Andrew Goodwin (Dancing in the Distraction Factory)

Goodwin identifies a number of key features which distinguish the music video of a form.

1. Music genres may have their own music video style and iconography.
2. Relationship between lyrics and visuals.
3. Relationship between the music and the visuals.
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artists and they may develop motifs of star iconography.
5. There is frequent reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There is often inter-textual reference to television, film and games.

        

Inspirations

Music Video Analysis

Hozier 'Someone New'

Intro- what the artist is like, genre and what characteristics of the genre does this video show. 

• Hozier is one of the artists that I have analysed who sticks out and is slightly different in terms of genre. He falls under the following genres: soul music, indie rock, folk and blues. However I still decided to analyse this video because his music videos in general tend to have many characteristics that are seen in indie pop videos such as live performances.
• Irish singer-songwriter often bases his songs on important world issues such as 'Take me to Church' and 'Cherry Wine', tugging on the heartstrings of his audience.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals (how are the lyrics expressed by the visuals).

 

• I would argue that this music video does display a relationship between the lyrics and visuals. Not a literal relationship as in the lyric matches exactly what I happening on screen, however the actions in the video reflect what the song is about. For example Hozier sings, 'fall in love...everyday with someone new', which is reflected on screen as the female character is seen kissing and being intimate with different men as the narrative continues. Therefore it can be argued that the lyrics match the videos because it is easy to understand the meaning of the song when the visuals are shown, as they lyrics are emphasised and elevated.   

Relationship between music and visuals (beats) (change pace with the music).

• There isn't an obvious relationship between the music and visuals in this music videos in terms of movement and cuts matching the beats. However the lip syncing and playing the guitar is perfectly in time with the song its self. I think that this works well in this video especially because Hozier fits the indie genre as it makes the video feel more like a live performance. This engages the audiences and makes them feel more connected to the artist because its as if he is singing to them. It also showcases his talents as there are close ups of him playing the guitar to the beat of the music.

Close ups of the artist and star image motifs.

 

• There are close ups of the artist in this video as he is singing and playing the guitar. They are important in a music video because it helps create or boost a start already existent image. In terms of Hozier, he is known for being tall, with long hair that is generally tied up and standing close to the microphone whilst playing the guitar. The close ups in this video demonstrate all of that which helps to generate his star image because his hair for example has become part of his iconography. Its not only the fact that this is done in a close up, but the angle and lighting as well. Most of the close ups of him in this video are back lit, creating a shadowed silhouette of him on stage. This creates impact and makes him appear more dark and mysterious, which may attract audiences, especially women. 

Voyeurism

• I would argue that there is definitely some voyeurism of the female body in this music which is typical of indie pop or pop videos in general. However, Hozier doesn't necessarily fit perfectly within those genres, so his approach to voyeurism is slightly different and tones down a little. The female character in this video is seen kissing different men and at the end takes her top of to reveal her underwear. This could definitely be interpreted as voyeurism because the woman has been sexualised in this music video. Although, this works well in the video because it perfectly expresses Hozier's lyrics.

Intertextuality references (other music videos or TV and film) 

• There isn't any intertextuality in this music video.

Performance, narrative or concept based?

• This music video is half narrative based and half performance based. Hozier performing on stage breaks up the narrative of the blonde woman in a club. The narrative revolves around a women who is lonely and is lost in life, so moves from person to person to try and find the right one, but it never seems to work out. At the end of the video there is close ups of her almost in tears, making the audience empathise and also express emotion, which is typical in narrative based videos as they are engaging.

Music Video Analysis

Foster the People 'Pumped up Kicks'

Intro- what the artist is like, genre and what characteristics of the genre does this video show. 

• Foster the People are an American indie band that fall under more than one type of music genre due to there quirky rock/pop style. The genres include: indie pop, alternative rock, indie rock, and alternative dance.
• The band are characterised as an indie pop band. This is because they identify with a more alternative, rock based style of music but their approach and outcome of songs is softer and more melodic.
• This video is characteristic of the genre because the whole video is revolved around a live performance which is typical of the indie genre in general, especially bands.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals (how are the lyrics expressed by the visuals).

