Narrative - Being a Hybrid Concept/performance style video this particular video has literally no narrative or direct storyline, it is composed of seemingly random shots that cut back and forth and do not follow in order of events. This video relies more on Mise En Scene, Camera shots and editing. Most videos with a narrative are so much easier and less original than a conceptual based video making this a harder task that compliments the song perfectly.
Camera shots - The establishing shot is a long shot of marina standing alone to show that she is the main focus point of the video even before the music starts, this then cuts to a few mid shots and closeups in time with the music while she acts out punches with her boxing gloves on. The video itself featurs lots of closeups creating emphasis on marina alone. she is always placed in the center of shot in every scene and barely moves place when shots are cut to different scenes. There are quite a few unusual shots in the video such as top down shots of marina looking up again placing Central focus on marinas face just like a closeup and extremely low shots of the camera looking up towards marina placing money on the floor. shots such as these are not often scene in music videos and are rather unconventional and specific shots. The unconventionality of the shots could relate to marina herself who has carved out her niche as being different from what everyone else is doing and how everyone else uses camera shots in their videos.
Mise en scene -There is great emphasis on colour in the video with each different shot having its own specific colour in background and marinas outfits. The first shot in the ''office'' uses a light blue colour for the background walls and many of the items placed on the desk and in marinas outfit itself. many of the ''scenes'' place more emphasis on colour than what is actually placed in shot with marina, for example the yellow scene where marina is wearing a gold dress has only her with effects placed over it. there is also a pink scene with a few television cases. In contrast there is a red/purple scene where marina is lying on a couch watching television with lots of props and furniture, This Scene could be related to the scene after it; the darker blue scene where marina is stood with a shopping cart full of different products all with the comic book style Oh no! placed on them, the link between them is that there are many shopping bags thrown around marina while she is on the couch. There is great emphasis placed on money and shopping within the video itself. I believe the focus on colours in the video are synonymous with the Comic book Theme and style of the video itself. Although each scene is never really shown for very long before cutting back to main scene with marina and her dancers the messages each one holds becomes more apparent towards the end, for example in the dark blue scene it shows marina eating a money sandwhich to create a message about wasting money, then there is the pink scene with marinas head placed inside a tv case on her shoulders, this is an obvious comment on how people in society think and form opinions based on what they have been told on Television. there is also a scene where marina is wrapping herself up in red ''wrapping'' paper which could possibly symbolise the obsession with shopping and the hold it has over people were they are bound and cant breakaway. Lastly the Choreography itself links together well with the over all feel of the video and at certain points the lyrics, for example when marina sings oh no, her hands are placed over her mouth to represent shock and my favourite line ''TV taught me how to feel, now real life has no appeal'' is accentuated by the hands forming a box around the dancers heads.
Editing - perhaps one of the most edited music videos i have seen there is a lot of emphasis on effects. Cutting from scene to scene is quite fast and reflects on the fast upbeat pace of the song and is at times cut together and repeated well with the drumbeat of the song. The effects compliment the video extremely well and are used extremely cleverly and placed well as not to look too cheesy. the over all theme and style of the video is Comic book pop art. there are often speech boxes and thought bubbles and at points Word ''explosions'' such as the POW! in the beginning. there is a lot of emphasis placed on money with words such as Ka-Ching! and many different images of coins and notes popping up a lot. a particularly clever one that i like is placed when marina sings ''i just want a change'' and there are 3 rotating coins that appear over each arm after she moves them. i believe this is a very clever play on words as coins are often called change as opposed to money in paper form. aswell as effects such as images placed over the video there are lots of light blooms and rainbows to give the video a brighter and even more upbeat feel. in certain parts the shot is paused momentarily and stylized to either look like Andy warhol Pop art or comic book pop Art. there are more cleverly placed images such as when marina sings ''it has no appeal'' and there are stars in her eyes which could reprisent a number of things such as Aspiration to fame or captivation. The text in which the Oh No's! are written is very conventional of a comic book style with an often semi 3d look and an ellipsis placed after them to create emphasis on the Exclamation marks.
Target audience - Marina fans and hipsters (ages 13-18+). the video is simple enough to connect with people on a simpler level but is also deep enough to connect with an older generation on another more intelligent level with its symbolic references and meanings.
Music video Style - Hybrid Concept/Performance based. I believe this style fits the video perfectly because it has almost no narrative leaving a lot of room for creative input and influence allowing the video to be a lot more original and stylistic instead of leaning more towards creating imagery for the lyrics. I believe that a video relying soley on narrative can be rather boring and leans too much on the lyrical content unless the narrative is mixed with conceptual and tells an entirely different story from the song itself.
