3 Music Video Analysed

Eminem - When I'm Gone

For my second music video analysis I chose Eminem -When I’m Gone as it is a fascinating music video to look at because although the genre is rap it doesn't have the usual conventions that a rap video has. It doesn't portray the “high/thug life” of a rapper, but instead it shows how it can have an affect personally on artists. I can see this through the mood that is presented through lighting and presents a sad and gloomy mood. 

 The one convention that does match up is the attire that Eminem is wearing as he is wearing a baggy sweat suit and this is stereotypically seen as the usual attire for rappers from that genre, but it is not the usual ‘bling’ jewellery. He also adds an emotional vibe to the song through his facial expressions and body movements and hand gestures.   

The way that quick cut in’s and cut outs were used worked well as it was always in time with the music and this can be used effectively to create a successful music video, also another effective thing that has been done in this video is having a story going along with the lyrics in the video as Eminem is telling a story of how his world was turned upside down and his life was ruined.

Music Video Pitch

Look Right Through - Storm Queen ( MK Dub 111)

For my music pitch i have selceted the deep house genre. I have chosen this genre as it is becoming increaingly popular with the younger generation of whom this will be the target audience. With my idea i have chosen there to be one main charcter in the video who follows a no liniar narrative on a journey. The main charcter will be one of us students however dressed up as an old ageg pentioner with a proper pr

ostetic mask and clothing as it would be a countertype to the usual music video dancer. It would also include other student who the dance along with him on the chorus. The mask on the right can be bought off eBay for £29.99 of which is a reasonable price if three students chipped in for it, and we could gather the clothes from our homes as they wouldn't be hard to find.

 The main storyline would be that on the first 55 seconds it would be a story line of following this old man around watching him as he can hardly walk and is struggling eith his walking stick to move around town. Everyone "looks right through him" as hes old and no cares. Suddenly when the beat drops at 56 seconds he throws away his stick down and dances around and throws his shapes around. This would be perfect to do in a public place if we made the character look as realistic as possible as people would not expect him to just start dancing and we would capture the expression on peoples faces. Sam Pepper a famous YouTuber has done a video where he dresses up as an old man and does totally the opposite of what someone that age would do and he reactions are perfect for what we would want (counter type). Here are some images from the video i have screen captured to show an example.

We would also get other scenes for example at either my party in a club on the 18th of Oct or 5th Oct at Dec Williams of him dancing around with girls and everyone joining in. This would be a perfect enviroment to film in as the misenscene would be already done with people partying. In conclusion, when people see the old man dancing they finally take notice of him and not look right through just because of his age and looks. The fact that we would be using a realistic mask would allow us to alternate the old aged charcter taking it in turns to be him. We would include silly dancing and funny things into the character as it would create a larger audience for the video and would work well.

I would personally want to be the old man as it would b a fun and funny role to play of which i would do in public as ive done stupid things in public before. My party at beaverworks would be a perfect place to film the party scenes as the misenscene would be perfect. We would film the first 50 seconds in Leeds city center as it is a crouded place with a lot of people. The pace of the first part of video would be very slow but with considerate amount of shot variation, with a cinematic look. For an example of this in the music video Paradise by Coldplay the Elephant goes on a journey at the begginging and has a cinematic feel to it. We will try approach ours in the same way. When the music drops at 56 seconds, the pace of the video will increase dramactiaclly and the shot variation will be increased too. This will match the beat of the song.

There will be various visual effects added to the music video with indiviual scenes of the old man dancing by himself where we can have him dancing in three locations in the same scene. This can be easily done by using Adobe After Effects on Windows or even Final Cut Pro X on Mac. For anexample of this here is an image of duplicating i have done myself of the same person.

 Another effect we would use on the dancing is this white line effect i added on my self. This creates a cool effect which can work well in music videos. To see these effects i made,used watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_893G6ywhZc 





The song does not have an official video yet, this would be very helpful as if we were to create one it would be easier to advertise and be viewed as it will be the first video for it. People would watch the video as the is one of 2013's biggest summer tunes of which our target audience will of heard.







