Influences
Apex Twin’s Come to daddy music video has a scene where the children are with ‘Daddy’ who is a skinny, deformed creature (4:48).
I will use this at the end of my music video but replace creature with lucifer and the children will be regular people all waring black. This will show that they look up to Lucifer and the fact that his hands are on their shoulders shows that he isn’t looking down upon them like God would. The figure embraces the children and holds them closely suggesting a mother-like bond and it reveals a longer wide shot after a couple shots of the monster with its arms around something to create a sense of unease. The shot of the buildings before uses a Dutch tilt to create unease. The camera also shows the creature looking over all of the children whilst clawing them in from side to side in a very abrasive way which does imply it does care about them but at a very primal level. The movements of the creature are shot in such a way as to show how deformed it is, showing his hand twisting in a sinister way. This also gives the audience a feel that something is very wrong about this image as it is beautiful and ghostly due to the lighting and how they are engulfed in a white fog but at the same time they do look very freaky with how skinny and pale the monster is but the doppelganger children also give off an uneasy feel. The mid shots and close ups edited together very well and because they are not in order, it gives off a sense of chaos. The scene after shows the creature alone in a dark room with its body more on show which is interlaced with lens wacked scenes and distorted lights.
Regret – Everything everything
I chose this music video as my inspiration as it involves a lot of cult-like imagery. The fact that the ritualistic activity that happens in the day time gives the video an uneasy feel. This is similar to the official ‘Year Zero’ music video with all of the women looking up to this strange figure, this here also creates a sense of mystery as we don’t really anything about this figure. There are also similarly odd close ups of the characters faces which create suspense and make the audience feel that there is something slightly off
This video is mostly film handheld which gives it a somewhat raw and natural feel which goes well with the fact that they are outside. This is something I will use in my music video as it will have a natural feel to it as to not make it feel static especially when my character is walking around outside. The entire video is shot in slow motion to create a sense of calm and to emphasise the fact that the cult leader was a figure of peace which contrasts with his frightening appearance.
This influenced my protagonist because he will be a figure who has power over others. I will think about the framing of my characters because he is mostly framed higher than the members of the cult to create a sense of authority. He is also shown in a cloak which contrasts with the other people who are wearing normal clothes, this makes him stand and look special.
This baptism scene will also influence my film as it fits in with the religious themes but with a twist. Their twist is that it is a strange cult, my twist is that it is a satanic church. It will be filmed slightly differently with only a splash of water being poured on the protagonists head to keep it realistic as I don’t have a lake to use and there would be some safety issues when it comes to the cleanness of the water. This will most likely be filmed in the TV studio.
Test shots
Booked TV studio for the 14th March 2019 – blue screen and lighting
Planning for test shots –
Test shots will mostly be taking place in the TV studio –
I have chosen this place to film due to the lighting and black curtains. The room has customisable lights and I plan for it to be mostly red and orange. I will ask for help with the lighting so that I know how to set it up for the actual filming day.
This is how I want the room to look tomorrow, there will be enough space between me and the white panels to have space for the choir what I will add using a blue screen which is also located in the room. I will use the Lighting controller and someone in the outfit I will use standing in my spot so I will set it exactly how I want it.
So hopefully I will set it up so I can get it to look something like this
Test Shot Analysis
These test shots came out very nicely! The beginning was supposed to be similar to the actual music video for Year Zero with the way that when every time the choir sung the different names of lucifer, it got further away from the cross. In on of those shots, the frame of the door is also visible which links to the shot of the protagonist sitting on the ground underneath the door. This was meant to symbolise the fact that the character is oppressed by the higher presence. Its also a bit of a cross over that Lucifer took 1/3 of the angles with him when he revolted against God, just like how Jesus is 1/3 of God. The shot of his face in the small mirror is supposed to show how God has a spotlight on him, basically meant to imply that he is the top angle. The scene where he is walking through the hallway and his hand is in the shadow does look cool but it also shows that although he is unaware, he is trapped underneath God almost as if he was in prison. The lucifer holding up the grapes is supposed to imply his loyalty to God. I have already explained the studio parts but through the red it is supposed to show that he is more powerful as a person when he isn’t being looked down upon by God.
Year Zero’ music video analysis
The music video starts off with the choir-sung opening lyrics behind image of a child holding his hand towards the sun. This creates a creepy atmosphere especially since pretty much the whole video is in grey-scale. This part I think however was made rather clumsily as the camera is quiet shaky and obviously hand held. Whilst watching it I get the impression that the camera movements should have been smoother as it makes the video look quiet amateur. When the instruments kick in, we are shown footage of the camera attached to what I believe to be a car going through a tunnel. This again looks a bit out of place and shaky. Over the footage of the tunnel, the hand of the child appears in front of a church window. I do like the imagery however especially how everything is symmetrical apart from the hand which is in the shadow. This could be symbolism for human imperfection as well as reaching out to nothing.
We are then shown the best part of the music video which is the women sitting in the posh room waiting around for something. The cuts are perfectly synced up to the music and it is something I want to incorporate in my video as it creates a tense atmosphere and lets the audience learn the environment and the different characters. There are various different types of shots like using the a mirror to get the reflection of some of the women which does warp their faces ever so slightly which looks eerie. These shots are mostly still shots of the women sitting together and not saying anything which tells the audience that we are waiting for something which really builds suspense.