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Music video analysis 2, Lady gaga - Marry the night
Narrative - Marry the night is a non linear narrative mainly following the story of lady gagas life before she became famous. the beggining is confusing and has many fans in discussion on what it could possibly alluding to but the main things fans tend to aim towards is either abortion or sex change or possibly an overdose/suicide attempt. We begin with lady gaga being wheeled through a corridor with on a hospital bed by two nurse She is reading a narrative over the top of the beggining until she is later conscious once she is in the ''ward''. The narrative she reads is often confusing seeming to be part of the music video itself but also seeming to be a commentary over the top because she briefly talks about her shoes and the nurses gauze caps as though analysing and commentating over her own video. Conspiracy theorists have jumped on this part of the film (as they tend to do with pop music and videos) stating that she is percieving her own version of reality because she has been subject to trauma based mind control forcing her brains natural reaction to shy away from a harsh cold world to take her to a perfect world as she sees fit. after she is wheeled into the ward she is moved into a different bed and a nurse breifly talks to her about her birth and checks her vital signs before gaga begins to cry and say that she is going to be a star and that she will make it because she has nothing left to lose. after this the camera zooms out from gaga and then cuts to gaga alone performing ballet to a piano piece, this is juxtaposed with the scene where the Real Story of marry the night kicks in where gaga is taken to her very first studio appartment that she lived in at the age of 19 where she would often do drugs and dress up like david bowie and sing along to his songs in the mirror. The story behind this part of the video is that she was dropped from her very first record label before she was given a chance to create anything and feeling devastated after working her entire life to have her dreams snatched away in an instant she fell apart and went crazy. the juxtaposition and cuts between this scene and the ballet dancers Show her in two different realities, the real world and the one in her head. in interviews gaga has stated that this part of the video was filmed continuously for about 30 minutes and obviously had to be cut down for time reasons, she has said that she tried to recreate everything exactly as she remembered it. after her panic and freak out is over we cut to gaga in the bath bleaching her brown hair blonde ready to pick herself up and throw herself back out into the world. we then cut to gaga leaning in a trans am car before she plays her song marry the night on the tape player. the trans am is symbolic of one of her first boyfriends and love who was obsessed with power cars such as trans ams. Gaga then proceeds to a dance studio where she performs some choreography symbolising her learning her way into the pop world and then cutting back and forth between multiple different shots of her in the rain with the burning cars and her naked leaning out of the bath still in the appartment. these could be used to symbolize gaga percieveing multiple different realities at once. the end of the video has very fast cuts between several shots showing the many ups and downs of her preperations for entering the pop world and the final shot shows her entering a car with a reminder for an interview on her hand with a record label. Marrying the night has been Symbolised as devoting yourself to the dark shadows hidden in plain sight who control and pull the strings of the entertainment industry (often called the Illuminati) or as in devoting yourself truly to every part of you even your dark side and throwing yourself into your work and re inventing your life instead of giving up and just throwing your life away.
Camera shots - The video starts with an extreme closeup of Gagas face while she is narrating over the top. This could represent that this narration could be an inner monologue and all in her head while she is unconcsious. The camera tracks after the camera zooms out from her face and follows the bed and nurses through the corridor into the ''ward''. when gaga is conscious in the bed it mainly focuses on closeups to show the expressions on gagas face and the anguish when she begins to cry. there is also a long shot here to help establish the scene and the other character ''the nurse''. when the nurses plays the music for gaga and she puts her gauze cap on and lies back the camera zooms out from lady gaga showing the rest of the ''psycho ward'' showing the rest of the ''lobotomized girls'' and the general scene in itself. the Scene where gaga answers the phone and is told that she has been dropped from her label there are a few extreme closeups and from then on frequent closeups of her freaking out but in the ballerina scene that is often cut back and forth from there is a lot of mid to long shots showing gaga on the floor having fallen down looking up at the other ballerinas who still stand, this is very symbolic of the way that she has been knocked down in an instant while the others continue to stay tall, the camera is often aimed low at these points to further emphasize the point of belittling her position. During the choreographed Scenes gaga is often placed to the right of the centre de emphasizing the point of her being the main focus, but there are cuts to closeups of gaga alone to show that she is still a main focus point and the camera is often angled in ways to make it look as though gaga is directly in the middle of the group and middle of shot. the ending of the video would require you to pause quickly to analyse each shot as it is edited so fast with the time of the music that it is really annoying to analyse but each shot is synonymous with the previous ones in the video, gaga is placed in the center for the most part and they are usually mid to close up shots.
Mise en Scene -Marry the night is a very deep and complex music video with a lot of symbolism and layers to each scene. While to most people seeming to be just a random mish mosh of crap just thrown together the video is very cleverly and carefully assembled to create the biggest social impact that it can. The truth is no one but gaga herself can really understand fully the depth of symbolism and allusion within the video, leaving a lot to be explained creates a great amount of controversy and allows the audience to create their own perceptions and readings of the song and video. I will explain my personal opinion on what i think the video and symbolism mean. The beggining of the video is has a very hospital style of colour scheme with whites and dull greens and greys. and very dark and plain colours in the corridors where she is being wheeled through. this is to reflect the hospital scene in the beginning which could possible be alluding to lots of things such as suicide or trauma based mind control. personally i believe that the deep running themes of illuminati and free masonic symbolism are purposefully used to create a stir and gain attention. The Scenes with the ballerinas could possibly be analysed to show the ''true art'' juxtaposed with with gagas freak out scene to show her personality Fracturing and changing. The Ballerina is in her head and the scene ends with her topless and crying showing that both of her worlds are tearing apart. The scene where gaga has been re invented as her blonde alter ego dressed in old denim with lots of patches looking up at those who stare down at her with cold emotionless faces could symbolize gagas uncaring attitude to those higher up than her as in a show of her impious feelings towards them as she shows almost no emotion as though she is not bothered that they stare down at her and judge. in the choreography scene a dancer is shown falling to the ground, this dancer is one of gagas oldest friends and the scene where she picks her up and hugs her is symbolic of the bonds she has made and respect and her very down to earth approach where she leaves no one behind at the cost of fame.
Target audience -Younger audience and fan base (13 - 20+) as is the usual with many pop videos. The symbolism and deep layers and meanings of the things in the mise en scene could have been placed intentionally to lure in conspiracy theorists or as they would say to brainwash the youth of today and create a race of zombie puppets easily tractable or malleable.
Editing -the editing in marry the night as at times very slow and as invisible as in film but in certain parts the editing becomes very fast to accentuate the video and song such as the part where She is going crazy in her appartment and then again at the end of the song in a climax of multiple scenes cut multiple times to all cumulate into a climax at the end. most of the time the editing is cut in time with the music. towards the end before the very fast cuts you can see the pace increase gradually until the climax. There is a small amount of french text placed over the scene where gaga is speaking on the phone in a subtitle way. This Confused me at first because the Speaking is so quiet and the text is so bold and brightly coloured and has been subtitled in an opposite way. Luckily i can speak french so i understood this but im guessing people will have to listen well to understand fully what she is saying. there are barely any effects used in the video, there are almost no special transitions, all scenes are just cut together apart from when the dome transforms into the moon in the night sky before the music starts and the only particular effect i can see is when gaga is performing as the lone ballerina there are little ''fairies flying around her at parts'' and in the very end scene it is tinted red with the flames added in with the creepy echoey music to create a creepy dark effect.
