Music video analysis

Charlotte Springate & Courteney Coutinho

This is an example of a good establishing shot right at the start of the music video, it sets the location for the product as well as setting the tone for the song. The clouds and bad weather shown in the music video alludes to the possible difficulties that the characters in the narrative may face. The location which is shown at the start of the video, is the binary opposite of the title of the song, as the word ‘royal’ suggest wealth, glamour and riches. However, the lyrics and location contrast the title and first impression of the song. This could also reflect Lorde as an artist as she sees herself as unique and individual. The white titles have been used against a black background, to

show the contrast with the music video and the lyrics. The artists name is used in standard capital font which suggests that she is an average person. This helps with the likability of the artists as the audience feel that they can relate to her. The title of the song is written in curly, italic font which connotes wealth and riches. The opposing fonts suggest the difference between the artists and the topic of song. The white colour chose for the artists name suggests nativity and youth as Lorde is a very young girl.

The artist in this frame (Lorde) while lip syncing to the song also matches the colour scheme/tone of the song as the background is simple, as is her makeup. It reflects the way the artist is marketed as being an ordinary person, which again contradicts the title of the song.

These shots have been added to the music video to give a sense of location. The minimalistic/simplistic colour scheme relates to the song lyrics and sets the tone of the song, & these unmoving shots break up the other video footage.

Royals-Lorde

This is another lip syncing shot which breaks up the music video from the narrative shots. The background has changed, but remains simplistic in colour as a mineral beige colour has been used to show how ordinary the artist is. The simple colour choice also reflects the genre of music Lorde specializes in as the lyrical/contemporary style is very soft and chilled. Lorde is wearing a white shirt in this shot which can relate to the colour of font chosen at the beginning and font style as her name was written in a basic, bold font which reinforces her image. A medium shot has been used her to show that she is the most important element in the shot, the basic location also reinforces this. This is a shot from the narrative story of the music video.

There is no use of artificial lighting in this shot to reinforce the working class status throughout. The use of bleak colors also in this shot contrast with the mineral colors used when Lorde is lip syncing to highlight the differences between the narrative and performance shots. The silver chain the male character is wearing reinforces his aggressive, masculine attributes which contrasts with the soft contemporary genre of the song. A close up shot has been used to highlight the water running from his face, this shows the mans basic action. The water also links with the simplicity of the video as water is seen as a very natural element.

This is another location shot which has been used to break up the narrative and performance aspects of the music video. The shot ties in both aspects of the performance and narrative shots as the TV is very dark and links in with the bleak colors used for the narrative shots and the curtains and basic colours ink with the shots of the artist. The broken TV highlights the working class status again as they don’t have much disposable income to spend on luxury items such as a TV. The light which appears through the curtains suggest hope for everybody even the working class and maybe one day they can become ‘Royals’. Another medium shot has been used here to highlight the colour contrasts between location and props.

Our Opinion

• Lorde’s music video to the song ‘Royals’ is very simple and that is what attracted us to choosing that song to analyse. We really like the juxtaposing idea of the narrative being opposing to the performance aspect as it disorientates the viewers and really makes them think. We will consider when making our music video contradicting ideas to the lyrics to show the different perspective of a variety of people from different classes. This will create a diverse and innovative music video.

• Another element of this music video that we really like is the simple mise-en scene used during the performance shot as Lorde is only seen behind a very subtle coloured background to highlight the importance of the artists and what she was singing. We would consider this when filming our music video as it would be easy to film and create a very professional outcome and draw all attention to the artist. We would however have to make sure the lip syncing was perfect as the close up would reveal any imperfections.

• We also really like the shots which break up the narrative and performance aspect of the video as it helps the audience picture a location and the kind of artist Lorde is. We would like to do something similar in our music videos as it sets the location and make sour artist a very relatable person.

• An aspect of this music video we would try not to include in ours is the extremely long shots as it often looses the audiences attention. We would much prefer faster shots for such a dynamic and modern song.

