Director inspiration- Yoann Lemoine

Yoann Lemonine

Yoann Lemoine is a French music video director, graphic designer. His most notable works include his music video direction for Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", Taylor Swift's single "Back to December", and Lana Del Rey's "Born to Die".

Lana Del Rey- Born to Die

What first drew me to Lemonine's work was the 'Born to Die' music video by Lana Del Rey, released onto YouTube on 14th December 2011. As of the 19/07/16, this video has 267,912,078 views. The combination of shots, as well as effects which have been added to the video are especially effective, making this video particularly appealing for the audience. 

The makeup and costume, as well as props such as the lions create a superior persona for the artist. This video is mainly performance based, with elements of a narrative being included. The difference in lighting is also effective, with more intimate scenes in darker lighting to represent this, whereas when Lana is sat in a hall, the shots are crisp and clear, emphasising her facial features and expressions.

Katy Perry- Teenage Dream

Another video by this director is Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream' video. This video was released onto YouTube on 9th September 2010, and as of 19/07/2016 it has 45,161,548 views. This is another video which I find to be effective, because the retro/faded effects make the video effective to the audience, and this is the kind of effect I would like to include in my final video.

The aim of this video is to portray a 'teenage dream' and I definitely think that this was conveyed effectively through the use of intimate shots of Katy and a male actor, as well as the idea of Katy being 'free' and enjoying her life as a teen, with her partner and friends driving along a highway.

The shots here are almost as if they have been filmed by a hand held camera, as if the video is a memory of that teenage dream. The combination of shots of Katy and the male being intimate, whilst partying, conveys a teenage lifestyle well, and so this video has been directed to a high standard.

Taylor Swift- Back to December

The final video which I have chosen to look at by Yoann Lemoine is 'Back to December'. This video was released onto YouTube on 1st February 2011 and as of 19/07/2016 it has

136,380,738 views. 

I have noticed that this video, is cleverly set in a winter setting which is image and lyric cohesion. Secondly, something else which is effective, is the retro/faded effect on the video, which seems to be a running theme throughout all of Lemoine's videos. As I mentioned before, I really like the sepia/faded colour which has been used on the shots. Furthermore, the wide shots in the video are also particularly effective as it adds to the cinematic effects.

 

Also, on the walking shots, a steady cam has been used so the shots are smooth, so this has been directed to a very high standard. I also like again, how a relationship between a girl and a boy is portrayed, with a slight narrative being incorporated into the video. This is particularly effective. 

What I have learnt...

I really love Yoann Lemoine's videos. The way he captures the moments of a video and reflects the lyrics is of such a high quality. A theme which appears to run through these videos is that he seems to direct music videos which have a relationship within them. Furthermore, he also uses sepia/faded effects and widescreen cinematic footage in all 3 videos analysed, so this may be a running theme. This is something I have found to be particularly effective and has really inspired and reinforced the idea that I wish to include this effect in my own final video.