• There aren't any literal relationships between lyrics and visuals in this music video because it is more of a tour diary than an artistic meaningful music video. I conducted some research on the meaning behind the lyrics and the song is supposedly about troubled and delusional youths with homicidal thoughts, with the lyrics 'out run my gun' and 'faster than my bullet'. However the video doesn't, in my opinion display the strong meaning that the writer intended because the video is performance based. I think if the video revolved more around the troubled youth in America as the song described, the lyrics and overall message would have been understood more. Even the lead singer of Foster the People, found that many people have misinterpreted the true inspiration behind the song.

Relationship between music and visuals (beats) (change pace with the music).

 

• This music videos demonstrates a strong relationship between music and visuals more than any others that I have analysed. The most obvious moment in the video where the beats of the music match the visuals, is when there is a close up of a foot tapping on the floor in perfect time to the beat. This draws attention to the visuals on screen and also emphasises the beat of the music making people want to dance or tap along.
• In the music video, the live performances also matches up with the beat and tempo of the music, again emphasising and elevating not only the live performance on screen but also the song itself, making audiences want to go and see the band live.

Close ups of the artist and star image motifs.

 

• There are quite a lot of close ups in this video that all show the lead singer, either singing or in the narrative sections of the video. It is important to note that the lead singer gets the majority of close up shots because he is perhaps seen as the image of the band, and for people who aren't huge fans, is the person that they associated with the band. Therefore the video needs to include close ups of the lead singer to make sure that there star image is reproduced. The close ups not only make the audience connect more with the band members but they also show the band playing instruments, which concretes then in the indie pop/indie rock genre. This is important because audiences can take from the video what type of artists they are and if they want to listen to any other songs.

      Voyeurism

• There isn't any obvious or clear voyeurism in this video as the concept is purely the band on tour with just a glance into the audience.

Intertextuality references (other music videos or TV and film) 

• I wouldn't say that there are any intertextuality references in this song or music video.

Performance, narrative or concept based?

• I would definitely say that this music video is a performance based video as most of shots are of the band performing at concerts in front of their fans. However its could also be a type of narrative video because the cuts in between are shots of their journey on tour and as being indie pop artists. This allows the audience to gain an insight into the bands life and journey making them more interesting and engaging.  

Music Video Analysis

Melanie Martinez 'Dollhouse'

 

Intro- what the artist is like, genre and what characteristics of the genre does this video show. 

• Melanie Martinez falls under more than one category when it comes to genre, due to her unique ever changing style. The genres include: electropop, pop, indie pop and alternative rock.
• The up and coming singer has recently released an album called 'Cry Baby' that contains haunting and emotional songs that are impossible not to sing along to.
• Her videos are all purely her own vision and are characteristic of her genre as they are always brightly coloured and fun.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals (how are the lyrics expressed by the visuals). 

• The relationship between the music and visuals in this video is very literal throughout. For instance she sings, 'your son is smoking cannabis' and there is a shot of just that. Another example is when she sings 'she pulls out a flask' and the mother character lifts a flask to her face. I really like how the lyrics and visuals match throughout because I think that a music videos main purpose is to emphasise and elevate the lyrics of the song. The relationship means that the song is brought to life as you can picture the movements in the video when you just hear the song. This type of video is typical for Melanie and has become her trademark video style.

Relationship between music and visuals (beats) (change pace with the music).

• There is a lot of evidence for the music and the visuals having a relationship in this video. This is seen when there is a ticking noise from a clock and she moves stiffly without moving her limbs in time of the ticking to create a doll like appearance. This works really well with her video and is a perfect way to create a relationship between the music and visuals. It happens at the start of the video and the end, and is used to emphasise not only the lyrics but the actual tune, making the sharp movements interesting and engaging.

Close ups of the artist and star image motifs.

