The band dress similarly to one another, usually in a casual way. Sweatshirts and button ups are their common get up, matched with a pair of jeans and smart shoes or trainers. This is typical dress for people of their ethnicity and age. We would have to consider the way in which the band dress for when we recreate the band for our music video.
After research we decided that we wanted to create a music in the Indie Pop genre. We then communicated with the band through twitter. I used my personal account to do this and it wasn't long before we got the response that we wanted.
Although this music video didnt directly fit into the genre we were focusing on, it did have a similar narrative idea to the one that we were considering for our music video. This was the use of animal costumes to create anonymity and make it more fun. It was following the narrative of embarking on a journing to get to the dream place in which you belong. The colours that were used in this video were all relatively positive and bright, including yellows, oranges and reds. The titles added to the music video, made it seem more like a film. As well as this the only performance part of the music video was based within the narrative as the band members were still in the costumes of elephants.
I decided to analyse a music video by this band as we were thinking about choosing one of their songs to make a music video for. This meant that it would give me insight into the way that they so things and their style as a band. As well as this the genre was similar. In this music video it is very simplistic with two different parts to it; the performance element and the a concept based idea of feathers falling down on the band members. This didnt really have any relevant link to the song or the lyrics. The use of close ups of the band members faces meant that it showed a large amount of emotion in their performance which creates a great atmosphere. The colourings for thi video were all quite bland. By this I mean blacks, browns and cream. This added to the simplistic feel, which is also what the band is about.
This music video is categorised in the indie pop/rock genre and is narrative based. It is unusual in this genre for a music video to not have a performance side to it and therefore this piece stands out. The narrative in the video as shown through the lyrics is about a journey in life and how you should try to be free minded and positive. This is represented in the visuals through the building of a waterslide in the woods, with the characters having what seems to be, not a care in the world. The colours in it are quite bright and focus around yellows, oranges and greens. This gives it a positive, fresh appearance. As well as this when the pace of the song increases so does the pace of the visuals so that it has more rhythm and moves the narrative along.
These are the key features that distinguish music as a form:
A relationship between visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics
A relationship between the music and the visuals again either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music
Music genres have their own music video style and iconography
There is likely to be voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women
There's a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close-ups of the main artist/vocalist
There is likely intertextual references either to other music videos or to films and TV texts
Andrew Goodwin suggested that all music videos would contain this.
Voyeurism is the practice of obtaining sexual gratification by looking at sexual objects or acts, especially secretively. For example objectifying a woman in a music video as a sexual object
Ray Kay is a Norwegian director and photographer who is currently based in Los Angeles. He is also a music video and commercial director. Ray Kay mostly directs music videos and has worked with artists such as Cher, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga,Justin Bieber, Jessie J, Nelly Furtado, Beyoncé Knowles, Destiny's Child, Enrique Iglesias and Adam Lambert.
He produced this in 2013 with Austin Mahone- Say you're just a friend
Anthony Mandler collaborated with Rihanna in 2006 and they have collaborated on 16 occasions. He has also written and directed music videos for many other prominent artists including Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Eminem, Usher, Shakira, Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez.
This is a collaboration between Rihanna and Anthony Mandler.
He has worked with several artists including Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Jason Derulo, Tyga, Cheryl Cole and Dappy. He was the director for Chris Brown's "Look at me now" which won video of the year in 2011. Colin Tilley is currently nominated director of the year 2014.
Camera shots- music videos tend to use long shots, mid-shots and close-ups. This is so that emphasis can be created on the artist, location, mood and emotions. Close ups also show the words of the song by the movement of the artists lips.
Camera movement- it is used to follow or track the artist. It can either be tilts, pans, tracking and crane shots.
Mise-en-scene - it puts the importance on the representation of something.
An example of this is in Olly Murs' Busy:
Basically, the mise-en-scene in this music video represents him as living his life the way that he thinks is normal and focusing on his partner despite everyone else thinking he is crazy. The manikin of his wife helps to create this craziness to his life as she is seen as not being real. However this is not the case and it is more that everyone else is to busy rushing about in their lives, that they forget to notice what is really important to them.
The bright colours of sunshine and the warm, comforting colours of the wallpaper and furniture help to create this homely feel, for which is the deeper meaning within the song.
Mad by Neyo is also another example of this:
The music video involves him walking down a road alone which represents the isolation that he feels from his lover. The use of dark costumes and lighting also aims to create the dark mood that he is feeling due to the situation that he is in. By being in black and white makes it feel sad, like the lyrics.
Editing- Jump cuts is the predominant editing technique use in music videos. This is due to it allowing sudden change from one scene to another. Fade and dissolves are also relatively common.
However the conventions do slightly differ depending on the genre in which the music video falls.
In hip hop videos the conventions are:
Party/club locations
Alcohol
Long establishing shots
Money, big houses
Attractive women
Artists are involved
An example of this by Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull- I like it
We begun the lesson with an A3 piece of paper and some coloured felt tip pens. With no idea what song was about to be played, we sat and listened until our pens touched paper and we simply followed the path that we were subconsciously taken down (as we had been instructed to do).
As you can see the green doodle is busier and involves a lot of movement from the texture and sounds that I had heard. The constant repetition of straight lines could represent there being a steady beat that is repeated throughout the song. This usually changed quickly into a jerking sound or increase/ decrease in volume which changed the pattern that I was creating. This song was "Pelican" by the Macabees.
