MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS – ALL CRIED OUTGoodwin’s theory

6 KEY FEATURES OF A MUSIC VIDEO

1. MUSIC VIDEO DEMONSTRATES GENRE CHARACTERISTICS The music video generally doesn’t demonstrate genre characteristics of

house music as it is running with a narrative that has quite violent and power seeking themes.

However, it does show the characters enjoying themselves (laughing) in some scenes along with the use of exotic locations and sunny settings which could show some of the characteristics, but not much.

2. THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LYRICS AND THE VISUALS The narrative of the music video strongly relates to the meaning of the

lyrics of the song and therefore has a strong relationship between them. For example with the lyrics ‘when you wake up ill be long gone’ she is

packing up the clothes of her partner into a bag.

3. THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MUSIC AND THE VISUALS There is a dominant 4-part beat throughout the music that all of the cuts in

the video are in time with, making a clear relationship between the music and the visuals.

Also, when the beat first drops and begins the first chorus – she bursts out of the door and walks out of it fiercely which is making a clear relationship with the music.

Another notable point is that when the song picks up, footage of the car is used driving really fats which goes with the pace of the beat of the song, again making a clear relation with the music.

4.DEMANDS OF THE RECORD LABEL Blonde don’t ever feature in their music videos. They aim to present the

song as opposed to presenting themselves. They tend to use narrative genre for their music videos and as their songs

commonly include dominantly female vocals a lot of female characters are used.

This would satisfy the record label as it would be appealing for males as they are often sexualised and shots linger on parts of them that are being revealed e.g. their legs, and also to females as they are taking control of their lives and gaining more and more power throughout the video which is empowering women.

Therefore a good promotion of the song would arise from this so therefore satisfying the record label.

5. THE FREQUENT REFERENCE TO NOTION OF LOOKING There are a few references during this music video, as one of the female

characters is looking in her rear view mirror when she is waiting for her friend to come out of a shop. This was done as she was committing a crime in the shop (stealing the wine) therefore was apprehensive and nervous which was portrayed using this shot.

Also, the music video does use some voyeuristic shots of the female characters therefore it could be argued that it abides by Laura Mulvey’s theory of the Male Gaze:

Men looking at women: sexualised dresses, cut outs at the hips and generally very short revealing their legs a lot. Shots are used that linger on their legs during the music video too highlighting this point.

However, it can also be argues that it counter acts the theory as the women in the music video are very empowered, driving expensive cars and yachts and carrying guns and inflicting fear upon others.

6. INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES There are no intertextual references in this music video as it carries a

narrative of its own, however it does feature a clip on the television of an explosion in the water which is carried out by the characters, but we don’t know where this clip has come from.

5 WAYS TO ANALYSE A MUSIC VIDEO

1. THOUGHT BEATS WHERE YOU SEE THE SOUND Step 1 – the structure. There is definitely a structure throughout the song. There is a

prominent 4-part structured beat throughout the whole song. It is the same beat throughout the whole song, however amplifies when the song picks up pace and then speeds up in the chorus and slightly altered to change the effect from the chorus. But the same beat is still used creating a structure to the music.

Step 2 – the voice of the song. The vocals of the artist come from an actor from the programme glee therefore this may be recognisable to people who watched this programme but not necessarily to everyone. Along with this, as there is no performance and it is a narrative genre it is clear the vocals aren’t coming from the main character but someone else.

Step 3 – artists mode of address. As the artists don’t feature in the music video they are telling the story to the consumer through their music which is very clear as it has a set structure as previously mentioned. At the beginning it starts soft and simple, and then begins picking up more and more of a pace throughout after each chorus. The end of the song has a different beat to it however is still the same 4 part structure. This could be showing that the character in the narrative started out soft and then throughout her journey has gained more and more power and pace behind her and has released this through getting rid of her old life, and although she is now changed she is still the same but better.

2. NARRATIVE OR PERFORMANCE The music video takes a narrative genre: A girl has seen an event on TV that she looks to recreate. She has split with

her partner packs all of his things up and embarks on a trip with her friends to create the scene – exploding his belongings on the ocean. They would believe it to be real as the characters are realistic however the violence implemented is quite unrealistic as they wouldn’t get away with what they are doing in real life. The meaning of the song is presented in the narrative as it is clear she is making a break from the relationship and taking control of her life gaining more and more power again throughout her journey.

3. THE STAR IMAGE The star of the video is the music as the artists are DJ’s therefore they

create all of the beats and rhythms of a song themselves to create a meaning, and this is what the focus of their videos are.

This is how the artist are represented in the song as they are not present in it through showing themselves in it, only their creation is shown.

