MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS Hannah Currie. The Purpose of a Music Video Music Videos are made firstly for the public’s entertainment and enjoyment. They are.

MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSISHannah Currie

The Purpose of a Music Video

Music Videos are made firstly for the public’s entertainment and enjoyment. They are also made to represent the target audience the vide is aimed for. This is done through the colours within the video, the mise - en - scene, the artist, the song and song meaning/ message. All these factors account for the typical conventions of a particular genre of a music video, therefore making it’s target audience. Also a music video is used to promote and artist and their album, often the song the video is promoting features on a album. A music video can increase CD sales due to people seeing the music video of the artists and then they then go and buy the album of the artist. Producers often feature something within a music video which you can relate to the artists album this not only promotes the artist but the album as well. Also other artists can be featured within the video usually under the same video so not only are they promoting both artists but they are also promoting the label the both artists are in. Finally there would be reference to the label the artist is with, within the video therefore the video is also representing the music label as well. Finally music videos can be linked to films, as some songs are the soundtracks to films. That means often within the music video clips of the film are featured within the video linking the song and film together.

Ellie Goulding

I am looking at the artist Ellie Goudling, and her music video of her song ‘Starry Eyed’. Looking into this music video I have found that she has released two versions of it. This is because one is for UK and EU audiences and the other is for US audiences. She had to release 2 different versions because American audiences do not have the same needs as the UK’s audience also there is a lot more competition in America making it a hard country to break into. To make the American video more appealing to the audience, it includes a lot more special effects such as; faster cuts within the video, quicker cuts to the beat and several visual enhancements.

‘Starry Eyed’

This is the American Video of ‘Starry Eyed’ ;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBf2v4mLM8k&ob=av2n

This is the British Video of ‘Starry Eyed’ ;

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

Genre / Style of the Music Video

Genre

The genre of this music video is Indie Pop, we can firstly tell this because of the song. It is very lively, upbeat and has a ‘pop’ feeling about it. This could be because of the repetitive chorus and sounds throughout the song. Also the music video is very quirky as the artist is dressed in is metallic colours like silver and gold and has metallic colour scheme throughout of silver and blue. Also the artist features a great deal within the music video as it does not really have a story, this would be a typically convention of this genre.

Style

The style of the music video is happy, upbeat and lively. This is because of the backing track of the music. As it has a techno pop kind of sound to it, it makes the song fast paced and upbeat. Which instantly gives a lively and happy feel to the song. Also the artists expressions and body language emphases this through out the song as she is smiling indicating she is happy, also she is dancing in beat with the music again giving the impression that it’s upbeat.

Codes And ConventionsThe first thing that she is seen wearing is jean shorts and a top, when she is wearing this she is accompanied by a boy who also is wearing casual clothes. It would seem the reason they are dressed so casually would be because they are portraying a young couple, this could also represent her target audience as they would wear a familiar fashion sense. This could even represent her age as many young people her age are into this style of clothes. Also while she is wearing this outfit she is also wearing small star earrings, these would fit into the he title of her song “starry eyed”. Later we see she is wearing a silver dress that sparkles in the light. This costume again looks youthful representing her target audience or target age.

Throughout this song the audience can clearly see that this video is lip synced, this is because when she is singing the lyrics her mouth movements seem to be over exaggerated or it looks as if she is about to laugh while she is singing. This therefore leaves the video not looking as realistic as it could be.

As this video has a narrative there is a equal amount of her singing and the narrative, therefore this means this video does not include a lot of dancing. The most dancing we do see would be Ellie’s hand and arm jesters but this does not look like a choreographed dance routine, more as if it has happened as the video was shot. Also it looks as if she is trying to express her feelings of the song from these jesters. This would then suggest to the audience that this song isn’t one you could dance to.

When I first herd this song I originally thought it was a love song because the way in which she spoke about being ‘Starry Eyed‘ she made it sound like an emotion. However when I herd the song again I realised that it wasn’t so much of a love song because it didn’t actually or have any connotations to the word or feeling of love it was just a happy feeling. I then later came across an interview Ellie done at Radio 1 talking about the song saying it was a ‘state of euphoria’. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/livelounge/artist/100223_elliegoulding.shtml 8.15 - 8.47

Narrative The narrative of this story is told in a linear form, meaning the narrative is unfolded in a chronological order with each event following on the from the last one. The narrative is fiction and we know this because the audience is soon made to realize that a theme within the music video seems to be love between the two characters. The narrative could be seen as a fantasy due to the effects of the different lights used through out, then the lighting up of the tree and disappearance of the girl’s male friend. As it would seem that the female actor gained energy or a power from the lights and then changed the way something else looked making her seem special and have a supernatural power.

The narrative begins in a car, however we do not see who is in the car we only see a hand but in the next show the singer is shown indicating that she is driving the car. As the car is a mini cooper which is known as a more feminine car, this would represent her target audience.