Music video style - narrative/concept based. i think the mixture of narrative concept based works extremely well for the video, the song itself is about gagas life and the video itself compliments this but it relies very little on the lyrics and is based more off of actual events that have happened in gagas life. this helps to create a video style that is narrative but in an interesting more artistic way straying away from lyrical to visual representation and allowing gaga to portray her story in the way that she intended.
Camera shots - The video starts with an extreme closeup of Gagas face while she is narrating over the top. This could represent that this narration could be an inner monologue and all in her head while she is unconcsious. The camera tracks after the camera zooms out from her face and follows the bed and nurses through the corridor into the ''ward''. when gaga is conscious in the bed it mainly focuses on closeups to show the expressions on gagas face and the anguish when she begins to cry. there is also a long shot here to help establish the scene and the other character ''the nurse''. when the nurses plays the music for gaga and she puts her gauze cap on and lies back the camera zooms out from lady gaga showing the rest of the ''psycho ward'' showing the rest of the ''lobotomized girls'' and the general scene in itself. the Scene where gaga answers the phone and is told that she has been dropped from her label there are a few extreme closeups and from then on frequent closeups of her freaking out but in the ballerina scene that is often cut back and forth from there is a lot of mid to long shots showing gaga on the floor having fallen down looking up at the other ballerinas who still stand, this is very symbolic of the way that she has been knocked down in an instant while the others continue to stay tall, the camera is often aimed low at these points to further emphasize the point of belittling her position. During the choreographed Scenes gaga is often placed to the right of the centre de emphasizing the point of her being the main focus, but there are cuts to closeups of gaga alone to show that she is still a main focus point and the camera is often angled in ways to make it look as though gaga is directly in the middle of the group and middle of shot. the ending of the video would require you to pause quickly to analyse each shot as it is edited so fast with the time of the music that it is really annoying to analyse but each shot is synonymous with the previous ones in the video, gaga is placed in the center for the most part and they are usually mid to close up shots.
Mise en Scene -Marry the night is a very deep and complex music video with a lot of symbolism and layers to each scene. While to most people seeming to be just a random mish mosh of crap just thrown together the video is very cleverly and carefully assembled to create the biggest social impact that it can. The truth is no one but gaga herself can really understand fully the depth of symbolism and allusion within the video, leaving a lot to be explained creates a great amount of controversy and allows the audience to create their own perceptions and readings of the song and video. I will explain my personal opinion on what i think the video and symbolism mean. The beggining of the video is has a very hospital style of colour scheme with whites and dull greens and greys. and very dark and plain colours in the corridors where she is being wheeled through. this is to reflect the hospital scene in the beginning which could possible be alluding to lots of things such as suicide or trauma based mind control. personally i believe that the deep running themes of illuminati and free masonic symbolism are purposefully used to create a stir and gain attention. The Scenes with the ballerinas could possibly be analysed to show the ''true art'' juxtaposed with with gagas freak out scene to show her personality Fracturing and changing. The Ballerina is in her head and the scene ends with her topless and crying showing that both of her worlds are tearing apart. The scene where gaga has been re invented as her blonde alter ego dressed in old denim with lots of patches looking up at those who stare down at her with cold emotionless faces could symbolize gagas uncaring attitude to those higher up than her as in a show of her impious feelings towards them as she shows almost no emotion as though she is not bothered that they stare down at her and judge. in the choreography scene a dancer is shown falling to the ground, this dancer is one of gagas oldest friends and the scene where she picks her up and hugs her is symbolic of the bonds she has made and respect and her very down to earth approach where she leaves no one behind at the cost of fame.
Target audience -Younger audience and fan base (13 - 20+) as is the usual with many pop videos. The symbolism and deep layers and meanings of the things in the mise en scene could have been placed intentionally to lure in conspiracy theorists or as they would say to brainwash the youth of today and create a race of zombie puppets easily tractable or malleable.
Editing -the editing in marry the night as at times very slow and as invisible as in film but in certain parts the editing becomes very fast to accentuate the video and song such as the part where She is going crazy in her appartment and then again at the end of the song in a climax of multiple scenes cut multiple times to all cumulate into a climax at the end. most of the time the editing is cut in time with the music. towards the end before the very fast cuts you can see the pace increase gradually until the climax. There is a small amount of french text placed over the scene where gaga is speaking on the phone in a subtitle way. This Confused me at first because the Speaking is so quiet and the text is so bold and brightly coloured and has been subtitled in an opposite way. Luckily i can speak french so i understood this but im guessing people will have to listen well to understand fully what she is saying. there are barely any effects used in the video, there are almost no special transitions, all scenes are just cut together apart from when the dome transforms into the moon in the night sky before the music starts and the only particular effect i can see is when gaga is performing as the lone ballerina there are little ''fairies flying around her at parts'' and in the very end scene it is tinted red with the flames added in with the creepy echoey music to create a creepy dark effect.
Music video style - narrative/concept based. i think the mixture of narrative concept based works extremely well for the video, the song itself is about gagas life and the video itself compliments this but it relies very little on the lyrics and is based more off of actual events that have happened in gagas life. this helps to create a video style that is narrative but in an interesting more artistic way straying away from lyrical to visual representation and allowing gaga to portray her story in the way that she intended.
