Genre: Convention Analysis

Rock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES57oxLOb8Y&feature=youtu.be

Pop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PVjMhfw0qE

HipHop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF8z02ViE28

Applying Neale's Theory

3 music videos that demonstrate the use of repetition are:

3OH!3 - My First Kiss

This is an example of 'repetition and difference' where the difference of this part of the music video is that the mouths are different people but the repetition is the colour of the lips, all being pink, and the close up of the different people's lips. This is effective because it allows the audience to relate to the song; it's like the different people in the music video are telling their story about their first kiss.

Again, here is an example of repetition and difference. The two characters are in the same position (on a car) which is the repetition but the background of each clip is different colours. The bright colours catch the eye of the audience and draw them into the music video. Bright colours are usually associated with pop music genre, and this is how the conventions of the genre are manipulated. Steve Neale says that as an audience we enjoy the stretching of genres. This music video however, sticks to the conventions of a genre but in different ways.

Again this is another example of the music video showing Neale's theory of repetition and difference. Because bright colours are a convention of pop music videos, the producers may have thought they would use it as a main visual aspect. Pop music videos are usually easy on the eye, and here they've used the colours tactically to make the video easy on the eye but to also draw attention and add colour. Colour usually represents the mood of a music video, bright colours representing a 'feel good' mood which is evident in My First Kiss.

Will.I.Am & Britney Spears - Scream and Shout

This effect is used nearly constantly in the music video - this is an example of repetition because the effects that are used for Will.I.Am are the same ones used for Britney. However, it still makes the music video unique because not many music videos use this amount of effects. The colour of the background match with the artists. Will.I.Am is usually in black clothing on a black background, portraying that he blends in a lot which targets the pop audience because it's such a wide genre that liking pop music and chart music is a way of blending in. Britney on the other hand is wearing black on a white background which may signify that she is pure and innocent. This could also be a factor of voyeurism which is a convention of a typical pop music video because she stands out from the others and is dressed very fancy unlike Will.I.Am who is dressed, in a way, casually.

This effect that is used is a way of attracting the audience because there are so many copies of the artists that you can't avoid it and it's stuck in your mind. This is also another element of Goodwin's theory. Because there are lots of the artists this attracts a wider audience because you can't get away from it. There is a lot of repetition and difference in the music video regarding camera shots and the effects. The effects are what are repeated throughout the music video to continue to keep the audience interested and the different camera shops i.e. close ups and long shots are also used to keep the audience interested by showing them different angles of the artists but still using the same effects. This is obviously a pop music video because everyone knows the artists but also the music video shows the typical conventions like voyeurism, bright colours and star image.

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

This music video has a lot of repetition in it and the three constant uses of the colours red, black and white give Neale the proof of his theory. The colour red attracts the audience because it contrasts against the black and white colour scheme throughout the video. However, this is a rock music video so the black and white scheme and the traditional lack of colours are conventions of a rock music genre so the music producers decided to stretch the conventions of a rock music video like Neale says in his theory that the audience enjoy it more if artists change the way they film a music video. 

0:47 - 1:11 - When it comes to the chorus the speed of the music video changes and speeds up. This is an example of Goodwin's theory of seeing the sound. The speed also attracts the audience because of the sudden change of pace.

The flashing lights are also the element of a rock music genre. This video is as close to a 'live performance' as it can go along with the lights. The only element that stretches away from the normal conventions of the rock genre is the use of the block colour red but the other elements are conventions of a rock genre. This way of filming targets a very wide audience because it has a mix of elements from different genres, targeting a much wider audience than a normal rock music video would.

Genre: Steve Neale

Stephen Roy Albert Neale is an analytic philosopher and specialist in the philosophy of language who has written about meaning, information, interpretation and communication, and more about issues at the intersection of philosophy and linguistics. He is currently Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Linguistics and holder of the John H. Kornblith Family Chair in the Philosophy of Science and Values at the Graduate Centre of City University of New York.

Steve Neale says that pleasure is derived from 'genre requiring repitition and difference'; there would be no pleasure without difference. We may derive pleasure from observing how the conventions of the genre are manipulated. We may also enjoy the stretching of a genre in new directions and the consequent shifting of our expectations. Steve Neale says genre is constituted by 'specific systems of expectations and hypothesis which spectators bring with them to the cinema and which interact with the films themselves during the course of the viewing process.'

