Learning outcome 2 music video analysis

By Matthew Wheeler

The first music video I will be analysing is…Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrpSjXo6ah0

Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish/Scottish alternative rock band formed at the

University of Dundee in 1994. Their second studio album, Eyes Open, (2006) and its hit single "Chasing

Cars," propelled the band to greater international fame. The album topped the UK Album Charts and was the best-selling British album of the year, selling over 6 million copies worldwide.

There were two videos made for this song, I will be looking at the first video which was made in 2007.

Nick Brandt was the director of the music video for snow patrol. He was a British photographer and music video director, born in London, England, UK, now based in Topanga, California, USA..

The music video for ‘Chasing Cars’ is very simple and was probably produced at a low price. The technologies used in this video are also very simple as there are no special effects or CGI as the song doesn’t require it. A maximum of 2 cameras could have been used.

B a c k g r o u n d I n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e a r t i s t , s o n g a n d

d i r e c t o r

Snow Patrol is an alternative rock artist. In their video’s they convey a deep and meaningful emotion, in

most of Snow Patrol’s video, the main focus is the lead singer and the connection you can get with him.

I find Snow Patrol’s video’s are very moving and full of emotions, and the way it has been filmed backs this up even more, you see the emotion through his eyes and movements.

Most emotional music video’s are about one main person singing the lyrics, but the lyrics are full of emotion, and you can feel this throughout the lyrics but that just fits the whole atmosphere of the song.

Just like how the main singer looks and is dressed, he looks like your typical bloke that was once very happy with a girl, all of this, music, lyrics, props and scene, all adds together to give the viewer the best feel of the whole atmosphere revolving around the music video.

In this particular music video there is a weak relationship between the lyrics and video throughout.

Visuals – Video Always on main singer, close-up shots, focusing on main features like his mouth, hand &

eyes. The colours are quite muted and dull which can affect the mood of the whole video, colours

give a great opportunity to enhance the mood of the video. The way the shots have been filmed really show how the video is calming but full of

emotion, by having close up’s with the singer, you can get a connection to them and feel the emotion that they feel and what they are trying to portray in the song.

Lyrics – Music The lyrics have a weak relationship, the video is mainly focused on the main singer and

what emotions you get from him. The music video is quite calm and relaxing just like the lyrics are, so they tie in together. But

one of the strongest links between lyrics and visuals is, when he sings ‘If I lay here, if I just lay here..’ it pans out a little bit, for you to see that he is laying down, it also shows you a shot from his perspective of the cloudy sky above.

I think when the lyrics and the visuals tie in with each other ever so slightly but it gives an involvement of the two together, it shows there is a direct relationship between the two. Visuals are used to amplify what is being said, it gets the message across by pictures as well as text, your not only hearing it, your seeing it too.

Here are a few screen grabs always on main singer, close-

upshots, focusing on main

featureslike his mouth, hand & eyes,

using these you can get a real

emotion from these screen shots.

Below I have featured the colour palette that is

used throughout the whole of Snow Patrol’s

video, this just enhances my point about how the

colours can affect the mood, most of the colours

below are dull and earthy. Which creates the

mood of sadness, coldness and so on.

There is a calm music rhythm that is present throughout the whole video, the visuals and music tie in with the whole of the video

The visuals are very calm and gradually change, instead of switching really quickly which will not flow with the beat.

The video has cleverly used camera work to create the mood too, the main focus is the lead singer, he is shown in a very calming state.

To me, it doesn’t look like much editing has gone on to link the visuals and the beats together, it just runs smoothly which really fits in with the whole atmosphere of the video.

There is a mixture of slows up, tilt shots, mid-shots and long shots. The main singer is in every single shot in the music video, the reason for this is so

that us as a viewer, can gain a relationship with the artist, the easiest and most efficient way to do this is by seeing him all the time, you concentrate on him and this is a relationship will form.

The song is an in-depth song with a lot of meaning behind it, and by viewing the singer all the way through, you can feel the emotion that he is feeling whilst performing the song.

The lead singer is in sync with the song that is playing, but switching from seeing him, close up to his own view. The reason they do this is to ‘suspend reality’.

Close-up’s convey a passion from the main singer, you can get a real sense of emotion from them.

You can see, rain bounce off of his face, create a big sense of reality, as you see the weather change.

My favourite camera shot is at the end which is a bird eye’s view of the singer. Slowly the camera zoom’s out until you can barely see the singer anymore. This emphasises the lyrics in his song where he talks about how small he feel’s in the world.

Here is are a couple of examples of how the posture and how look of the main singer, can affect and enhance the whole atmosphere of a song. In the two pictures featured, you can see how the main singer

looks very lost and heartbroken, in the second screen shot, he’s looking up, almost looking up to God, to help him.

Editing The main transitions used are quick cuts

and fade in and outs. The pace of the editing is appropriate since the song is quite slow and the transitions match this.

