempt to put across is very similar to that of 'The American dream' which states that anyone can go 'from rags to riches'. This view emphasises the belief that anyone can achieve greatness through hard work and dedication, which makes it appropriate for our video.

Also, within the video we have displayed a link between the visuals and the lyrics, in order to emphasise the message of the video whilst also trying to display to the audience the plot of our video as well as improving our visuals and providing a link to the song. An example of this is towards the start of the video, as they sing, "you can be the King Kong banging on your chest", and we display Ben as the artist of the song punching his chest in time with the lyrics, further promoting the link of visuals and lyrics.

(00. 26)

We have also displayed a link between the visuals and the music, and the beat of the song. Doing this, I feel, really enhances the quality of the video as the visuals flow well with the beat of the song, and is pleasing on the eye due to the rate at which the clips are shown. I used this to great effect in this video through the use of 'rapid cutting' on 'Final Cut Pro', as I inter-twined the clips of Ben running alone with the clips of him running with the personal trainer. This displayed the contrast of the two bits of training, and created a smooth flow between clips as it matched up with the beat of the song well.

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(1.28 - 1.31)

In addition to the 'rapid cutting' signifying the link with the music, it also highlights the change from dark to light, which is used to represent a 'change in fortune' for the athlete. We used this contrast from dark to light to display the improvement of the athlete, and that the second race would be the successful one. This sudden change of colours hints to the viewer that the outcome of the second race will be different, and that the training the athlete goes through helps him to achieve his goals in the end. This contrast in colours ties in well with Claude Levi-Strauss' 'Binary Oppositions' theory, in which two opposites signify the contrast between good and bad. Within the making of our video we took this into consideration, and we show how the 'Black vs. White' contrast further enhances the message of succeeding through hard work as the athlete loses the first race, which is shown in a darker shade, before winning the second race, shown in a lighter shade.

Furthermore, as well as the change in colour, the athletes actions and character development through the video again give the audience a hint at the outcome of the second race. We made this noticeable in the beginning of the two races, as we portrayed how the athlete had his head down in the build up to the first race, to imply a lack of confidence and belief; in contrast to, the athlete having his head up prior to the second race, to suggest new found confidence, and a will to succeed.   

(0.33) and (1.45)

We also had the idea of the plaque in the video as a symbolism for a 'hall of fame', in which the athlete of the video is striving to succeed and write himself into the hall of fame. In doing so, we knew that this footage would tie in well with the motive of the lyrics, and also cleverly tie in with the songs title.

(2.24)

Finally, the footage of the artist is used by us as we felt the need to conform to the conventions of typical music videos, in which the artist themselves play a dominant role in the visuals of the video. We felt that merging the clips of the athlete and the artist throughout the filming would help us conform to these stereotypes, and make it clear to the viewer what we are trying to achieve. As Ben plays both roles, we needed to make sure the viewer can distinguish between each character, and so the use of clothing helps us do so. The athlete is seen wearing typical sporty clothing, in comparison to the stylish but casual wear of the artist, as well as the glasses. Also, the location of the two characters help display the difference between the two, as the athlete is filmed over on a field to highlight his training and running, whilst the artist is filmed in a hall.

To improve on the next copy of our video we plan to...

* Finish the races by gaining footage of the end results of the races

* Film and add the ending 

* Fill all missing scenes

* Film more clips of the artist as some are repetitive