Music Video Pitch

http://youtu.be/Gt69GHTA804

Tulisa - Young (Music Video Analysis)

Audience

This video is part of the 'dance music' genre, featuring a fast pace of action and a narrative. This video appeals to a younger audience as does this type of music. It is designed to appeal to both a male and female audience. Although it does not follow all the genre characteristics due to its lack of dance routine but there is a defined performance throughout.



Relationship Between Visuals and Lyrics

There is a definite relationship between the lyrics of the song and the visual content of the video. We are constantly bombarded with images of young people having fun- with the repeated lyric 'it's just fun'. There are also images to emphasis how young the performers are and how great it is to be young- these images include, a baby lamb, roller-skating, pillow fights and 'naughtiness'.

  Editing and Shot Variation

The action of the video often mimics the tempo of the music. The fast pace of the music is illustrated by a car travelling quickly, young people running etc. A slower pace of music is shown by slow motion footage and the fast changing images reflect the end of the video. When the characters are in the art gallery the music slows down as they discuss their actions.

Male Gaze

This video is a vehicle for Tulisa as the main character. She is shown in every shot and is portrayed as fun, young and beautiful. She is shown as a performer and an actress and even in her performer role had different persona  Tulisa is appealing to a male audience through her tight clothing, swimwear and flirtatious behaviour. She also appeals to the female audience by making herself one of the girls.

Mode Of Address

All the characters within the video constantly look at Tulisa and she is often looking straight at the camera. This shows how much she is the central character and that the video is a vehicle for her. The emphasis on her female body through the tight, short clothing and swimwear etc add a voyeuristic element to the video.

Inter-textual References

There is no inter textual reference to any films, TV programmes or any other music videos within the video.

10 Codes and Conventions used in Music Videos

This is a list of my top ten Conventions used in Music Videos

• Cross Promotion
• Locations
• Intertextuality 
• Mis en Scene
• Budget

10. Titles

Titles are used throughout the majority of music videos. The titles gives the audience information about song and gives a sense of realism. They are used in all music genres. It gives intertextuality and gives convincing production values for example "A Joe Blogs Film" creates a cinematic feel. - Nero (reaching out), Coldplay (Paradise), DJ Fresh (Earthquake).

9. Editing

Transitions are used in music videos which allows more scope and freedom to incorporate discontinuity in editing. The transition allow to change from one shot to another. Effects are usually used in music videos to make them quirky, used in the majority of rock, pop, rap and dance music videos however not in indie, opera or contemporary music. A main effect used is layering which adds a good effect to the video especially when lip syncing showing the singer from other angles at the same time. Kasabian (Shoot the Runner), White Stripes (Seven Nation Army), Eminem (Berzerk)

8. Camera Shots

The camera shots a vital part to create continuity and a sense of realism in the music video. For example the use of a hand camera shot to create a shaky shot adds a sense of realism as if its real life, also used a lot with a live performace. Music videos include shots using cranes or sliders to add a dynamic shot which gives it better quality feel and a cinematic styled shot. Blue (You Make Me)

7. The shot variation speeds up at chorus or upbeat part of the song.

This is a vital part to music videos as it adds the build up to the song giving the making parts stand out in the video making it less tedious to watch. There are more shot variations on the chorus etc to give a fast pace video when the music speeds up (Gorgon City - Real ft. Yasmin), Florence and the Machine (Rabbit heart)

6. Shot Variation

Music videos use a lot of shot variation to keep to video from being boring and tedious, and keeps the audiences attention. They use multiple locations keep it more entertaining. The more shot variations allow the viewing of the video to be seen through many ways. A counter typical example is Florence and the Machine (Rabbit Heart)

5. Mode of Address

This is when the singer looks directly into the camera to give a sense of realism that the musician are looking directly at you to show a connection between you and the band. Mattafix (Big City Life), Marina and the Diamonds (Primadonna)

4. Costume and Props

The costume and props in a music video are key element, not only do they create verisimilitude but also set the brand of band which give them credibility s musicians. The costume makes them stand out and reflects on there music. Florence and the Machine (Rabbit Heart), 

3. Narrative

The narrative to a music video is key to keep the audiences attention. In some video they follow Todderovs Theory of equilibrium and also start a journey. Without the narrative the video would have no meaning unless its just performance based which unless shot and edited well can be very tedious. Love Generation (Bob Sinclair) 