Shots later make it clear that it is night time and the singer and a male friend, who we presume she is in a relationship with as they hold hands are on a field. This could again represent the target audience because they would think it’s romantic that the couple are walking along hand in hand under the stars. By filming on a filed at night also makes it easier for the special effects of the stars be more noticeable and stand out against the dark background.

Through out the song there are different shots of the singer wearing different costumes and suggesting she is in different places. For example in one scene when he is on the field she is wearing casual clothes such as shorts a top, while in another when there is lights placed on her and a tree surrounding her she is wearing a silver dress. This is a stereotypical convention of a music video as most music video’s do this, this is because it could represent a passing of t

Narrative Continued

As the song progresses so does the narrative meaning that by the time the song progresses into the chorus there are special effects across the sky and in the actors eyes. This makes the chorus more effective and memorable meaning audiences will think back to special effects when hearing this song.

During the final chorus Ellie goes to kiss the other actor but by the time she has opened her eyes the boy has burned into a galaxy of light wearing a hoodie.

These special effects then develop around her in little balls of lights which she touches, and burst and leave a light trail from where they have been making it seem these light bubbles are powerful. Again this happens during the chorus of the song as it puts extra emphasis on the chorus. During the next chorus she manages to make a tree light up by just touching it giving the impression she has a kind of power.

Target AudienceThe target audience for this song, and this genre generally is female older teens and young adults, this is because the audience is at the age where they have a lot of disposable income meaning they have money to use on whatever they please without having to pay for bills. Also this particular market is very competitive as a majority of products are aimed at people this age. Although there is a lot of competition, this target audience is easily stereotyped and generalised by the public making it easier for artists to provide the needs for them. Finally as this age group are so young there is often a high use of social networking sites and sites like Youtube, which make it easy for the audience to view the product and then pass it on to others, meaning the product reaches a wider audience through networking sites and word of mouth.

Firstly the artist represents her target audience through age and gender. This is done through the clothes she wears, the words she sings about, misé - en -scene and everything within the scene.

Firstly the Singer represents her own target audience, also this can represent the age range of young teens and young adults this is because she is a youthful young adult who wears similar clothes to her target audience. The clothes seen with in the video are known to be young and fashionable, like her target audience.

She represents the young in a positive and innocent way as her skin looks pale which connotes to innocence also she does not act in a provocative manner.

Also the car she is seen driving represents her target audience as it is a girly car that is very popular with older teens and young adults. This means she is placing things within her music video that her target audience would want to see.

Within this music video there is also a representation of young couples, in this video they are portrayed to be very stereotypical of holding hands.

OtherWithin this music video there is product placement of a car. A Mini Cooper is shown at the very beginning of the video. There is a wide shot of the car and then later a close up of the steering wheel which has the car’s logo on, both of these shots establish the car showing the audience what it is. The reason this car was used is because Ellie’s target audience ranges from teens to young women.People between these ages are more likely to be interesting in this type as it stereotypically is known as a girly car. They made the colour of the car black to make it appeal to older audiences as well as younger audiences.

Conclusion

This music video is a good example to use of a music video because it’s within the genre and style we want our music video to be like. Also it conforms to all of the stereotypical values of a music video. This means it gives us a good idea of the basis of what our music video should look and be like.

‘Hollywood’

This is the music video for Marina and the Diamonds song ‘Hollywood’:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1VTcJfL7RE

Genre / Style of the Music Video

Genre

The genre of this music video is Indie Pop, we can tell this because the chorus is repeated many times through out the song, also the sound and tune of the song is very repetitive, it seems the background music is on loop and repeats it’s self through out. Also the music video is very original and quirky as this kind of video criticizing america has not been so bluntly done before. As well as this during the chorus, there is a techno sound to the music, which conforms to this genre.

Style

This song is very controversial to most other songs brought out today, in relation to what Marina is singing about. This is emphasized through the style of the music video as when the song is listened to on it’s own, without the music video the song seems to be slow paced. However when the song is accompanied by the video it’s fast paced because of the fast paced editing, and her dancing. Also there is a lot going on in the video which makes it seem very upbeat and lively. This is done to stick to the stereotypical pop video of being positive happy and upbeat.

Codes and ConventionsAs we know this song is very controversial and criticizes the Americanization of the world, however through out the video Marina is seen in a combination of costumes that conform to American society such as; cheerleading outfit, an american flag playsuit, a long grey evening gown and an american flag jacket. All these costumes are supposed to represent part of the American youth society. Within the video these groups of society and portrayed in a positive light as they are all seen smiling, dancing and having fun. However the lyrics are criticizing society claiming that the world is too Americanized and Hollywood has made the audience want unrealistic dreams. Also the people surrounded her are dressed in similar costumes to her and are both male and female and very young. They are representing today’s young Americans.