When the priest walks in on the lyrics ”Hail Satan” This makes the scene feel quiet grand and intense especially as the atmosphere changes amongst the women as we follow this new character in. This scene does lack a certain style that I think is necessary for this kind of video and some of the shots do hang a bit too long but they do have an interesting set to do this with. I will try to create an even darker atmosphere by making the character feel claustrophobic in his life to communicate to the audience that heaven isn’t actually that happy of a place. This will add an interesting narrative and make everything look more dreamlike and surreal. I might even use the act of him eating a meal or fruit and incorporate that into the story as seen in this music video towards the end to imply a final supper.
In this scene they are having a feast which symbolises greed as well as luxury which is what Lucifer had whilst he was still in heaven. In my music video I will have scenes where lucifer is consuming grapes which is a gift from God but it’s not a large amount. In the end when he achieved freedom from God and has been baptised as the Anti-Christ, he will consume more fruit than he had previously which implies that he now has even more power after rejecting God. The close ups of them eating shot how greedy they are all being which. The cutting of the raw meet shows them all indulging in their animalistic desires. Some of the shots where the mysterious figure feed one of the women came across as quiet seductive which again adds to the scenes sinful nature which I will try to replicate.
This happens after Papa Emeritus II puts on his outfit and make up. I will take a lot of inspiration for the scenes in the studio although I will have a different set and experiment with different colours like Blue and purple. I do think that the set design is no here near as interesting here as in other parts of this song because it just feels like an empty room where you can see the floor but the lighting and the incredibly fast editing makes it kind of work. The red will represent Lucifer’s authority and general anger towards God and I will have a scene where Lucifer and his children make a pyramid shape where he is on the top. I like how he is in his final form at the end so I will also somehow change the way Lucifer looks to show that hes finally made it through this journey.
In conclusion there is a lot to like about this music video, weather it’s the mood created by the black and white presentation which was used to make the scenes seem more serious as well as giving the video its own sense of style or the dark and uncomfortable imagery which fit the band perfectly. I however feel like that the video could of been so much more because this is probably the bands most to-the-point satanic song that they’ve ever made. I do think that maybe re-telling the story of Lucifer would work really well with this song.
Satanism in Art
Satan’s Temptation of Christ ~ by Vasily Surikov:
This painting shows lucifer with blackened wings which clearly suggests that he is a fallen angle. He has skin which also appears to be blackened which implies that he is impure compared to Jesus who is wearing all white. Lucifer’s wing is around Jesus showing that he is literally ‘Taking him under his wing’ which show that he is manipulative. This could also be interpreted that Lucifer saw that God created Jesus as a human and saw it as a chance to show him the truth behind Gods back. Either way whenever Lucifer is shown, there is a substantial amount of the colour black involved. This is I have decided to dress my protagonists in all black. This will tell the audience that Lucifer is the king of the dark and I will use symbolism to make this even more obvious like maybe creating him a crown out of light.
Behemoth – Polish satanic death metal band
This photo of the band shows them doing something similar to what I want to show in my video – they are using black and white to give the image a vintage feel. It also makes them look like they fit into the environment as everything around them looks equally creepy in black and white. If the image was in colour they would still be in black and white but everything else wouldn’t which wouldn’t make the environment and the characters seem as believable. They are also wearing cloaks which is something I want in my music video as they create an uneasy feel if you don’t know who’s wearing it.
Lucifer – TV show on Netflix
This depiction of lucifer really caught my attention when deciding on how to dress my character. He is shown to be a classy and smart person who wares a suit which also shows how he could easily manipulate someone with his charm. In my video, Lucifer will tempt Eve into joining the dark side so he does have to look smart in order to do so. his shirt is slightly undone which could suggest that he is slightly promiscious which would involve him indulging in sin which is a big part of my music video.
Why am I using grapes?
In this article, the first point says how God commanded Christians to drink wine which also links in with the themes that I want to explore such as God being an oppressive figure. This article also makes it very clear that grapes are a gift from God for man to create wine.
In ancient Greece for example grapes were always a food of luxury and in media depicting the time period, The wealthy are commonly shown being fed grapes
3000 BC – Domestication of vines and grapes take place in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece:
Crille Forsberg – Amir Chamdin
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1235145/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
http://www.crilleforsberg.com/director/amir_chamdin/
Crille Forsberg are the company behind the original ‘Year Zero’ music video and Amir Chamdin is the director. He is a Swedish musician and director who first made a name for himself by being the singer of Infinite Mass. In 2004 he won MTV’s award for the best music video directing for the song ‘You’re the storm’ by The Cardigans. He also directed music videos for David Bowie’s Lazarus which also has a lot of symbolism mostly regarding his death shortly after his final album was released. With deeply emotional imagery like a scared Bowie gripping his white bed sheets with his eyes covered in fear of what happens once we die whilst knowing he is close to his passing. I could incorporate this into my music video as my character will be oblivious to God true intentions at first by somehow covering his eyes.
Small references to death are sprinkled throughout this video such as this skull when Bowie is writing something (possibly his will) on a piece of paper. I will use symbolic objects throughout my music video such as the previously mentioned grapes.
Dominik Dobrowolski 