2. Focusing on the Lead Singer

Usually in the narrative or video, the camera focuses mainly on the main lead singer whether they are singing or not. This is called star treatment where they single out the lead singing by using close up shots, as well as having unique clothing. (Richard Dier)

1. Lip Syncing

It is vital that if there is lip syncing in the music video, that they are in time with the audio to create verisimilitude. Usually in the majority of music videos lip syncing occurs and works well. This gives a feel of artist more if they are singing, rather than just a narrative. It creates a connection between visuals and audio. Blue (You Make Me) 

Marina And The Diamonds - Primadonna

Relationship between the visuals and the music


The electronic surreal feel to the music is clearly represented throughout the music video, in the way that some shots are apparently normal while others have the effects and colour filters of an old camera which distorts the images slightly making them look like snatches of dream or something imagined. It could also be linked with the lyrics "living life like I'm in a dream". The strong and once again electronic beat in the background of the music is sometimes reflected by something visual, such as Marina kicking her legs backward and forward. The effect of this is to emphasise the beat further bringing it to the audience attention.


At 1:22 in the music video the music changes to a slightly tinkly and delicate sound and the visuals follow, not only changing location by also the type of lighting; showing a section of a glass chandelier and moving just enough that the light glitters and flickers very much reflecting the tone set by the music. 

At the very beginning of the video as the piano starts to come into the music a short shot is shown of marina playing the piano with one hand, which suits the simple melody in the music. The dog and the television in this shot both suggest the idea of looking. the dog in the way that it is clearly looking at someone obediently, and the television because its whole existence is around the notion of looking.

Throughout the music video Marina looks directly into the camera as she sings, clearly communicating the idea of looking. She also looks into a mirror during he music video, so not only is the fact that she is actively looking being communicated by also that she is being looked at. Marina carries on this theme of being looked at by putting her hand in front of her face to hide it, such an action would not be required if she wasn't being looked at.

Apart from the fact that Marina is the only person to appear throughout the music video, she also has a unique thing which is part of her. The small black heart on her cheek that remains there throughout as a beauty spot.

Intertextual References


Although there are not many intertextual references, about half way through the video we are shown Marina standing on a small step ladder in front of a tree holding an apple and posing with it. This is clearly a reference to the moment in the bible when eve picked the forbidden fruit from the tree after being persuaded by Satan and committing original sin. The way this image is shown at the same time as the lyrics "it is always someone else's fault" could be a comment on the way that we explain our sins by blaming eve for allowing such a thing to happen in the first place, and by doing so avoid taking on any responsibility for our own actions, much like the Primadonna that Marina is representing.

5 Music Videos

Eminem - Berzerk

                                                                                 FX

Throughout the video there are many effects used. The first one shown is in the first second, where an old fashioned video recorder effect is shown. Personally i think this is because its used to give the effect the footage is going back in time, as Eminem is now back and making music again like he used to. This works well and signifies this to the audience who knows Eminem and his music. This is also apparent throughout and has effects of 

fuzzy noise and shakiness to create an old effect.

Another effect used is the crazy colours and background in many shots. For example to the picture on the right the sky behind the buildings are rainbow coloured and moving. This relates to Eminem's life style as he is renown for taking drugs back in the day when he was huge success in his career. This makes the video very wacky and 

random and "berzerk". There is a 3D effect used too using the old fashioned red and blue technique to add an effect.

Shots

The shots used in the video are quite similar, using low angled shots looking up at Eminem show his dominance as a white rapper. This works well and is used in many shots. There are no establishing shots in the video, as it is mainly medium close ups and long shots.


                            Lens

In the video there is a standard lens used to film with, however they also use a fish eye lens which creates the circle look on the left. This effect on the clip works well especially using a low angled shot as it makes the background evolve around him signifying his dominance more. Old sporting and performance video footage was shot with a fish eye lens often which also adds to the effect of being old.

Gorgon City - Real ft. Yasmin

                        Shots

There are only 4 shots used in the video which are very repetitive, these shots are medium long shot, close up, medium close up and an extreme close up. The close up is used on Yasmines face when she's singing so we can focus on her vocals. The medium long shot is used when all 3 artist are doing something at the same time to signify this. Also an extreme close up is used to focus on a change in the beat and audio track, not vocals with the instrument used.  

