JC: My top 5 music videos...

Coldplay – the scientist

Whilst there isn’t anything too spectacular about the narrative within the video – except perhaps the car crash – the video is made effective by the way the in which the moving images are played in reverse, yet Chris Martin is signing the song normally. Whilst this would most probably be a step too far to use in our music video, a reverse narrative is an interesting concept and way to tell a story.

Empire of the Sun – we are the people

A number of the visual signifiers in the video relate to the death, and indeed the video is inspired by the Mexican holiday ‘Day of the Dead’. Whilst there might be some signs of disjuncture within the video, the lyrics ‘We are the people who rule the world’ suggest that there is an illustrative link between the lyrics and visuals, as the singer is wearing a headdress that connotes the idea that he is important, much like in Native America where they were worn to denote status. The location of the video itself might be hard to replicate, however a similar take on a lyric could be replicated in our piece.

The Verve – bittersweet symphony

Both the song and music video for Bittersweet symphony are regarded by many as classics. Whilst the predominant shot in the video is a tracking shot of the lead singer walking down a street, the actions that take place are interesting, both illustrating and amplifying the meaning of the song and the lyrics.

Radiohead – fake plastic trees

This video is a good example of disjuncture; whilst it has little relation to our chosen song by the Pigeon Detectives, it is one that interests me greatly, and has a clever meaning. This video, according to the director, is supposed to represent death and reincarnation.

Editors – papillon

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what this video is about. Nonetheless, it would not be hard to replicate as there are no real props needed – this could be done in London at some point. Furthermore, the number of camera shots that are covered would also ensure – provided they are carried out effectively – that technical aspects are covered, and so from a practical point of view this would be a good video to dissect...although I doubt that we'll be undertaking a video on practicality.