• to the producers of films, genre is a template for what they make
• to the distributor/promoter, genre provides assumptions about who the audience is and how the market films for that specific audience
• to the audience it is a label that identifies a liked or disliked formula and provides rules of engagement for the spectator in terms of anticipation of pleasure.

Applying Vernallis' Theory: Poker Face

An example of Carol Vernallis' theory is shown in Lady Gaga's Poker Face:

this is an effect used in the music video. This draws attention to the music video and is very common because you can't really use it in a film. This effect also makes it very obvious to the observer about the music video. The sound of the music is also very 'tech-y' the sound of the music like a robot. This also fits with the music video.

This is an example of a jump cut used in the music video. This was very hard to capture because these shots were carried out in less than a second. There are a lot of these throughout the music video which attracts the audience because the quick edits of the clips will catch the audience's eye.

Audience: Carol Vernallis

Carol Vernallis is an American lecturer at Stanford University in California, USA and teaches in Art and Art History. She studied music videos and focussed on editing and camerawork. She recognised that editing was more frequent in music videos than in film and often fitted with the rhythm of the song. Some of her main points include:

• editing in traditional fiction was more frequent in music videos than in film and often fitted with the rhythm of the song
• special effects such as wipes and transitions are common in music videos and can be obvious to the observer when used
• the time limit of music videos means jump cuts keep the narrative quick and short but still keeps the audience interested. Because of this, jump cuts are very popular in music videos.
• master shots are used to give the video structure.
• the camera may move in time with the music

Applying Goodwin's Theory: Still Into You

Andrew Goodwin's theory of music videos was based entirely on the way that pop music videos are displayed and created. All the aspects that he analysed were factors of pop music. Because of this, I'm going to use a rock music example to see if his theory applies to more than one genre of music.

Paramore's music video for Still Into You shows a lot of the elements that Andrew Goodwin said there were in a typical music video. Paramore fall into the 'pop/rock' category, therefore the theory could well apply to this.

Thought beats

Most music videos are able to project a beat throughout the song by editing and the way that characters are portrayed. This is done in Paramore's music video by the editing techniques and the physical response to the song. As an example, the lead singer claps to the song in the video. Also, throughout the video the lead singer is constantly miming to the words of the song, furthermore giving the audience the effect of 'seeing the sound'.

Narrative and Performance

The music video for Still Into You lacks narrative but it doesn't make the video any less interesting. The colours, clothes and the setting all make up for the lack of story in the video. The video was purely intended to be fun and happy due to the same effect that the song gives to the audience of upbeat and feel-good. The performance of the video isn't typical rock iconography however, due to the hybrid genre of pop/rock the performance including the bright colours, and ballerinas and the mansion themed setting could be argued as an aspect of the pop genre, therefore Goodwin's theory proving more to the point of pop specifically than another genre. The prop usage of the umbrella, bikes and oars show a lack of seriousness in the music video. Most pop music videos are less serious and focus on the fun element of music and this music video shows that.

Star Image

Every single shot in the music video involves the lead singer. In most music videos in every single genre the lead singer and/or the band will be in the music video. The two males are also the other two band members in Paramore but they're not focussed on as much than the lead singer. Goodwin says that there is a big demand from the record company for a lot of close-ups of the main vocalist or artist. The bright coloured clothes of the characters in the music video make the audience focus on them - there's no way that you could avoid those people in the music video. This then continues to emphasise and amplify the characters of the music video which makes the video more memorable and sticks into the audience's head.

Technical aspects of the music video

Lighting and effects are important in a music video to make it more obvious and to draw attention to the band. The audience are more likely to pay attention if the music video and bright and colourful. The effects in the music video include the brightly coloured clothing and the effect of the fireworks fading in in the background.

Audience: Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin is an Australian theorist. He has been the director of music and organist at Bangor Cathedral for 37 years. Andrew Goodwin states there are key aspects of a music video that we as the audience look out for:

• thought beats
• narrative and performance
• star image
• relation to visuals to the song
• technical aspects of the music video
• voyeurism

Thought beats

First step - you look into the music and interpret it looking at the chorus/verses.

Second step - the 'voice within the song'. The artists can be unique and can be identified from the rest.

Third step - the story an artist is telling within their song. This can make the artist to be also known as a storyteller. The music video can be seen to aid the story that the artist is telling us through the vocals of the song.

