Showing posts with label Music Video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music Video. Show all posts
Friday, 12 April 2013
Saturday, 16 March 2013
Friday, 1 March 2013
Monday, 25 February 2013
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Monday, 17 December 2012
Post Production Story Board
Post-Prod SB DANIELLE'S - free slideshow
The main differences between our Pre-Production Story Board and our Post-Production Story Board is the addition of the third location. We decided to add these shots in because they were adding a new dimension to our character and showing a different emotion that related with the different tones of the song.
Another difference is the cross cutting between the narrative with the dolls and the narrative with the boy. Pre-production we were just going to have a few cross cuts but when editing post-production we decided to link the sequences of shots throughout the music video, enhancing the voodoo style.
On top of this, in our pre-production story board we hadn't decided the shots for the cake destruction. We had just written 'cake destruction' at the point where we wanted it in our music video. This definitely gave us a lot of creativity on the day of filming and gave us a chance to play around with the shots we had whilst editing.
We also changed the order of a couple of shots, but these aren't that noticeable because our music video is a narrative but it is a montage of the shots, meaning they can be placed anywhere.
Friday, 26 October 2012
Evaluation of Filming
What went well?
We were efficient with our filming. We got started as soon as we arrived at each location, setting up our equipment and planning the shots we had to do and how much time we had to do it.
We shared out the filming between all four of us. And we all got a chance at each role that contributed to our music video - director, set designer, setting up equipment, and filming.
We chose our actor really well. At the beginning I was a bit uncertain if he would suit the role because, to me, he looked too innocent to play such an emotionally unstable character, but when we started filming he switched it on and became the socially awkward character that we needed. He was really good at switching moods and emotions quickly, as we had shots of the character being happy, anxious, angry and sad.
We agreed on most camera angles, and even when we did disagree we all listened to each other and chose the best shot that would suit the music video. But in most cases we filmed all of our ideas of the shot and then chose the right one in editing.
As we only made one cake, the shots involving the character and the cake could only be filmed once which was quite daunting, however we gained all the shots we wanted and even experimented with different angles. For example low-angle and high angle as well as Point Of View and Mid-Shot.
What We Could Have Improved On?
On day of shooting we filmed according to our story board. I think this might disadvantage us with our range of shots as well as disadvantaging the amount of footage we have for post-production editing.
Filming took a lot of time because each shot had to be done precisely so that it would fit in with what we had planned in our pre-production story board. We should have planned our time and the time of each shot more carefully.
We should have also taken more care with our mise en scene because there were a few shots that we filmed where we didn't realise that a tripod or camera case was in the background so we had to refilm.
We were efficient with our filming. We got started as soon as we arrived at each location, setting up our equipment and planning the shots we had to do and how much time we had to do it.
We shared out the filming between all four of us. And we all got a chance at each role that contributed to our music video - director, set designer, setting up equipment, and filming.
We chose our actor really well. At the beginning I was a bit uncertain if he would suit the role because, to me, he looked too innocent to play such an emotionally unstable character, but when we started filming he switched it on and became the socially awkward character that we needed. He was really good at switching moods and emotions quickly, as we had shots of the character being happy, anxious, angry and sad.
We agreed on most camera angles, and even when we did disagree we all listened to each other and chose the best shot that would suit the music video. But in most cases we filmed all of our ideas of the shot and then chose the right one in editing.
As we only made one cake, the shots involving the character and the cake could only be filmed once which was quite daunting, however we gained all the shots we wanted and even experimented with different angles. For example low-angle and high angle as well as Point Of View and Mid-Shot.
What We Could Have Improved On?
On day of shooting we filmed according to our story board. I think this might disadvantage us with our range of shots as well as disadvantaging the amount of footage we have for post-production editing.
Filming took a lot of time because each shot had to be done precisely so that it would fit in with what we had planned in our pre-production story board. We should have planned our time and the time of each shot more carefully.
We should have also taken more care with our mise en scene because there were a few shots that we filmed where we didn't realise that a tripod or camera case was in the background so we had to refilm.