4. RELATION OF THE VISUALS OF THE SONG Illustrate – representing the lyrics and genre. This is clear throughout the video,

for example with lyrics such as ‘all cried out’ and ‘burning all my tears away’ – she is getting rid of the remaining aspects o this person in her life and blowing them up and burning them away therefore illustrating the meaning of the song. It is also demonstrating some characteristics of the genre of house music as herself and her friends are laughing and enjoying themselves in the mix of their trip which is what the genre of music aims to do.

Amplify – manipulating the meaning of the song and reinforcing it. I wouldn’t say that the music has been amplified, I would say that the meaning of the song is pretty prominent in the video through the narrative of the song although is slightly veering off from the lyrics therefore could potentially be doing something different with it – for example the violence of it.

Disjucture – the meaning of the song and the genre is completely ignored. I would disagree that this element has been used in this music video, as the meaning of the song has been created in the narrative although it could be argued that the meaning of the genre has been slightly ignored as it completely takes on the role of the narrative and not the characteristics of house music.

5. TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THE VIDEO

1. MISE-EN-SCENEProps- Rifle: violence and aggression Males clothes - blazer, shirts, razor etc. showing the presence of a male in her life and

her wanting to get rid of this, therefore emitting the meaning behind her journey. Photo frame – destroying all of her memories Ferrari – strong, powerful car: showing her power and agility Car garage – lots of old cars, car parts, gas canister Hand gun: experience with guns, and also demonstrating the characters female intent as

they have come armed with not one but two guns. Stealing gas canister Bottles of wine: showing they want to be enjoying the ride and the trip they are

embarking on Yacht: showing their extravagance, expense and power

Costume - There are 3 female characters in the music video, and they are all wearing

extremely similar costumes that are simplistic yet meaningful, creating a mysterious appeal potentially due to their criminal activity.

The first character, the main character, is wearing a black wig with black sunglasses, a white dress and pale pink coat with heels. This is displaying dominance through the heels and the dress, and also her sexuality through it being quite short and revealing her legs.

The second character is wearing the exact same wig and sunglasses, however is wearing a dark pink coat

The third character is wearing a wig and sunglass but with a revealing swimwear costume instead of a dress or a coat.

This has been done in order for them to appear as though they have the same identity due to them engaging in criminal activity, and also to make them appear as some sort of team coming together to conduct the event

Location - LA – sunny and exotic environment. House music videos commonly use

holiday destinations in house music videos as the genre is about having a good time and feeling good which sunny locations tend to do to people.

Lighting - High key/ambient Sunny Darker/low-key ambient lighting is used in the house when the main

character is packing up the stuff, this is suggesting it is a darkness in her life

Darker/low-key ambient lighting is used in the car garage – again signifying darkness as they are inflicting violence

Colour - White dress - this is a colour that represents innocence and peace. This is

completely counteracted by what she is doing as it is not peaceful or innocent at all – it is fierce and violent.

Pink coat – this colour is associated with females, therefore it could have been used to represent femininity, and standing up for being female and not letting anyone walk over you.

Black bag – the bag of the boyfriends belongings is black and this colour is used to represent sin and darkness which is relating to the boyfriend.

Black wig and black sunglasses – the use of black is creating a mysteriousness, and it also represents darkness and sin much like with the bag, and this could have been used to show this side of them because of what they are doing

Stars/performance - First shot – rolling her foot. Showing she is plotting something and is waiting to

embark on it Blank expression – mysteriousness, making the audience think ‘what is she doing

next?’ Throwing hand in the air when she leaves the house – emphasising her freedom,

energy and power now she has gone Running out of shop with bottles of wine – shows she has stolen them, crime and

violence Laughing in the car with her friend – finally enjoying herself now she is gaining

more power Armed robbery – very blank expression, this is showing her anger, violence and

criminal intent Again laughing and throwing hand in air when they see the yacht/are in the yacht

– realising that their plan is pulling off Shooting the bag – her expression is tight when she is staring at the bag,

watching her old life burn up in flames Takes off wig and shakes out her hair – she is releasing this part of her life and

can now move on in her own identity, breaking from the darkness (black wig)

2. EDITING Continuity editing used throughout Very clean straight cuts Cuts in time with the beats of the song – picks up when the music picks up

and slows down when it slows down First part of the chorus ‘all cried out’ - bursts out the door as burst in beats

of the song, showing her gaining power by walking out Slow motion – her walking into the shop, again showing her power an

confidence walking in there before committing a crime Slow motion when laughing and walking to the yacht – highlighting her

emotions

3. SOUND There are only two prominent sound effects throughout the music video – At the beginning the TV voice over of ‘5,4,3,2,1…’ followed by the

explosion. This was used because this is that she is intending on doing unbeknown to the consumer, but this is made clear as the journey progresses

The silence before she shoots fire at the bag, lasting a similar time scale as the countdown for the TV explosion showing she had planned and carried out the heist. It is also giving her the time to remember her pain and emotion from her relationship and when releasing the fire and counter acting the silence with the loud explosion, it shows this part of her life has now blown up, died and gone and now it is done she can move on and be free.