Music video analysis 1, Natalia Kills - wonderland
Narrative – The narrative to the wonderland video is a reflection of the preffered meaning of the song and lyrics. the song itself is very anti-society and is about how Society has the fairytile life of getting married, settling down and having kids. although this may not be apparent in the video itself natalias actions and the place around her are very symbolic and have deep meaning. at the very beggining Natalia is shown being dragged along by riot police with her hands held together by special handcuffs, she is struggling to break free which is symbolic of fighting against a higher power that bounds you. she is then dragged into a large mansion/church and sat down at the head of a table with other people sat around in rabbit masks (sticking the theme of wonderland, tea party, rabbits etc) the Tea party with the drug cupcakes are symbolic of a higher power controlling powerless people as the women in rabbit masks have their eyes covered and take their drugs ''blindly'' to symbolize that the true world is hidden from their view. Natalia refuses to take her drugs and then stands up on thetable kicking away the drugs from the higher power to which to police respond by beating everyone violently and bounding them and taking natalia away for Execution. The Story is very symbolic of higher powers and society and rebellion, the girl is different and a threat to society and refused to blindly follow so they removed and silenced the problem. Not every resolution is a happy ending in narratives as is obvious in this video. the unhappy ending is sticking to the theme of a twisted dark fairytale, becuase fairytales are just lies where everything just magically gets better. such a bitter ending is very antisocial and is trying to depict that not everything in life is as easy as it is in ''wonderland''
Camera Shots – there are many different camera shots in the wonderland video and are mostly conventional to goodwins theory of music videos. Because natalia is a single artist there are loads of closeups of natalias facewhen she is singing and showing different emotions, such as resentment and sadness. there are also lots of closeups of the ''blind rabbits'' aswell to further push along the point that natalia is different and sticks out to the conformity of the tea party. There are at times extreme closeups of just a pair of lips belonging to an unknown character showing them taking pills and then chewing a Smiley face chewing gum and blowing a bubble before popping it. (symbolising the death of happiness in a bleak world) there is an extreme long shot aswell while natalia is being dragged out the church/mansion to further show the Setting and to quickly show the execution block allowing the audience a quick glance at the impending fate for natalia. There are a few cuts to scenes of natalia crying blood and with blood on her face with closeup shots before cutting to a close up of the executioner to further explain natalias fate. There are generally lots of closeups and emotions shown in the video, there are often Closeups of the riot police officers faces protected by the clear masks showing cold and emotionless expressions to symbolize that they do not care and then a few closeups of them barking orders when natalia begins to rebel. There are quite a few close ups of natalias heels, something evidently present in quite a few of her music videos, this could be possibly to iconize natalia with unique heels and to help her have a style relatable to her instantly.
Mise-en-scene There are tons of different things specifically placed in the mise en scene to portray different things. The colour red is very consistent throughout the video as it is often associated to blood, Love, Sacrifice and Execution, and all themes run through the song and video. the church/mansion is meant to immitate a castle in a fairytale to give the music video a creepy sort of feeing as though a twist on a sugar sweet fairytale and is also a dark themed building often associated with marriage and love. There are many semi-subliminal shots in the video of just a red or black background with red or black text over them with prases very anti-society and anti-love saying things such as love is pain or we are all alone, These give the video an even creepier more depressing feel. most of the symbolism in the video is very illuminati based, the phrase love is pain is a very classic illuminati saying that is said to confuse mind control victims into associating love and happiness with feelings of pain and anguish to Dissociate from happy feelings. The use a real heart on a platter is a very blatent yet dark metaphor on love and how society twists and prods love and ''breaks'' hearts, this is shown in the way that the heart is stabbed with both knife and fork angrily. the story of Wonderland and the white rabbit are also very classic illuminati techniques aswell as the drug cupcakes because they say that taking the drugs is like following the rabbit down the rabbit hole into a world of magic and wonder as an escape from the real world because life is just so terrible. The plastic dolls also in the cupcakes are used to show that after taking the drugs you become the higher powers plaything, a mere toy that they can do with whatever they please and also that society is very plastic and superficial with a painted on smile. the dark themes and symbolism in the video give the video an extremely dark and at times scary feeling. The Riot police Watching the Tea party from above is symbolic and alluding to a higher power watching from above down onto the lower powers to make sure that they stay in line. The use of the multiple hands held over natalias eyes are aswell symbolic of a hidden power Blocking your real view of the world, allowing you to believe everything they tell you because you cannot see for yourself. how can anyone make an informed opinion when you are only ever told one side of a story? The main themes of the video are deffinately power and control and in my personal opinion i believe that the illuminati symbolism has been intentionally placed to further push views of the video meaning more popularity. Because fans of the music will obviously watch the video so to Further broaden your audience you can add a bit of symbolism to Bring in the conpsiracy theorists and use their paranoia For profit and gain. A rather low tactic but such is business nonetheless.
Target Audience –Fans (teenagers and young adults i would say about 14-20+) and conspiracy theorists. Although dark with lots of deep meaning and symbolic reference many people watching the video would hardly notice and just feel that it is Darker and unusual, almost a fashion statement, such as wearing darker clothes or darker colours, listening to darker more unusual music and watching their videos can often be a niche for those who wish to be different than what society percieves as ''normal''. Anti-society and uniqueness and rebellion are themes natalia kills uses to connect with a younger fanbase who feel as though society has let them down.
Editing – The editing is fast and abrupt to throw as much at you at possible as fast as possible. This could possible be so that there are things you could miss and you would have to watch the video several times to see and undertsand everything meaning more views. but most of natalia kills' videos have fast editing and lots of cuts between different scenes back and forth through meaning most of them could be considered as non-linear narratives as they break away constantly from the main point they are trying to convey but often aid in the develepment of plot or meaning. the extreme amount of cuts to the semi-subliminal text and imagery also helps to create pace and even though a lot of the video seems to be in slow motion there is still a sense of speed because of the many different things flashing up on screen. Im guessing this is because of space issues but at certain points in the video there are a few editing mistakes, when the riot police are upstairs you can tell that the image has just been mirrored because of the eay the chandelier moves into itself, it is practically invisible to the naked eye and i myself have only just noticed it after watching the video about thirty times but after noticing this little error it really kills the emphasis on making editing invisible, especially when there are other scenes shot upstairs you can really tell that they are just mirrored. Quite a few of the scenes towards the end of the video have a grainy and blurred texture to them to make them feel as though they are from another age which could possibly be a link to the fairytale theme as all fairytales where set far behind modern times. the speed of the editing can often be distracting and can seem a bit overwhelming as it is a lot to take in so suddenly and can leave you feeling a bit confused which brings me back to an earlier point where you would watch the video a few times over for clarity. There is often nothing in shot for too long before cutting to something else.
