I am a Video Editor – and one of the things (probably the main thing) that inspired me to work in television post production was actually music videos.

Music videos are one of my favourite things in the world and I spent hours and I MEAN literally hours when I was growing up watching them Even now in the modern world, I can find myself getting lost on YouTube watching music videos for hours on end – they are an addiction.

This month we are looking at the band that I used to love when I was at college. At the age of seventeen, i really got into the world of NME and the Klaxons I think were one of the first alternative bands that wasn’t rock that I actually liked. I really liked their style of music and the way that that videos were so unique and bizarre. Even now all these years later when I hear their songs or watch their videos I can remember the feeling, smells and emotions I had, it is weird but it is true. I wanted to dedicate a month to their music videos because I was addicted to them as they were so unique and striking that I would watch them so many times.

.

Klaxons – Echoes

Why did you choose this particular video?

When a band release a new album it is always interesting to see how their style in the videos change and it is interesting to see that they still keep a similar style throughout even though they have a new member a drummer in this video. I like the fact that you can tell that they are promoting a new chapter whilst also keeping in some elements that make them uniquely the Klaxons.

So, what is the narrative?

The video sees the band performing in the desert whichi s actually located in Farafra, Egypt. The video actually premiered on Channel 4 as part of an exclusive for 4Music and then released onto social media platforms afterwards.

Favourite parts of the video?

At the beginning of the music video there is this long shot establishing shot that is on the screen for actually quite a while as it goes with the introduction of the song. I like the fact that light flares again are playing an important part in this video and you see them throughout taking a key spot in the visuals. I really like the colour grade in this video as well, it is obvious that this has been shot in the sunset or sunrise but the emphasis on the purples and peach colours make it very interesting to watch.

The one thing that is good about this music video in some ways is the actual location as it means that a lot of one shot pans can be used to transition between the members of the band playing different instruments. It is quite unusual for music videos to have these shots that are continuous instead of constant cutting so it makes a fun viewing experience.

Just like a lot of the Klaxons videos that we have discussed this month, there are sections of their videos that come across as erratic and this is no different. Throughout the video there are these really shaky camera movements that create this really dramatic part of the video and really emphasises the chorus on the track and allows to to truly appreciate it in a different way.

One thing that this video uses a lot of near the end is these dissolves between all these shots of the dessert without the band and it creates this really eerie section which works well with that part of the track. The intertwining of shots that have this bright sunlight as part of it create this really effective montage and it is immersed with timelapse shots as well.