Analysis of music video: LIGHTS - Portal

The indicated music video is by an artist that is what some would call "semi famous" as she has her own website, has had showings of her work on TV and radio as well as being featured in magazines (evidence of such public media fame is seen in the following link: LIGHTS LOVE - date accessed 29th September 2014). She may have more fame in other locations around the world, but regarding the UK, the main source of her fame is online via youtube, FaceBook and twitter. She has also had several tours for 3 of her albums so far - she isn't a super famous celebrity constantly in the public, eye, but she still has a stapled and known name.
This then comes into play with the look of her music videos - do they follow the codes and conventions of current media products? Is it conventional, origin or generic?

Analysis:
Tying in well with the song, the music video has been filtered black and white - this element of mise-en-scene (lighting and filtering) is very basic, yet adds a certain mystery to the video. The mystery in the video created with lighting and filtering fits in well with the song (as the song is also very simplistic and basic, giving a mystic and mysterious mood) and this is important feature as music videos and songs need to fit together and flow well to become one - a new art form, otherwise their meaning and purpose (escapism - theorised by Blumler and Katz in the uses and gratifications theory) are and lost, therefore the product becomes pointless.

The black and white filter is used a lot in conventional and unconventional media products as it is a great way to represent story, meaning or narrative in a video, whether that be mystery (possible enigma codes), uncertainty, fear, the unknown or even to represent elements of an older time period by mimicking the look of black and white old TV. Therefore, I cannot say whether this element of the video follows current media conventions or popular products or goes against it because it is used very often in a numerous videos with different levels of status, however, I can say that it is not an original idea, making it conventional in that aspect.
Here are examples of a high status and a low status black and white music video to back up my point that it is used in media products of all status types.


Another thing that I notice about this video is the simplicity of shots and the impact that they have. Due to the fact that the song is very slow paces and calming, the video needs to mimic those elements in order for the two to flow well together and to grip the audience in a visual and audible way. This is why the slow and simple shots are effective because they don't under or overpower the lyrics and music of the song, they are in harmony and work well together. This is something that I need to keep in mind when making my own music video - I need to ensure that the shots in the video flow well with the music and lyrics of the songs, and as long as the two share similar obvious elements, the shots don't necessarily have to be complex or heavily edited to be successful or gripping.