Thursday, 25 October 2012
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Pre-Production Storyboards
Our idea for our music video is to not have lip synching but instead to have two narratives that link in an unobvious way. One narrative is of a girl playing with two dolls and the other narrative is a boy getting ready for a date. The actions with the dolls will symbolise the progression of the boys date. We want the shots of the dolls to reflect an Avant Garde film style. We will use editing post-filming to create the cuts between narratives effectively.
The first shot is medium close-up to close-up shot of the back of the dolls head. This is the introduction shot and sets an "innocent" mood to the video.
The second shot is a mid-shot of the boy looking at his wall, and on the wall is a sort of shrine to the girl he is going on a date with. We see that there are post it notes around a large picture of this girl.
The third shot goes back to the little girl but she is just playing with the boy doll. This is to symbolise the boy getting ready for the date.
The fourth and firth shot are shots of a significant prop. It is a clock showing the date and time and then zooming into a close-up of the time changing. This sets the pace for the music video and we also go back to the clock later on in the music video.
Shots 6-12 are quick closeup shots of the post it notes. They show little facts about the girl that the boy has found out during their course of talking. There will also be shots of their Facebook chats which shows that they've never met and they have been communicating via Facebook. The twelfth shot shows the last post it note with the time and date of the date. These post it notes seem to be cute and sweet as if he knows so much about her but they are also creepy.
The shots after are him getting ready for the date and also cutting back to the girl playing with the dolls and acting out (between the dolls) what the boy wishes to happen. So we see at shots 20-21 and 24-29 the boy is making a cake whilst time is ticking by and the date draws nearer. Shot 22 is a shot of the girl playing with the dolls and making them sit down to enjoy a toy cake.
Shots 30-33 show that time has passed and he is still waiting for the girl. He repeatedly texts her but no reply. During these shots we will cut back to the little girl playing with her dolls and getting more violent and aggressive. At the end of the video we will see a smashed cake and a smashed doll house.
The first shot is medium close-up to close-up shot of the back of the dolls head. This is the introduction shot and sets an "innocent" mood to the video.
The second shot is a mid-shot of the boy looking at his wall, and on the wall is a sort of shrine to the girl he is going on a date with. We see that there are post it notes around a large picture of this girl.
The third shot goes back to the little girl but she is just playing with the boy doll. This is to symbolise the boy getting ready for the date.
The fourth and firth shot are shots of a significant prop. It is a clock showing the date and time and then zooming into a close-up of the time changing. This sets the pace for the music video and we also go back to the clock later on in the music video.
Shots 6-12 are quick closeup shots of the post it notes. They show little facts about the girl that the boy has found out during their course of talking. There will also be shots of their Facebook chats which shows that they've never met and they have been communicating via Facebook. The twelfth shot shows the last post it note with the time and date of the date. These post it notes seem to be cute and sweet as if he knows so much about her but they are also creepy.
The shots after are him getting ready for the date and also cutting back to the girl playing with the dolls and acting out (between the dolls) what the boy wishes to happen. So we see at shots 20-21 and 24-29 the boy is making a cake whilst time is ticking by and the date draws nearer. Shot 22 is a shot of the girl playing with the dolls and making them sit down to enjoy a toy cake.
Shots 30-33 show that time has passed and he is still waiting for the girl. He repeatedly texts her but no reply. During these shots we will cut back to the little girl playing with her dolls and getting more violent and aggressive. At the end of the video we will see a smashed cake and a smashed doll house.
Thursday, 11 October 2012
Budget and Narrative: Market Research
For our market research we asked two questions.
1) Do you prefer music video styles of low or high budget
We asked this question as a way of analysing people's responses to the contrasting music videos of today. We have such a difference between high budget music videos, such as Next 2 You by Chris Brown and Justin Bieber and low budget music videos, such as Down With The Trumpets by Rizzle Kicks and this question with the answers help us to see whether the budget of the music video actually affects the portrayal of the messages from the music video.
2) Which narratives do you prefer in music video? For example relationships, sports, fighting, violence, videos of the artist performing the song or teenage narratives.
