Music Video Analysis:

Music Video Analysis:

7 - Catfish and the Bottlemen

Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood

Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys

Can't Stand Me Now - The Libertines

The Sound - The 1975

Genre Conventions Mindmap:

Genre Conventions Mindmap:

Music Videos Powerpoint Notes:

Music Videos Powerpoint Notes:

A music video has many different purposes, for example:

• Promotes a singe and in general the artist's album.
• Promotes the artist or band.
• Creates, adapts or feeds into a 'star image'.
• Entertains the audience.
• Sets the 'meanings' of a song by the use of images. 

A normal music video is about three to four minutes long, with a mix of live performance from the artist, narrative and other visual imagery. This helps to advertise the song and artist.

Music videos often contain a number of elements:

• Performance.
• Narrative.
• Thematic.
• Symbolic.

Performance

• Normally contains shots of the artist performing the song(s).
• Close up of the artist showing their particular style by using props, costume etc.
• Often the artist is shown to be performing in an unusual place to try and make the video unique.

Idea of Spectacle

• Music videos may be considered to be examples of ‘spectacles’.
• This means that the performers are performing, normally looking directly at the viewer. (Direct address – interacting with the viewer).
• Men: involves the look of the characters towards the viewer. Male is seen to be addressing the viewer. He is supposed to be singing to you.
• Female: an object of erotic gaze/male desire which is a voyeuristic gaze (looks at someone for pleasure). This is why females are often dressed in little clothing in music videos.

Narrative

• The video tells a story either in the lyrics or is suggested in the lyrics.
• Like a mini film, with a beginning, middle and an end.
• It can promote a film with clips from the film included in telling the story.
• As the video only tends to be three to four minutes, it tends to be very fast paced, uses intertextuality with films, television, mimic other films or genres, the artist is a part of the story or is observing the story and the story can contradict what is seen (for effect).

Thematic

• There tend to be lots of common themes in music videos. 
• For example: Heavy metal bands go for performance dominated clips, rap has lots of street image.

Symbolic

• Use lots of symbols to build up meaning, for example – grave yard = death.
• Lots of use of montages.
• Lighting often used to suggest a particular mood.
• Fast paced – often only a few seconds per shot to build up meaning.
• Pictures can support or contradict lyrics.

Other Codes and Conventions

• Visually stylish – mise en scene.
• Cutting related to the rhythm of music.
• Intercutting between performance and images or a narrative.
• Experimental use of camera/editing (hand held camera, distortion of colours).
• Sometimes break the rules of continuity editing. Can use lots of jumps cuts.
• Lots of use of digital effects.

Types of Music Videos

• 1) Performance clips – concentrate on stage performance of bands.
• 2) Conceptual clips – based around a theme or story (narrative – either simple fantasy situation with other images in-between e.g. the artist, or a complex genre story e.g. Thriller by Michael Jackson). (non narrative – often dreamlike, random thoughts around a loose theme e.g. lost love, use lots of symbolism). 

Andrew Goodwin’s Music Video Theory

• Generally, music videos often include a demonstration of typical characteristics. 
• Music videos can be linked to film genres, which are known as intertextuality. 
• There are frequent notions of ‘looking’ and the voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
• There is a succinct relationship between music and visuals. (Characterized by clear, precise expression in few words; concise and terse: a succinct reply; a succinct style).
• The record label that the artist is assigned to have certain demands. They often include the need for lots of close ups and the artist will have a visual style.
• There are often more intertextuality references (Charlie’s Angles and Destiny’s Child ‘Say My Name’). 

Initial Research Into Music Videos:

Initial Research Into Music Videos:

As we are going to be creating a music video ourselves, it is important to do research into different types of music videos and look at the conventions and how they sold the artist(s) to the audience. 

The first video we looked at was from the Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down. They are an indie/rock band and the video is a narrative video, meaning it has a story that accompanies the words. The video is quite hard hitting with serious messages about prostitution and lower class neighborhoods, which could signify that the band is also hard hitting and edgy. The fact that the lyrics almost tell you what is going on in the video with the help of the video giving a visual idea makes the audience want to possibly listen to more of the band's album to see if more songs are like this. 

The next video that we watched was from Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out. This was a performance type of video, with lots of references to childhood and nostalgia, which could suggest that the band want their audience to get to know them more and feel like they have a personal connection. What we see in the video amplifies the lyrics too. Because we see a lot of the band in the video, we get a visual so we can recognize and relate.

Hello - Lionel Richie is both a narrative and a performance. The video is about a lecturer who is in love with one of the young women in his class and she is with him, too. He eventually confesses his love to her at the end of the video by using the lyrics of the song. This video shows the artist as a 'romantic' which would make his audience like him more because he has desirable characteristic such as being 'caring' and 'loving'. 

 

Other Music Videos:

Narrative video: Sia - Titanium

Performance: Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman

Narrative and Performance: The 1975 - Heart Out