The document provides ideas for creating a music video for the song "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon. It discusses generating ideas based on the lyrical meaning, choosing a concept/narrative/performance style for the video, incorporating appropriate iconography and genre conventions of rock music. It also offers suggestions for camera work, characters, settings, lighting, editing, and digital effects to include. The overall goal is to convey feelings of loneliness, love, and other emotions from the lyrics through visuals in the video.

1. Music Video Ideas Generation by
Ryan Baxter, Daniella Johnston and
Adam Cunliffe

2. • Lyrical Meaning
• Type of video - Concept/narrative/performance
• Iconography
• Genre Conventions - Rock
• Camera work/Cinematography
• Characters
• General Mise en scene
• Editing and digital effects

3. Lyrical Meaning
• The name of the song 'Use Somebody' suggests feelings of loneliness and longing for
somebody. It could be ambiguous for using a person to get something you want - exploiting,
taking advantage, being selfish etc. Themes include love, selfishness, loneliness and
relationships.
– Visual ideas relating - separate shots of the lead singer with the band and then alone so
we can make comparisons. Contrasting shots of his life and her life. We could also have
live performances from the band in the video, or parts where they are playing together,
highlighting their friendship and how they can use/need each other.
• 'Looking down at all I see' He could have no interest in the majority of women he meets, this
could be because they are superficial ('Painted Faces') and are maybe using him for the fame
and luxurious life. It could also mean looking down on other couples with envy or looking
down in general at his life, which he isn't happy with at the moment.
– Visual ideas relating - shots of the city from high angles and the lead singer looking
down to highlight his success but his unhappiness.
• 'Someone like you' implies he has already seen the type of person he is looking for. By not
mentioning a name wen assume this is an interest from a distance, they haven't met.
– Visual ideas relating - Shots of him looking at her from a distance or cross dissolve
showing they are in two different places and have two different lives.

4. Lyrical Meaning (Cont.)
• 'Waging wars to shape the poet and the beat' The use of opposites suggest they have
opposite lifestyles. 'I hope it's gonna make you notice' means he wants her to notice this, and
she should because opposites are suppose to attract.
– Visual ideas relating - Montage of what they get up to during the day with fast paced
editing to highlight their hectic lifestyle, comparing it to a 'war'.
• His contrasting lifestyle prevents him from finding a relationship 'While you live it up, I'm off
to sleep'. He doesn't get to live a normal life and have the freedom to go out and enjoy
himself.
– Visual ideas relating - Binary opposition between the lives of the band and the lives of
someone who doesn't have the fame e.g. the band have to stay in at night to rest before
a gig the next day whereas others get to go out and enjoy the nightlife/have more of a
social life.
• 'Countless lovers under cover of the street' Looking for a more serious relationship rather
than one night stands. Connotations to prostitutes.
– Visual ideas relating - shots of the band showing what they get up to on tour and when
they have some free time e.g. drinking, going out, meeting new people etc.

5. Type of video -
Concept/narrative/performance
• Concept
– Create feelings of loneliness, jealousy, love and other emotions portrayed within the lyrics of the
song so we can relate to it and empathise with the band.
• Performance
– Filming the band playing together, e.g. during live performances or rehearsing.
– Shots of the vocalist singing towards the camera.
• Narrative
– Could be based on the lead singer longing for somebody from a distance, someone who he has not
yet met, or someone who he sees everyday just she isn't aware of his feelings for her.
– Could be focusing on the lifestyle of the band, giving the audience a chance to see what they get up
to when they are on tour or when they are not performing, making it feel exclusive. The narrative
could be linear to show a typical day in the life of the band or non linear showing all the different
things they get up to during a week at different times, to create confusion and highlight their busy
lifestyle.
– Could involve being used and taken advantage of, whether that be female fans using the band just to
get a taste of fame, success and luxury or the band using female fans just because they can.
– The video could not contain any shots of the band and instead just have characters in the narrative.
For example, a day in the life of a group of friends showing that they all need each other. We could
also have a victim of bullying that could 'Use Somebody' to talk to.
• Combination of all three styles could be used as the narrative could cut to and from shots of the band
performing.

