Music Video Analysis

Music Video AnalysisMusic Video Analysis

The All American Rejects – The All American Rejects – Dirty Little SecretDirty Little Secret

The main feature of this video that appealed to me was the idea behind it, how they worked with an art project called PostSecret to make a video where people reveal their personal secrets. The whole idea of the video links to the title of the song. The editing at the beginning of the video really catches the attention of the audience and is quite unconventional for a music video. It cuts from secret to secret so quickly that you really have to concentrate to read them. Then you see the shot of the band which is shown to the right, which is the typical live performance that usually appears in music videos. but with a slight twist because the lighting is very different and the background is different. The lighting is very dark which again goes with the theme of secrets, because you can’t really make out the band for quite a while until you get a close-up of the lead singer.

The secrets featured in the video are ones that most of the audience could relate to, this is typical for music videos as they want the viewer to feel they can relate to the song and the band/artist. As the screen grab to the left shows the editing when you see the secrets really makes them stand out to the audience watching. The blurring of the background and the person makes you concentrate on the secret instead of anything else. This also follows the theme of secrecy that is prominent the whole way through the video. The fact that all the secrets are from PostSecret is quite important because PostSecret is something that would be very popular with the fans of this genre of music.

The styling of the band is very typical of the genre of music The All American Rejects belong to; rock. The messy appearance of the lead singer shown to the right would appeal to rock fans because it shows he doesn’t care what people think of him and he seems to ooze confidence which is something associated with rock stars. His attitude is obvious from the way he stands or even looks in the video. The use of close-ups of the lead singer fit with Goodwin’s idea of what makes a music video. The shot of him looking directly at the camera on the right again shows his attitude and confidence, which is something their female fan base would find quite attractive. They are using his sex appeal to promote them as a band and their new song, which is something an awful lot of bands do and through a music video is the easiest way to do so.

The All American Rejects – The All American Rejects – Dirty Little SecretDirty Little Secret

The editing and lighting during the live performance really adds to the feeling that you’re actually seeing the band perform the song, which is something that would really appeal to the target audience. As the screen grab to the right shows the contrast between the dark background and clothing of the band and the bright flashing lights make it quite a dark and mysterious video which again fits with the theme of secrecy in the video. The bright lights also make the band stand out which is something that’s very important in a music video because the purpose of a music video is to publicise the band, their new song, put a face to the people who make the music and to make more of a connection with their fans who buy their music.

The narrative element of this video is the secrets, you’re following the secrets as they are revealed and this gives an implied narrative. It’s not got an actual story like some music videos do but it does have something other than the shots of the band to compliment the lyrics of the song instead of just showing us the band perform. With some of the secrets even the identity of the person revealing the secret is hidden not just blurred like the one I talked about earlier. This adds a mysterious feel to the video and makes it feel like the person revealing the secret could be anyone, which shows that everyone has secrets and that some people will never be able to reveal them. This is quite a moving music video for a song that isn’t quite as meaningful as you’d expect, but it still seems to fit really well with it.

Andrew Goodwin's 7 points about music videos could be applied to this video as they follow quite a few of the points he’s made. There is a very strong relationship between the lyrics and the visuals the whole way through the video. There is also a relationship between the music and the visuals as they cut in time with the beat from time to time and in the section the screen grab above of the lead singer came from the lighting flashes in time with guitar. It also usually sticks to the typical video style and iconography of the typical rock video especially with the live performance and narrative element. The record company do use a lot of close-ups of the band because they need to try and promote them and this is a simple way of doing so. The appearance and attitude The All American Rejects show in this video has become a trademark for them and something that appears in most of their other music videos. There isn’t really any voyeurism in this video because it doesn’t really fit with the lyrics of the song at all. There is an intertextual link with the art world as they’ve used secrets from an art project called PostSecret.

