Music Video Research

What is a music video for? O To promote the song; By having a music video there is a greater

chance the song will be heard through music TV Channels, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook...etc

O Appeal to a reaction from the audience; Leaves an impression on the audience so they remember the song and may even buy the song.

O Entertainment purposes; At the end of the day singers are entertainers!

O Marketing strategy for more money; Music videos can be bought on 'iTunes' which means the artist will make more money.

O To anchor the song; the song may not be as good without the video e.g. Nicki Minaj- Anaconda

Screenshots from Nicki Minaj - Anaconda

What is a music video for? Continued

O Integrates the song with imagery; gives music visuals.O To give the audience a better understanding of the song

(narrative/lyrics) e.g. Eminem- Headlights

O To link a song with a film or TV show e.g. Boom Clap by Charli XCX contains footage from 'The Fault in Our Stars' and was made to promote the film.

O For the song to be heard within a global scale e.g. Tulisa - (Young) currently has 20 million YouTube views worldwide; for a British based artist the music video has helped Tulisa to be heard and seen with the mass market.

Goodwins Conventions of Music Videos

O 1) There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (with visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.)

O 2) The second convention is that there is a relationship between the music and the visuals (Illustrating, Amplifying or contradicting the music)

O 3) Particular music genres may have their own music video style and iconography

O 4)There is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close- ups of the main artist/vocalist

O 5) The artist may develop their own star iconographyO 6) There is likely to be reference to voyeurism, particularly in

the treatment of women7) There is likely to be intersexual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV texts.

O 7) There is likely to be intersexual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV texts.

1) There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (with visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.)

e.g. with illustrating Example used :Tulisa - Young

The lyrics are about being young and living life on the edge, the music video shows this as Tulisa is seen jumping around and having fun with her friends .

and she is seen going into a art gallery and vandalising a piece of art, before being escorted out this links back to the living on the edge of life.

1) There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (with visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.)

e.g. with amplifying Example used : Sam Smith - I'm not the only one

The lyrics are about a relationship where one person is cheating on the other. 'You say I'm Crazy...Cause you don't think I know what you've done....But when you call me baby I know I'm not the only one'However in the video it is seen that the man is cheating on the woman this is striking at first as a man (Sam Smith) is singing the song so you'd expect the woman to be cheating on the man... In addition in the video the woman being cheated on is seen to cry, go crazy, get drunk, burn the husbands clothes and then cry while sitting on the floor in her wedding dress; She then opens the door for her husband and is all cleaned up in a white dress. The video adds more layers to the meaning of the actual song. The video plays up to stereotype that women are the weaker gender and will let men do whatever they like and still accept them at the end of the day (literally, as seen in the video)

1) There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (with visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.)

e.g. with amplifying Example used : Rihanna – What Now

The lyrics are about being in love, and Rihanna talks about how she’s playing all the guys she talks to and therefore is lonely and has no one to love. She also talks about past relationships as seen with this lyric - ‘And he just happened to come at the right time I'm supposed to be in love’The video however breaks itself from the lyrics and shows a demented Rihanna, twisting her head and lip syncing the lyrics. There are flashing images and quick cuts to give a sense of horror and a twisted nature. The video however does have a connection with the ‘MUSIC’ when the chorus plays the cuts get faster and Rihanna’s movements also change more quickly.

O Upbeat fast faced music with distorted lines, colours;

O Fast paced changing shapes and colours.

O The music correlated directly with the visuals.

2) The second convention is that there is a relationship between the music and the visuals (Illustrating, Amplifying or contradicting the music)

e.g. with illustratingExample used : Len Lye - A color box

3) Particular music genres may have their own music video style and iconography

Hip Hop videos have the convention that the videos contain the artist with or around expensive/posh cars as if to put it in the face of the audience that they are rich.

e.g. Hip Hop Genre

4)There is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close- ups of the main artist/vocalist

This is so that the artist gains recognition especially if their new, it's all about them, the song is theirs. To the record company the artist is a brand and therefore needs to be at the front of the video in order to pursue brand awareness.

e.g. Eminem - Not Afraid

5) The artist may develop their own star iconography

Over the years Nicki Minaj has created an iconography with her hair. She is always expected to have crazy hair with neon colours. She is now known for having bright hair, and it is associated with her brand image.

6) There is likely to be reference to voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women.

AN EARLIER EXAMPLE: Scopitone 1960s - copacabana scopitone

• Woman dancing – used as an aspiration (man with woman dancing around him)

• Sex on the beach• Camera focuses on Showing woman’s legs, tracking down

on woman’s body• Taking 2 woman into the plane (aspirational)• The woman are used as puppets to entertain people

6) There is likely to be reference to voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women.

MORE MODERN EXAMPLE Fat Joe ft Lil Wayne - Make it Rain

Shows women dancing sexually in bikinis as money in cash is in the air. The woman are shown on long shot and are the only thing in the frame and therefore cannot be missed by the audience. The women acting sexually are particularly a convention of hip hop music videos and therefore is shown for the target audience e.g. 15 - 30 year old men.

Screenshots from Fat Joe ft Lil Wayne – Make it Rain

7) There is likely to be intersexual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV texts.

This is when reference is made to other films or TV shows in music videos. It is usually reflected in the style of the video.e.g. Taylor Swift - Love Story

'That you were romeo, you were throwing pebbles and my daddy said 'Stay away from Juilet'In this lyric Taylor swift makes reference to Romeo and Juliet a famous play by Shakespeare. The whole video is then a modernised Romeo and Juliet setting. Shown by the costumes, (classic old, Shakespearean era clothes) Location (castle)...

Simon Frith's 3 Typologies:Performance: to convey a sense of in-

concert experience, 'authenticity'Narrative: Linear Stories- love stories are

the most popularConceptual: Metaphors to create mood,

offer multiple meanings.

