Viewing the Artist/Protagonist
In the video 'End Credits' by Chase and Status ft. Plan B, Plan B is supposedly dead and the video shows the events in the lead up to his death. During the video, it cuts from the narrative (scenes from the film Harry Brown) and focuses in with a close shot of Plan B himself singing directly into the camera and connecting with the audience. Only his neck upwards is presented as he mouths along the lyrics of the song. It is almost as if he is a ghost with a blank emotionless expression yet still singing whilst drifting up, with the background behind him getting further away showing this reference to death as in floating up to the sky. Although he is dead, this technique could be used as a sideline to the narrative/performance in my music video. By switching back to the lead singer or protagonist in the video, it gives the whole production diversity and also I could use a list of effects to dramatize the shot.
In Foals video 'Spanish Sahara', this notion of direct looking is repeated, as seen in the Chase and Status promo. Again, this emotionless stare is seen. The framing is nicely done also. His face is cut off at his chin and middle of his forehead, so the viewer focuses on his mouth movement (singing) and notably his eyes, which grab the attention of the viewer. This is as a constant throughout the whole song, alongside other shot of the lead singer within the narrative. It shows a contrast between the storyline of the narrative and then brings it back to the whole point of the song-the performance. It keeps the viewer interested as well as allowing the artist to connect in a way with the audience.
Other ways in which the artist can be shown, other than a static close up shot, is them being foregrounded before the other band members as lead singers often take most of the attention. In 'Olympic Airways' by Foals (yes again), Yannis the lead singer is shown to be in focus at the front, with his band mates in the background almost bleached out. This gives the frontman the attention an spotlight as they are the ones singing the songs and where the words are coming from. It may also be an idea for a guitar solo/drum solo to be foregrounded with the others in the background, as that is their moment of glory and a fundamental part of a lot of tracks. This is also seen in my video analysis of 'Walk' where Dave Grohl is focused on for the majority of the video and at the end is privileged by the camera ie given much more exposure than the other band members.
In the climax to the chorus in Calvin Harris' 'Sweet Nothing' ft. Florence Welch, the camera pans around Florence who is doing a performance within a narrative in the environment of a dingy club. Whilst the performance is happening the beat is getting louder and more pumped up, there is a fight happening/argument in the sideline narrative. The camera quickly pans around Florence as if the room is spinning creating a sense of chaos and disillusionment but also shows how indulged she is in the performance This differs from when the track was much slower and there was a variation in fragmented close ups to show her vocals and movement. My point being that the shots can reflect the tone, atmosphere and pace of the music and has a large effect on how the video progresses/fits in with the track being played over the top of it. So if the track progresses then the camera shots must as well in terms of variety and frequency.
This idea of panning/tracking can also be seen in Miles Kane's "Come Closer". When he is on stage singing into the microphone, the camera veers round at a midshot to give an idea of perspective to the audience as well as exposing the performance side of the video as opposed to the narrative more closely. Another aspect of this video I picked up on was the tracking of characters when walking through corridors. It has a very dramatic effect to it and is as if the character is being introduced properly as you can see the whole appearance in slow motion. It also carries the status of power and importance so perhaps a lead singer could be identified this way in my video.
Performance Styles
Spector - 'Celestine'. Not only is the performance style and setting inspirational, other little touches such as the large text at the beginning saying "Vaguely Familiar, Here Today, Like Only Yesterday" in changing metallic colours, really add to the unique and original nature of the video. The band is firstly pictured in the desert which is actually so unoriginal but also authentic at the same time. The colours provide a nice contrast but the setting is almost perfect which makes me realise the importance of having a good setting. The band is completely set up as if a gig in a random location, which makes me think about having this..ideas such as woods and a town centre rush through my head. When the intro is over and the song actually starts, it is an energetic beginning. This is reflected in the editing of fast past cuts to show all of the instruments intimately that are being played in the middle of the desert so it achieves two points by doing this. 
Another example of performances in an unlikely location, are reflected in Bombay Bicycle Club's video 'Always Like This'. The band are shot in a variety of locations, with their instruments, playing in front of garages and shops at different times in the day. Another part of this video which makes it so unique is the editing. It is meant to look as if it is being fastforwarded and played on a retro camcorder. You see the play icon etc in the top corner and the the ellipsis of time through the fast forward button shows the transition of shots and when it is meant to be viewed as if from a camcorder, the screen is much more saturated and blurred which leaves it with a nice effect. Little clever things like this make the video seem so much more dramatic, but the reality is that they are easy things to do.
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