Effect Inspiration from Oh Wonder 'Drive'

Oh Wonder 'Drive' 

Oh Wonder wrote and produced a song called 'Drive'. This music was written and produced by the band, but it was Directed by Thomas James. He is a smaller director, illustrator and designer, based in London and has won numerous awards for his work, such as the British Art and Design Graduate of the Year in September 2010. What originally drew me to this video was the effects which had been added to the video post-production, and also the professional edits. 

I really like how Thomas James started the video, by using an establishing shot of a long road, which looks to be in the middle of no where. This almost sets the scene of the narrative. As well as this, the effect placed onto the footage has given it is sepia/yellow tone, to which the title and name of the artist has been placed over the top of the shot, in a sans-serif yellow front. The title 'Drive' is already reflected by the first shot the audience see, because the road is relevant to driving. 

I also really like the incorporated close up shots used throughout the video. This one in particular is effective because whilst she is driving along the highway, the music is playing from the radio, and so the sound is relevant to where the music is coming from, using diegetic sound. I think this is effective, because the music then kicks in fully so the audience can here it, which is non-diegetic sound.

A medium shot is presented of the car, again reinforcing the fact that this song's title is 'Drive' as the car acts as an iconic image. Again, the sepia effect is continued throughout this part of the video, and the old fashioned car represents the retro look that that this director has opted for.

I also found this part of the video to be particularly effective. This is because the slow motion used as well as the low key lighting, gives off a different ambience to the rest of the video. The fire is accentuated as it is bright, and the slow motion of the girl dancing has been executed well, as it almost represents a memory or flashback. This is something perhaps I could include in my final video, or even speed up my footage for effect.

Another shot I feel is effective is the long shot, to which the director has used a wide screen cinematic effect. This again portrays the location, as well as the distance between the two characters. This could metaphorically represent the distance they feel in their relationship. which is portrayed through this song.

I really like how Thomas James captured this establishing shot shown through a GIF shown below. The sun has just set, so the sky is a beautiful colour which is accentuated by the effect on the video. Furthermore, I also like how the lights inside the house draw emphasis to the house, and then the shot cuts to them inside the house. Again, the same effect is used, in slow motion of the girl throwing all items off the side.

The final shot which I found effective, is another long shot. The retro effect again, really makes the sunset look beautiful, and I think that this shot is beautiful. I would really like to capture a sunset in my own footage, but this can be hard to execute well, but I would really like to attempt it. This shot has therefore inspired me.

What I learnt...

I really think that this video is very effective, and that Thomas James directed this fantastically. The use of colour manipulation throughout the video, as well as the use of different shots, slow motion, and the use of high and low key lighting to contrast shots, has really made this video very effective for the audience, and I can hopefully take some elements from this video as inspiration for my own video.