Other students music video - G324

Mise-en-scene

The beach setting incorporates verisimilitude by being a place that many people are familiar with, with it also connoting the summer time and, for the teen age group, freedom. The group also has a good variety of costumes, with some being very vibrant while other use more simplistic colours, such as the female wearing white when she's in the water to connote purity. This links to Goodwin's theory of the visuals having a link to the music, with each different costume indicating a different emotional change within the characters.










Sound

The only sound effect, other than the song itself, is the crashing of waves that is used alongside the opening shot of the song title 'Rivers.' This not only relates to the song, but also establishes a peaceful and contemplating tone that can be seen within the videos narrative.

Camera

In terms of framing, the cinematography is very good. They used a contrast of a steady camera against a handheld camera to help create a sense of variety and make the video appear less repetitive. The student also use different angles to portray the female character as vulnerable and insignificant, which was helpful at conveying her character considering she has no dialogue, aiding our understanding, and therefore helping the audience to empathise for her.


















Editing

They seemed to use the fade transition many times throughout which is unusual considering it usually indicates that a lot of time has past since the last shot, suggesting that this entire videos spans over months if not years and yet the characters look exactly the same age throughout. Despite this, the cuts were in time with the beat and two particular midshots that tracks around the two character and alternate with one another in time with the lyrics was very well done.

Narrative

This is a narrative music video, centred around the relationship between two teenagers. Because of non-chronological order, I didn't find it very clear why the female character tried to kill herself. This has reminded me to keep our story simple and make sure it's conveyed to the audience in a way that makes sense.

The purpose of a music video

Music videos help to publicise an artist on a global scale. With mainstream artists, such as Rihanna using YouTube, it's clear that the music industry takes advantage of technological developments, like the internet, in order to aid in their success. For example, Rihanna's song 'Diamonds' has over 400 million views on YouTube, which demonstrates her strong fan base as well as a mainstream artist using music videos to help make them as well known as possible.

Music videos are also designed to help convey any meaning that the artist was trying to get across, with the visual aspect presenting the same themes and ideas that the song alone gets across but in a more obvious manner. For example The Killer's song 'Spaceman' capitalises on the insanity of people, and this is reflected in it's music video, with  the costumes being very distinct and not at all realistic.

They can also carry their own artistic merit, with each having a distinct visual style, whether it's through C.G.I., the settings, costumes etc. An example of this can be found in Jessie J's song 'Price Tag,' with the setting being a plain lightly-coloured background, which connotes cleanliness, suggesting that the artist is also refreshing.

Music video history

Most expensive

According to 'Tastebud's online blog, the most expensive music video was Michael Jackson's song 'Scream' in 1995. With the overall production costing $7 million (10.5 when taking inflation into account), this video contained a lot of CGI elements, by being set in a space station and therefore required a bigger budget for this complexity.

blog.tastebuds.fm/the-top-10-most-expensive-music-videos-ever-made/

Key conventions: rock, R&B and pop genre

Nickelback's song 'Far Away' is a good example of a music video from the rock genre following the stereotypical conventions. For example, it shows multiple shots of the band playing as a group on stage, as well as visual narrative that reflects the lyrics of the song (in this case the changing dynamic between a man and woman).

Usher's song 'Yeah' demonstrates an R&B song sticking to the conventions of the genre. For example the artist wears excessive and unsubtle jewellery around his neck. This sense of personal style is a typical visual indicator towards the R&B genre by having connotations of wealth as well as rebellious gangster affiliations.

Katy Perry's 'Roar' shows us the conventions of the pop genre being established visually through this video. In contrast to the other two genres, pop usually sees the artist presented in a significantly more sexual light. This is established in this music video with Katy Perry's clothing gradually becoming more revealing and thus conveying her as more sexually appealing than the previous two artists.




































Queen - 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was the first music used for promotional purposes in 1975 and also the most popular music video of the 1970s, because it was brand new form of media and therefore was not originally used as a mainstream accompaniment to songs. With this music video being one of the first, it's no surprise that it was the most popular of the decade, as it set the bench mark for future videos and created a new dimension to the music industry.



4 years later, Buggle's song 'Video killed the radio star' became the first music video to appear on MTV, which quickly became a TV channel in which all mainstream artists could better publicise their music. The channel still exists to this day but now has numerous focal points other than music, such as reality shows. Despite this, MTV had inspired a new genre of television and since it's debut has created several similar channels, such as Viva and 4music.



Michael Jackson - 'Thriller' was the most watched music video of the 1980s, as a result of the unique horror element that hadn't been seen in the music industry previously. The video also begins with quite a slow pacing, as a result of the long shot times and character dialogue. This gave the narrative more depth and therefore made audiences care more about how the video evolved. Consequently, 'Thriller's video proved that music videos can be very cinematic and appear like short films, with Todorov's theory of narrative being applied here.



Britney Spears – 'Baby One More Time' was the most popular music video of the 1990s, due to her already being a well-established artist prior to the video, attracting her large fan base to the single. On top of that, since the videos release the schoolgirl costume she wears has now become a part of her distinctive look which appeals males to her music videos as a result of the sexual connotations.