This question was again asked to analyse people's interpretations of the vast range of music videos we have today. We have such diversity of narrative in music videos nowadays that one music video can be perceived in many different ways. For example Proud by JLS. This music video can be seen as a tribute to the athletes and their families as it was released during the build up of the Olympics, or it can be seen as a personal message from JLS to their families. This question was also a way of seeing preferences.
The answer to the first question was very useful. He said that the budget depends on the artist, which is very much true with music videos today. If it is known for an artist to have a really "out-there" music video (some sort of trademark perhaps), like Lady Gaga or Beyonce, then for them to release a low budget music video would be uncharacteristic for them and may not attract as many views as their previous music videos have. He also said that a low budget music video could also be really good to highlight the actual narrative of the music video itself. Because of the lack of fancy costumes, extravagant location, choreography, makeup etc. it will not distract the audience from the actual message or narrative of the music video. For example A-Team by Ed Sheeran.
The answers to the second question were once again highly useful. He answered in context of target audience; what would appeal to the artist's audience and get their music video a lot of views. An example of a music video appealing to a particular audience would be Live While We're Young by One Direction. One Direction appeal to teenage girls and the use of a teenage "party" goofing around lifestyle would draw in the views and would also show off the band members' personalities. This would make the music video seem like an intimate video between the band and their fans. He also answered in context of sales of the product. He said that if the music video appeals to the target audience they are more likely to by the product, which is very true. He said that looking at music videos now, teenage narratives are a lot more common.
1) Do you prefer music video styles of low or high budget
We asked this question as a way of analysing people's responses to the contrasting music videos of today. We have such a difference between high budget music videos, such as Next 2 You by Chris Brown and Justin Bieber and low budget music videos, such as Down With The Trumpets by Rizzle Kicks and this question with the answers help us to see whether the budget of the music video actually affects the portrayal of the messages from the music video.
2) Which narratives do you prefer in music video? For example relationships, sports, fighting, violence, videos of the artist performing the song or teenage narratives.
This question was again asked to analyse people's interpretations of the vast range of music videos we have today. We have such diversity of narrative in music videos nowadays that one music video can be perceived in many different ways. For example Proud by JLS. This music video can be seen as a tribute to the athletes and their families as it was released during the build up of the Olympics, or it can be seen as a personal message from JLS to their families. This question was also a way of seeing preferences.
The answer to the first question was very useful. He said that the budget depends on the artist, which is very much true with music videos today. If it is known for an artist to have a really "out-there" music video (some sort of trademark perhaps), like Lady Gaga or Beyonce, then for them to release a low budget music video would be uncharacteristic for them and may not attract as many views as their previous music videos have. He also said that a low budget music video could also be really good to highlight the actual narrative of the music video itself. Because of the lack of fancy costumes, extravagant location, choreography, makeup etc. it will not distract the audience from the actual message or narrative of the music video. For example A-Team by Ed Sheeran.
The answers to the second question were once again highly useful. He answered in context of target audience; what would appeal to the artist's audience and get their music video a lot of views. An example of a music video appealing to a particular audience would be Live While We're Young by One Direction. One Direction appeal to teenage girls and the use of a teenage "party" goofing around lifestyle would draw in the views and would also show off the band members' personalities. This would make the music video seem like an intimate video between the band and their fans. He also answered in context of sales of the product. He said that if the music video appeals to the target audience they are more likely to by the product, which is very true. He said that looking at music videos now, teenage narratives are a lot more common.
Saturday, 6 October 2012
Music Video Analysis - 'I Don't Love You' My Chemical Romance
The music video I am analysing is I Don’t Love You by My Chemical Romance, which Marc Webb directed. My Chemical Romance is an alternative rock group so their music videos follow the normal conventions of a music video of this genre:
- Dark colours – reflecting the mood of the song
- Close ups of the band member
- Close ups to also show emotions
- Performance from the band
- Some use of special effects
The lyrics, to me, have a narrative of a boy who finds
himself difficult to be loved. The lyrics ‘better get out, while you can’ show
this. This narrative is shown through the actual video however there is no
close reflection of lyrics. Therefore this video is an amplification of the
lyrics, which the enhancement of a concept.