                                  Editing

The editing is pretty straight forward, using cut away shots of the instruments and medium long shots to not make the video tedious. The lip syncing is edited well and creates the flow on continuity and verisimilitude of a live performance. At the beginning on the video there are titles on screen of the song name etc which are edited nicely in. Also as a transition to the video from the titles there is a slight twitch in the video which works well o the beat. When an effect is used on the song, the shot is edited in time with the musical instrument to use it in time.

Performance

The music video is a performance video and gives the feel of it being live. They have signified and done this by using the right shots and editing to create verisimilitude.

Eminem - Stan Ft Dido (Music Video Analysis)

Destiny's Child - Survivor (Music Video Analysis)

ACT: Destiny's Child
TRACK: Survivor
YEAR: 2012
DIRECTOR: Darren Grant 
GENRE: R&B
MAIN AUDIENCE: 12 - 30
LYRICS





The lyrics are amplified and emphasized when the word ’survivor’ is sang by all 3 members of the group together (occurs mainly in the chorus). This is contradicted by the visuals the whole way through the video as it is basically the narrative of the music video. Also the lyrics of the song start almost by telling the narrative of the song. For example, ‘I’m a survivor, I’m not gonna give up’ - shows us that the music video is most defiantly and quite clearly about women being strong and independent. 

Another example of the lyrics that tell the narrative is ‘I'm gonna make it, I will survive, Keep on surviving'. These lyrics link to the video because after having the power by ‘surviving’ in the south pacific, they are finally rescued at the end of the video.

The genre of this music / song is R&B. This is represented through the music video by the typical choreographed dances that the group do including back up dancers and the way they are dressed provocatively.

In the music video the main intertextual reference was the narrative which was referenced to the American TV show ‘Survivor’ which was very popular in 2000-2001 (the time in which this music video was produced. The programme was basically about strangers being stranded on an island together and basically ‘survival of the fittest’. This intertextual reference makes the music video immediately recognisable - especially Americans who are familiar with the ‘survivor’ show. The directors are using popularity to promote this video/single.


The video cuts to the beat very fast like most R&B videos. The fast cuts and shots links to the feisty and strong representation that the directors are giving to women in this video.
The video cuts change pace with the music. For example at the end of the video the music is lowered and the visuals become slow paced which links the music and visuals together (as at this point the hecticness of the narrative is slowed down as they are rescued).


There are a lot of close ups used through out the music video of the group individuals. The close ups often cut quickly, with shots of each of the artists. The close up shots are not just of their faces. The close up also show parts of their bodies, which was obviously the directors choice of shots to almost portray the group as ‘sex symbols’.

They are mostly shown in a very sexual way in the beginning (notion of looking), when they are walking along the shore in torn clothes (which are revealing/shown below). It is almost as if they are using their gender and sexuality to gain power and promote themselves as a group. The music video is heavily based of the notion of looking in the point of view of the audience - making sure you are looking at the group at all times through out the video.

The group are portrayed as independent and strong throughout the whole video. 

Kasabian - Shoot The Runner (Music Video Analysis)

ACT: Kasabians 
TRACK: Shoot The Runner
YEAR: 2006
DIRECTOR: Alex Courtes and Martin Fougerol
GENRE: Indie, Rock 
MAIN AUDIENCE: 15-35
LYRICS



The post product stages of the music video have animated the use of moving paint to emphasise the use of colour and to create an exciting atmosphere to the audience during the chorus in which the use of paint is used. 

The animation has also been used to create different colours during the music video, this is used during the different camera shots, during the close ups, each member changes colour from clip to clip, this emphasises each member and their role in the band by the instrument they play. During the wide angle shots the colour is the same with the use of tone to distinguish colouring, hair and instruments. 

The editing of the music video also features quick cuts and slow frame rates during the slow tempo parts of the music video, this is used converge the visual aspects of the music video to the aural aspects to the music video. The music video has quick cut transitions which creates a flow in the music video, the cuts happen when a instrument is being played, like a hand strumming a guitar, this is then flowed by a wide shot which creates a new scene in the video. 