The first thing the audience see’s in the music video is Marina lip syncing to the song. We are instantly drawn to her lips as they are bright, bold and red. This means she has to ensure she is in time with the song. As the shot is a close up on her face her facial expressions and mouth movement look very exaggerated, almost making it look unrealistic that she is singing. Through out the rest of the song she is time with the song making it look very believable that she is singing as the video was filmed.

Similarly to the previous video there isn’t a choreographed dance routine that everyone within the video follows, the video is made to look messy and almost unrehearsed as there is confetti flying everywhere, people receiving awards, people dancing and cheering other people eating popcorn and people being picked up. All these little parts of the video was all staged to how Hollywood is so busy and is unrehearsed and sometimes things don’t always got to plan and look perfect, hence the messy looking video.

Codes and Conventions Continued

The meaning of the song was to go against the idea of the unrealistic fantasy of Hollywood life. The song talks about going against the normal stereotypical things you should do and how you should look like. Instead the message to her audience is giving is not to be afraid of unique and different. I also found a video of Marina talking about the relevance of the song and the meaning behind it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/7f3d82ee-3817-4367-9eec-f33a312247a1#p00chqwp 1.23 - 2.00

Narrative

There isn’t a narrative or a storyline in this music video as the video shows different parts of the American culture. So the narrative is told in a non-linear form as the process of events do not follow along with each other, they are almost random. Also this video is based on fact but exaggerated making it fiction.

Through out the video the audience is shown snippets of the different parts of the American culture such as celebrities and the paparazzi, cheerleaders, jocks and a marching band, Marilyn Monroe and Obama. All these different parts of the culture have a story within them selves. For example through out the video everyone is happy, smiling and laughing, only showing the benefits of society. However American culture does have negatives like the paparazzi are often interfering and invasive within celebrities lives and Marilyn Monroe was actually shot. This video could be playing on the ideologies and representations that the culture and America has built up for it’s self.

Target AudienceThe target audience of this video is mainly girls, as within the lyrics she talk about girls, this is implying girls are more influenced and impressions by the unrealistic Hollywood dream.

Also the singer is a females dressed in glitter and sparkly clothes again this would make the video seem that it’s aimed at young girls as they are known to like sparkly things.

Marina has both male and female extras playing the roles of young Americans to show to the audience that this song and video is both aimed at a wider audience of males and females, and again giving off the message of individualism to the males as well.

Within Marina’s music video she has used many American ideologies. For example she has got actors to play Obama and Marilyn Monroe within her video. Both these celebrities are big icons within American culture whom people look up to and respect the reason she done this could be because these two people are such a big influence on American culture. Also she shows celebrities having their pictures taken by the paparazzi, this reflects stardom wealth and importance, which a lot of people especially the younger generation (her target audience) strive to get. Finally the video shows jocks, cheerleaders and a prom queen receiving her crown. Again these are major parts within American culture and often younger generations want to be a cheerleader or an american footballer.

Also this video could make the target audience realize the kind of influence American culture has on their lives in terms of English audiences, as we have adopted parts of their culture and made it our own.

Camera Angles/Editing Techniques

The opening to this video is an extreme close up of Marina’s lips, I think this is done to catch the audience’s attention as her lips are a bold blood red colour indicating blood or evil. The camera zooms out so the audience can see her face and a little bit of the cake she is blowing out and her top. Both of these have American prints on them suggesting what the song is about.

Through out the video each time there is a change in scene, it is always cut to the beat of the song so it all flows in time with one another. Another example of this would be within the first lines said she elongates the word dream, as she sings this word she is opening a door and when she stops singing the door stop moving.

At the beginning of the song the pace is quite slow, but as the song continues and the beats change the music progressively becomes faster as it hits the chorus the song has peaked as fast as the song will go. There is a verse within the song in which Marina repeats ‘American Dream is the American Queen, American Queen is the American dream’ as this is being said the pace of the song slows right down and the singer is now whispering the words. As this is being said the cuts are not to the beat as there are to many images they want to put in and not enough beats for them to cut it to. How ever it still works as all the images they do show within this snippet the people are acting in slow motion of receiving an award or winning something. After these two lines are said the song then speeds up again resume back to the previous pace.

Conclusion

This music video is good to use as an example as this video does not follow all of the typical codes and conventions of this genre. Instead it challenges typical conventions as well as American culture. This video gives us a chance to look at a video from another perspective. This then helps us look at what did and didn’t work by challenging these conventions and helps us determine what would work.

Summary

After analyzing both of these music videos it is clear to see that for our music video to even compete within today’s market we would have to produce a video that is original and quirky. It would have to include our artist singing, and some kind of story line/narrative that they are involved in but it is not essential. Also we would have to have a lot of editing such as cutting to the beat and quick editing with short sharp shots. A s well as this we would have to include a variety of shots to keep the audience interested. Finally we would have to include special effects, this is dependent on where our music video is shown and what audiences see it. For example if it was shown in America more special effects would have to be used at there is more competition over there meaning it’s harder to get recognized.