The video is in a colour format to stimulate the colour
contrast between the two characters. The boy is in black to show that there is
something dark about him and neither him nor the girl smile in the whole video
showing that maybe their love/relationship is strenuous, but they love each
other too much to let go. The girl is the complete opposite of him; physically
she is all in white but the connotation of white is showing that she is pure
and vulnerable. From the lyrics we get the sense that he is somewhat poisoning
her perfect image ‘sometimes I cry so hard from pleading’ pleading for her to
leave him as he is no good. This is reflected in the video as when he touches
her back at 1:56 he leaves ‘scars’. He eventually realises that no matter what
he says to this girl she will never leave him and he knows that he is no good
for her, so he must leave her. ‘I don’t love you like I loved you yesterday’ he
say this to her and leaves, breaking them both completely (shown at 3:10). The
last time he sees her he looks guilty and pained to be doing what he is doing
but he knows he must leave her (shown at 2:36) and slowly goes whilst she looks
confused.
At 3:24 when the drum comes back in after a softer
moment, the guitars start to explode which could also symbolise the love the
boy and girl had breaking. The black rain dripping down on her at 3:29 could be
showing another way that he is marking her. Through leaving her he has broken
her heart and the single black tear falling from her eye at 3:50 also
symbolises this.
The first shot of the video is a wide shot, showing the
location – appears to be hillside – the character and the season – appears to
be autumn as leaves are falling. Then there is a clean cut to a medium close up
so that the audience becomes more familiar with the girl. As the instrumental
introduction of the drums start there is a cut to the drummer. We see that the
band’s location is very different to the narrative’s location. The narrative is
set outside in an open, light coloured location, but the band are playing in a
closed off black room. Interestingly, when there are close ups of the main
singer lip synching to the song; he appears to be in the same location as the
narrative, showing maybe how the band and the narrative are emerging together.
The climax of the song is when the band is playing their instrumental.
The heavy guitar solo is somehow reflecting the story, the dramatic end to a
relationship. And after the instrumental the singer is alone singing softly
while the girl is standing alone. The video changes pace with the music. At the
beginning it is up beat (contrast with lyrics) and this is reflected with the
story and the cuts between shots are fast. And after the instrumental
everything is slower and then it picks up pace again with the reintroduction of
the drums
There are close ups of the main singer and the band
members – E. A. Kaplan’s theory. There is also a trademark of the main signer
where he dyes his hair a different colour to reflect the mood of the bands
songs at that time. Here his hair is black, reflecting on the sombre and darker
mood of this song.
The mise en scene of the video is very typical of a
romance. The tree at the beginning is reflecting how in films couples carve
their initials in love hearts into trees. The couple also have a picnic, which
is another typical thing couples do. It shows the innocence of their love and
maybe that their relationship is new and stereotypical on the outside but deeper
and more meaningful on the inside.
In conclusion this video is an amplification of the
lyrics and it is mainly narrative based but has performance and concept behind
it. The concept is about a ‘forbidden love’ and how opposites attract which is
shown through the colouring contrast.
Monday, 1 October 2012
Survey On Music Videos
Using KwikSurveys, we made a survey about music videos in general, to uncover people's likes and dislikes and what is becoming boring in music videos. We had five questions.
1) Male or Female?
I think it's important to know what gender our interviewee was. This would show if there was a distinction between what girls like and dislike in music videos, and if gender actually changed people's ideas about what looks good in a music video.
2) Which of these features in a music video do you think are becoming boring?
This was the main idea behind our survey. We did not want our music video idea to be predictable, boring or unoriginal. So by asking what people found boring gives us an understanding of what not to do. Our options were; Dancing, Romantic Storylines, Sexualised Imagery, Dark Storylines, Special Effects. Romantic Storylines was seen as most boring, followed by Dancing, then Sexualised Imagery, then Dark Storylines and last was Special Effects. This order doesn't surprise me considering the music videos that are made and released nowadays. They are mainly focused on dancing and sexualised imagery
3) What would you like to see more of in music videos?
