Planning Lighting and Colour

Before we start filming our music video we have to consider the lighting we want to use in each scene. Deciding what lighting we want to use is especially important when we are considering the scenes which will be filmed outside as we will be using natural light, so we have to make sure we film at the right time of day to get the right lighting effect we want.
Although in some scenes we plan to use very little lighting in order to give off a house party and club vibe, these shots will include some bright colours in clothing, make up and some special effects, so even though the lighting will be dark we will be able to get across the characteristics of the dance genre through these hints of bright colours. 


Natural/Dim lighting

We are likely to film the performance based side of the music video in slightly dim lighting to give a partially negative and gloomy spin on the video, as the lyrics of the song are putting the younger generation down. So we will film these shots in a forest or open field in the afternoon/evening, and the coverage from the trees will also help to create the shadowed gloomy effect. Although we plan to film these shots in dim lighting, it will be natural lighting, that is why the time we film these shots is important. By using natural lighting it adds a sense of realism as it makes it more realistic to the audience, so this may appeal to them as it enables them to relate to the artist. Natural lighting will be a big benefit for our production as in the outside environment we would not be able to bring lighting which needs to be plugged in, so the natural lighting is useful and neccessary, so we we will have to be careful when planning what time we will film to make our music video more effective.



Red Filter

In some of the first few shots we plan to put a red filter or tint over the footage in order to give an eerie and destructive vibe as the artists eyes flash on to the screen. We want this red filter to make the shot which flashes on screen for a few second look disjointed and make the eyes look more bloodshot, which will connote ideas that the artist has been awake for a long time and possibly on drugs. Coloured filters are often used in music videos, but a red filter is not a conventional lighting or colour use in music videos as it is quite a dark colour which connotes things of an evil sense, which is not what dance music videos usually want to conntoe as they prefer to show a happy dance and club vibe.

Due to using natural lighting later in the day, a lot of our music video will be shot in low key lighting, and in the party scenes we will purposefully create low key lighting in order to make it look like the inside of a club, which is a common feature of dance music videos.
We may use some high key lighting in shots which have the main girl in them in order to connote ideas of innocence and purity. But our music video will mainly stick to the use of low key lighting as there will be many references to drugs, alcohol and smoking in it, which are often given a dark effect to connote the damaging effects that these substances can have on people.

 

 

We will use many different colours throughout our music video as this is conventional to a dance music video due to the usual atmospheres of clubs, raves and parties. We plan to use sparklers in some of our party scenes, so when we edit our footage we will be able to make these sparklers (which will be used outside) stand out more to create a fun and playful vibe. I think the use of sparklers will help to make our music video look like a professional dance music video as it will make the teenagers in the dance scenes look wild and out of control. Also, the sparklers will help our production look more effective as during the editing process we will be able to add a blurring effect and this will connote the idea that the teenagers in the party scene are seeing through blurry drunk and distorted eyes.

 

To add to the conventions of a dance music video we will also use live footage from a concert which includes lots of coloured and strobe lighting which will link to the beat of the song and will help my music video follow the dance conventions. The footage is not still and this also adds the distorted and lively atmosphere and also helps to distort the lighting adding to the drunk teenage theme. This lighting will also excite the audience and make them want to see our artist live due to the lively and fun atmosphere.