Performance is where the artist will be performing to the camera or to a live audience. It gives the illusion of a concert and makes

the artist seem more authentic/real/musical.

Example of Performance: Arctic Monkeys - 'Teddy Picker'

- Classic rehearsal room video- Guitars/drums give a real sense of seeing them perform-Handheld camera gives a feel of authentic and real (not planned out or staged)- Close up on the band members e.g. singers and drummer showing their importance - Shows the day in the life of the band which gives the audience/fans an insight to behind the scene footage

Example of Performance: Arctic Monkeys - 'Teddy Picker‘ Continued

-Them performing shows their music virtuosity

- Backstage/Studio shots where the band members are playing instruments and singing.. Authenticity of the bad that they

-Mise en Scene: Music instruments/ Unique style of clothing (Shirt)... Guitarist is wearing a leather jacket

Conclusion: The music video gives a real authentic feel to the band, and shows off their skills ( e.g. playing the drums). It feels like a backstage pass to a recording session for the band. This illusion is made through the handheld camera technique and simple editing techniques (cuts).

Simon Frith's 3 Typologies:Narrative: Linear Stories

Example of Narrative: Tulisa – ‘Sight Of You’

Storyline: Tulisa plays the role of a woman in love with a man who doesn't treat her right, he steals money from her and cheats on her, but after she leaves him he realises that he still loves her (pushing away the woman he cheated with). Tulisa is then seen with another man, her ex boyfreind becomes jealous and starts a fight with Tulisa's new love interest. She is then seen going back to him by hugging him.

The video links with the lyrics of the song 'After all you've done, I'm not over you yet'. It gives the song a visual meaning and therefore anchors the song as a more entertaining type of media. The narrative helps to explain the song and make it more powerful by evoking emotion out of the audience. The song along with the video is more emotional and powerful.

Mise en Scene-Tulisa on the floor outside crying with a bin toppled over and paper and cloth tipping out.-Casual clothes worn by all in the video making the audience able to relate to the video more as there are no designer clothing's wore (which majority of people can't afford to wear)-Photo of the two with glass shattered on it ( the photo frame has been thrown on the floor)

Camerawork-Close ups on Tulisa and her boyfriend-Extreme close up on their matching tattoo-Close up of Tulisa crying

Simon Frith's 3 Typologies:Conceptual: Metaphors to create mood, offer multiple meanings

Conceptual music videos rely on poetic forms, they aim to evoke emotion from the audience without a narrative. These videos tend to have more than one meanings, therefore it allows audiences to interpret the video how they want.

Adele – ‘Someone Like You’

-Visuals link with music

- Black and white/ slow walking looking miserable linking to the lyrics of the song (breaking up with someone)

-Handheld Camera used making it more personal

-Body language - Adele has given up

- Camera tracks around her so we can see her face

- Suddenly at the end there is narrative where a man is walking away. I believe the reason it was kept till the very end was because Adele's trying to show that at the end everyone leaves.

Different Genres of Music Videos

Rock/Metal: O Dark colours/themes contrasting with bright

colours/lights to emphasise symbolism with colours.

O Live performance/concert to give a more authentic feel to band and it is much more energetic and engages audiences better

O Long Shots of crowd and band all seen in one shot

O Narrative videos, however clips of performance of the band in the middle

Rock/Metal ContinuedO Depending on the music tempo the video can

be aggressive/dark/loud/flashing lights/performance or a slow rock song where it is dark/depressing/emotional

O The band/artists tend to wear black clothes (usually leather)

O They tend to have face piercings/ black eye make up

O The conventions together create an atmosphere of aggression, energy and passion

Indie:O Codes and conventions vary depending on artistO Live performances - keeps attention of the audience

on the music and gives a more authentic feel.O The reason for live performances in indie videos is

due to the origin of the genre - it was about the passion and love for music rather than money and success. Using live performances in videos also helps to promote live gigs as audiences will want to see them live after seeing the how lively it is in the music video.

O Black and white camera effects used.O Reality SettingsO Vintage clothing

Indie Continued:O There may be a narrative in between where we

see clips of performance and then narrative.O Retro lookO Diegetic sounds used at beginning or end to

set the sceneO Close ups on main singer and other band

membersO Long shots so audience can see the costumes

worn

RnB:O Generally set in Night

Clubs/Mansions/Beaches/House PartiesO Men are usually topless (targeted to teenage

girls)O Women wear minimal clothing (targeted to

teenage boys)O Bold defined make up for women/usually

wear high heels to show of their legsO Men usually have tattoos and keep jewellery

to a minimumO Tone of the music is usually light

RnB Continued:O Normally background dancers (mostly

women) synchronised through rhythm of music

O Cars, Swimming pools, designer clothing, big houses - shows wealth

O Narrative usually follows lyrics e.g. love songs

O Extreme close ups on artistsO Long shots to see clothingO Lip syncing

POP:O Performance based with lip syncing O DancingO Usually a narrative reflecting the lyrics however

the artist will always be seen singing to the audience too.

O Bright Colours e.g. yellow/pink O Modern fashion/designer clothingO Fun filled videoO Makes audience want to danceO close up on artistO Normally about love/friends/having a good time

Hip Hop/RapO Usually low angled close up shots to establish

that the artist has power and authority.(looking down on audience)

O Crowd usually shown dancing or bouncing arms to the beat of the song.

O Cars/jewellery/hats/designer clothes/brands e.g. Beats Headphones establishing that they are rich

Hip Hop/Rap Continued:O Close up of artist to establish who they are

O Normally the artist is lip syncing directly to the camera/audience

O The artist's crew or childhood friends are normally around them

O Women dancing or sexually moving (voyeurism)