A long shot has been used here of the artist; Paloma Faith sitting on the ground while she lip syncs the song. Her nudity suggests that she feels that love should be true and natural like her. A lot of interesting editing techniques have been used in this music video which keeps the audience watching. Here is an example of the fade to black that has been used from the performance shot. After the fade to black the narrative shot appears of the two characters sitting very distant to each other to represent their relationship. The mise-en scene in the performance shots is very basic, she is just nude against a brick wall background to show how simple the artist believes love should be. In the performance shots the mise en scene is very glamorous representing their relationship is fake and se as artificial like the glamour in the shots. The fade between the two shots is very effective as it breaks up the music video between the performance and narrative shots and shows the difference between natural world and the luxurious side she has to use for her relationship. Through out the video, a narrative is shown of a couple and their relationship struggle. There is a constant juxtaposition between old love and new love. Paloma Faith is apart of representing new love where the old couple represent old love. The old couple are in love and seem to not have any issue with their relationship where the new generation of love are constantly fighting showing the difference in social times. The long shot used of the couple shows they are a very modern couple and shows their relationship as the long shot shows the two people close together suggesting their love. The behind the shoulder medium shot used for the old love shot is very effective as it shows the man looking deeply in love at the woman. Although the old love looks further away with each other than the young couple they have true love where the artist is holding superficial love as she has arguments with him behind closed doors.

A medium/long shot has been used here to show the couple representing old love to show their close relationship. They are looking directly at the camera showing how happy they are with each other and their love. They hold a very vintage look with mise en scene and they sitting against a brick wall which is also used during the performance shots when Paloma Faith is singing nude. This shows how their love is natural, and real unlike the new generation of love as the young couple are never against the brick wall through out the music video.

Throughout the music video, during the performance shots a variety of camera shots have been used to show how the artists feels more and more exposed about love. At the beginning of the music video a extreme close up shot has been used of the artists eyes and moth while she is lip synching the song. After some narrative shots a close up shot has been used of the performance shots and each time they get further and further away exposing Palomas Faith nudity. In the long shots the artists is seen naked wrapping her arms around her body for cover. This suggests she feels she has to hide her true feelings while being in a relationship. The nudity in the video is very effective as it shows that the artists feels love should be pure, and real and by comparing it to being naturally naked it shows that she feels feelings need to be natural like the old generations love. A black and white filter has been used throughout the music video for all the shots, and this is to evoke emotions from the audience as the colour choices are very simple and reflect the ideologies of love that the artist holds. A reverse zoom shot highlights how isolated the artist is and how she feels alone in the relationship, this contrasts with the old generation as the two people are always captured together highlighting their strong bond.

Just be-Paloma Faith

This shot is very effective as a editing transition of a dissolve has been used from the young generation dancing, to the old generation. The dissolve makes the comparison between the two couple, and by showing the old generation dancing as the lasting impression it shows that it is true love compared to the new generation. The unique transition breaks up the music video and creates an instant juxtaposition between the age and social ideologies each age generation hold about love and romance. The long shot which has been used highlights how close and intimate the couple are which contrasts with the performance shots when the artists is alone and isolated against a brick wall.

This medium shot is featured at the beginning of the music video and highlights the themes and ideas shown throughout the music video and lyrics as the artist is talking about how she feels alone in the relationship and how her ideas of love does not match reality. The medium shot highlights how isolated she is and the behind the shoulder shot shows the glamorous location from the artists perspective making it more intimate and personal for the audience. The mise en scene is very effective and links in with the shot as we are almost seeing the shot from the artists perspective and this suggests that the artist believes that love should be glamorous and luxurious as she is wearing grand feathers and the bright lights of New York are clear. The location is out of focus which highlights the importance of the artist and how the narrative will be about her love story.