Music Video style – The music video style used is a hybrid of Narrative and Concept based. The Cross between both helps to tell a story that sticks with the lyrics but in a very conceptual way playing with the themes of the song in the video in a clever way to Draw out the meaning of a song but in a way that people can form their own opinions and perceptions as to what it could possibly mean. The use of this technique is often a great way for a video to cause controversy and discussion amongst fans and other people meaning it has a great social impact and can gain infamy or fame due to the controversy and confusion surrounding it. A very clever and well thought out technique. Although the video itself is not so popular i believe this is because to be shown on television it would have to be censored so much there would be almost no point in watching it. such blatent censoring in the ''clean'' edition of the video though could be used as a technique to show mystery and lead the people who see it to think about what it could be that they dont want you to see on Tv and why it is so terrible to be seen. Although the cleaner version of the video has more views, this is often the case with videos or films that have a directors cut, more often than not it is the real fans of the musician who see the directors cut because this would not be advertised or talked about as much. sort of a hidden gem.
Thursday, 11 October 2012
Conventions of music videos
Everything produced in media has codes and conventions and music videos are no exception. A code or convention is like a guideline of rules that music videos often follow (but do not have to) That are always dependable on genre or style. The main conventions for music videos Relate to Camera shots and angles, Editing, lyric interpretation, extending or consolidating songs meanings and Allusion.
Camera shots and angles:
camera shots and angles are as important in music videos as in any other media text. Each specific shot or angle could mean a lot more than it does in things such as films or adverts though. For example Closeups (as referenced in goodwins theory of star image) help to promote and iconize a singer and to show each expression and emotion to help show the songs emotional meaning. closeups are often used to show the product placement and company names aswell, a technique that is very common in music videos to help earn more money to make the video or to just add more money to the profit revenue. long shots can be used to establish a scene or location in the music video as well as keeping focus on the main person/people in shot at the same time, these are often very useful as they do not break your attention away for too long and can have two different effects at the same time. for example if you had a closeup on an artist who was singing and then cut to a long shot your focus will stay on the artist themselves but will also show you their surrounding area, which can also further push along the meaning to a song because the location is often metaphorically linked to the lyrics and song. the video for lady gagas telephone has a lot of good examples for the closeups and long shots as some scenes show lady gaga alone singing up close but then cut to a long shot to show the scene and her fellow back up dancers and of course in relation to goodwins theory of star image, there is always at least one closeup of her in her many different outfits. and also lots of closeups on the product placement aswell.
Editing and Effects:
Editing is and always will be present in all videos unless they are all done in one long shot which is sometimes done. All shots are cut together like a puzzle to make the final product. there are many editing techniques used in music videos but there is often not that many, usually music videos rely on effects more than editing techniques and transitions, they often just use jump cuts because most music videos can jump from scene to scene without ruining continuty and therefore do not need to de-emphasize the editing so more time can be spent on effects and stylizing the video. one of the most effect filled videos i have ever seen is natalia kills controversy. it is a very simple music video just showing natalia stood staring into the camera and moving slightly and then sometimes cuts to her jumping with a hat on. While this sounds extremely boring there is always something to look at because it has been seriously messed around with. there are lots of images and videos used in a reverse green screen sort of way where natalias outline becomes the frame for the images rather than the background. The video has been edited to show loads of static and old VCR multicolour errors and old video camera text giving the video a very low tech feel and style.
Lyric interpretation:
Lyrical interpretation in music videos is exactly the same as goodwins theory of links to lyrics and visuals, it is when something on screen in the video links together with what the singer is actually singing about. it is often overused in some music videos making them seem a bit less creative and innovative as though the creators don't want to think outside the box as much. it can often be seen as the lazy route but is often effective nonetheless and is perfect for people who want their videos to represent and reflect on the song meaning itself. i can think of no other song with a video as simple and linked to the lyrics as rebecca blacks - Friday. It is a song that has exploded on the internet for more negative than positive reasons and is extremely simple yet catchy, younger kids will be more inclined to like this as it just a bit of fun. the video itself follows the lyrics strictly and barely breaks away from them at all.
Camera shots and angles:
camera shots and angles are as important in music videos as in any other media text. Each specific shot or angle could mean a lot more than it does in things such as films or adverts though. For example Closeups (as referenced in goodwins theory of star image) help to promote and iconize a singer and to show each expression and emotion to help show the songs emotional meaning. closeups are often used to show the product placement and company names aswell, a technique that is very common in music videos to help earn more money to make the video or to just add more money to the profit revenue. long shots can be used to establish a scene or location in the music video as well as keeping focus on the main person/people in shot at the same time, these are often very useful as they do not break your attention away for too long and can have two different effects at the same time. for example if you had a closeup on an artist who was singing and then cut to a long shot your focus will stay on the artist themselves but will also show you their surrounding area, which can also further push along the meaning to a song because the location is often metaphorically linked to the lyrics and song. the video for lady gagas telephone has a lot of good examples for the closeups and long shots as some scenes show lady gaga alone singing up close but then cut to a long shot to show the scene and her fellow back up dancers and of course in relation to goodwins theory of star image, there is always at least one closeup of her in her many different outfits. and also lots of closeups on the product placement aswell.