• The close ups in this video are important to discuss because Melanie has a very unique and recognisable star image. She has a gap in her front teeth which has become what she is known for and so the close ups of her singing are necessary for keeping up her iconography. Her style is also part of her iconic appearance as she tends to wear doll clothes and jewellery with doll parts on it. All of this works to create her star image and is emphasised by the close ups in her music videos.

Voyeurism

• I don't think that there is any clear voyeurism in this video, especially in terms of the sexualisation of female bodies.

Intertextuality references (other music videos or TV and film) 

• I wouldn't say that there are any intertextuality references in this song or music video.

Performance, narrative or concept based?

• I would strongly argue that this video is narrative based as it starts with the girl playing with the dollhouse, then moves to the story of the doll within the dollhouse and the finally finishes with the girl looking in the dollhouse. Even though the characters in this video are dolls, the narrative allows the audience to relate and empathise with them. I think that this was Melanie's aim as she stereotypes the typical dysfunctional family but adds macabre and sinister undertones. Some may also argue that the video is also slightly concept based because it revolves around one particular thing (the dollhouse).

Music Video Analysis

George Ezra 'Budapest'

 Intro- what the artist is like, genre and what characteristics of the genre does this video show. 

• George Ezra is an up and coming artist who's unique voice and music style come under the following categories: folk music, indie pop, soul and blues.
• His unique, deep and raspy voice is the antithesis of what you think he would sing like at first glance which is what charms and intrigues his audience.
• His music is engaging and meaningful with some melancholic tracks along with some upbeat, folk style tracks, really emphasising his versatility and true talent within the industry.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals (how are the lyrics expressed by the visuals).

 

• I wouldn't say that there is a literal link between lyrics and visuals throughout. However there is a line where George sings, 'my many artefacts', and there is a close up of a man with a vase that possibly is holding ashes, creating a deeper and more emotional echo to the words. Although there isn't many obvious links with visuals and text, the whole video is about people crowded together who are travelling which could be interpreted to link to the lyrics as he sings, 'miles from Budapest'.   

 Relationship between music and visuals (beats) (change pace with the music).

• There isn't any moments in the music video where the music perfectly matches up to the visuals or a specific action. However the pace of the visuals is fitting to the pace of the actual song, due to the visuals being slowed down to fit the time of the music. This not only compliments the visuals and music but creates dramatic effect, almost producing a feeling of being lost or alone.

Close ups of the artist and star image motifs.

 

• There are some close ups of George Ezra in this video, however, it is the mid shots that work to create his star image, due to the motifs seen in many of his other videos. The shots show him playing the guitar, which is what he is mainly associated with and is featured in almost all of his music videos. This has almost become part of is iconography due to him having a large range of acoustic songs that feature is recognisable guitar in which he holds relatively high. In some section of the video, the crowd up people are dulled by a red light and George is highlighted with a white spotlight, emphasising his image associated with his guitar.

Voyeurism

• I definitely would say that there isn't any major voyeurism in this music video. However there is a young girl, whose storyline is focused on and could be seen as voyeuristic due to her little amount of clothing and her fluffy pink crown sash. I don't think that this was the intentions of the music video but it could possibly seen as a female stereotype of a young blonde.

Intertextuality references (other music videos or TV and film) 

• I wouldn't say that there are any intertextuality references in this song or music video.

Performance, narrative or concept based?

• I think that this music video is heavily concept based with hints of narrative peppered in. It is concept based because the whole idea revolves around a large group of people from all different backgrounds waiting to travel, perhaps at the airport. However there are small narratives within each persons short shots such as the three men who try to get someone to eat a chilli (start), then actually eat the chilli (middle) and then finally, the aftermath from eating it. The small stories within the video that look into the peoples lives makes this video engaging and interesting. On the other hand, some people may argue that this video also has performance based aspects because George is seen lip syncing and playing his guitar.

Music Video Analysis

Marina and the Diamonds 'Primadona' 

 

Intro- what the artist is like, genre and what characteristics of the genre does this video show. 

