Music Video Research - Deadmau5 - Sophie Needs A Ladder

Deadmau5 - Sophie Needs A Ladder



I love the opening shot to this music video because i like the camera movement in it, as the camera pans up from the audience in the club to the DJ (Deadmau5) in the DJ booth. The whole of this music video is clips taken from a set deadmau5 did in Brixton. This is very typical of dance music video's as many don't have what is thought to be a music video, instead they show shots from live performances like this to create a video to go with the song. Not all dance music tracks do this, but a few do such as Deadmau5 and Tiesto.



I like the effect created here of having a clip of the lights playing over a clip of the DJ. This gives this shot a very club like feel, almost as if you were actually there as you are seeing the DJ but also lights are flashing at you just like they would be in a club. This helps set the scene to the viewer even if they are sat at home simply watching this in the comfort of their own living rooms.





This is an amazing shot because of the camera angle, it lets the viewer see the DJ at work mixing on the decks, it is typical of dance music videos to see clips of the DJ mixing. Rule of thirds has also been used in this shot which helps keep the viewers attention, but also in the background the lights are in time with the music and so all this adds to this shot.



I like the out of focus effect of this shot and think it works well for the dance music video, this could be symbolic of what people would be actually seeing if they saw Deadmau5 live, because of all the lights that may be dazzling their eyes but also many people drink at these events and so this shot could be giving the impression of being drunk. If i were to do a similar effect like this i would also do a focus pull to bring the DJ into focus, which i think could look quiet good.



This is another very typical shot we would expect to see in a dance music video, the shot off all the people dancing in the club and messing around. The fact that this was filmed at a real performance adds that touch of realism to this music video as none of the shots have been acted.