Narrative and Performance

Goodwin says we tend to make up our own idea of the message being sent in a song from a basic understanding of what the music video may be about. Music videos should be of the same standard every time and narrative and perform and work together in order to keep the audience interested. When the artist acts as the actor/singer as well as the participant in the music video this makes the video more authentic and original. Goodwin believes that miming is still the most popular thing done in music videos today however it is in the artist's best interest to make it look as real as possible to the audience.

Star Image

The star of the music video is the most important and vital in music videos. Artists want to look unique in the music video and they develop their character and person to do this. They play a very big role in the production of music videos.

Relation of visuals to the song

There are 3 ways that are used in music videos to promote it and these are:

Illustrate - music videos set certain images to illustrate the meaning of that song’s lyrics and the genre.

Amplify - meaning and effects are shown repeatedly to the audience and drummed into our vision.

Disjuncture - this is where the meaning of the song is completely ignored.

Technical aspects of the music video

Technical aspects hold the music together (e.g. camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing, sound, movement, angle, special effects.) Lighting and colour help set the mood and adds emphasis  on key moments and adds effect. Mise-en-scene is vital. It needs to look realistic to make it look professional and appeal to a wider audience. The beats in the song go with the rhythm in order to make the song play more smoothly and make the video more entertaining.

Voyeurism

Voyeurism is a perversion in which a person receives sexual gratification from seeing something or someone they deem sexy. This is particularly encouraged when is comes to females due to the fact audiences are urged to look at artist and become more attracted to them and their music when they find them attractive.

Linkin Park - New Divide
An example of thought beats or 'seeing the sound' and the technical aspects is Linkin Park's New Divide:

this is an example of the effects in the music video. In the video, these effects move to the beat of the song. This allows the audience to visualise the song inside of their head whilst they're watching the video. The editing is the element of the beats that make the audience be able to 'see the sound' in their heads. 

The music video was produced following the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.  this is an example of a clip from the film that was used to add to the story and give the audience an idea about what the music video is about. The music video uses clips from the film to show a narrative and provide a storyline for the video. 

The technical aspects aka the visual effects of the film including the freezing, fading in and out of clips and the negative effect all resemble the beat of the song, allowing it to flow smoothly and keep the audience interested. Without these elements, the music video would be boring.

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines

An example of the star image, voyeurism and amplifying effects is the constant appearance of Robin Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell in Blurred Lines and the women:

In video Robin Thicke appears in mostly every single shot, thus making him the star image. Also included is T.I. and Pharrell but as they're only being 'featured' they're not playing a huge part in this music video. Robin Thicke and the females are the main focus of the video, which is a big part of what the video is about. This is the factor of voyeurism. This is also a factor of amplifying effects because the concept of the woman and Robin Thicke's views are drummed into our heads making it impossible to avoid.

The costume of the characters also makes them stand out as all three main characters are dressed in dark clothing or clothing that makes them stand out but the females are wearing white and cream coloured clothing which blends them into the background.

Textual Analysis 3: Popular Song

Popular Song by MIKA and Ariana Grande is an example of a music video with a narrative. The music video follows closely to what seems like a story of both singers in high school of being bullied about not being popular. The lyrics follow closely to the storyline, showing both the characters' high school memories about their problem. The story also builds up to their plan of revenge as they're seen stirring a pot of unknown substance. This is amplified throughout the music video which shows that it is relevant somehow which is proved near the end of the video. This music video is effective because it keeps the audience interested in the storyline of the song and makes them want to know what eventually happens to the bullies in the high school.

The kitchen is where the storyline starts. Both MIKA and Ariana are in the kitchen stirring up their revenge. This engages the audience within the first few seconds because the audience will wonder the relevance of the potion. In the near beginning of the music video, a pan shot shows Ariana facing in the camera's direction and miming to it. However, this also has another meaning. The girl in front of her is the one that portrays the bully from her experience. MIKA is also sat behind her. When this scene happens, Ariana sings,

"you were the popular one, the popular chick,

it is what it is, now I'm popular-ish"

This implies that she's singing to the girl ahead of her to give the audience an identification to who she is. These lyrics mean that times have changed for the characters in the music video - the popular girl turning out to be not-so-popular and Ariana who was the non-popular girl actually becomes popular in the future.