• Marina and the Diamonds fits into three different genre categories: indie pop, new wave, electropop and synthpop.
• She claims that her biggest music inspirations were Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani, however her music has a deeper soulful edge which could point to an unknown inspiration. Her songs are heavily keyboard based and move from being melancholic ballads to straight up glam pop. Her melodic voice and unusual style make her stand out as and artist.
• Her music fits the indie pop genre as her signing style is unique, raw and original, and she tends to have some sort of narrative in her music videos to express the words, typical of the indie pop genre.  

 

Relationship between lyrics and visuals (how are the lyrics expressed by the visuals).

 

• There is a clear relationship between some of the lyrics and visuals in this music video, some more literal than others. For example Marina sings, 'take a picture I'm with the boys' whilst pretending to take a picture by mimicking the action with her fingers. She also twists her finger around her hair when she sings, 'got you wrapped around my finger babe'. These both show a literal relationship between lyrics and visuals, simply working to emphasise certain lyrics, however they don't really reflect the song as a whole. It could be argued that all of the visuals in the video form a relationship with the lyrics as the song is about being a Prima Dona, which is reflected by the luxury setting, her clothing and her movement. 

Relationship between music and visuals (beats) (change pace with the music).

• There aren't any obvious relationship between the music and visuals, however, the video is fast paced and has quick cuts throughout, which works well in terms of music timing as it compliments the track.

Close ups of the artist and star image motifs.

 

• There are many close ups of Marina in this video along with the majority of her other videos. This not only makes the audience more connected and understanding of the artist but it also helps boost the artists star image due to aspects such as iconography. In this case, Marina is known for having a small heart shaped beauty mark under her eye as it is featured in nearly all of her music videos and album covers. This is an example of her star image because it has become part of her brand and will be easily recognised by audiences. The beauty mark also fits in with her general style seen in her music video, because she is vintage and regal, and the beauty mark back in the Georgian period was seen as beauty in a woman.  

 

Voyeurism

 

• It could be argued that there is some voyeurism in this music video although it is by no means extreme or vulgar. Marina is lying on a large bed in many of the shots in this video whilst moving provocatively which is fitting to the theme of the song. I think that most music videos have some aspects of voyeurism, some are just more obvious and extreme than others. Marina's interpretation is very reflective of her style and personality as she is sultry and mysterious, compared to others videos that have women in little clothing and dancing. That type of music video is seen more in the bubble gum pop or RnB genre.  

 

Intertextuality references (other music videos or TV and film) 

• I wouldn't say that there are any intertextuality references in this song or music video.

Performance, narrative or concept based?

• I would argue that this music video is concept based because there isn't a clear narrative with a start, middle and end. It is also not a performance based video because there isn't any shots of her performing at a concert, however, she is lip syncing in some shots. Therefore I believe that its a concept based video, revolving about a girl being a spoilt Prima Dona who lives a life of luxury. The shots used in this videos demonstrate wealth and sophistication such as the chandeliers and large bed with silk sheets. I think that the concept of this video came across well and is easy to pick up by people even if they don't personally love the song.

 

Digipak Analysis

Digipak Analysis

Digipak Analysis

Digipak Analysis

Digipak Analysis

Music Video idea brainstorm 'This Corrosion' (Sisters of Mercy)

As an in lesson task we were asked to listen to a song without watching the video and brainstorm images or videos ideas that instantly come to mind. The aim was to make sure that we were able to take a song and not rely on what the actual music video already consists of.


Initial Thoughts:

• Gospel
• Choir
• Church
• Lightning
• 80s
• Techno
• Party
• School
• Halloween
• Rock
• Guitar
• Space
• Futuristic
• Metallic
• Dancing
• Fighting
• Cartoon
• Glam rock

Actual Video

Magazine Ad Analysis

Magazine Ad Analysis

Magazine Ad Analysis

Magazine Ad Analysis

Magazine Ad Analysis

Preliminary Photography (surrealism)

Surrealism vs Realism

(My Interpretation) 

Camera used: Nikon D3100 (55mm lens) 

 Surrealism

I found capturing surrealism much more difficult especially because we had to take untouched pictures without any editing. My interpretation of surrealism is taking everyday objects and turning them into something else, so we used this white shoe as a phone. I think we grasped what surrealism was but I think the execution could have been better. For this image we left the camera on auto focus which I think worked well as both the foreground and background are in focus. However it caused the camera to flash which gave too much light around the face and caused a slight red eye.  