Our options were the same as the question before: Dancing, Romantic Storylines, Sexualised Imagery, Dark Storylines, Special Effects. This question would again show us maybe what path to go down for our music video, it would definitely make us think outside the box. Our results showed that people would like to see more Dark Storylines, then Dancing, then Sexualised Imagery, then Special Effects and last Romantic Storylines. This result surprised me because of the assumption that girls would want more romantic story lines, but it seems that both boys and girls want darker story lines portrayed in music videos.
4) What is your favourite genre of music?
Our options for this question were: Pop, Rock, Rap, R&B, Indie, Dance, House. It was important for us to see what our interviewees listened to and what genre they were basing their answers on. Because there is a massive difference between typical conventions of an R&B video and the typical conventions of a Rock video. Most of our interviewees' favourite genre was Pop, then Indie, then R&B, then Rock, then House and last were Dance and Rap. This result doesn't surprise me because of the sudden surge of indie music in the pop charts.
5) Rank these prolific music videos in order of preference
We compiled a list of iconic music videos, ranging in genre and whether they were storyline or dancing. The list was: Frozen - Madonna, Telephone - Lady Gaga Ft. Beyonce, Single Ladies - Beyonce, Billie Jean - Michael Jackson, Thriller - Michael Jackson, Stan - Eminem, Take On Me - aHa. These music videos to us are really iconic and most people will have seen them. Our results show that the most iconic music video to our interviewees was Thriller, then Telephone, then Single Ladies, then Billie Jean, then Stan, then Take On Me, then Frozen.
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Parody In Music Videos
In a way our music video idea is a parody of the majority of narratives you see in music videos today. Most narratives are about love and relationships, our idea starts off like this, but then turns twisted as the boys date doesn't show up.
Friday, 14 September 2012
Music Video Analysis - 'Family Portrait' Pink
The music video I am analysing is Family Portrait by Pink, which Sophie Muller directed. Pink is normally associated with songs of a rocky-pop genre however this song is thought to be of an R&B genre. However the music video only follows a few of the typical characteristics of an R&B music video. Typical characteristics of an R&B video include:
- · Part lip synching from the artist and part narrative
- · Close ups of the artist
- · ‘Showing off’ material possessions
- · Maybe some dancing
- · Usually set in nightclubs or party atmosphere
The music video has subtly taken the lyrics into account. If
you were to hear the song before seeing the video you would imagine a random
family’s lives being portrayed or Pink’s family being portrayed. The song is
about Pink’s relationship with her family, and the lyrics and video portray the
events through the eyes of her as a child. So in the video most of the
lip-synching is done by a child version of Pink, (although some is done by Pink
herself) who wears the same clothes as Pink to show this.
The lyrics “glasses breaking” near the beginning of the song
links to when Pink wakes up right at the beginning of the video and smashes the
glass as she answers the phone. As well as this the end lyrics of “pretty
happy” is shown through the cereal that is aptly called Pretty Happy.
The editing of the music video is fast paced and at the
beginning it cuts in time to the beat of the music. This is a common convention
in most music videos. This is demonstrated from the beginning when Pink is
lying in bed and there are quick cuts of her changing positions in time to the
beat. This is also done with a range of close-up shots and long shots to show
Pink as the artist of the music video. There are also a lot of uses of jump
cuts when “little Pink’ is playing with Pinks hair and arguing with her over
cereal.
The critical response to the song was that it was ‘stripped
back’ and ‘different to what Pink originally released’ which is reflected
through the music video. Compared to previous music videos that Pink had
released previously this music video is simple and really highlights the issues
and urgency that is underlying in the lyrics of the song. Pink also tried to
make the audience understand and accept her representation of pain, frustration
and aloneness through the lyrics and the images of her as a child and her as an
adult. This song has unofficially been named the national anthem for young kids
who have been through the harsh effects of divorce of their parents. The song
addresses how Pink struggled through her parents divorce but it also addressed
to other kids, encouraging them to talk to their parents.
