Meeting The Director: Jake Wynne

Jake Wynne is a director who has worked on music videos for Geri Halliwell and Stereophonics. We were fortunate that he came to talk to us about his experience in the media industry, in specific his work as an editor and director. It was a great oppurtunity to get to know him before our music video shoot.

The key things I learnt from Jake's talk are:

• Beauty shots are very important, and most often need to be included in music videos to promote the singer/band in the most positive way possible. Beauty shots are composed to make the singers face appear almost flawless, with minimal shadows and excess lighting. These shots are something I will try to include in the music video I make next year.

• Work days are long and tiring, but it's the directors job to keep the energy and enthusiasm up, to produce the best video possible.
• That a lot of the creative control lies with the record company paying for the video, and the band have little input themselves, especially when they're first starting out in the industry.
• He taught us the importance of creating a brand for the artist, and you are practically selling the artist by making them as appealing as possible.
• I learnt that it takes lots of time and input to become a recognised figure in the industry, and that work experience is one of the most useful ways into the industry.
• He made the Nojahoda video as his showcase music video, as it was his first time directing. It was an adventurous video with a complex narrative and it highlighted his editing and story telling talents. He suggested however that we do not create something like this for our own music video as it becomes very complicated and time consuming.
• It's beneficial to get lots of shots and more footage than you think you need as then you always have options when it comes to editing and you don't have to re-shoot (which could cost a lot of money).

Here is his Nojahoda video which is very visually interesting and well edited:

An Effective Music Video

I am analysing Hero by Enrique Iglesias (directed by Joseph Kahn): 


Instant Impact


The music video immediately starts off with a car quickly driving past along an empty american highway, with the edges of the screen slightly faded, which makes it appear like a movie screen. This editing technique tells the viewer that the video is going to be very story line based straight away. This also intrigues the viewer to find out where to car is going and why it's going  so fast. 

Non-linear Editing


The music video is constantly cutting between scenes, showing little connection between the two sets of characters until the second half of the video. There is still some sort of chronological order as the video seems to tell the story of the couple encountering the 'antagonist'. The shots seem to jump between the story, and single shots of the singer as he appears to be performing the song, even though he is also part of the story-line. There are also shots cutting between the couple on the bed, and them in the car (which can't possibly be happening at the same time) and so is an example of non-linear editing.


Repetitions


The video has quite a few repeated shots of the couple as they're driving, and of the money flying around in the back seat. We also see a few close ups of the antagonist, strong male leader to show his threatening dominance in the story. There are also repetitions of the surrounding shots, with a lot of focus being put on the rural, desert setting


Popular Culture


Both Mickey Rourke and Jennifer Love Hewitt star in the music video, and as they are both big film stars it is a large reference to popular culture and will attract many fans of the actors to watch the music video, benefiting the artist.

Visual Pleasures:


Enrique Iglesias is considered visually pleasing my many women and men around the world, and so he is the main feature of the video. Jennifer Love Hewitt is also attractive and will draw a strong male audience, especially because of her costume and overall look (the same going for Enrique). The setting, with strong vibrant colours and quite dramatic changes between sun and rain, can be considered to be aesthetically pleasing as it's something the audience will not get to see everyday, and the sunset is quite iconic.


Strong Sense of Artist Identity:


He is known for being quite romantic and sensual, and so his video reflects that with the main theme being a relationship in which he fights in honour of his girlfriend/wife when they are threatened by Mickey Rourkes character. In his other videos he is often featured with women, and a lot of focus is put on their intimacy. The theme of romance is also popular with pop artists, so this video stays within his music genre.


A Performance:


The video almost doesn't make a big deal out of the music performance, choosing to focus on the storyline and acting instead. Enrique plats a role, and it seems like most of the time, he is in character rather than being just a singer. The desert surroundings and dramatic lighting help add to the performance, making it more effective. As actors are involved the acting is also very dramatic, with the death of the protagonist (Enrique) occuring at the end. There are no dance routines involved in the video, with the only real music attribute being his occasional lip-syncing along. 


WOW Factor!


The wow factor in this music video is the ending where a dramatic shoot off happens, with Enriques character getting shot. The setting of the video also contributes to the wow factor as the landscape is quite impactful with strong colours and lighting, especially when the rain suddenly pours down at the end, and this fits with the meaningful lyrics and music.

Provoke a Rection


The video is quite sexual and so may provoke a reaction from an audience who don't appreciate anything too riske. The death at the end is also included to provoke a reaction, as the audience has been made to like his character so it is even more devastating that he then dies. As the female character begins to cry quite dramatically this creates a tragic emotion which translates onto the viewer.


Works On Different Levels


This video works on different levels because it's a story as well as a performance, and it shows the flaws in society, that evil people are allowed to exist and murder others. It tells a story as well as just being a music video which is a great aspect to feature and allows the video to have another dimension and depth to it which isn't there when the main focus is singing and dancing.