Analysis of year 13 music video

Narrative isn’t clear but it’s alluded through the lyrics as she goes shopping to get over a boy

Lyrics match visual on screen demonstrate kissing and allude the notion of love

Video sells the artist as innocent and sweet, but the visuals sell the artist as being more independent and not sexualised.

Through the visuals we see she’s independent as she’s a mix of Taylor Swift and Florence and the machine and the backdrop of graffiti and urban streets. These are used to help sell the singer as organic rather than a synthetic pop star aimed at a mainstream teen and pre teen audience.

Quick cuts and whip pans help sell the authenticity of the artist and maintain the video is cut to the beat.

Clothing and close-ups also reinforce the artists image as it helps sell her as the girl-next-door type who is sweet and constructed to sell her sexuality like Britney/Nicky Minaj/Katy Perry.

Pros and cons of task

Brief 1:

Promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, choosing one of the 3 options:

-          A website homepage for the brand

-          A cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD Package)

-          A magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD Package)

Pros:

-          Don’t have to worry about the music if it’s not copyright

-          Lyrics can give ideas for shots or a narrative

-          Don’t have to have a narrative

-          It’s enjoyable to watch music videos and listen

-          London gives many locations

-          We have freedom to make and shape and artist into whatever we want

Cons:

-          Can be hard to edit and lip sync if it’s included in the video

-          Must have good actors

-          Narrative can be limited

Let You Go - Music Video

-          Equilibrium – normal job, normal life

-          Disruption – when he starts taking drugs which affects his whole life but it’s the only way to get him through the day

-          Recognition – when the wife realises he is taking the drugs and kicks him out

-          Attempt to restore normality – goes back to his job to get him through the day because that’s what he’s best at, as well as the drugs

-          New equilibrium – him going back to his job knowing his life is out of control, and the only normal thing about his life is his job

-          Nightclubs play their music so this sells it to the audience, and drugs are sold in nightclubs

Dilly - Music Video

-          Equilibrium – police and riders haven’t met at the start as neither know the other is a danger

-          Cross cut between bikers and bar shows there will be a disruption as they are going to meet

-          Disruption – when bikers enter the bar and we see their reactions, bikers like violence and so do the town people which leads to the attempt to restore

-          Recognition – when they realise they don’t like each other because of appearance and violence will occur

-          Attempt to restore – the shoot-out. Hippies use fingers while police use guns, because of ‘peace’, but the hippies are faced with violence so react

-          New equilibrium – when hippies ride off into sunset and the town is devastation

-          The narrative of the music video fits with the image of the band and helps sell their star image as alternative, country rockers.

Hero - Music Video

-          Starts at point of disruption – bank robbery

-          They are clearly on the run, trying to get away from their problems

-          Disruption – when the gang come for the man

-          Recognition – when he realises he has to fight in order to win the heart of the girl he loves

-          Attempt to restore normality – when he’s trying to defeat the girl’s ex-husband and win her, having to fight for her against the gang

-          New equilibrium – at the end when he is dying and she is all on her own now

-          This sold Enrique to the world

-          Aimed at a mainstream worldwide target audience

Todorov

Equilibrium – the beginning when everything appears normal

Disruption – something happened to disrupt the normality

Recognition – when the characters realise something has happened to them and they decide to act upon it

Attempt to restore – the act of trying to restore the normality

New equilibrium – everything is back to normal, except it’s not,  as it’s a new normality as thing have changed after their journey

All narratives are structured in the same way be it films, tv dramas, radio plays or novels.

All narratives have a beginning, middle and end although they don’t necessarily come in that order.

Lady Gaga - Telephone music video analysis

Often contains a number of different elements:

-          Performance

-          Narrative

-          Thematic – star image

-          Symbolic – colours/use of mise-en scene

Telephone – Lady Gaga

Performance:

-          Shows her as a pop artist due to revealing clothing and choreographed dance routines

-          Lady Gaga is the star and is the centre point of all routines showing her sexual moves and her dance mobility.

Narrative:

-          Prison connotes rebellion against authority – goes against societal norms – plays with idea that were circulating about her being transgender

Thematic:

-          Tries to represent her as different and being weird, rebellious and controversial

Symbolic :

Clothing/tapes wrapped round her in prison sells her as sexual whereas the cigarette sunglasses sell her as weird. Clothing throughout is used to represent her as controversial.