The use of a TV advert in the music video highlights the
‘perfect family’, which is essentially what Pink wants. The contrast between
how the family dress and act towards each other and how Pink and “little Pink”
dress and act towards each other is highlighted through cross cuts. It portrays
how upset Pink was with her family and what she wished she had. This is again
highlighted at the end of the video when “little Pink” is taken into the TV
screen to join the perfect family. This again shows that this was what Pink
wanted to do when she younger ‘run from the noise run away’.
Some conventions of a typical music video are followed as
Pink lip synchs to the lyrics but there are also cross cuts between Pink and
“little Pink” lip synching to show that all the events that took place when she
was a child still affect her now.
There are subtle messages in the music video highlighting
how Pink felt through all the different scenarios. For example at 1:23 in the
music video when Pink is talking to the lawyer, there is a picture behind them
saying ‘CRUEL’ which is how Pink felt towards her parents when they were
getting a divorce when she was younger. The music video is an amplification of
the lyrics and the visual.
The music video ends with the perfect family portrait, which
appears to be real but through the nature of the lyrics is there a hint of
fakeness behind it? It also ends with cross cutting of the family portrait and
Pink, which highlights her aloneness and her wishes of being in the perfect
family. The music video is primarily narrative-based although there is an
element of performance by Pink, however it is stripped back and just her
lip-synching to the lyrics.
Overall the Pink music video “Family Portrait” has
successfully achieved an outcome of delivering a message to her fans and
expressing and revealing a vulnerable side to herself.
Illustration, Amplification or Disjuncture?
Illustration is the simplest and easiest concept to base a music video around as it is just a literal meaning to the song’s lyrics in visual form. For example, Coldplay use illustrative ideas for their music video 'Paradise'. When Chris Martin (lead singer of Coldplay) sings the lyrics 'When she was just a girl' the lyrics are written on a piece of card that he holds.
Amplification is closely related to disjuncture, but amplification is just the enhancement of a concept while still retaining a link to it. An example of this would be 'Please Don't Leave Me' by Pink. The message is simple; she doesn't want her boyfriend to leave her, however the idea of not letting him leave is amplified.
Disjuncture is the idea of completely ignoring the song’s meaning or concept and instead, creating a whole new set of meanings or images that can be put to the song. An example of this would be 'Telephone' by Lady Gaga. People assumed that because the lyrics were pretty simple meanings that the video would be simple too. How wrong they were! Lady Gaga set a whole new meaning for calling someone.
Amplification is closely related to disjuncture, but amplification is just the enhancement of a concept while still retaining a link to it. An example of this would be 'Please Don't Leave Me' by Pink. The message is simple; she doesn't want her boyfriend to leave her, however the idea of not letting him leave is amplified.
Disjuncture is the idea of completely ignoring the song’s meaning or concept and instead, creating a whole new set of meanings or images that can be put to the song. An example of this would be 'Telephone' by Lady Gaga. People assumed that because the lyrics were pretty simple meanings that the video would be simple too. How wrong they were! Lady Gaga set a whole new meaning for calling someone.
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Music Videos of Today
It is very clear that music videos released nowadays have very typical conventions. For example most music videos feature:
Rihanna - Only Girl In The World
In this video there are definitely close up's of Rihanna, there is use of Rihanna being seen as a sexual object and luring men and women to look at her in that light. Recently being provocative in her music and videos has been Rihanna's trademark. There are cuts throughout that are in time with the beat and the speed of the music. The closeups of Rihanna are used to show her emotions which convey that she is happy therefore the song is a feel good song, the long shots and mid shots also show her surroundings and the colours of the location. The location is flowery which may symbolise being girly and the colours are reds, pinks and yellows, which symbolise lust, love and happiness. There is also use of camera tracking throughout and it follows Rihanna everywhere.