The establishing shot of a bridge in New York helps to set the location along with all the other long shots featuring the artist in it. The establishing shot with just the location breaks up the narrative and performance shots as it sets the location and gives the viewer more inside knowledge. The location choice contrasts with the beginning as the water seen in the shot highlights natural and simple ideas which links in with the nudity performance shots. This very much juxtaposes the shot at the start of New York city lights as it is more natural than superficial.

This medium shot which has been used is very effective as the mise-en scene and artificial lighting makes the effect of shadows. The ambient light which is coming through the window contrasts with the characters who are in black shadows showing that their love is unreal and dark. It highlights their facial expression and feeling of anger they have towards each other as they are clearly arguing which the older generation are not seen doing. It can show that a relationship is hard to uphold but natural feeling should be there still.

Our Opinion

• We really liked the song choice as it was slightly different from other genres of music we chose to analyse as this song was more of a love ballad unlike Royals which was very contemporary and modern and explored societies stereotypes and ideologies.

• The black and white music video captured both of us as it was very different from the other music videos we analysed, and it reflected a simple, natural quality which referred to the theme of love. I feel that adding a black and white filter to our music video is a possible choice as it is unique and innovative which will capture the audience and can juxtapose the themes shown in colour.

• Another aspect of the music video to the song ‘Just be’ that we really liked was the variety of editing techniques as a fade to black was used to show time passing and feelings changing and a dissolve was used to create an instant contrast for the audience. We really want to explore different transitions while in the editing process as it keeps the audience watching the video and helps break up the narrative and performance shots. The dissolve was very effective as it showed the difference in social understanding and beliefs about love between the different generations and we will try to mimic this in the song that will choose.

• The variety of camera shots also enhanced the audience enjoyment of the music video and made us think about how important the planning stage is during the construction of a music video. We really like the idea of using a reverse zoom in our music video as it promotes different themes and ideas to the audience and can reflect some of the lyrics of the song.

• Elements of this music video that we will not include in our product will be the pace of shots. As the song is a love ballad the pace of the shots are very slow highlighting the different characters feelings. We would rather build up our music video in a similar way to the track, and when the music reaches its climax we will make the cuts much quicker in pace to show the raising action between the narrative and performance shots.

Gotye- somebody that I used to know

This video is a performance piece using stop motion editing to add colours to the otherwise rosy tinted backgrounds. A mid shot of the artist is used in the opening to show his vulnerability, linking in with the tone of the song. This kind of shot of the artist is ideal as it displays the artist’s emotions fully, which can be easily applied to our video.

This medium long shot of the two artists is used to show their apparent relationship. Their body language appears open, giving the allusion of honesty/vulnerability-the fact that they have been painted to blend into the background also symbolizes this. . The use of colours is eye-catching and keeps the audience interested, which is key as the video does not include any narrative story. I think that the use of vibrant yet similar shades of colour helps create a professional feel to the video, and so I think it is worth considering for our own.

The use of stop-motion in the video is effective as it could symbolise the changing of people in relationships, which relates to the title and lyrics of the song. All the colours used throughout the video work well together to create an organic tone to the song, and the lack of generally bleak colours stops the song becoming depressing in tone. Attempting stop motion editing in our own video would be very time consuming, and so, although effective, if used would only be a small element of the video itself.

Our Opinion

• We really liked the song choice of ‘Somebody that I used to know’ because it was a very slow tempo, which is very unusual. We had lots of ideas for the rhythm as there was a very distinctive beat throughout so we had an idea of using a juxtaposition screen to show someone humming the rhythm.

• The music video was very creative and we can see that a lot of work happened in the editing process as the pain may have been added by using animation. The simple background and one location also appealed to us as we really liked the natural, simple ideas produced from the one location as it focused on the artists and the performance.

• The paint was used to add a little bit of a narrative to the music video however we would prefer to include more narrative and performance shots so there is an equal balance which this music video does not do. The variety of close up shots and long shots created an interesting watch for the viewers as we saw the artist from different perspectives and received a larger idea of the message which gave us better knowledge.

