Post 7 - Low Budget Ideas

Low Budget Idea Videos

For some low budget ideas for my own music video I will be analyzing another A2 music video which received high marks. I will be analyzing it to get some inspiration for some quick, helpful and easy ideas for my music video.

 A-ha! Imogen Heap



Right at the beginning, the first long shot is quite powerful in itself. It is very effective as the head coming up is in sync with the music. The circle of light that is surrounding the girl draws us directly to her which then leads us on to looking at the shadows. The shadowing from the leaves and vines in front of the girl is highly effective and can easily be replicated by old pieces of twigs and branches. The lighting plays a major role in this low budget idea as it helps build up the eerie atmosphere to the music video as a whole.

Another low budget idea that I think looks really effective is the use of fast paced editing. Going from one clip to another really quickly helps build up the atmosphere and tension to the video. Doing it in time with the music also helps as it all runs in together and you feel like you are part of the piece of work. Also, because the clips have a shaky feel to them it makes the audience feel more on edge and it makes them almost mesmerized by the piece.







I also think that because the whole music video has been edited to become quite dark it continues to carry the eerie vibe along the way. Within the video we only really see low key lighting shots with the occasional bright lighting. We only see certain dashes of colour at certain points when the viewer needs it. I believe the use of red on the fingernails and lips were a good choice as red portrays anger, violence and also sometimes love. This then connects in with the meaning and lyrics to the music.


One low budget idea that I have been inspired by because I had never really thought about doing it, is the idea of over layering clips. I feel that it is an effective way of almost disorientating the audience and it fits into the genre of this piece really well. The way they have kept with the idea of everything being dark and eeerie makes the over layering of the images/clips fit in nicely.


The Fix - Just Got Paid

Another Video that I looked at for some low budget ideas was an A2 version of The Fix 'Just Got Paid'. This video is highly successful in sticking with the conventions and connecting with the audience.

Throughout the video they have stuck to the stereotypical conventions of their music videos genre. At the beginning we get little clips of each of the members of the boy band. This helps the audience identify themselves with each member so that they know who the artists of the video are. The way they are sorting themselves out in the mirror is a low budget idea but it is very effective as it just looks like they are doing their own thing but we are almost invading upon that. We then get a shot of all of the boy band together which looks professional as this is a stereotypical convention of boy bands.

Another low budget idea that I feel is effective is the use of lighting. The way they have the bright lights in between them at the beginning gives the video a professional element. It also silhouettes the boys giving the beginning a more mysterious feel.  The lights then continue to get used throughout the video especially when the boy band are performing. When they are dancing, the use of the lighting makes it seem as if the band are in a studio of some sort which follows the stereotypical conventions.

Also adding to this point, the way the boys have made up their own dance fits in with the conventions nicely as this is what you would expect to see from this genre of music. This is an easy idea to do but the effects are much greater. By doing this you can also tell the effort that they have put into the video is of a higher quality.



One other thing that this A2 group has done which i felt fitted in well with the conventions is the fact that each band member had a character which gives them a personality to portray. They all had a part in the video and no one was left out. When they lip synched to the music each person had a certain voice from the song itself which made the continuity better. This also helped link in with the whole boy band feel to the piece.