Another key concept for my A2 media work

1. MUSIC VIDEO KEY
CONCEPTS -
SYNAESTHESIA
Michael Scotney

2. Definition
 Synaesthesia describes the process that can
happen when you listen to music and visualise
it in your minds eye (associate the music with
images)

3. Personal Meaning
 Synaesthesia may occur due to your experience
with the song in the past or the lyrics may remind
you of something that happened in your life.
 For example, if it details a break-up, it may remind
you visually of that time.

4. Creative Interpretation
 Synaesthesia may alternatively be based on
your creative interpretation of a song.
 For example, an atmospheric song with a rain
sample may make you visualise the image of
rain falling in a forest.

5. Its use in music videos
 Lots of directors of music videos use synaesthesia to
come up with narrative concepts and the content of
music videos in general.
 For example, artists such as Pharrell Williams visualises
colours with certain sounds, which are reflecting in the
colour coding of the props/costumes etc in his music
videos.

6. More on synaesthesia
 Synaesthesia uses visual associations to create a better
viewing experience for the audience as it connects with
them better due to this match in colour/sound.
 In our genres, it is key in being used to convey the
general mood of the piece.
 E.g. Crossfade – ‘Killing Me Inside’ pictured below.

7. Example
 Andrew McMahon – ‘Synaesthesia’, uses the
music throughout to visualise different colours that
are displayed throughout the music video.
 Its lyrics also describe synaesthesia and how the
music creates images from the past in his minds
eye, and colours from the sound.

8. Its use in my project
 Synaesthesia has been and will be very useful
creatively in giving ideas for the narrative concept
and general planning for my music video.
 For example, when listening to my option that is
now our choice, the last 20 seconds made me
visualise the protagonist falling to his knees in a
metaphorical ending. The guitar fading out, and
slow strings that follow are perfect in matching the
characters falling to their knees and giving up,
with this shot of them going into long shot.