We tried a different setting and mode for the second attempt which I did think worked better. The camera mode was on portrait and the aperture was F.3 to make sure the foreground and background were both in focus. However the picture is a little dark because it was taken in the shade with the light in the background, but I don't mind this too much and thought it gave quite a nice effect.


For our final image we wanted an indoor location with a colourful cartoon aesthetic. We found this large cardboard hand and thought that it would be good for a surrealism picture that wasn't edited. The camera was on landscape mode which was perfect for getting a wide image all in focus and the aperture was F.3 to create a large depth of focus. Overall, I think that the image worked well especially on the bright blue background, and looks like a good quality image due to the camera settings we chose.

Prelim Photography (Realism)

Surrealism vs Realism

(My Interpretation) 

Camera used: Nikon D3100 (55mm lens)

Realism  

 When thinking about realism photography, I instantly thought about nature and purity that is untouched. Flowers were the perfect way to explore this. We used the close up mode on the Nikon camera to take this photograph, the aperture setting was F.5.6 which is quite large, giving us and shallow depth of field. This means that the vibrant flowers were the main focus of the shot, with the greenery in the background slightly out of focus. We then decided to try out a few of the additional camera settings and used the filter effects setting to enhance the green on this picture. I really like the effect it gave the image more vibrancy and life. Overall, I think that this picture is really what I envisioned when I thought about realism.

 We then adjusted the aperture slightly to F.3.6 to create a larger depth of field so we could get a wider image all in focus. I think the aperture could have been even lower because some of the flower in the background are still slightly out of focus. I definitely prefer the close up image, however I do think that this image still capture the essence of realism. The Nikon was on the landscape mode when I took this picture and I think it worked well to create the image I wanted.   

Due to this photography task being about realism and surrealism, I wanted to capture the realism in form of a person. In order to create the image I wanted, I increase the aperture to F.5.6 to create a shallow depth of field so I could have a close up of the face with the background out of focus. I also turned the camera to portrait mode which is supposed to be for taking pictures of faces. Overall I think it worked well, I especially like how the hair is blurred because it creates an extra dimension. However I think that the aperture could have been lower or that the image should have been even more of a close up because I would have preferred the foreground to be slightly more in focus.
We then wanted to try out some of the other camera settings and found a monochrome setting that turns pictures black and white. I really liked the effect it gave, especially because when I was researching realism, the majority of images were in black and white.

Research into a Genre

Indie Pop

What is it?

• A genre of alternative rock that originated in the mid 80s in the UK.
• Indie pop differs from indie rock as it is more melodic and less abrasive.
• Indie pop was inspired by Punk's 'do it yourself' attitude and ideology.
• The genre is characterised by pop conventions and structure such as a melodic and light hearted sound. However, typical rock instruments are used such as drums and bass.
• The genre was inspired by the music of 'The Velvet Underground', pulling together 1960s pop, power pop and post punk.

Artists Include:

• Foster the people
• MGMT
• Marina and the Diamonds
• Florence and the Machine
• Bat for Lashes
• Bastille
• The Killers
• The XX
• The Smiths
• Imagine Dragons
• St Vincent

What does Indie Pop sound like?


Conventions of Indie Pop videos

• They are generally lower budget music videos with locations including, cities, studios and forests.
• A lot of indie pop videos include a live performance from the artists or lip syncing in general.
• They tend to have a strong narrative which is complementary of the melodic tune.
• Indie pop videos tend to be either really colourful or bright (e.g. MGMT 'Time to Pretend) or in filters such as black and white or sepia (e.g. Ed Sheeran 'The A Team')