Andrew Goodwin has identified a number of key features in music videos. They are:
- A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.
- A relationship between the music and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music.
- Genre-related style and iconography present.
- Multiple close-ups of the main artist or vocalist.
- Voyeurism often plays a major part, especially in relation to females.
- Intertextual references to other media texts may be present.
He says that music videos are often constructed by the link between the visuals and the song plus the artist. Relationships are built between these in the video, and the close-ups of the artists gives them the representation and publicity they require. Voyeurism is used to increase the video’s attractiveness, particularly to males, whilst intertextuality is often employed in humorous videos.
Many of these features are present in all music videos, depending on the genre of the song and the aim of the record company/artist.
Monday 6 October 2008
Thursday 2 October 2008
Analysis three
The Pretender, Foo Fighters
Foo Fighter’s video for “The Pretender” is a good example of a music video for a rock song containing many codes and conventions of the genre.
The video starts off with a low angle shot to set the scene which appears to be a very large factory floor. In the middle of the picture is a lonely figure setting up the musical equipment. This is then contrasted to a high angle shot of the person from behind where he proceeds to put on a guitar. At this point, if we were watching the video for the first time we would not know who it was as the producers are clearly delaying it to entice viewers and guarantee they will keep watching to find out who the person is. The music begins and some dialogue but the camera still doesn’t show a face and is focused on the figure’s arms and torso where he is wrapping bandages round his hand and wrist. This suggests that he is preparing for something strenuous and physical (later to be revealed to be playing guitar which some viewers can relate with and know it takes preparation and can hurt your hands with skilful playing).
Eventually, a side profile shot of the figure reveals the person to be lead singer who is memorable and individual whilst fitting in with the stereotypical rocker with long hear and a beard. A high angle shot looking up at the drums implies the instrument is dominant and powerful while in the foreground other band members are taking their positions.
The pace of the editing turns from quite slow to very fast in time with music as this speeds up and gets louder, etc. The shots from then on are mainly close ups of the instruments being played or the singers mouth performing the dialogue. As the song progresses the amount of long and mid shots increase in number, one example being the mid shot of the lead singer up to stomach with his foot pounding to the beat of the music. Also, more low and high angle shots are used to show the extent of the setting. The camera in some shots also pans round on a dolly to give a sense of pace and action.
A large percentage of the shots are of the singer indicating he is the figurehead of the band and/or the person viewers are most likely to copy and want to be. The narrative of the video doesn’t begin until around one minute and thirty seconds in where a mysterious figure in riot gear emerges from the darkness of the building (i.e. the part not lit by the video producers). There are close ups, low angle shots and shots from behind to make him appear dangerous approaching the band, especially when he pulls down his visor implying something may happen. This is reinforced when more of the riot police come from the darkness and walk forwards suggesting to the audience, along with the lyrics, that this is perhaps a protest against something. The amount of police are amplified by the camera panning across the line of them and a tilt up shot looking down on them all facing Foo Fighters.
The highlight of the video comes around three minutes where the song goes from fat to slow paced. The shots and editing then become slower too, including the use of over cranking to show the movement of the officers charging towards the band to increase drama and tension in what the producers and the band itself obviously intended to be an action packed video. In timing with the smash of drums and pluck of strings as the music becomes louder and eventually faster the red screen that the band have been playing infront of the whole time explodes and a red liquid sprays everywhere covering everyone which is quite dramatic and good to watch thus may attract viewers again and again.
The rest of the video is seen though the spray of the liquid making everything red. Some of it is also in slow motion to add to the interesting and appealing qualities of the video. Shots of the singer being covered and shots of the drummer especially banging his head to the music and his hair flying around in the air splashing liquid, a common sight in rock videos and a common characteristic of people who sing this music.
The video then ends with the lead singer smashing his guitar to the floor (a typical rock and roll thing to do) and then him on his knees breathing heavily to relate back to the beginning where he was wrapping tape round his hand to prepare for action.
Foo Fighter’s video for “The Pretender” is a good example of a music video for a rock song containing many codes and conventions of the genre.
The video starts off with a low angle shot to set the scene which appears to be a very large factory floor. In the middle of the picture is a lonely figure setting up the musical equipment. This is then contrasted to a high angle shot of the person from behind where he proceeds to put on a guitar. At this point, if we were watching the video for the first time we would not know who it was as the producers are clearly delaying it to entice viewers and guarantee they will keep watching to find out who the person is. The music begins and some dialogue but the camera still doesn’t show a face and is focused on the figure’s arms and torso where he is wrapping bandages round his hand and wrist. This suggests that he is preparing for something strenuous and physical (later to be revealed to be playing guitar which some viewers can relate with and know it takes preparation and can hurt your hands with skilful playing).