When MIKA starts singing in tilted angle shot you can see Ariana next to him looking at the girl we saw in the first storyline scene of the music video. The setting of the music video is obviously planned out to look like a high school, therefore telling the audience that this was a story of high school. It can relate to the younger generation (e.g. teenagers and people still in high school) but it also can related to older people too - it may bring back memories of past experiences that they've had in their time at school. This is effective because it enables audiences to connect with the music video and while most music videos are about dancing, parties and money, this is clearly a different take on the pop genre because it has a deep meaning and a storyline. In the video when MIKA sings, he sings,

"standing on a field with you pretty pompoms,

now you're working at a cinema selling popular corn"

This enabled us as an audience to understand that both MIKA and Ariana went through the same type of bullying and shows that most schools have people that are popular and like the ones in the music video.

This close up of MIKA shows his sinister look on his face, adding more storyline for the audience because we then know that he has a revenge plan for the rest of the music video. Here he sings,

"you're only ever who you were"

implying people don't change and the people who are trying to be friends with MIKA are just doing it to try and be popular again.

The mid-close up of the lead singers in the music video shows the facial expressions of both people when they're 'cooking up revenge'. It could also show how different genders deal with bullies. Ariana's face lacks any emotion showing that girls may tend to hide revenge and do it in secret, whereas MIKA's face is clear that he's up to something and doesn't seem to care to hide it.

There are numerous settings in the music video, most of which are in the high school. However, they're all related and gives the audience a sense of plot, going from high school to the dining room in a mansion. The music video is shown to be a Gothic type high school, maybe resembling what MIKA and Ariana dressed/acted like at that time. This could show that now it is the opposite way round - in high school the lead singers were both Gothic and everyone else was popular but now it's reversed - both singers are popular and the other people are Gothic like, in a sense saying 'now you know what it feels like to not be popular'.

In the music video there are a lot of shades of purple. Purple has many meanings and some of the few are conflict, mystery and truth. These meanings fit with the music video well because it's all about the conflict of MIKA and Ariana, the mystery of what they're going to do to the bullies and truth in that their version of events is dramatised of what people would like to do about the bullies but true in what the message is trying to get across.

Textual Analysis 2: Waiting All Night

I like this music video because it's very effective and heart warming for the audience. You may not pay attention to it instantly but after the crash your eyes will suddenly be glued to the screen. Although this isn't the type of music I listen to often but the storyline and narrative is the reason that I found and liked this music video.

Waiting All Night by Rudimental featuring Elle Eyre is a very emotional video which follows the story of Kurt Yaeger who became an amputee after being hit by a van while BMXing in 2006. Even though the lyrics are very repetitive and are more of a dance music video it still is able to attract a wide range of audiences and it has a strong storyline. The fact it's a real life situation makes the audience connect with the music video and provides publicity for the artists.

Most of the music video consists of the bikers' own videos of their adventures. This lets the audience feel empathy for Kurt because they know the accident was real and the video is to get the message across that even if the worst happens to you you can still achieve your dream. In the YouTube description of the music video it says that all the characters are real friends of Kurt, furthermore letting the audience know about how real the video is.

This close up of the main character Kurt allows the audience to empathise with him because he's crying as he's found out that he had to have a leg amputated. Close ups usually show the emotion and feelings and this is effective.

If you compare it to Andrew Goodwin's theory it lacks the elements of a generic pop genre music video. A lot of the characters in the music video have tattoos, which is a normal element of a rock music video however this is very different. Again this differs from Goodwin's theory meaning that it does not always apply to every pop music video. The costume of the characters are casual clothing, showing this is real life and not staged.

The colour that appears the most in the music video is blue. Blue is a signifier of calm, relaxing and chill. This shows that in the music video, along with all the dark colours and sepia scheme, there's some relaxation in the story.

At the end of the video it shows Kurt successfully managing to BMX again after his tragic accident. The music video draws more attention to the story than the actual song.

Textual Analysis 1: Hunstanton Pier

As our first task for our A2 media, we were asked to choose 3 music videos and explain why we like them. We were also asked to comment on the elements of each music video including camera, editing and mise-en-scene. The first choice of music videos is Hunstanton Pier by Deaf Havana:

Why do I like this music video? First of all Deaf Havana are one of my favourite bands of all time. Their lyrics and honest and straight forward; their melodies are catchy and easy to get into your head. Although their music videos won't catch your eye within 3 seconds with blinding flashing lights, females with little more than plastic underwear on (yes I'm referring to Blurred Lines) or sudden bass drops, this band will catch the attention of anyone who's into that type of music.

