Use of camera..

Before we began filming I thought that it was vital that I researched into music videos to focus on the importance of camera angles and the way in which it was edited. I think this because in a video the basic shot of a camera can change the appearance of an actor, for example a low shot of a person can make it appear as though the person has power and authority over another, and a high shot of a person can suggest that the person is low in status and is an unimportant character to the plot. Having a range of different camera angles can sometimes lead to a different experience of the video and provoke an unexpected emotion. The use of different camera angles may effect the way that a particular scene is perceived, to do this the video may involve a variety of camera angles to reach the desired effect the director wants on his audience. So the same scene could be shot countless number of times.  

Rage Against The Machine's song 'Sleep Now In The Fire' is filled with a range of different camera angles and shots. 

• 00:00-00:06 - A high wide shot & gradual zoom. 
• 00:06-00:10 - Close up. 
• 00:12-00:33 - great use of high shots looking up at the New York Stock Exchange, high shots of the band, long & establishing shots to get a view of the band together, sets the scene vividly. 
• 00:33-00:39 - establishing shot to gradual zoom into a mid shot. 
• 00:39-01:31 - again a wide range of high shots, use of mid level shots, the camera becomes the point of view of the audience (low shot) looking up at the band suggesting their superiority over the crowd, also when they look down on the audience (high shot).
• 01:30-01:33 - circling birds eye view of the two characters standing opposite each other. 
• 01:33-01:47 - range of high & low shots, mid shots and two person shots. 
• 01:47-01:50 - sweep from mid shot to long shot and back to mid shot, the band member moves past the camera. 
• 01:58-02:06 - long shot, close up and a slight extreme close up of the band in an abstract background. 
• 02:06-03:53 - a montage of mostly long shots, mid shots and close ups of the band as well as the crowd and police officers. 

This video showing the crowd and the band performing, with the use of the camera angles makes it look as though it has been recorded by someone in the audience, it doesn't look as though it was planned. But it suits the video extremely well because it looks more realistic and driven by the atmosphere of the crowd which is a regular occurrence during a rock video. The jump cuts of different shots is realistic and appears unperfected unlike many other mainstream genre videos. I felt engaged with the video, therefore I think when filming our music video me MUST include a variety of camera angles to fully achieve the Indie Rock status that were hoping for.