Planning lighting and colour

Lighting is largely important to consider when producing our music video as it will be used to portray the mood and atmosphere of each scene. The colour that is created by the different lighting techniques can also be used to present juxtapositions and connotations and will help to indicate the artist and narrative as well as any hidden meanings behind the actions or lyrics. The lighting is also more important to our group due to the song that we have chosen to create our music video for as the lyrics incorporate the idea of the 'sun' and is therefore vital that we have considered linking the lyrics and visuals throughout. 

We have used naturalistic light throughout our music video to give a believable and realistic view of the scene. This, we hope, will lead to the audience being able to relate to the video more easily and therefore make it easier for them to put themselves in the situation and to connect with the characters and events. We filmed the graveyard scenes in the daylight to contrast the lyrics 'the sun don't shine' and we angled the camera so that the sun could be seen in each shot that we used to remind the audience of the links to the song. For scenes that show the good times of the relationship we have filmed in the dark which again contrasts the lyrics of the song. This contrast will help to show the audience the good and bad times of the relationship and make it easier for the audience to understand and interpret. Our decision to use naturalistic light however goes against the conventions of the house genre that we have chosen. House and dance tends to focus on artificial club lighting techniques as this is where this genre of music would typically be played and enjoyed. It is however the right decision for the narrative based concept that we have adopted for our music video as we have broken the conventions of the genre throughout. For this reason however we also have used sections of artificial lighting to remind the audience of the genre as well as following the beats of the music. It will also increase the entertainment value for the audience as it will introduce a party element and therefore making it easier for them to enjoy, rather than a continuous narrative based focus. 

We have used colours within our music video in order to give a sense of foreboding of the unfolding events. For example we have dressed the female character in black clothing as it gives the character a sense of mystery and holds the connotations of death, foreboding her death within the narrative. It poses questions for the audience and makes them unsure of the following scenes that they will witness, creating a sense of the unknown which will increase the entertainment element for the audience. This is paired with a pair of jeans to give the character a sense of normality so that the audience feel as if it is real and therefore more easy to relate to. 

The decisions that we have made regarding lighting and colour have been discussed by all group members so that all our ideas could be incorporated. We felt that is was important to communicate hidden meanings in the lyrics etc through the use of different aspects such as lighting and colour which is why this kind of planning is important. This will give the audience a fuller understanding of the narrative as well as the song which will add to the entertainment value. It will continue to add to the relationship that the audience have built with the narrative and the artist.