By Jamie Tilsley

MTV MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS EXTENSION TASK

MTV VMA BEST EDITING AWARDS

For the 2015 MTV VMA’s best editing award went to Beyonce for her music video 7/11. The nominees for the award were

•Winner: Beyoncé- “7/11”

•ASAP Rocky – "L$D" (Editor: Dexter Navy)

•Ed Sheeran – "Don't" (Editor: Jacquelyn London)

•Skrillex and Diplo (featuring Justin Bieber) – "Where Are Ü Now" (Editor: Brewer)

•Taylor Swift (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – "Bad Blood" (Editor: Chancler Haynes at Cosmo Street)

TASK

• For this task I have been asked to pick out the editing techniques used within the winner of the 2015 MTV VMA’s best editing award: “7/11” by Beyoncé. By doing so, I will better understand the role editing has in a successful music video and will be more able to implement the techniques shown into my own music video in the most effective way possible. I will also state why I personally think this music video won the awards, stating why it beat its other nominees.

• Beyoncé: 7/11 music video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4YRWT_Aldo

REVERSING FOOTAGE

• The use of reversing the footage is seen in this music video quite often. Instead of doing the same dance moves twice in a row, the foot age is simply reversed and then played forwards again. It is effective as it matches up the dancing with the music without cutting to a new scene and it keeps the flow of the video as it is the same clip.

SPEEDING UP FOOTAGE

• By speeding up clips the clips are shortened, leaving room for more footage to be used. Also, the clips that are sped up seem to be mostly ones where Beyoncé claps, this may be in order to match up the clapping sound with the snare noises of the song. It makes Beyoncé appear to be dancing fast too, matching her up to the tempo and pace of the song.

CUTS

• There are many cuts from the same camera position but Beyoncé is moved around the room as she moves and the film is cut, not showing her movement, giving an illusion as if she is teleporting to different locations.

WHY IT WON

• I believe this particular music video won because it achieves in making very normal settings such as hotel rooms and bedrooms, very interesting. The heavy use of cuts, reversing and speeding up of footage makes for a music video which fits very well with the song it is accompanying. The fact Beyoncé is also extremely popular adds to the interest that we actually see her in very normal situations bodes well with viewers as they get a rare view of the singer and she becomes more relatable.

MTV VMA BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARDS

The award for the 2015 best cinematography at the MTV VMA’s went to: “Flying Lotus (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – "Never Catch Me" (Director of Photography: Larkin Seiple)

The runners up for the award were:

•Alt-J – "Left Hand Free" (Director of Photography: Mike Simpson)

•FKA Twigs – "Two Weeks" (Director of Photography: Justin Brown)

•Ed Sheeran – "Thinking Out Loud" (Director of Photography: Daniel Pearl)

•Taylor Swift (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – "Bad Blood" (Director of Photography: Christopher Probst)

TASK

• For the second half of this task I will be evaluating the use of cinematography for the music video of “Flying Lotus (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – "Never Catch Me" (Director of Photography: Larkin Seiple). I will be showing the use of different shots within the music video and how they are useful for creating a good music video. I will also be stating why I think the music video won in the category.

• Music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXD0vv-ds8

PAN SHOTS

• The camera is hardly stationary throughout the music video as there is excessive use of moving shots. An example of this is pan shots. The camera moves horizontally whilst focusing on a certain object or person. This is shown here through multiple scenes- a man is sitting at a pew as the camera moves horizontally. These types of shots have the ability to make a motionless scene become more interesting, as the camera moves instead of the things in the shot. This is used widely in the video to make scenes with no action more gripping.

ZOOM

• The use of zooming in or out in the music video gives focus to the centre of the screen and allows us to gain a new perspective on the scene, whether that be from closer or further away. Here the technique is used in order to give the sense of movement through the isles as a funeral is in session. The camera brings a closer view to the coffins as the deceased placed inside, climb out and start to dance.

HANDHELD SHOT

• The handhold shot can be subtle yet effective, as shown here. There is no tripod used and the camera is only held by the cameraman, hence the name. The shot gives slight movement to the scene with the sway being produced by the cameraman's slight body movements. It gives more of a natural feeling like the viewer may be in the scene, with natural body movements making the camera feel more human like. It can however be bad in some cases as it takes the viewer out of the scene as they notice the swaying of the camera and it may give an unprofessional appearance.

UP TILT

• The up tilting shot gives a new perspective to the shot, and often starts with the bottom of something such as someone's feet, and then gives more information later by tilting up to reveal the persons face. The tilting upwards can make the viewer feel small as they look up to something in the shot and are placed below it. Here the effect is used with silhouettes placed above the viewer. This can give the viewer an uneasy feeling as they are given mysterious characters who are placed in a position of dominance. It adds to the story and entertainment of the music video, keeping the audience engaged.

WHY IT WON

• I believe the music video for Flying Lotus’ Never catch me was a winner in the cinematography category as it was filled with constant movement and shots to keep the video interesting. The whole video is a moving piece with planned out shots which all have purpose in making the music video worthy of winning an MTV award for best cinematography.