6. Iconography
• Industrial/urban landscape
• City of Manchester/Night life
• Instruments - iconic of rock music e.g. guitars
• Cars and traffic - represent their hectic lifestyle and
travelling when touring
• Smoking/Drinking - Stereotype of rebellion
• Money - representing power/fame/success
• Leather jackets
• Motorcycles
• Band members have piercings/tattoos

7. Genre Conventions - Rock
• Use of black and white
• Use of night rather than daylight
• On stage performances
• Screaming crowds/fans
• Dark colours
• Stereotypes of rebellion, power etc.
• Backstage footage
• Gestures of male friendship e.g. band doing stuff
together
• Playing of instruments e.g. guitars
• Juxtaposition of opposites e.g. day and night

8. Genre Conventions - Rock (Cont.)
• Faced paced editing/slow motion
• Men are subjects and women are objects
• Montage of industrial settings
• Wide shots of the band together
• Shadow and low key lighting

9. Camera work/Cinematography
• Establishing shots near the beginning to establish the setting and create a mood for the
video.
• Tracking and panning shots of setting to establish the setting and start the narrative e.g. of
the city.
• Wide long shots of the band - this could be of them performing together or in a bar, in a car,
backstage etc. This would represent the unity of the band. All of them being in a shot
together would show they are close.
• Close ups during the more emotional movements of the song e.g. of the vocalist singing to
the camera. Making direct eye contact to create a sense of closeness to him between him
and the audience and to establish a relationship. He could also be looking down away from
the camera so we can empathise with him and this would add to the feelings of loneliness.
• Close ups of instruments being played e.g. hand playing a guitar to show the iconography
and empathise the genre.
• Eye line match between the lead singer and another character in the video, perhaps his love
interest, fans or just something else he is looking at. This would be used to compare the
relationship between them and see both of their emotions.
• Lip sync - matching mouth movement in shots to the soundtrack to make it more
professional.

10. Camera work/Cinematography (Cont.)
• Handheld camera for some of the shots/during some scenes e.g. when the band are
travelling or backstage before and after a gig. Making the camera look like it is one of the
band members filming gives the video a more exclusive feel and creates a sense of closeness
with the band for the audience.
• Two shots - with two characters talking in the frame.
• Low angle shots - We could use these of shots of the band when they are performing
together or when they are on stage to highlight their power and success.
• High angle shots - We could use these of the lead singer when he is singing up close to the
camera to make him look more weak and vulnerable and to represent his loneliness.
• Focus pull at the beginning and the end of the video. This will change the depth of field and
we can use it to bring something in focus out of focus e.g. the lead singer sitting alone as the
video is ending.

11. Characters
• The band
• Love interest
• Screaming fans
• Camera crew
• Majority are male - to highlight the genre rock which is
male dominated. Males are subjects and women are
objects.
• Group of friends
• One obsessive fan

12. General Mise en scene
• Settings • Lighting
– Travelling on the road – Low key lighting
– Backstage – Shadow
– In a bar – High key lighting
– On stage/live performances – Black and white
– In their apartments
– Manchester city centre - nightlife • Props
– On the beach – Instruments e.g.
guitars/drums/microphones
– Money
• Costume – Beer bottles
– Generally dark clothing to represent the genre rock. – Cigarettes
– Tattoos and piercings – Car
– Tight/skinny jeans and baggy vests/t-shirts – Pool/snooker table
– Facial hair and long haired characters/band members
– Messy 'rugged' look
– Leather jackets
– Sunglasses - conform to our idea of 'stars'
– Designers/expensive (fame and success)

13. Editing and digital effects
• Cuts to make shots blend more smoothly, making it look more
professional.
• Slow motion
• Cross dissolve e.g. 2 overlapping shots to highlight the contrast between
them so we can compare e.g. how ordinary people spend their night
compared to how the band spend theirs.
• Montage with fast paced editing - during the instrumental part of the
song. Shots could include them on the road travelling, traffic, them
getting ready, performing etc. - bits of everything all mixed together.
• Fast paced during the faster parts of the song and slower during the more
slow, soft and emotional parts of the song.
• Split screen - to show two videos at once. This could be useful for the
narrative by showing different viewpoints of characters.
• Fast motion
• Superimposing one video on top of another to show two different scenes
at once. This could be used during a montage.