Effective Camera Shots

I visited the website YouTube to find videos which use shots that I think are memorable and in general look professional. I tried to search for a range of music genres as at this stage the group haven't decided on a song to choose for our video. This will hopefully help us decide on a genre for our video and hopefully narrow that down to a song choice. The videos chosen are all fairly popular which I think shows they are professionally made and therefore the shots used can be mimicked to some extent for our video.

Coldplay - Every Teardrop is a Waterfall - Click for link

This clip is from 0.00 - 0.06 of the music video, it was shot in downtown Los Angeles and the city skyline with the sun rising is very effective. I believe this as it's the start of the day and therefore the start of the song. This type of Wide Shot works when there is a slow start as it's subtle and allows the music to build up as the sun rises up the image. Using a similar shot in my video however, will take time as the sun rises slowly and would use a lot of film, it is still a possible shot which can be done if it fits the chosen song.

Ed Sheeran - The A Team - Click for link

This shot is very powerful and shows a lot of emotion. This connotes with the song as it is based on a homeless woman who has a heroin addiction, and is also a prostitute. The Close Up shot of her face shows her teary eyes and worried facial expression, I believe this is effective as it enables the viewer to see how she has no choice of the life she lives. The black and white effect gives her a dark persona, which could show she see's no way of escaping her lifestyle. The frightened expression however, helps the audience realise she doesn't want to carry on in this way, and therefore sympathy is evoked from the shot.

Wretch 32 - Don't Go- Click for link

This shot shows a reflection of Wretch 32 in a puddle. The shot itself may be based as a point of view shot for Wretch 32, the fact it is a reflection may emphasise how the singer is in a reflective or sorrow state of mind. There is also a use of over-cranking during this shot which adds to the reflective or even regretful persona of Wretch 32. I like this effect as it prolongs the feeling of regret which is the basis of the whole song.


Kanye West - Jesus Walks - Click for link

The video to this song portrays the discrimination towards African-Americans. This shot shows a chain of slaves marching together, with them also marching to the heavy beat of the song. I believe this is effective as the video corresponds to the track, which helps the song and video flow easily. The black and white effect used also adds to the dark persona of the song, which I believe creates a powerful message to the audience about the terrible times of the slave era.

Jay Z - Empire State of Mind - Click for link


The use of a cross dissolve is a very nice effect in this video. The way it changes from Alicia Keys playing the piano to the city of New York may be used to show a change in time, if not the way it has been shot definately shows a sense of professionalism. The location was chosen to pay homage to the hometown according to Alicia Keys and Jay Z. I like the idea of using a cross dissolve as it can show two different people in different situations, which is common in many music videos.

All images were taken from videos on Youtube.com