Eventually, a side profile shot of the figure reveals the person to be lead singer who is memorable and individual whilst fitting in with the stereotypical rocker with long hear and a beard. A high angle shot looking up at the drums implies the instrument is dominant and powerful while in the foreground other band members are taking their positions.
The pace of the editing turns from quite slow to very fast in time with music as this speeds up and gets louder, etc. The shots from then on are mainly close ups of the instruments being played or the singers mouth performing the dialogue. As the song progresses the amount of long and mid shots increase in number, one example being the mid shot of the lead singer up to stomach with his foot pounding to the beat of the music. Also, more low and high angle shots are used to show the extent of the setting. The camera in some shots also pans round on a dolly to give a sense of pace and action.
A large percentage of the shots are of the singer indicating he is the figurehead of the band and/or the person viewers are most likely to copy and want to be. The narrative of the video doesn’t begin until around one minute and thirty seconds in where a mysterious figure in riot gear emerges from the darkness of the building (i.e. the part not lit by the video producers). There are close ups, low angle shots and shots from behind to make him appear dangerous approaching the band, especially when he pulls down his visor implying something may happen. This is reinforced when more of the riot police come from the darkness and walk forwards suggesting to the audience, along with the lyrics, that this is perhaps a protest against something. The amount of police are amplified by the camera panning across the line of them and a tilt up shot looking down on them all facing Foo Fighters.
The highlight of the video comes around three minutes where the song goes from fat to slow paced. The shots and editing then become slower too, including the use of over cranking to show the movement of the officers charging towards the band to increase drama and tension in what the producers and the band itself obviously intended to be an action packed video. In timing with the smash of drums and pluck of strings as the music becomes louder and eventually faster the red screen that the band have been playing infront of the whole time explodes and a red liquid sprays everywhere covering everyone which is quite dramatic and good to watch thus may attract viewers again and again.
The rest of the video is seen though the spray of the liquid making everything red. Some of it is also in slow motion to add to the interesting and appealing qualities of the video. Shots of the singer being covered and shots of the drummer especially banging his head to the music and his hair flying around in the air splashing liquid, a common sight in rock videos and a common characteristic of people who sing this music.
The video then ends with the lead singer smashing his guitar to the floor (a typical rock and roll thing to do) and then him on his knees breathing heavily to relate back to the beginning where he was wrapping tape round his hand to prepare for action.
Wednesday 1 October 2008
Focus Group
The target audience for my music video will be of mixed gender aged 16 to 20. This reflects the genre's popularity with older teenagers and young adults. This song will probably be more popular with females, therefore my focus group is comprised of 5 girls and 3 boys aged between 16 and 20. This provides me with a variety of opinions which can help me gain information on my target audience and their demands of a music video. Thus I can use this feedback to fit as much in my video as possible and entertain/satisfy my audience.
They liked my song choice as it was something different and not massively popular/famous (this helps as the song doesn't have a famous video and people won't be expecting of mine). They liked my idea of the mix of a narrative and live performance of the band. However. we concluded that this may be difficult to do and could jeopardise the quality of my production. Other positive notes were the setting of the live performance and the use actors around the same age as the target audience, helping the audience to be involved/related to it and thus being entertained.
Furthermore, with their help it was decided that the vocalist must be animated while singing and show a lot of expression along with the close ups of guitars, drums and piano to appeal to those watching who like instruments. Finally, they agreed that the editing must match the change in pace of the song as sometimes it is quick and other times quite slow. Also, the idea of having a phone or flowers crash to the wall in time with the first big drum hit was very popular.
They liked my song choice as it was something different and not massively popular/famous (this helps as the song doesn't have a famous video and people won't be expecting of mine). They liked my idea of the mix of a narrative and live performance of the band. However. we concluded that this may be difficult to do and could jeopardise the quality of my production. Other positive notes were the setting of the live performance and the use actors around the same age as the target audience, helping the audience to be involved/related to it and thus being entertained.
Furthermore, with their help it was decided that the vocalist must be animated while singing and show a lot of expression along with the close ups of guitars, drums and piano to appeal to those watching who like instruments. Finally, they agreed that the editing must match the change in pace of the song as sometimes it is quick and other times quite slow. Also, the idea of having a phone or flowers crash to the wall in time with the first big drum hit was very popular.
