Maneater - ID# 268
Maine South
Music Video
Entry Description
She'll only go out at night.. to hunt for men, follow a man eater's typical Friday night.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/16 8:52 am - STORY: I think your music video creatively interprets the lyrics of the song. The concept of someone being a “maneater” is well communicated through your use of visuals and tone. There’s a clear buildup of the main character and an obvious reveal of what happens at the end! SOUND: Your audio is mixed appropriately. If you would like, something extra you could add are subtle sound effects layered under the music. For example, we could hear the character humming as she is getting ready in the first half of the video, or we could hear the water running at 0:44, or maybe even hearing a subtle “huh?” as the second character is pulled in at 1:20. This could really add some more texture to your audio mix! CAMERA: There are some great camera compositions throughout your video. You have a great rack focus at 0:29 which helps to reveal that maybe this girl isn’t really innocent. This is really the first moment where we see she may not just be getting ready for a regular “date”. Great choice to include that at this moment in your music video! There is also a strong use of depth of field in many shots which makes your piece feel polished as that helps draw attention to the subjects within your shots. One thing to note is that the shot at 1:25 is noticeable shaky, especially since it comes right after a really still shot. Even for a simple pan, use a tripod of a stabilizer to help transition shots feel smooth and intentional. An abrupt change in camera movement can feel jarring at times. LIGHTING: Lighting is consistent and intentional throughout your video. I specifically enjoyed the color shift at 1:14. It signals a clear change in the video! EDITING: Your editing keeps a great pace overall. Most transitions are smooth and well-timed. Something to note is that between 0:40 and 0:44, the transition from the watch to hand-washing misses the beat just slightly. If the watch shot could cut right at 0:42 it would land on the musical downbeat. A few tweaks like this can really sharpen the flow of your video! Overall great blend of creativity! Great work!
- 2/18 9:53 am - The opening sequence featuring the news reporters is a creative and engaging way to kick off the video. It immediately captures the viewer's attention and sets a unique tone, introducing an interesting narrative device that hooks the audience in. The concept of having news reporters as part of the story adds a fun and inventive layer to the music video, which helps distinguish it from more typical approaches. The use of lighting throughout the video is impressive, with thoughtful choices that contribute to the mood and atmosphere. The lighting helps create depth and dimension, giving the video a more professional and polished feel. Similarly, the depth of field is used effectively to draw attention to key subjects, enhancing the visual storytelling and adding a layer of sophistication to the production. However, one area for improvement would be the variety of locations. While the video is visually strong, a majority of the shots are filmed in the same location, which can create a sense of repetition and may reduce the overall impact. Incorporating a variety of locations would not only help maintain the viewer's interest but also improve the pacing of the video. By mixing up the environments, you can provide visual contrast and energy, which would keep the video dynamic and more engaging from start to finish. In addition to this, varying the locations could also help reinforce the narrative or theme of the song, allowing each setting to contribute something unique to the story. It would be great to see more movement between scenes and settings, which could enhance the pacing and overall flow of the video. Overall, this is a creative and visually appealing music video, and with some more location variety, it could become even more captivating. Keep up the great work!
Judge 1
Positives: The VFX work is strong, and the edit is strong and moves the story forward well.
Improvements: Hall & Oates have stated that the song isn't about a specific person but rather about the excesses and greed of 1980s New York culture. How can the narrative further support this? Why are you so literal? Why no do the entire song?
Judge 2
Positives: The concept was funny and generally clear. I appreciate the use of lighting to try to tell the story. The lighting was mainly high-key, and felt like a nice counterpoint to the dark story. Performances and production design were spot-on campy.
Improvements: There could have been more variety in shot sizes. You used almost entirely close ups and medium shots. Establishing or wides would have given more breathing room or a sense of geography/place. Finally, the transitions between the characters, and the structuring of their meeting felt muddled. It almost felt like they were in two different places the entire video.
Judge 3
Positives: The title was really nice especially on the TV! The lighting at 1:17 is REALLY professional. Only thing is watch the focus. Everything about the shot and lighting is right on par with professional work.
Improvements: For the title, I would have liked to see it stay on the TV! It ends up blocking the shot with her and the magazine which adds to the story. For the story, let's character develop the male actor a little bit more. I feel like I know more about the female character than the male one in the story!
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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