Epik's Music Videos Portfolio

Dodie & Coke TV - Music Video

VIDEO PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

The project sounded interesting: A two minute music video for a YouTube ‘star.’ Up for anything apparently.

What we didn’t realise was that we would also be filmed by Endemol doing the filming and that this would be an integral part of an adventure being filmed for a CokeTV mini-series on YouTube (and that’s all the plugging out the way).

The ‘YouTuber’ is Dodie - you can see her here and the video in which we feature alongside her is above.

THE CONCEPT OF THE VIDEO

It all started with the song, I wanted to keep things simple but also have a little fun. The song is very episodic with not only each verse being a different scenario but multiple scenarios in each verse. Based on the lyrical content it was important for the visuals to be translated to the screen as different scenarios or as I call them – mini sketches.The “what” of the mini sketches were dictated by the lyrics but the “how” of how they would play out was important to get right. The song was sweet and fun so the sketches had to match that tone. We used colour to illustrate tone by using different coloured backgrounds that didn’t clash and props as staging tools, the rest was up to Dodie and Beth to deliver.

ABOUT THE VIDEO PROCESS

Dodie and her various side-kicks take part in different challenges (not quite Karl Pilkington style) and get filmed trying them out. In this YouTube episode, Dodie speaks with Rita Ora and gets advice on making a music video. 

Which is where we came in. We met Dodie for the first time when she turned up in a taxi alongside her partner for this caper: Bethany. Oh, and there was a film-crew following her.

We had heard the music beforehand and knew what to expect. We’d also spoken with Dodie to get an understanding of what the song was about and so had a chance to think about some ideas and scenarios to get us going.

[Watch here the Full YouTube Video: "Rita Ora’s Tips & Tricks For Making A Music Video"]

HOW WE MADE THE PRODUCTION

The process of shooting had to be practical and time conscious. The different backgrounds were the guiding pins so we had to film out of continuity; luckily the girls were experienced and up for it enough to pull it off. The fact that each mini sketch was self-contained helped with the flow so that we could focus on each scene at a time without worrying about where it would fit in chronologically.

Small touches like maintaining the 180 degree line and Dodie being on the left with Bethan on the right made a significant impact on the visual aesthetic. For their performance I went for big and theatrical with a hint of tongue in cheek to sell each mini sketch’s concept but still taking time to have moments of genuine reactions.

This is how it all came together and we’re really happy with how it came out