Beginning FCPX Task

The artist in which i have researched is Feldberg. As in my previous post, Feldberg are an icelandic electro pop group with a down too beat style. A band i found that has similar musical style to Feldberg is Dikta. Dikta too are also an icelandic electro pop group, which consists of 4 members. I believe their song 'Goodbye' has the same electro relaxed feel as Feldberg also has. Below is the video post to the song 'Goodbye'.



Compared to Feldbergs videos, Dikta push the bounderies of normality in there videos, this video being an animated story, which compliments the words of the songs. Whereas Feldbergs videos complimate the songs story, this is very different in what way it is done, they use various different shots. Its also different to Feldbergs style of videos, as Feldberg work on a low budget, for instance there song, 'Don't be a stranger to me' was just a running sequence of photos, also there video 'Dreamin' was just actors lip syncing the words. This though, is a full software based video which would need professionals who are trained in graphics too create it.

They use high angled on such shots as the 'broken bird' and also on the dark characted who dies at the start, this means although an animated video they are keeping to the shot laws, these shots would represent that these subjects are 'lesser' than the main subject and are what society view as gone, as they are represented as dead. But they then use the low angled shot on the bird flying away to show that there is new life, and that he is one with the world again.

They use alot of jump cuts to show the chracters progession and struggle on the moral of the story 'im afraid of letting go'. These cuts represent the length of hiw lofe and how life goes on, all the things in the past must be cut out of the characters life, and there will be the moments were they remeber the moments, but these are just merly mile stones and mus be forgot about.

I think the colour they use, this calming yellow, effects the way in which the viewers watch the video, they have added the yellow i believe as it gives a relaxed but worrying nature on the video. It gives it the more professional feel. I believe trying to achieve this type of video on Final Cut Pro X would be very hard to achieve, you would have to use other professional cartoon creating and animated editing products to achieve this, but it gives it a brilliant professional feeling i believe. It gives me ideas though that you can use on real videos. For instance, the opening establishing shot under the tree with the zoom out, i believe that shot could be used for a song with a relaxing, cool summer evening feeling to it, so although animated, it gives one ideas for a video. Also the whole reverse story behind the song, how it is actually his life he is looking at in the cahracter who dies.

Although animated i believe it gives a real sense of realism, the character isnt 100% peiced together and you can see through them, but it still gives the idea that this is real people. I believe a full animated video would be far too difficult to peice together, but this gives me idea on maybe making a section animated, and shows the best way into how to do it.





Above is the video of Feldbergs 'Dont be a stranger' this is a simple but very professional looking video. By using a sequence of photographs it gives the viewer the idea of peicing the video together. I think this is very well done, and tells the story very well, by using such things on the photos as vignette at times and also by using many different shots it is a realistic video that can be achieved.

Above are two very different videos for similar artists and have both different ideas on how to make a video of a high and low budget look very professional.

Smalltown America Task

Feldberg are one of Small Town America's most successful bands, they have won several icelandic music awards as well as one of the singles being chosen for the Brazilian version of 'Neighbours'. Feldberg consist of two performers, Rosa Birgitta Isfeld and multi-unstrumentalist Einar Tonsberg. 


The pair released their debut album, Don't Be a Stranger, in Iceland in 2009 via Cod Music The album was subsequently released by Rallye Label in Japan in 2010, and by SmallTown Americe Records in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2011. They released their first digital single, "I'm Not Thinking of You", via Smalltown America Records on 13 December 2010. That same month, they played a series of concerts in New York City in small venues such as The Living Room, Union Hall with Leaves drummer Nói Steinn Einarsson playing alongside them.

Feldberg have made a claim for themselves over the past 5 years. Producing very relaxed and downbeat  acoustic singles, with an electric feel to them. There album 'Don't be a Stranger' is there most recent and consists of a real electric feel with such things as Rosa's voice being given a reverb feel to it in the first verse, and then Einar's in the 2nd verse in the song 'Sleepy'. Almost giving it that lullaby feeling, which would represent the  dreaming relationship to sleeping. Also by using the keys as an almost main instrument, it also gives it that electric feel.

There album artwork is very plain but effective, for instance they don't really have a distinguishable emblem or picture unlike And so I Watch you From Afar (Another of Small Town America's bands). Their album 'Don't be a Stranger' uses simple artwork of two people talking on the phone showing there split personalities. Also by including the difference in electrical appliances could indicate that they are trying to emphasise this feeling that they are an electrical band.

There videos are also very very simplistic, for example the single 'Don't be a Stranger' is a collection of photos all ran in a sequence, as it shows the two perspectives of either singer. The transitions between the photos are also paced to the music, obviously this is explanatory, faced paced music means the pictures transitions are quicker, slow paced the transitions are slow, this is possibly to represent the mixed emotions and how quickly peoples minds change when 'in love'. 



The single 'Dreamin' has a music video not consisting of Feldberg but actors, this is unusual as all other videos are the two singers acting, possibly they were trying for a new look. All the actors bar one are in the bright, white light of day, it could represent the point of peace and tranquility, both while sleeping, and dreaming about their 'love'. They have actors sleeping and lip syncing the words, they use many pan shots which could indicate that time is passing by, showing the long length of there so called 'sleep'. Also the use of zoom outs, shows that they are coming out of there humanly state and going to the state in their mind and hearts, dreaming of the ones they love. 



Again the band doesn't have a worldwide icon, i believe they are very simple and are good at using the resources they have, they don't break the bank when making their videos. Also i think fans appreciate it, they just have really simple ideas, which work very well with there music, most electric bands would have flashing lights and big stages to show there big electric sound, but there simplistic ways suit the music perfectly.