4. CINEMATOGRAPHY

Over the shoulder of the dog – pulling the audience into the narrative seeing what she is about to embark on

Close-up of legs rolling her foot, as mentioned previously this could have been used to show she is plotting something and is waiting to embark on it

Looking in on the action of the music video from the window, indicating that something mysterious may be going on that we are looking in on.

Wide shot– very usual setting to see, a dog on a sofa in a modernised house with a coffee table and there is a rifle sat next to him which is very clear and prominent in the neutral setting, which draws our attention to it straight away and also maybe hinting this has an important part to play in the video.

Medium shot of girls lower half of body, lingering on the sexualised parts of her body (legs)

Over the shoulder or side angles used when packing stuff up, the camera is often following her including the audience in the narrative

Close up of the photo frame – lingers on this for a few second before she grabs it and puts it in the bag, showing the potential cause of her behaviour

Wide shot again of the sofa with the rifle just laying there, very unusual to see especially by a female.

Close ups of her face to show the progression of her emotion throughout – in the house, blank expressions, showing there is no messing around with her and it is down to business

High angle, birds eye view of the lounge and the character packing up the bag, showing her picking up the rifle and putting it in the bag. This is showing that

Wide shot of her coming out of the door bursting out of it – showing she is bursting out of her old life

Another wide shot of the sofa with the rifle gone – showing that this prop has a very important part to play in the music video narrative

Long shot of the road the car is about to drive down, showing a straight stretch that the car will be able to reach maximum speed down.

Followed by the car going down the road, slight tilt. Speeding off with the girls hand in the air, showing they are speeding off onto their heist.

Over the shoulder shot used as she gets in the car – pulling us in, taking us along with her adventure

Lots of close-ups/mediums/wide shots of the car representing the sporty appeal of it and its physical appearance as it is very powerful looking

Lots of high angle shots/birds eye views of the car, emphasising its speed and power and agility

Wide shot of the car edging forward, the shot has the camera peering from behind a lamppost at the car. This could be showing that they are portraying criminal/dodgy behaviour showing and may be like someone is following them, showing mysteriousness.

Close-up in the mirror – sowing the exact same identity of the girl in the shop. Showing uniting of the girls and a team bond. It is also showing that she is checking behind her and looking out in case anyone is watching her therefore showing they are up to no good.

Medium shot of the car pulling into the garage – again emphasising power and agility as it is going fast and it also has a very fierce appeal to it so is presenting this further.

Establishing shot of them driving across the bridge, showing their pace, speed and power.

Shaky camera, shot from slightly further away again showing the narrative from the consumers point of view, thus pulling us into the narrative

Close-up of her face when they are robbing the garage, showing her seriousness, violence, criminal intent

Close-up back to her holding the gun out, focusing on her face showing a slightly scared emotion but also displaying the violence behind her eyes

Wide shot – boot open, second character getting the gas canister, and the main character holding the gun at an innocent man. Showing she is inflicting violence on him and is trying to control the situation.

High angle/birds eye of the yacht, again showing the extravagance, power and agility they are displaying much like with the car as similar shots are used

Over the shoulder shot used as they are waking to the yacht, putting us as the consumer as the ‘third person’ in the journey

Medium shot of the rifle and her aiming it, its very central to the shot and is the largest part in it therefore reiterating its importance and power Medium shots of them from front and

back, throwing arms in the air and having a good time

Shot of the photo frame in the bag before she pulls the trigger – highlighting the cause of the journey and her pain and need for power again

Close-up of her aiming the rifle at the bag with a stern, violent expression showing that she is taking all of her anger out on this shot

Wide shot of them in the yacht staring on a the explosion, lingers – stopped in the after, completed their aims of the plan, watching it unfold.

Over the shoulder of her with the rifle and the bag exploding over the sea, like the over the shoulder/wide of the TV. Emphasising the fire and explosion and the aggression of it and also her intent from the beginning.

Close up of her taking off the wig and her expression lightening up – completed mission and can now move on.

Followed by a long shot lingering on them in the yacht continuing the stare at the explosion, reiterating the previous point of reminiscing the plan and appreciating that all her anger and despair has gone.