The music video portrays a story, its all about how the man feels, towards a female. All the props and scenery assist in showing this, because to begin to see his viewpoint and the way its filmed you can get a connection as your seeing him close up, you get a connection with him.

The main singer shows this as there is a connection between the visuals and the lyrics. The video shows a great feeling and emotion from the main singer, without the video you could only listen to his emotion through the words he was saying.

In this video it is a very relaxed performance, it isn’t a choreographed routine, practised over and over again, the main singer just has to relax and have a meaningful performance. I think this a more natural performance, in-keeping with the whole atmosphere of the song. I like the relaxed approach to the performance, it gives a calmer feeling towards the viewer, and I would like to take this forward into my work.

Iconography There was no iconography that was relevant to the band

used in the music video. Because chasing Snow patrol is a instrumental band

one of the things I would have expected to see would have been all the members on the screen in at least one shot (playing their instruments). You often see this in other band videos.

In fairness I feel that for this music video the band were trying to show their own individual image of what their band represented rather than representing a typical band from their music genre.

H o w i s t h e r e c o r d c o m p a n y l o o k i n g t o s e l l t h i s t r a c k ?

At the time this was produced the record company would have wanted to “sell” the band in the style of an ‘indie band’ which was a popular, new trend. Previous videos made by snow patrol are very similar, for example ‘Run’ is very simple and has a simple message that the video tries to get across to the audience in an easy and understandable way.

W h a t i m a g e o f t h e b a n d i s b e i n g o ff e r e d ?

The image the band is trying to project in this video is one of vulnerability and loneliness; they are definitely not trying to be aggressive. The band looks very conventional in this video and simplicity is shown rather than creativity.

Target Aud ience The target audience for this video are people in there

early teens up to mid/late 20’s. This video would be aimed at this age group because alternative rock is a newer genre of music which is generally aimed at teenagers. It would also appeal to people who may also feel alone and who could relate to the message of the song. The target audience is meant to sympathise with the main character of the video as his sadness and loneliness is projected to the audience.

The second music video I will be analysing is… Dizzee Rascal – Holiday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANE9A5osUes

Background information about the artist, song and

director Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by

his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is an English rapper, MC, songwriter and record producer.

His music is a blend of grime, garage, hip hop, rap, electronic and R&B. Best known for his number-one hits "Dance wiv Me," "Bonkers," "Holiday," "Dirtee Disco" & "Shout," his debut album

“Holiday” the single debuted in the UK at number-one upon initial release.

Dizzee Rascal is a Rapper / Hip-Hop artist. The song “Holiday” would be more of a Hip-pop genre song. One thing I found was that Dizzee Rascal’s earlier songs when he first started were more in the genre of garage and hip-hop. But as he became more recognised by the public he started moving his music genre away from garage and towards pop styled rap. My guess for him doing this would be because there was a larger crowd for pop music than garage.

In his video its quite an energetic mood, which conveys the feeling of happiness to the viewer.

I find Dizzee Rascal video’s are very energetic and full of colour and loads of other people to help enhance the vibrant mood across to the viewer.

Most emotional music video’s are about one main person singing the lyrics, but the lyrics are full of emotion, and you can feel this throughout the lyrics but that just fits the whole atmosphere of the song.

Just like how the main singer looks and is dressed, all of this, music, lyrics, props and scene, all adds together to give the viewer the best feel of the whole atmosphere revolving around the music video.

In this particular music video there is a weak relationship between the lyrics and video throughout. Visuals – Video

A variety of shots throughout the video, using lots of people, a selection of shots are used too, such as close up, panning and so on.

Extra props & scenery enhance the relationship between the two, the use of Sun, Sand, Bikini’s, Sunglasses, Hats and Swimming Pools in the video do this.

The colours are very vibrant and playful, give the sense of happiness which ties in with the mood of the whole video, colours give a great opportunity to enhance the mood of the video.

The way the shots have been filmed really show the energy and playfulness of the song, by having lots of shots that include other people close up’s with the singer, you can get a connection to them and feel the emotion that they feel and what they are trying to portray in the song.

Lyrics – Music The lyrics have a strong relationship with each other, you can feel through the music the lively

atmosphere of the song. The music video is quite energetic and bouncy and you can feel that through the lyrics but its

enhanced by the video. Unlike the previous two video’s there has been lyrics and direct video to complement it but in this

particular video, its themed for the ‘Holiday’ so it doesn’t need specific video to lyrics links. However there is a couple featured on the next page.

I think when the lyrics and the visuals tie in with each other ever so slightly but it gives an involvement of the two together, it shows there is a direct relationship between the two. Visuals are used to amplify what is being said, it gets the message across by pictures as well as text, your not only hearing it, your seeing it too.