Here is the YouTube clip for it:
The second picture had smoother lines which varied in widths. The variation in the widths of the lines could represent the soft volume fading out. The smoother lines shows that the song had a simpler composition. This is opposite to the Macabees song but fits the genre of music that it falls under.
This song was called "For your love" by Josh Records.
Bon Jovi's Always is based within the pop/rock genre and is a power ballad. As a power ballad it contains a lot of performance as well as being narrative-based. Power ballads do not always conform to the genre of music that they fall within due to expressing emotion and telling a story of love.
This music video is Voyeuristic as it focuses on a sexual element of the relationship within the story and contains footage that they have created of themselves in a sexual capacity. This involves intertextual references as there are screens within screens, which helps to tell the narrative.
The first activity that we were given, withheld a lot of information about it from us. We were given a piece of A3 paper each and told to write down the thoughts and feelings that came to mind from listening to a unknown song.
(Life is a gun- Jay Malinowski)
By listening to this song I thought of the following thoughts and feelings:
Calming
Sombre
Peaceful
Hope
A release of tension
After this we were then asked to picture what we thought the music video would look like and what we thought would happen in it. My thoughts were that there would be "a rugged looking man walking along a dusty isolated road. The music video would focus on yellow and other such warm colours. It would cut from him walking along playing a guitar to a flashback of someone going through something, perhaps a relationship difficulty, in their life. Then it would cut to a little saloon bar where he would perform on a small spotlighted stage in the corner." Therefore the set up would be simplistic but relatively effective. It would have both narrative based and performance based aspects to it.
We then looked at the lyrics to the song and found that there was a large emphasis and repetition of the word 'gun'. This changed some of the people in the classes opinions on what the video may looked like as they then turned to a concept- based video. however I didn't change my idea at all as had already listened to the lyrics and therefore taken them into consideration when deciding how the video could be done.
Snippet from the lyrics:
"Deep in the past
We can trigger to the barrel blast
On the avenue
Where I would crash into you
What's done is done and life is a gun
Life is a gun on the run
Oh my dear, isn't life a gun
A story shotgun that came undone
We came undone"
*Words relating to a gun*
In our next session we compared what we came up with to what the official music video looked like. The official video was quite different from my interpretation of the song, especially since it was narrative-based. The narrative did focus largely on a gun like in the lyrics. Similarly to my idea there was some focus on a relationship between a male and a female. The music video was in black and white, this was a typical convention of music videos.
McFly are a pop band formed in 2003 and so it is not surprising that this is the genre in which their music video falls. This could be identified by the bright colours used throughout the music video. In pop videos it is common for their to be dancing and partying and props are used. This is evident in 5 colours in her hair as whilst the band are performing, everyone around them is dancing and having a good time. A lot of styling and editing is done in pop music videos to make the artists look perfect, as to sell more copies of the song.
The relationship between lyrics and visuals
Part of the lyrics:
She's got a lip ring and 5 colours in her hair, Not into fashion but I love the clothes she wears, Her tattoo's always hidden by her underwear. She don't care.
The relationship between the lyrics and the visuals is that they have represented this girl that they are singing about in the music video. They have also made the stage colourful and the background to represent the colours in the mystery girls hair. The lyrics of the song tell a story which is then being shown in the music video.
Some of the music video is in black and white which makes the colours stand out, like the girl did in the lyrics. The makes it more noticeable and therefor easier to follow the narrative that is within the song.
The relationship between music and visuals
The music that is being played is also being performed by the band throughout the music video. When the pace of the music speeds up so does the action in the music video and the cuts.
5 colours in her hair is both narrative-based and performance based.
The representation of women in a sexual fantasy from a heterosexual male point of view
The pleasure involved in looking at others bodies
The objectification of females
Women as an image
Needs of the male ego
Rude Boy- Rihanna
This music video conforms to the male gaze theory due to the way that Rihanna is acting and by what she is saying. Below are some still from the music video that conform to this idea. By there being three of her however shows her as having power and being in control and therefore doesn't create her image in a patriarchal way, as suggested by Laura Mulvey.
In this shot the artist has red lipstick on which has connotations of a sexual nature. She then has her finger seductively placed in her mouth which would be seen as attractive by a heterosexual male viewer.
I this still Rihanna is wearing little clothing which draws the attention to her body, leading to voyeurism. she is the bent over increasing the focus on her backside. At this point in the music video she then starts shaking it, which may be found attractive by a heterosexual male causing the male gaze.
Another example of this in a music video is in Miley Cyrus's Wrecking ball.
Here are some still explaining why this video conforms to the male gaze theory.
In this still Miley Cyrus has red lipstick on. This colour has sexual connotations but by putting it on her mouth which is an area of the body often associated with women it makes it even more attractive for heterosexual men. She is also licking a hammer in this still. A hammer is a masculine object and so one that a male can identify with. By licking it gives extremely sexual connotations and so can create pleasure for a male.
In this part of the music video, the artist is wearing few items of clothing thus revealing a large amount of her body. She is sat on a wrecking ball in a sexual pose which objectifies her as an image which conforms to the needs of the male ego. This therefore creates pleasure for the heterosexual men viewing it.