Every Avenue – Every Avenue – Tell Me I’m A WreckTell Me I’m A Wreck

The establishing shot is an extreme close-up of the lead singer, which fits with Andrew Goodwin’s idea that a record company needs to include close-ups of the main singer. This immediately makes the audience relate to the band, see the face behind the music and see them in a different light in this case. The expression on the lead singer in the shot to the right makes him seem vulnerable which isn’t typical for a music video as they tend to want the band to seem confident. This fits with the theme of the video though, the fact he’s revealing his secret makes him seem more vulnerable and makes us see him as more than just a member of a band. The audience will relate to him because this is a secret that most of the audience will be able to relate to.

I really like the editing in this video especially in this opening sequence shown in the screen grab to the right. I like how the focus of the shot is completely different to most other music videos. In most of the shots in this music video there’s something out of focus and this makes certain things stand out depending on what the producer wanted to be most noticeable to the audience. I really like the shot to the right because the whole frame is blurred and the focus changes with the song, when the speech at the beginning of the video cuts out the photo comes into focus. The fact you hear the lead singer actually speaking about himself, or what you presume is himself, makes this video even more personal. This would really appeal to the target audience and give them a chance to see a different side to the band and their music.

There’s a variety of shots used in this video ranging from extreme close-ups to long shots. The screen grab to the left shows the live performance which appears in the video, which follows Andrew Goodwin’s point that most rock videos include a live performance. This live performance is slightly different from most though because it’s not made to look like an actual gig or concert, it’s made to look more like a practise. This makes it more personal and fits with the nature of the video. The styling of the band is very typical of this genre of music. The lead singer uses his sex appeal in this video by the conveniently placed lift of his t-shirt. This would appeal to their female fan base and would be something they’d notice even though it’s only for a split second. This also adds to the attitude that’s portrayed by the band and shows the lead singer in a different light from the first shot of him looking vulnerable in the video.

Every Avenue – Every Avenue – Tell Me I’m A WreckTell Me I’m A Wreck

The editing and visuals of this video fit with the music and lyrics. which follows Andrew Goodwin’s point. There’s a section where the tempo and the key the lead singer is singing in changes and during this part the shot changes completely. It gets a lot darker and the camera moves with what he’s saying, this fits with the angry nature of the lyrics in this section and again shows the lead singer in a different light than we’ve already seen. The camera actually shakes along with the guitar riff which creates a strong relationship between the music and the visuals. As you can see in the screen grab to the right, the expression on the lead singers face reflects the lyrics as he’s talking about an argument and he looks quite aggressive and the lighting adds to the threatening feel of this frame and section of the song.

The people who star in this video are quite unconventional. In most music videos you’d expect the characters in the video to be of a similar age and styled like the fans of the band but as you can see from the screen grab to the left this isn’t the case with this music video. This causes the audience to feel that they’re not the only people who feel like this and that everyone has something that bothers them even someone the age of this woman. Most of the people featured in this video are unconventional for the music genre, they’re not the typical good looking boys or pretty girls. Even though they aren’t the same age the audience can still relate to these people because the statements they’re making are ones the audience will relate with, this makes it feel more realistic.

The text used the whole way through the video is a conventional text, it’s in bright white and is bold to make it stand out as the writing is the message behind the visuals. The last shot of the video is a number scale with the writing “we are all a wreck” this makes a strong link between the strong title and the visuals seen the whole way through the video. It also pulls the whole video together and reassures the audience that if they could agree with any of the statements made in the video they aren’t the only ones. The use of the inclusive pronoun ‘we’ makes the link between the band and the audience, which will form a strong relationship between them and the band and make them feel like even the bands have felt the way they do.

Fall Out Boy – Dance DanceFall Out Boy – Dance DanceThe establishing shot in this video is different from the typical rock video, which sets you up for the rest of the video. The focus of the screen grab on the far left makes the first shot catch your attention, and seems to set you up for a completely different music video. I expected the video to even be a little spooky maybe but it’s nothing like that. The editing of the ‘Homecoming?’ burnt in the lawn makes an eye catching frame and as an American band homecoming would be something most of their fans would be aware of, even the British fans would know about it.