Lady Gaga - 'Bad Romance' was the most popular music video in the 2000s. This is because the artist is known for having a wide variety of iconic costumes, both in and out of her videos, which also help to convey a certain tone which is reflected in her music. For example, in this video you can see a tight fitting red costume, and considering red connotes passion and love, the audience can deduce that these themes are covered within the song. This particular video is also known to be quite controversial in the topics that it covers and how they are presented on screen, such as sex slaves and the idea of murder, and it's this controversy that also invites audiences out of curiosity.



PSY - 'Gangam Style' is currently the most watched music video this decade with over 2 billion views on YouTube. This is most likely due to it's originality, specifically the dance choreography which, over course of 2 years, has now become very well known globally. This music video also features a mainstream artist: Snoop Dogg, attracting fans of his music as well as PSY's. On top of that, the ethnicity of the lyrics also publicise the Asian community and their interpretation of the music industry, which is a rarity in the U.K.

Textual analysis of music videos

Mise-en-scene

The music video to 'Paramore's song Decode is set in a forest. Because this song is used in the film 'Twilight' (2008), it's likely they set it in a forest to create more of a connection between the song and the film. The nature aspect has quite positive, peaceful connotations, which is juxtaposed by the violent extracts from the film.

In terms of props, typical band equipment is shown to help identify the punk rock genre. Extracts from the film also show vehicles, as a way of making it more contemporary, as well as a way of incorporating verisimilitude.























All band members appear to wear black, which connotes death and depression, which are themes that are covered extensively in this song and are common elements within the punk rock genre.

High key lighting is used throughout, creating a more upbeat mood and tone, and possibly relating to a younger target demographic. They may have also done it to create a sense of consistency between the performance shots and the film extracts, creating a smoother transition between the two.

Sound

The lack of diegetic sound appears to be a consistent technique used in the punk rock genre, and we will take this into account as we devise our own music video.

Editing

During the opening guitar solo, there appears to be multiple fade to blacks, connoting a more sinister tone. Similarly to previous examples there is also a fast pace throughout the video, mirroring the beat and pace of the song itself, making transitions smoother. There is also a section in which the guitarist is walking through the forest and the time of the shot is sped up to convey a more aggressive and animalistic atmosphere.

Camera

Within the video there are panning midshots of the band, presenting them as more cinematic as well as creating a wider variety of shot types.













There are also high angle shots of the band, which has inferior connotations, making them appear unimportant compared to the film extracts.













Point of view shots are also used, with tracking establishing shots of the forest being very shaky and ecstatic, resembling the movement of a wild animal and relating to the werewolf aspect of the film.

Textual analysis of music videos

Mise-en-scene

The setting for the song Lithium by 'Evanescence' is a snowy garden with a lake. The snow could indicate a sense of innocence and peace, which is also reflected in the singer's passive walking speed. The naturalistic setting also has contemplating connotations, which could imply that the song is about reflection, adding more substance to the video.










There are also several shots of the singer deep within the lake, having both positive and negative connotations, with the blue of the water indicating tranquillity, while the image of her reaching out could suggest she needs saving, relating to the lyrics of the song.











The costume the singer is wearing is similarly white to the snow, indicating that she doesn't really stand out and if anything tries to blend in to her surroundings as a way of protecting herself. By wearing her top quite low, she is also using her femininity and possibly conveying a flirtatious persona. This is another stereotypical convention of the punk rock genre, presenting women as damaged and a damsel that needs saving.













Sound

There is no diegetic sound within this music video, making the song the main focal point, and also fits the structure of the video, considering it's more concept-based then apposed to narrative, moving away from the verisimilitude seen in examples such as 'Paramore's That's What You Get.

Editing

The transitions used throughout are jump cuts, indicating that the events within the music video take place in a short amount of time. This gives it a faster pace, mirroring the stereotypical conventions of the punk rock genre, as it's quite rare to use other techniques such as the fade. A sense of progression is also demonstrated in the editing, with shots lasting for several seconds, to reflect the more slow and simplistic tempo. However, this then changes when more instrumental music comes in and shots then last for a shorter amount of time. This is an example of Goodwin's theory that there is a connection between the music and the visuals, as the visuals are constantly changing in correlation to the speed of the music.

Camera

Typically of the punk rock genre, there are numerous midshots of the singer, putting a face to the music and highlighting their talents. The same can be said for the rest of the band, demonstrating the layers of the music by capitalising on the performance aspect.



























Below is an example of the camera being used to make the singer appear inferior and quite vulnerable. This creates a melancholy mood and tone, with the black piano also contrasting the purity of the snow, which could suggests that this female is an outcast in society.










There is also multiple longshots and midshots in which they're framed in a way which the surrounding setting appears to be closing in on the singer. This is another technique to highlight her vulnerability, and the fact that she's in the centre of the frame demonstrates her importance in the video.

Textual analysis of music videos

Jay Z - 99 Problems



































Below are screenshots of the music video to support my claims:

Plan B - Writings On The Wall