Drew Barrymore/ Who Knows - ID# 389
Homewood-Flossmoor
Music Video
Entry Description
Two teenagers struggle with their troubling perceptions of themselves and each other.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 3/3 12:35 pm - This music video is creative and stylish, with a clear sense of visual intention throughout. The thoughtful use of color enhances the overall mood and helps establish a cohesive aesthetic. The editing choices support the tone of the piece, and the storytelling elements give the visuals purpose beyond simple performance shots. The variety of camera angles keeps the video dynamic and engaging. Closeups are used effectively to capture emotion and draw the viewer into key moments, while wider shots provide context and balance. The pacing feels controlled and deliberate, allowing the video to maintain momentum without feeling rushed. Overall, this is a polished and professional production. The strong combination of visual style, editing, and storytelling results in a well executed and engaging music video. Great work bringing together creative vision and technical skill.
Judge 1
Positives: All in all, I like this project. A couple things that stood out to me were the shot where the sunlight was beaming in. Those shots were really clear and felt like the vibe of the song 100%. The VFX on the couch when the characters dissapeared worked really well, and I can tell some research was done to make that happen so kudos to whoever excecuted that. Flawless. All of the shots with the colored lighting were really strong and pulled me into the narrative. Overall really strong work im impressed!
Improvements: I dont understand why we chose two songs to run through one music video. Its one thing if it starts as one song and ends as another, but as they are fading in and out its kind of distracting to me as a viewer. There were some shots that I felt like you could have let play a little longer that were really good, like the one in the bathroom with the green lighting on the lips. My rule of thumb is if I have a shot that is better than the rest, let it ride out as the main shot for that scene.
Judge 2
Positives: This video is freaking awesome. I had to watch it a few times to really understand what was going on and that's a big compliment because the video made me WANT TO. Most music videos are popcorn, this was a three course meal. The switching of perspectives and performers, the way the two songs battled each other and the blending of all those elements was basically seamless. I'm still not sure I totally know what the director had in mind and that's really cool because you want the audience to have to figure it out for themselves. It lets the audience become an active part of the process and keeps them engaged. The overall look and color scheme was on point. Great song choices and casting as well.
Improvements: Lip synching is really hard to do effectively and there were a few instances where it didn't match up. Minor detail but anything that distracts from the story should be addressed. And it's just a tad too long. The idea is so good and the execution was so effective but it's hard to do anything for over four minutes and keep commanding attention. Since you were able to choose how long each song part played out for, it feels like the whole project could have trimmed off about a minute (mostly the lip synching parts) and been even more effective. Overall, fantastic work. This is a standout.
Judge 3
Positives: There is so much love and attention poured into this film - it really shows in the finished product! You did great avoiding a problem that many music videos fall into, which is growing stale or being a "one trick pony." It felt like we got interesting new setups and premises every few moments, so despite being a 4 minute video, it didn't drag. What a creative idea to combine the two songs! At first I wasn't totally sold on the characters needing to sing the lyrics on camera, but after a few back-and-forth exchanges between the songs I felt like that actually really worked nicely. Lastly want to send some love to the cinematography, which was mostly excellent. I actually said "oh, wow" out loud to the shot at 2.28 where the guy is split in 2 by the mirror. Says so much without any words! Whoever was involved in this film, keep making stuff!
Improvements: The lighting was a little flat in certain shots, which took me out of the experience a bit. For instance the setup on the couch at 2.40 (I think that setup is reused a couple of times) is pretty flat compared to the rest of the piece. The colored/stylized lighting worked well everywhere else, why not do it here? The editing in the piece overall is very, very strong, but one specific thing was distracting to me, and that's the use of preset Premiere transitions e.g. the few used at the start around 5 sec in. If you do want to use stuff built-in to Premiere, I recommend changing the parameters on those transitions A LOT to make them not look like "stock" graphics. Goes a long way to make your work feel and look like your own!
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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