Chase and Status - Let you go

_{- No bad present or lip syncing as the band are not trying to sell their own star image. Faceless dance acts rely on marketing ploys as music videos with memorable sequences rather than performances oft the artists.} 

_{- Intertextual references in the video include parodying a Jeremy Kyle style TV presenter descent into drug hell. Clearly appealing to the intended audience of young people.} 

_{- Quick cuts that are cut to the beat of the music reflect the genre of music.} 

_{- Lyrics match the visual on the screen - he is in a car driving aimlessly as the lyrics state no where left to go.} 

_{- Narrative driven music video that reflects the genre of music and intended target audience.}

_{- Production values demonstrate that the music video is intended for a mainstream audience.}

Kevin Morby - I've been to the mountain

_{- Its got a narrative - but it is more of a thought beat as it makes you think more about the song than the artist.}

_{- It's selling the artist as alternative/indie as you don't see him and focus more on the song than the image.}

_{- Visuals match the lyrics in an opaque manner (unclear).}

_{- Handheld camera creates verisimilitude as we almost feel like we are in the hospital. The use of the colours add to this effect and makes eh hospital almost dream-like.}

_{- The grainy effect connotes death/miserable feel of the visuals despite the juxtaposition between the happiness of the ancestors routine/almost psychotic nature of the dancer and the colour palette of the visuals. Thos adds to the theme of the visuals.}

_{There are intertextual reference points to more obscure arty films (Tarantiono, David Lynch)}

Bad Blood - music video analysis

_{Star image as her names comes up makes it more of a movie based video.}

_{Scopophilia as we see Taylor swift through the additional camera lens when the mirror flicks up.}

_{Title comes up makes it look like a movie}

_{The camera opens across and sexualises Taylor swift and the women in the music video male gaze}

_{Close up sells the star during the chorus of her singing}

_{Slow motion is often used in music videos to imply to the videos - When she broke through the wall to show her strength}

_{Use the knives the cut to the beat. Cut to the beat as she gets on the beat.}

_{Different outfit changes to sell her star image}

_{Lyrics match the video - Bad blood - punching}

_{During the ski part of the song, it focuses on a tracking shot as the pace slows down to match her vocals.}

_{Split screen makes you want to watch it again and also through the setting}

_{CGI effects intertextual reference to the magnificent seven}

_{Dis-continuity editing is employed in music videos to encourage the viewer to repeatedly watch them.}

_{In bad blood we see the repletion of fighting scenes , slow motion and close-ups of Taylor swift as the song reaches its conclusion. Music videos do not have to look like sims and therefore sequences can be repeated as long as they are not to repetitive.}

Conventions of a music video

1. Always going to be lip-syncing.

2. Storyline - This can be seen through thought beats.

3. Editing - Always cut to the beat of a song.

4. Music cut to the visuals and matches it.

5. Mise/en/scene - matches the pace and genre of the song.

6. Conspicuous use of close ups to sell the star image of the artist.

7. Lyrics match the visuals.

8. Intertextual references - when a music video looks like something

9. Scopophilia - sexual pleasure through looking at someone else, in music videos through additional lenses that look at the artist.

Craig David star image

Craig David

Craig David has changed a lot over time, as shown in these images. He has matured through many things, including what he wears and his facial features. He was seen wearing clothes that young rappers would wear, whereas now he wears more 'adult' clothes. He also looks like he has had a few facial things done including teeth whitening, which is very common nowadays.

Bo Selecta was a TV show that teased Craig David, as they took the mickey out of him. He stated that if the show wan't around, he would've been bigger and better. The show was run by Leigh Francis (also known as Keith lemon) and Craig said he has made peace with him, and is now back on track.

http://www.nme.com/news/music/craig-david-38-1194806

Craig's appearance is not the only the thing that's chnaged - his music has too. His old songs include songs similar to "Rise and Fall" which is a very slow, whereas now he creates songs similar to "When the bassline drops", which is much quicker and has a fast beat to it. This is more popular nowadays, as grime and rap is the trend and his recent songs include these things. The album covers below show this, as he used to be a slow, peaceful singer but now he's more upbeat.



Dyer's comments on how media shapes a stars image is very accurate. We see that through these album covers and his music that it is in fact the media that shows his image. His career quieting down did not help him, but there was a big hype when he came back and released "Following my intuition".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35483863

Articles like these have helped get Craig back on track and shape his image - and creating songs with Big Narstie and singing over Bieber's backing track help demonstrate the changed man he is, as he is becoming to fit in with today's teenage trend.


These videos represent the change in Craig as the later video is him as more of a gangster, which appeals to his teenage target audience. The first video is more calm and he is in a pub, so some may say his target audience has remained/got younger over the years, which differs to other singers.

Star Image in the music industry

Common values of music stardom:
Youthfulness
Rebellion 
Sexual Magnetism 
Originality 
Creativity 

Richard Dyer
Stars depend on media to help construct their image e.g. TV, newspapers, the internet, radio. It's made up of a range of meanings which are attracted to the target audiences. The star image is incoherent, which is incomplete and open. Dyer says this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes.
Paradox 1 - The star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the customer.
Paradox 2 - They must be simultaneously present and absent.

The incoherence of the star image ensures audiences continually strive to compete or to 'make sense of the image'.
This means that fans will go away determined to continue consuming the star in order to carry on attempting to complete their image,