JLS - One Shot
Obviously this is a boy band so of course there are going to be close ups. However boy band video close ups tend to focus on the most popular boy band member. In this case it is the member who starts the song, he is usually the main focus in most of their videos and he also gets the most solos in their songs. This video is an example of how scopophilia can be used to show men as sexual objects in their music video and JLS are known for showing off their bodies. The close ups are also effective in showing off more of JLS' trademarks, such as low cut tops, fashionable clothing and dance routines. Cuts and also the transition of dance moves are in time with the beat and speed of the song, as well as lighting and the special effects that were added post-production. The colours are bluish and grey which sets a sombre and serious tone to the music video however the sparks and the lights, as well as some of the burgundy colour clothing JLS are wearing, makes the video have a slightly warm feel to it.
Chris Brown - Don't Wake Me Up
When this video first came out people noticed the intertextuality of the film 'Inception'. Having abnormal dreams and the special effects of this video match how it was done in the film. Transitions, which are also leading to a close up of Chris Brown, are in time with the beat and speed of the music. And the long shot at the beginning shows the location and also the mood of the song because the sunrise and warm colours are completely contrast with the cold colours that are in the video later. His dreams have warm colours which show that it is where he wants to be, but the shots of him sleeping have cold colours showing that he is trying to escape his reality and live in his dreams. However Chris Brown's trademark is highly choreographed dance routines which this video does not have, this was Chris Brown's way of showing that he can do "ballads" and simple songs/videos.
- close ups of the artist - whether they are doing a dance routine or following a narrative themselves - E. A. Kaplan's theory
- scopophilia - this Laura Mulvey's theory that women and men are portrayed in music videos as sexual objects and the artists themselves implore the audience to look at them in this way
- edits that match the beat/speed of the song
- close ups, long shots and mid shots used to emphasise artist, location and emotions
- camera tracking to follow artist
- colours that set the mood of the song
Rihanna - Only Girl In The World
In this video there are definitely close up's of Rihanna, there is use of Rihanna being seen as a sexual object and luring men and women to look at her in that light. Recently being provocative in her music and videos has been Rihanna's trademark. There are cuts throughout that are in time with the beat and the speed of the music. The closeups of Rihanna are used to show her emotions which convey that she is happy therefore the song is a feel good song, the long shots and mid shots also show her surroundings and the colours of the location. The location is flowery which may symbolise being girly and the colours are reds, pinks and yellows, which symbolise lust, love and happiness. There is also use of camera tracking throughout and it follows Rihanna everywhere.
JLS - One Shot
Obviously this is a boy band so of course there are going to be close ups. However boy band video close ups tend to focus on the most popular boy band member. In this case it is the member who starts the song, he is usually the main focus in most of their videos and he also gets the most solos in their songs. This video is an example of how scopophilia can be used to show men as sexual objects in their music video and JLS are known for showing off their bodies. The close ups are also effective in showing off more of JLS' trademarks, such as low cut tops, fashionable clothing and dance routines. Cuts and also the transition of dance moves are in time with the beat and speed of the song, as well as lighting and the special effects that were added post-production. The colours are bluish and grey which sets a sombre and serious tone to the music video however the sparks and the lights, as well as some of the burgundy colour clothing JLS are wearing, makes the video have a slightly warm feel to it.
Chris Brown - Don't Wake Me Up
When this video first came out people noticed the intertextuality of the film 'Inception'. Having abnormal dreams and the special effects of this video match how it was done in the film. Transitions, which are also leading to a close up of Chris Brown, are in time with the beat and speed of the music. And the long shot at the beginning shows the location and also the mood of the song because the sunrise and warm colours are completely contrast with the cold colours that are in the video later. His dreams have warm colours which show that it is where he wants to be, but the shots of him sleeping have cold colours showing that he is trying to escape his reality and live in his dreams. However Chris Brown's trademark is highly choreographed dance routines which this video does not have, this was Chris Brown's way of showing that he can do "ballads" and simple songs/videos.
Monday, 10 September 2012
Music Video Analysis - Eminem 'Stan'
The first thing that is noticed in this video is that Eminem is absent in most of it, which is not ordinary for most music videos, he only appears in flashbacks and then right at the end. But his presence is felt as Stan has a sort of shrine to him, so Eminem is there through pictures, posters and videos. The song features Eminem's voice but as Stan's monologue and Stan's appearance is a copy of Eminem. In this song and video Eminem underlines the relationship between him and his fans, he explores the over-identification of a fan with a star. The idea that a fan can feel like they know their idol personally because of how much access and information we have and know of them.