Their music video focusses on the strong narrative that they portray in the music video. It's very personal to the band and because there aren't that many music videos out there that do this, this is what makes the video unique. Apply this to Goodwin's theory and it's and element of 'thought beats'.  It is the story an artist is telling within their song. This can make the artist to be also known as a storyteller. The music video can be seen to aid the story that the artist is telling us through the vocals of the song.

Hunstanton Pier is a very good example of this. James Veck-Gilodi, lead singer of the band and the writer of this song said this about Hunstanton Pier,

"It brings me back to the only place I ever really felt at home, and how much I miss it. It's hard for me to sing sometimes because it leads my mind to wander off and think about all the people I used to be so close to and what they are doing now"

The music video displays this as the video focusses on the band members returning to their town of Hunstanton and seeing how things have changed for everyone. It's a very personal song to the band members but also allows the audience to relate to the song. A lot of the shots in the music video are ones of shop keepers and businessmen that were there when the band lived there (mainly James and Lee) and locations around the town. 

Most of the music video focusses around the setting of the area. In the music video, there are many places that have been filmed which may be relevant to the history of the band members. Throughout the music video, the band go to these places - shops, the beach etc - as if they're reminiscing about the times they used to have when they lived in Hunstanton. The master shots of these scenes are no longer than two seconds long. 

Usually in a music video the shots in the are less than a second long however this music video is slower because the song is calm and relaxing. Also, in a music video you would usually only have a few master shots but this music video is different in a good way because it is based on the town so there will be more shots of the area than of the band. 

The master shots have also been slowed down slightly to fit the theme of the music and to give a calming element to the music video. This is to make the audience relate to the band's experiences. It also shows the amount of love they have for Hunstanton as they spend a lot of time showing the audience the town. The shots I have used include the overview of the town, the beach lawns and the actual beach looking out to sea.

The first shot of the band was of James, the lead singer who is miming to the lyrics of the song. Where he was sat is where he is for the majority of the music video. Here he sings,

"it was 2004 if I'm not mistaken"

The expression on his face shows that singing it is quite painful because he remembers a lot about that specific year as referring back to what he said that,

"it's hard for me to sing sometimes because it leads my mind to just wander off"

The next shot of characters in the music video is of the entire band. In the music video they aren't really characters, but they're just themselves, allowing the audience to feel empathy for them as they are remembering what their lives were like when they lived in Hunstanton.

In these close-up shots of each individual band member James sings,

"we were young and out of touch with the things we'd grow to hate so much"

The close ups of each band member was suggest that now they're now connected to the town that they loved. If the audience don't know who these people are then this introduces the band members to the person. Close-ups usually show the character's emotions and in this it shows how content the band is with being back home.

The music video uses a variety of different effects, this one being only one of the several. The fading out is effective because the song is slow and calming which fits with the music. The blurring could portray that the band struggle to remember what it feels like to be home because they're always touring and never settle down anywhere permanently.

When you see the city of Hunstanton, James sings,

"to tell you the truth I'd be lying if I said I didn't hate the city,"

This is an example of thought beats by Andrew Goodwin because when he sings "city" you actually see the city in the music video, which also allows the audience to relate the song to the video. This is effective because it allows the audience to step into the bands shoes and experience the look and sound of the city through the music video.

This is an example of long shots of the shops that are relevant to the band's past. They include pubs, shops and seaside carts that they thought were relevant. It could also mean how much has changed about the town they used to live in as this is what the song is about. Throughout these numerous scenes, James sings,

"in my heart and in my soul are all the people that I've known, and the places I've called home,

in my head and in my mind are all just things I've left behind, reminders of the changing times, these ageing bones of mine"

These lyrics imply that everything has changed and James have left everything behind, reminding him of how quickly times change over a short period of time and how that can affect people greatly. The music video links these lyrics to the video through the different places they have filmed. Another example of this which is directly personal to James and Lee is a mid shot of them in front of their old school:

 

The location shot below of the band members show them playing on one of the rides. This could mean that they're going back to their roots and trying to repeat their history, which is what the song relates about - going back to your childhood and seeing how much has actually changed.

The costume of the band members and the characters in the music video is very casual. They're wearing dark and pale blues and shades of purple. This blends into the background of the music video and the location and the fact that it's casual shows it's a very laid back music video.

This is a very calming set of colours to fit with the mood of the music video. I doubt that the other people like the stall owners and public were instructed to wear certain clothes so it has a true reflection on Hunstanton - calming and relaxing.