Editing and Effects:
Editing is and always will be present in all videos unless they are all done in one long shot which is sometimes done. All shots are cut together like a puzzle to make the final product. there are many editing techniques used in music videos but there is often not that many, usually music videos rely on effects more than editing techniques and transitions, they often just use jump cuts because most music videos can jump from scene to scene without ruining continuty and therefore do not need to de-emphasize the editing so more time can be spent on effects and stylizing the video. one of the most effect filled videos i have ever seen is natalia kills controversy. it is a very simple music video just showing natalia stood staring into the camera and moving slightly and then sometimes cuts to her jumping with a hat on. While this sounds extremely boring there is always something to look at because it has been seriously messed around with. there are lots of images and videos used in a reverse green screen sort of way where natalias outline becomes the frame for the images rather than the background. The video has been edited to show loads of static and old VCR multicolour errors and old video camera text giving the video a very low tech feel and style.
Lyric interpretation:
Lyrical interpretation in music videos is exactly the same as goodwins theory of links to lyrics and visuals, it is when something on screen in the video links together with what the singer is actually singing about. it is often overused in some music videos making them seem a bit less creative and innovative as though the creators don't want to think outside the box as much. it can often be seen as the lazy route but is often effective nonetheless and is perfect for people who want their videos to represent and reflect on the song meaning itself. i can think of no other song with a video as simple and linked to the lyrics as rebecca blacks - Friday. It is a song that has exploded on the internet for more negative than positive reasons and is extremely simple yet catchy, younger kids will be more inclined to like this as it just a bit of fun. the video itself follows the lyrics strictly and barely breaks away from them at all.
Extending/consolidating song meanings:
Extending or consolodating a song meaning in a music video is when you use symbolism and things in the mise en scene to further push the meaning of the song or to add more of a meaning to a song or to just bring the lyrics together into a visual explanation of what the song actually means (quite similair to lyrical interpretation). Although this sounds like it could be very deep and meaningful that is not always the case, the song could be very straight forward with a consolidating music video. For example in this video for lily allens - ldn she is singing how about london has a general perception of being nice but if you look again you can see that its just fake. The video itself is rather clever to have everything in 2 perceptions where everything is all nice and bright until she walks away and everything become grey and dull. it explains the lyrics in a simple but effective way and is very cleverly edited and shot.
Allusion:
Allusion is a very similair concept to intertextual reference but in a less obvious, less in your face way. sort of a subtle nod to the audience that isnt so much of a big deal. Alluding to something literally means to reference it. this could mean a variety of things, for example you could blatently reference another artist by wearing iconic clothes for them or by saying their name aloud or having it in text on shot which would be interextual reference, however allusion is much more indirect and discreet so to allude to another artsit you could have certain objects or items that are symbolic of an artist that would just be like a puzzle for people to pick up on or to be told about, it adds an element of excitement to a video and could help it spread by word of mouth because it could lead to discussions about if you have seen or it your your own personal perception on what you think it could mean.
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Music Video Techniques
According to Andew goodwins theory music videos often follow a variety techniques, these are: Genre Characteristics, links between lyrics and visuals, links between music and visuals, Star image, Voyeurism and intertextual reference.
Genre characteristics:
This releates to the visual style for a genre of music, for example pop music would conventionally be bright and upbeat where as rock and metal music would be often dark and brooding with very different conventions for the video. For example, rock videos usually have things like blood and dark symbolic things around while pop videos are usually oversexualised with many bright colours and materialistic props such as cars and money. not all music videos and or artists fit into the convential characteristics of a genre for example Natalia kills is considered as pop because of the electronic and computersied music but she is very dark and her music videos are often filled with darker imagery and colour. An artist who does fit into pop conventions though is nicki minaj, in this video for super bass the main colour is pink and there are lots of cars and product placements aimed at younger audiences slotting nicely into convention.
Links Between lyrics and visuals and links between music and visuals:
According to goodwins theory there should always be relationships between lyrics music and visuals present in music videos. the music and Visuals should either Contradict, amplify or illustrate the lyrics. This link between the music and visuals are often seen in instrumental solos, this is mostly just to keep interest fresh rather than just having a constant closeup of a guitarist playing a solo as this would get repetative and boring. these links should always be present to allow the audience to take away their own interpretations from their own perspectives.
Star Image:
How a star or stars come across in music videos is extremely crucial, even more so for solo artists as they are the main focus point. The way they dress and act in music videos is important to build up an iconography and style that is recognizable by the audience and fans. Andrew goodwin states that Closeups are a vital technique used to get star image across. it keeps your attention on the artist and when there are lots of things going on in the video they can snap your attention back to the artist and what they are saying in an instant. mass media often use the image that stars have made for themselves in videos to throw shade and judge against them or to Review them in a negative or positive way. This video for lady gagas bad romance is one of her most famous and indeed at one time was one of the most watched videos on youtube of all time. This was a huge hit and helped her carve out her own specific niche and style in the mainstream media, her Technique and style used to cause such waves in the media because everyone was so stunned at how different and fresh she was.
Voyeurism:Voyeurism is extremely common in pop videos in todays society. in practically all pop videos there will be either men surrounded by half naked women or just half naked women. Sex sells and more people would be inclined to watch a video if they knew that there were ''sexy'' ladies in it. Women often feel objectified by this but there some people such as beyonce with Run the world she is saying that it empowers women. This is a great way to cash in on the insecurites of women who feel objectified and insignificant for not looking exactly like the women in mass media. This video for marina and the diamonds Creates a social commentary on the subject of voyeurism by having A woman surrounded by half naked men as a statement on how women are often objects in music videos and just eye candy. the male voyeurism in marinas video is in contrast to madonnas male voyeurism in practically all videos of hers ever as these were mostly used to cause controversy back in the 80's and from then on has become iconic for homoerotic imagery for her almost entirely gay fanbase.