Here are a few screen grabs always with lots of people,

usingall the props, such as bikini’s,

palm trees, sun & water toenhance the ‘holiday’ feel.

To the right is the direct link between the visuals and the

lyrics, the first picture is Dizzee

showing the outline of a passport, when he’s singing ‘Don't watch my passport

photo’ and the bottom screenshot in the red circle is a balloon flying away, whilst you see this

on screen, the lyrics that are sung are: ‘If

you ain't doing nothing let's fly

away..’

For Relationship between Visuals & Lyrics

Use of voyeurism

In this video there is a continuality of women in bikini's, pants and other rather revealing outfit’s.

This is a technique used to attract more of a male audience and to keep them looking at the video hence why there is such a consistence of female models appearing on the screen every few seconds.

It could also be giving the message out to the audience that this is the kind of ideal female for the artist to affiliate themselves with.

There is a energetic music rhythm that is present throughout the whole video, the visuals and music tie in with the whole of the video.

The visuals are quick to change, sort of a bouncy feel, to enhance to party, holiday feel.

The video has cleverly used camera work to create the mood too, the main focus is to get the energetic mood across, by close up’s, panning shots to show the whole of the scene/

To me, not much editing has happened, just mainly shots have been put together quite flowing but bouncy, to tie in with the whole atmosphere of the video.

Below I have featured the colour palette that is

used throughout the whole of Dizzee Rascal’s

video, this just enhances my point about how the

colours can affect the mood, most of the colours

below are energetic, vibrant and warm. Which creates

the mood of Sun, Sea, Sand and happiness!

Close-up’s convey a lively and energetic passion from the main singer, you can get a real sense of emotion from them.

The main singer is in pretty much every single shot in the music video, whether by himself or surrounded by people, the reason for this is so that us as a viewer, can gain a relationship with the artist, the easiest and most efficient way to do this is by seeing him all the time, you concentrate on him and this is a relationship will form.

The song is a happy song, give the listener/viewer a sense of happiness, and for me the song always makes me smile.

Dizzee is in sync with the song that is playing, but switching from seeing him, close up to panning away from him, or not seeing him at all. The reason they do this is to ‘suspend reality’.

Here is are a couple of examples of how the posture and how look of the main singer, can affect and enhance the whole

atmosphere of a song! In the two pictures featured, you can see how the main singer looks happy and energetic and creates the

‘party’ mood.

The main singer is in pretty much every single shot in the music video, whether by himself or surrounded by people, the reason for this is so that us as a viewer, can gain a relationship with the artist, the easiest and most efficient way to do this is by seeing him all the time, you concentrate on him and this is a relationship will form.

The song is a happy song, give the listener/viewer a sense of happiness, and for me the song always makes me smile.

Dizzee is in sync with the song that is playing, but switching from seeing him, close up to panning away from him, or not seeing him at all. The reason they do this is to ‘suspend reality’.

Close-up’s convey a lively and energetic passion from the main singer, you can get a real sense of emotion from them.

The music video portrays a story, its all about going on holiday. All the props and scenery assist in showing this, because to begin to see his viewpoint and the way its filmed you can get a connection as your seeing him close up a lot of the time, you get a connection with him.

The main singer shows this as there is a connection between the visuals and the lyrics. The video shows a great happiness from the main singer, without the video you could only listen to his playfulness through the words he was saying.

In this video it is a very relaxed performance, it isn’t a choreographed routine, practised over and over again, the main singer just has to relax and have a energetic performance. I think this a more natural performance, in-keeping with the whole atmosphere of the song. I like the relaxed approach to the performance, it gives a calmer feeling towards the viewer, and I would like to take this forward into my work.

Iconography This music video falls into the category of

pop/ dance and rap, so there is plenty of iconography shown throughout this video.

An obvious example of iconography used in this music video would be all the dancing going on around the swimming pool which is typically found in pop/dance music video’s.

Another example of iconography used in this music video would be the camera shot of Dizzee Rascal dressed in a smart suit (pimp), standing next to a nice car while he holds the door open to let a female model in. This is typically found in most hip hop/ rap music video’s. The saying is “money, nice cars and hot women”.

How is the record company looking to sell this track?

As a holiday tune! As a pop or commonly said hipPopmusic

video. The reason behind this is simply because the pop genre has the largest audience out of all genres meaning more profit and publicity (radio station’s pop charts, ect..)

What image of the artist is being offered?

The main image that I feel that the artist is trying to get out is that he can adapt and change his music genre to appeal to the masses. In past music video’s before he moved on to pop styles song’s Dizzee rascal was making grime and garage which hasn’t got as large a crowd as pop music does. Hence why the sudden change to pop music lately.

Target Audience

Dizzee Rascal is aiming for a more commercial audience these days as you can tell from the “Holiday” music video, but he used to make grime music for the underground music scene. some fans feel he sold out his original fans by becoming more commercial sounding, but its where the money is..