As stated by Andrew Goodwin this music video features the typical live performance that most rock videos include. This makes the audience feel like they’re actually there and experiencing the band play live which could help to promote gig tickets if they seem to put on a good show. The styling of the band is typical for the genre of music but they’re all smartly dressed unlike The All American Rejects, this shows the band in a different light. They seem like they make more of an effort and it seems slightly strange to see a rock band wearing suits to perform but it fits with the theme of going to homecoming where everyone would be wearing suits. The people you see in the crowd are typical of Fall Out Boy fans so the viewer will relate to them and see themselves in them. This video even contains a dance routine, shown to the left, which is something unconventional for a rock video, it’s usually something that appears in pop videos. This adds to the humorous element that is prominent in Fall Out Boy videos, making them more than just a band and more like people you’d want to be friends with, therefore forming a strong relationship with their fans who are likely to stick with them and buy all their CD’s, merchandise, etc.

With Fall Out Boy their bassist is more like their lead singer because their lead singer is the shy member of the band whereas the bassist is the confident one that always talks in interviews so you see more close-ups of him in the video, which contradicts Andrew Goodwin's point although you do get close-ups of the lead singer too. The narrative element of this video follows the bassist instead of the lead singer and you see him as the important, confident person on stage but you also see him as the geeky guy

who fancies a girl he doesn’t think he’ll be able to win over, which is a feeling the audience will relate to. The positioning of the camera in the two shots above show the persona the band member is playing. The slightly downward angled, over the shoulder shot of him dressed as a geek makes him seem shy and vulnerable whereas the upward shot of him on stage makes him seem confident and the fact you can see people looking up to him shows his important and how all the eyes are on him.

Fall Out Boy – Dance DanceFall Out Boy – Dance DanceThere is a intertextual references used in this video which follows Andrew Goodwin’s theory of what a music video usually includes. It has a strong feel of a 1950’s teen romance movie and this was probably something Fall Out Boy wanted to do themselves and it really fits the styling of the bassist when he’s dressed like a geek. There is also product placement in this video when a member of the band gets out their phone. This would work as advertising for the phone company Motorola, this would help the band with the budget for the video as Motorola would pay money for Fall out Boy featuring the product in their video. This video also features Travie McCoy from Gym Class Heroes who is a band from the same record label as Fall out Boy and

The band are shown in two completely different styles which would appeal to their fan base. A lot of the female fan base would still find them attractive as geeks and is something they tend to do a lot in their music videos, almost trying to show that geeks can be popular and fancied by girls too which is proven by the end of the video when the geek is popular and has won the heart of the girl he liked at the beginning. The fact they get bullied when they’re geeks is something the audience will relate to and will cause them to feel for the band members and therefore create a relationship between the band and their fans. There is a very strong narrative element in all of Fall Out Boy’s video and it’s usually unconventional in some way or another, for example chimps that talk, a rock video that includes a dance routine like this one, a member of the band being a vampire or them dressing up as nuns and robbing a shop. There is strong sense of humour in all of Fall Out Boy’s videos and this would really appeal to the fans of their music and contrasts with their usually meaningful lyrics. The quote of the geek saying “one night can change it all” gives the audience hope that everything could get better.

Andrew Goodwin stated the artist may develop their own iconography, this is what happens with Fall Out Boy through their music videos. They do several things that have become almost like a trademark for them, such as the drawing of the heart print screened to the left. This is something that fans do at their gigs when it comes to that part of the song. The editing in this section is really interesting and catches your eye as the heart is written out with his hands, this also fits with the music and lyrics of the song as they say ‘love’. Other trademarks featured in this video are the fast spins the bassist and guitarist do , the flip the bassist does over the back of the guitarist and the licking of the guitar later on in the video.

is someone fans of Fall Out Boy would recognise which would make the video appeal to them even more and would be something the record company would really like as they are publicising two bands at once.