As soon as the video starts it is gloomy and rainy which is echoed at the end when Stan is driving his car. Stan's girlfriend is played by Dido who also features on the track. It starts with Dido knocking on the door of the bathroom, she is heavily pregnant with Stan's baby. Stan is bleaching his hair to look like Eminem and the house that they live in looks shabby and under furbished. The style of this scene is reminiscent of the killers' lairs in Silence Of The Lambs (Jonathan Demme 1990).
The dialogue in this scene is very important as Dido questions his behaviour and asks 'Don't you think you're taking this too far?' which then leads to a shot of Stan's basement which is a shrine to Eminem.
The fragmented cutting and movement of the camera add to the uneasiness and creepiness of Stan and his behaviour.
The final horrifying sequence begins when Dido goes down to Stan's basement and finds a picture that Stan has cut her out of and replaced with Eminem. With her in the boot of the car, Stan drives manically in the rain towards the bridge whilst recording his monologue on a tape recorder. It is essentially his suicide note blaming it on Eminem not replying to any of his letters and ignoring him and his little brother. The irony of this is that he never gets the chance to send it, because of its high use of violence and swearing I opted for analysing the clean version. This video was also heavily censored when it appeared on TV music channels.
Eminem delivers the last verse, sitting in his trailer replying to fan mail. As he writes the letter, urging Stan to get help, he realises that the news story that had been playing in the background is of Stan.
The visual imagery is closely linked to the lyrics which is a distinctive feature in most rap music videos. There is also a strong emphasis on looking and being 'peeping Tom's' into other people's lives, which is how most of us are with celebrities.
I think that this video could influence some of the choices we make for ours. None of us want a heavy lip-synching video, we would prefer to have none at all. So the narrative will be very important. Now it's just to decide whether to have a narrative that is an amplification of the lyrics or a disjuncture.
Synaesthesia Task
For my first music video analysis I used Andrew Goodwin's concept of synaesthesia. He states that listeners 'see' images when music is heard.
So first I listened to Madonna's song Frozen without watching the video and noted down a few images that I 'saw' when I listened to the song.
I then watched the video and saw that many of my images had been correct although they had been intensified to suit Madonna.
Through research about the video I found out that this was filmed in a desert in California and was directed by Chris Cunningham. The bluish colours and appearance of Madonna make her look like a witch in my opinion. Especially with the patterns on her hands and wrists. The colours also create an atmosphere of cold and ice which relates to the lyrics and title of the song. The low key lighting also creates this effect by producing a lot of shadows. The shadows are very important in this video as they link Madonna with the other animals (dog, horse, birds). There is also use of scopophilia which is the concept of a male or female artist inviting people to look at her. With all the hand movements and close up shots of Madonna this is very apparent but it is also obvious that this is done because it is Madonna and she is such a big star. It is also related to E. A. Kaplan's theory that the return to the close up of the singer's face acts as a key anchoring motif - a visual hook.
So first I listened to Madonna's song Frozen without watching the video and noted down a few images that I 'saw' when I listened to the song.
 |
| The notes I made whilst listening to the song |
I then watched the video and saw that many of my images had been correct although they had been intensified to suit Madonna.
Through research about the video I found out that this was filmed in a desert in California and was directed by Chris Cunningham. The bluish colours and appearance of Madonna make her look like a witch in my opinion. Especially with the patterns on her hands and wrists. The colours also create an atmosphere of cold and ice which relates to the lyrics and title of the song. The low key lighting also creates this effect by producing a lot of shadows. The shadows are very important in this video as they link Madonna with the other animals (dog, horse, birds). There is also use of scopophilia which is the concept of a male or female artist inviting people to look at her. With all the hand movements and close up shots of Madonna this is very apparent but it is also obvious that this is done because it is Madonna and she is such a big star. It is also related to E. A. Kaplan's theory that the return to the close up of the singer's face acts as a key anchoring motif - a visual hook.
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