Questionnaire
1. What gender are you?Male Female
2. How old are you?0-12 13-15 16 -18 19-25 26+
3. What music genres do you like?
Pop Rock R’N’B Hip-hop Metal Country
Rap Indie Other
4. Do you like to watch music videos?
Yes No
5. Do you like to see the artist in their music video?
Yes No
6. Do you like to see live performance in music videos?
Yes No
7. Do you like to see a narrative/story in music videos?
Yes No
8. Where do you watch music videos?
TV YouTube MySpace Other
9. What music video channels do you watch?
MTV The Box Kerrang Q Magic
Kiss The Hits VH1 Scuzz NME
10. Does the music video change your opinion of a song?
Yes No Other (please comment)
2. How old are you?0-12 13-15 16 -18 19-25 26+
3. What music genres do you like?
Pop Rock R’N’B Hip-hop Metal Country
Rap Indie Other
4. Do you like to watch music videos?
Yes No
5. Do you like to see the artist in their music video?
Yes No
6. Do you like to see live performance in music videos?
Yes No
7. Do you like to see a narrative/story in music videos?
Yes No
8. Where do you watch music videos?
TV YouTube MySpace Other
9. What music video channels do you watch?
MTV The Box Kerrang Q Magic
Kiss The Hits VH1 Scuzz NME
10. Does the music video change your opinion of a song?
Yes No Other (please comment)
Tuesday 16 September 2008
Shooting Star Animatic
This is an animatic to show roughly how i want my video for 'Shooting Star' to look when it is filmed and edited...
my drawing skills are collosal
my drawing skills are collosal
Monday 15 September 2008
Sven E Carlsson’s Theory
Sven E Carlsson stated that music video is a many faceted multi-discursive phenomenon that is communicated through the TV screen and its speakers via carriers of information such as, the music, the lyrics and the moving images.
Carlsson believed that music videos, in general, fall into two main groups; performance clips where the video mostly shows an artist (or artists) singing or/and dancing; and conceptual clips where the video shows something else during its duration often with artistic ambitions.
Standard Clip
A music videos that more or less contains a filmed singer blended with inserted images. A standard clip is meant to be dynamic and has many variations. The vocalist may actively participate in the story while simultaneously standing outside the video offering self-reflexive commentary; he may have an alter ego e.g. a cartoon character.
There are three pure forms of visual tradition in music video;
Performance Clip
If a music video clip contains mostly filmed performance e.g. a video that shows the vocalist in more than one setting, then it is a performance clip. The performance can be of three types: song performance, dance performance and instrumental performance.
In certain types of perfromances the performer is often made into a materialization of the commerical exhibitionist, this is where the performer is made into almost a selling item; someone that fans often aspire to be and these scenes will be extremely high in quality and have a gloss to them. The exhibitionist wants success and tries to evoke the charisma of stardom and sexuality. Another type is the televised bard, which is a singing storyteller who uses on screen images instead of inner, personal images. The the third and final type is the elctronic shaman, sometimes the shaman is invisible and only his/her voice that anchor the visuals and they often shift between multiple shapes.
Narrative Clip
If a music video clip is understood as a silent movie to a musical background it is a narrative clip. A narrative contains a story that is easy to follow and may not contain any lip-synchronisation.
Art Clip
If a music video contains no perceptable visual narrative and contains no lip-synchronisation singing then it is a pure art clip. These are normally associated with more modern, experimental music.
Carlsson believed that music videos, in general, fall into two main groups; performance clips where the video mostly shows an artist (or artists) singing or/and dancing; and conceptual clips where the video shows something else during its duration often with artistic ambitions.
Standard Clip
A music videos that more or less contains a filmed singer blended with inserted images. A standard clip is meant to be dynamic and has many variations. The vocalist may actively participate in the story while simultaneously standing outside the video offering self-reflexive commentary; he may have an alter ego e.g. a cartoon character.
There are three pure forms of visual tradition in music video;
Performance Clip
If a music video clip contains mostly filmed performance e.g. a video that shows the vocalist in more than one setting, then it is a performance clip. The performance can be of three types: song performance, dance performance and instrumental performance.
In certain types of perfromances the performer is often made into a materialization of the commerical exhibitionist, this is where the performer is made into almost a selling item; someone that fans often aspire to be and these scenes will be extremely high in quality and have a gloss to them. The exhibitionist wants success and tries to evoke the charisma of stardom and sexuality. Another type is the televised bard, which is a singing storyteller who uses on screen images instead of inner, personal images. The the third and final type is the elctronic shaman, sometimes the shaman is invisible and only his/her voice that anchor the visuals and they often shift between multiple shapes.
Narrative Clip
If a music video clip is understood as a silent movie to a musical background it is a narrative clip. A narrative contains a story that is easy to follow and may not contain any lip-synchronisation.
Art Clip
If a music video contains no perceptable visual narrative and contains no lip-synchronisation singing then it is a pure art clip. These are normally associated with more modern, experimental music.
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