Intertextual Reference:
Intertextual reference is when a music video references another famous film or video. these could often be pastiche music videos drawing a lot of inspiration from the film or video. This means that the audience can often pick up on this and think more positively about the video, kind of like a puzzle. This can also be the concept for a music video to draw inspiration from another famous film or video for either reasons connected with the song or because they just couldnt think of anything, or possibly just a joke. This marina and the diamonds song shampain has a Very 80's vibe to it so the video itself has some choreography from michael jackson's Thriller video (possibly the most iconic music video of all time) mixed in with other choreography to further demonstrate the sound and style of the song itself. this is also a very good example for solo star image as it features a lot of closeups and although there are more people in the video your attention is always snapped back to marina instantly when it is supposed to be.
Genre characteristics:
This releates to the visual style for a genre of music, for example pop music would conventionally be bright and upbeat where as rock and metal music would be often dark and brooding with very different conventions for the video. For example, rock videos usually have things like blood and dark symbolic things around while pop videos are usually oversexualised with many bright colours and materialistic props such as cars and money. not all music videos and or artists fit into the convential characteristics of a genre for example Natalia kills is considered as pop because of the electronic and computersied music but she is very dark and her music videos are often filled with darker imagery and colour. An artist who does fit into pop conventions though is nicki minaj, in this video for super bass the main colour is pink and there are lots of cars and product placements aimed at younger audiences slotting nicely into convention.
Links Between lyrics and visuals and links between music and visuals:
According to goodwins theory there should always be relationships between lyrics music and visuals present in music videos. the music and Visuals should either Contradict, amplify or illustrate the lyrics. This link between the music and visuals are often seen in instrumental solos, this is mostly just to keep interest fresh rather than just having a constant closeup of a guitarist playing a solo as this would get repetative and boring. these links should always be present to allow the audience to take away their own interpretations from their own perspectives.
Star Image:
How a star or stars come across in music videos is extremely crucial, even more so for solo artists as they are the main focus point. The way they dress and act in music videos is important to build up an iconography and style that is recognizable by the audience and fans. Andrew goodwin states that Closeups are a vital technique used to get star image across. it keeps your attention on the artist and when there are lots of things going on in the video they can snap your attention back to the artist and what they are saying in an instant. mass media often use the image that stars have made for themselves in videos to throw shade and judge against them or to Review them in a negative or positive way. This video for lady gagas bad romance is one of her most famous and indeed at one time was one of the most watched videos on youtube of all time. This was a huge hit and helped her carve out her own specific niche and style in the mainstream media, her Technique and style used to cause such waves in the media because everyone was so stunned at how different and fresh she was.
Voyeurism:Voyeurism is extremely common in pop videos in todays society. in practically all pop videos there will be either men surrounded by half naked women or just half naked women. Sex sells and more people would be inclined to watch a video if they knew that there were ''sexy'' ladies in it. Women often feel objectified by this but there some people such as beyonce with Run the world she is saying that it empowers women. This is a great way to cash in on the insecurites of women who feel objectified and insignificant for not looking exactly like the women in mass media. This video for marina and the diamonds Creates a social commentary on the subject of voyeurism by having A woman surrounded by half naked men as a statement on how women are often objects in music videos and just eye candy. the male voyeurism in marinas video is in contrast to madonnas male voyeurism in practically all videos of hers ever as these were mostly used to cause controversy back in the 80's and from then on has become iconic for homoerotic imagery for her almost entirely gay fanbase.
Intertextual Reference:
Intertextual reference is when a music video references another famous film or video. these could often be pastiche music videos drawing a lot of inspiration from the film or video. This means that the audience can often pick up on this and think more positively about the video, kind of like a puzzle. This can also be the concept for a music video to draw inspiration from another famous film or video for either reasons connected with the song or because they just couldnt think of anything, or possibly just a joke. This marina and the diamonds song shampain has a Very 80's vibe to it so the video itself has some choreography from michael jackson's Thriller video (possibly the most iconic music video of all time) mixed in with other choreography to further demonstrate the sound and style of the song itself. this is also a very good example for solo star image as it features a lot of closeups and although there are more people in the video your attention is always snapped back to marina instantly when it is supposed to be.
Music Video Styles
There are three main styles of music videos and these are: Narrative based, Concept based and Performance based
Narrative Based:
A narrative based music video is used to portray a story by usually following the lyrics but this isnt always the case as there are lots of narrative based videos with storys that are almost completely different to the song that go to. A prime example of this is Promises by Nero, the video follows a woman in a futuristic society that is heavily controlled by a higher power making them take drugs and obey, but she has fallen in love with another man and she starts to rebel against the power that controls her by pretending to take her pills and then standing out from everyone else by acting different and eventually kissing the man. This also has some performance based bits included showing the singer stood alone in seperate shots singing the lyrics. the narrative of the video and themes of rebellion and disobeying are often now shown in modern music videos as seen below in the concept based video, these themes are usually aimed at a younger age because youth often has the Stigma of rebellion.
Concept Based:
a Concept based music video is loosely based upon the song itself and is usually completely random and can seem without any meaning. This is so that the audience can each develop and take away their own meaning from the video which can lead to different discussions, it's kind of like a puzzle that you can figure out in your own way. An example of this is Natalia kills wonder (directors cut) video, i used the directors cut for this video because a lot of the imagery could be considered nsfw, mainly drugs. the video is based around rebelling against a higher power and failing. natalia is dragged into the mad hatters tea party by riot police with handcuffs and then she is served cupcakes with pills, a decorative way to show dissociation, a long running theme from the video, sit down take your pills and obey orders. Natalia obviously chooses to disobey and then stands upon the table kicking away the drug cakes and causing a scene, the police then grab her and execute her for disobeying. if you read into the video you will see the deep meaning and symbolism in the mise en scene. it is a great video to make you think and analyze.