The video opens with a shot of clouds changing. This has obviously been filmed over a longer period of time and then sped-up. A colour effect has ben put over the shot to make it appear hazy and old-fashioned. This fits in with the artist’s image of being vintage and also links in with the song’s title, Summertime Sadness as the sun appears to be setting.

This mid-shot of the artist also has been edited to look as thought it was filmed on an old style camera. The use of the shades of pink/red also shows the idea of it being filmed in summer, while the artist’s basic hair and makeup also add to the vintage image. Her expression looks unhappy, linking to the song title. Adding shots similar to these into our music video would be simple, and the effects could be added in the editing process with little trouble.

Summertime Sadness- Lana Del Rey

In the video a range of long shots are used to establish the generally natural setting of the story, which also reinforces the time setting of the video/song as well. In the majority of the long shots, the artist is present and performing, showing a link between her and nature/simplicity. These long shots are attention grabbing and worth considering for our video.

The video, as well as having performance footage of the artist, includes a narrative story that breaks up shots of the artist. The same effects have been used on these shots too to help the images run smoothly together. As seen in a lot of the other shots, there is a red blur on the left side which has been added after the shots were filmed to make it appear as though the shots were filmed on an old camera, reinforcing the vintage style. Shots similar to this would be easy to do and they are effective in telling the narrative story, if we choose to have a narrative story.

This screen-print from the video is an example of one of the types of transitions used in the video. The colour suits the scheme of the video, and the red blur in the left corner is present again, reinforcing that as a trademark. An old style effect has again been placed over this shot and is effective in adding to the vintage theme. Adding transitions like this to our video would again be easy and also effective if we chose to use a vintage style in our video.

This is another example of the types of the transitions used, where smoke is pulled over the shot to the point where only smoke can be seen, and then it fades from a mid shot and there is a new, closeup shot in its place. The use of smoke adds to the melancholic & musky tone of the song, while both shots link together showing performance. Again, there is the trademark red blur in the left corner. This transition is useful and unusual, so it grabs the attention of the viewers, while the element of mystery would be good to use if the song we choose includes an element of mystery.

This midshot of the artist’s silhouette adds to the slightly mysterious air of the video, linking to the lyrics. The colours again suit the dark and gloomy colours of the video, helping it flow well together. Providing we could find some way of creating silhouettes, this shot would also be easy to recreate.

These are examples of shots where a still image of an object has been used, and then another parallel shot of the artist posing in a similar way is used soon after. These shots hold religious references, which could allude to the artist’s image, while the same vintage effects have been editing onto the shots again to add to the vintage theme. These shots again would be simple to recreate and effective in breaking up the narrative/performance shots, which makes a change from the norm and would hopefully keep the viewers interested.

Our Opinion

• Summer time sadness was one of our favorite music videos we watched and analyzed as the style and ideas the artists wanted to portray were done clearly and made the music video very unique and innovative. The old, vintage effect was perfect for the song lyrics and the themes produced by the song, and we would really like to do something similar in our work as it sets our music video apart from other pop videos.

• The unique, smoke transition really interested both of us and we would like to include some similar transition in our music videos. Both in Lana Del Ray ‘Summertime sadness’ and Paloma Faith ‘Just be’ they both use a variety of transition from smoke to dissolve. In the editing process we will both consider this to create an interesting watch and show the audience that the artist has a very unique style which is a good branding and marketing technique as well.

• The colour scheme was also very basic, which we both really liked as it represented the themes of love and romance well while not overpowering the narrative aspect of the music video.

• After discussion we would like to have an equal amount of narrative and performance shots which this video does not do, as the artist tells a lot of the narrative more than lip syncing the song in the video. By making it equal we will create an interesting piece which will keep the audience watching it as there will be a variety of shots in different locations.