The camera shots used in this music vary, the video is made up of close ups which are used to capture a single band member and wide angle shots which are used to capture the whole band playing at the same time. Some camera shots are also hand held which emphasises the mood of the song, lively and fast. Most of the hand held shots are during the chorus of the song when the paint is being splattered. Hand held shots emphasise the energy in the music video to make it feel realistic as if we were there.

Lots of the wide angle shots are low to the ground, this emphasises the power of the band towards the audience by making them look bigger and power powerful. The close up shots tend to concentrate on the band member facial expressions and the instruments they are play, this is designed to dwell on the band members power and talent they have which makes the song so appealing to fans and the audience. 

The only sound in the music video is the song, this is a non diagetic sound as it has been post synced to the video in post production. The song in the music was created in a studio and then edited to the video with the member miming the song to create the effect of the song being played in real time. The visuals match with the vocals and audio perfectly to give the effect of a realistic live view of the song.


The mise en scene to the music video is very basic, there is no locations but just a black background which is used to highlight the contrast in colours on the band members. The only object that feature in the video is the musical instruments, this so the music video can be synced to the song and it looks like the song is being played in real time in the video.

 The clothing that the members where is very 18 hundreds, with the jackets and neckerchiefs which the members are wearing, this is designed to create an identity to the band and to the album ʻEmpireʼ it creates a brand and identity for the band. The use of animation and changing colour also embraces the feeling of the branding of the band.

Florence and the Machine - Rabbit Heart (Music Video Analysis)

ACT: Florence and the MachineTRACK: Rabbit HeartYEAR: 2009DIRECTOR: Tom Beard, Queens of Noize's TabithaGENRE: Indie, Rock, Pop
MAIN AUDIENCE: 15-35LYRICS






Rabbit Heart is the fourth sin from Florence’s debut album, Lungs and reached 12th in the UK singles chart after being released on 22nd June 2009. The genre of the song is classified as indie pop on the music site last.fm and alternative in the iTunes music store. 

Pace and Shots

The video opens with a extreme close up of Florence mouth with the rest of her face covered by a piece of see through material which has sequins at the end, again this gives the ideology of purity a woman unveiling her face. The camera then pans out then pans outwards towards Florence and she lifted the material from her face. This captures the audience interest as the video opens. Tracking shots, close ups and medium close up’s are regularly used throughout the music video making Florence constantly the centre of the audience’s attention. 

The rhythm of the song is slower than most of Florence and The Machine Videos. The combined shots with the filter used on the camera and the occasional use of the fade transition gives the music video a dated video signifying its in the past and part of her life and is used well to get this across.


Performance and Narrative


The video follows a narrative structure with Florence singing in a field accompanied by a number of actors and dancers. The theme seems to collaborated with a spiritual ritual that appears within the video, where the actors, dancers are seen dancing and having a feast which at this point the food is thrown from a table to the floor and finally Florence is boxed into a coffin and wrapped with a white cloth which is a symbolic reference to purity which could fit into to Bathes theory of symbolic code and semantic meaning. The coffin is then pushed into the river floating peaceful away, which a signifier reference, to a Biblical story or ancient Burials like the Romans and the Greeks. These Spiritual and ancient themes relate back to the lyrics “ we raise it up, this offering, we raise it up” as well as the songs chorus and title. This also relates to the relationship between the visuals and lyrics. 

Relationship between Visuals and Lyrics

Only one musical instrument from the song appears in the video. A man in a suit playing a harp appears immediately we are transport to a fairy tale of sorts creating a peaceful and harmonious background and themes, fitting along side the lyrics and meaning. Two other instruments are used in the video but are only used as props to aid the narrative and meaning within the contextual themes.

Locations

The location of the video is down by a river and around a grassy patch either a garden or field. This gives the video a more natural feel and slow vibe to it giving the preferred reading of a spiritual between her and the song. 

Props

A number of props appear in the video, most notably is the ending where Florence is carried towards the riverbank and pushed out onto the water. This makes the whole theme and ceremony of spirituality, purity and ancient rituals look like a joyful and Harmonious occasion as the singing and dancing takes centre stage. The rhythm of the song is slower than most of Florence and The Machine Videos. The combined shots with the filter used on the camera and the occasional use of the fade transition gives the music video a dated video signifying its in the past and part of her life and is used well to get this across.