Performance based:
many music videos often hybrid this into the other videos such as a concept video with a few performance clips. These are the simplest and often less eyecatching video but that isnt to say that they cant portray a message. Performance based music videos often rely heavily on camera and editing techniques as there isnt much else to work with, for example closeups of singers and of hands playing instruments. a prime example of this is Green days American idiot, The video is simplistic but very effective, the effects on the colours and the speed of the people performing ad a nice touch and i personally believe that a full over the top artistic video for the song would be a bit overkill. it is a very simple concept for a video, just a band performing infront of a green american flag in an empty warehouse but it never feels oversimplified or halfhearted.
Narrative Based:
A narrative based music video is used to portray a story by usually following the lyrics but this isnt always the case as there are lots of narrative based videos with storys that are almost completely different to the song that go to. A prime example of this is Promises by Nero, the video follows a woman in a futuristic society that is heavily controlled by a higher power making them take drugs and obey, but she has fallen in love with another man and she starts to rebel against the power that controls her by pretending to take her pills and then standing out from everyone else by acting different and eventually kissing the man. This also has some performance based bits included showing the singer stood alone in seperate shots singing the lyrics. the narrative of the video and themes of rebellion and disobeying are often now shown in modern music videos as seen below in the concept based video, these themes are usually aimed at a younger age because youth often has the Stigma of rebellion.
Concept Based:
a Concept based music video is loosely based upon the song itself and is usually completely random and can seem without any meaning. This is so that the audience can each develop and take away their own meaning from the video which can lead to different discussions, it's kind of like a puzzle that you can figure out in your own way. An example of this is Natalia kills wonder (directors cut) video, i used the directors cut for this video because a lot of the imagery could be considered nsfw, mainly drugs. the video is based around rebelling against a higher power and failing. natalia is dragged into the mad hatters tea party by riot police with handcuffs and then she is served cupcakes with pills, a decorative way to show dissociation, a long running theme from the video, sit down take your pills and obey orders. Natalia obviously chooses to disobey and then stands upon the table kicking away the drug cakes and causing a scene, the police then grab her and execute her for disobeying. if you read into the video you will see the deep meaning and symbolism in the mise en scene. it is a great video to make you think and analyze.
Performance based:
many music videos often hybrid this into the other videos such as a concept video with a few performance clips. These are the simplest and often less eyecatching video but that isnt to say that they cant portray a message. Performance based music videos often rely heavily on camera and editing techniques as there isnt much else to work with, for example closeups of singers and of hands playing instruments. a prime example of this is Green days American idiot, The video is simplistic but very effective, the effects on the colours and the speed of the people performing ad a nice touch and i personally believe that a full over the top artistic video for the song would be a bit overkill. it is a very simple concept for a video, just a band performing infront of a green american flag in an empty warehouse but it never feels oversimplified or halfhearted.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Purposes of Music Videos
Music Videos Come in many different forms and are basically short films that go along to songs and and have Various reasons for being created, Some music videos are created to further explain the message and meaning of a song, Some music Videos are created solely for promotion and advertising, Some music videos can be created as an expression of art and to creat controversy. There are many different reasons a music video can be created but mostly they are all made to further boost the sales and revenue from the single the video goes to.
Music Videos created soley for promotion and advertisement are often mostly performance based with clips of the show or movie thrown in, these can often be very boring and unintereseting to watch but can still get a great review and can still draw more attention to what they try to advertise. Paramores - Decode is a very conventional promotional music video, it just shows the band performing in the woods with clips of the film Twilight over the top. the song was made specifically for the film so there is no other version of the music video. The woods that the band are performing in are linked in with the story of twilight as there are a few scenes in the woods aswell. personally i find this video uninspiring and boring but as long as the companies can make money that is all that matters to them.
some music videos are used to portray stories from artists lives in sort of biopic way. this is a definite way of promotion and can show the audience a bit more of their favourite musicians personal life meaning they could feel more inclined to learn even more by buying things such as books which would mean more revenue. lady gagas marry the night is a clear example of this. The video and song tell the story of her life before true fame and when she was dropped from her first record label but then later picked herself up and worked hard to get to where she is today. it is a greatly artistic music video but is clearly meant only for fans who truly understand. To mainstream society gaga is just another freak and her song marry the night would have about as much meaning as any nicki minaj song to them. this video does require some research to truly understand but leaves a lasting effect and an interesting look into gagas personal life. She does not care what society thinks and this is evident in her constant refusal to Fit into what we as a society dictate what is normal and what is beautiful.
Music Videos created soley for promotion and advertisement are often mostly performance based with clips of the show or movie thrown in, these can often be very boring and unintereseting to watch but can still get a great review and can still draw more attention to what they try to advertise. Paramores - Decode is a very conventional promotional music video, it just shows the band performing in the woods with clips of the film Twilight over the top. the song was made specifically for the film so there is no other version of the music video. The woods that the band are performing in are linked in with the story of twilight as there are a few scenes in the woods aswell. personally i find this video uninspiring and boring but as long as the companies can make money that is all that matters to them.
some music videos are used to portray stories from artists lives in sort of biopic way. this is a definite way of promotion and can show the audience a bit more of their favourite musicians personal life meaning they could feel more inclined to learn even more by buying things such as books which would mean more revenue. lady gagas marry the night is a clear example of this. The video and song tell the story of her life before true fame and when she was dropped from her first record label but then later picked herself up and worked hard to get to where she is today. it is a greatly artistic music video but is clearly meant only for fans who truly understand. To mainstream society gaga is just another freak and her song marry the night would have about as much meaning as any nicki minaj song to them. this video does require some research to truly understand but leaves a lasting effect and an interesting look into gagas personal life. She does not care what society thinks and this is evident in her constant refusal to Fit into what we as a society dictate what is normal and what is beautiful.
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