THE WHITE STRIPES 'FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL' MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

The music video for The White Stripes’ ‘Fell in Love with a Girl’ is unlike the other music videos I have looked at an analysed as it is concept based rather than performance or narrative based and this has been created through the use of stop motion animation.

 

The animated equalizer moves at the same speed as the song and so by using rhythmic editing the visuals match the audio which makes it interesting for the audience to watch as well as creating an energetic and lively concept piece. However, it does contain real footage at the beginning of the music video before the music starts. This suggests that the young boy is using the Lego to create the scenes in the music video. The way that the stop motion animation has been constructed, it creates quite a humorous music video as it is not conventional of the genre. This means that star image is not created; however, iconography which is part of the band’s signature can be found within the music video.

The Lego has been made to look like the band members are playing instruments, which is indicative of the rock genre. The striped triangles which is seen in the band’s song ‘Seven Nation Army’ is used once again for the background of their music video. The music is successful as it provides the audience with an interesting and humorous concept based music video.

 

 

STUDENTS WORK 'WALKING HOME' MUSIC VIDEO TASK ANALYSIS

To help us with our own music videos we looked at student video from last year. It really helped us because it showed us what worked and what didn't. It also gave us some ideas about how to construct our shots. The music video is both narrative and performance based. Like the music video for ‘Nicotine and Alcohol Saved My Life’ this music video uses the idea of memories and also the technique of a fragmented narrative this makes it more interesting because it allows the audience to keep guessing about what is going to happen and whether or not there is going to be a happy conclusion. This has been achieved by the use of cross fades which shows the transitions from scene to scene.

 

Mood and atmosphere have been created through the use of colour and desaturation. Bright colours have been used to create a happy atmosphere as well as creating the fragmented narrative because the couple are together. By filming at the magic hour the students were able to achieve quite a romantic and happy atmosphere which also adds to the vibrant colours. This is juxtaposed by the use of the desaturation effect because it makes the scene appear sad and dull which makes the shots look quite effective because the male character is all alone and so this makes us sympathise with the character. However using the magic hour means that the students were able to achieve lots of different lens flares from the diegetic lighting which was the sun. This makes the shots more interesting and adds depth to the shots.

 

Having the ‘artist’ walking with a tripod and a camera means that a star image is created as there is a close up of him. It also means that he is addressing the camera which is typical of performance based music videos. The audience are also able to see him lip syncing to the camera and so this has made a good performance based video as the lip syncing is well performed and the camera technique has made it more interesting. A slow pace of edit matches the speed of the music and so this adds to the sad and lonely atmosphere. A low angle has been used which makes him appear dominant; however, this would have made more sense to have a high angle to make him appear vulnerable. Although, this has made us think about camera angles and how we could make our characters appear to the audience.  

 

There is also a continuity error where in one scene the girl is wearing a jumper and then in another she isn’t and so this has make us think carefully about keeping the continuity throughout the music video. The use of rule of thirds and leading lines has been used to make the shots more interesting and makes the scene more alluring. By watching this music video task we have been able to see what a student outcome looks like and made us all think about things that could incorporate and improve in our music video.

GHOSTLIGHT 'PHOTOGRAPHS' LYRICS

Well it’s really hard to say

But I think about you most everyday

And I’m slowly unravelling

Using words to paint over the bruises cluttering my skin

And I see your life goes on

I see images and lights that give impressions that are gone

I see you standing there next to him

All I want to do is just make you understand how this feels

But I don’t say anything

Chorus:

If you just leave me here

Then I won’t come running

All of these photographs are fading

You are stolen in my light

I’m breathing in knives

And I promise I won’t try anything

Oh nah nah nothing

But I don’t say anything

And I don’t feel a thing

Oh stop and give me something real

Oh just stop and give me anything at all

Chorus

Call me out

I’m always out x3

You’ve run me out

Call me out

I'm always out x2

Till it’s over

By looking at the lyrics we were able to get a range of different ideas. We found that it relates to the typical boy and girl love story and about a break up. Taking in to consideration the lyrics and genre we knew that we wanted a music video that was both performance and narrative based. We also thought about the narrative and we thought that we would go with the lyrics and base it around a break up.

PROBLEM AND OUTCOME 1

Our first task was to find a song to use for our music video. To do this we used the website ‘www.mp3unsigned.com’. However, we had trouble trying to find one that we liked. We didn't know what type of genre to go for as we had different ideas for different genres that we all liked and so coming up with a genre was the first problem. As we couldn’t find a song to use, we decided to search and look at different songs and select a few that we liked so that we could share them with the rest of the group. We then all came together and chose the song for our music video. The song we decided on is called ‘Photographs’ by an indie band named, ‘Ghostlight’. We all really liked the song because it was different and a song from the indie genre allowed us to experiment with different codes and conventions because it sounds like a mixture of pop and rock and we thought that we would be able to produce a range of different ideas. Even though we found the song on ‘www.youtube.com’ we only used the website to listen to the song and we didn't use it to influence our music video in any way.

 

 

DEAF HAVANA 'NICOTINE AND ALCOHOL SAVED MY LIFE' MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

The music video for Deaf Havana’s ‘Nicotine and Alcohol Saved My Life’ is performance and narrative based and is part of the rock genre. The narrative is based on a love story. However, it is unconventional because it tells the story of a dying man and his life with his wife. Close ups of the man shows the man’s sad facial expression, it is also made evident that he is dying. This immediately sets the mood of the music video. Having the vocalist screaming makes it parallel with the visuals because it adds to the frustrated and cold atmosphere as the female character may be feeling frustrated at not being able to help him.

Close ups of the band members allow us to see them individually and so this creates the band’s image and creates their signature and so the audience are able to recognise the band. We are also able to see iconography such as guitars, microphones and drums which give an indication on the genre of the music video as well as misé-en-scene such as piercing and tattoos which are typical of the genre. The camera is constantly moving and so this makes it more visually interesting, in the performance this compliments the energy of the music as the audience are able to see the band jumping around on set.

 

The use of a medium long shot shows the woman holding her husband’s hand; this creates a sad atmosphere, it also shows their close relationship because they are positioned close together in the frame and the location is their home which reinforces the idea of them being close. The close up on the man’s hand suggests that he is in pain, this is suggestive of the genre because pain links with death and so these subjects create quite a dark or sad atmosphere which are typically seen more within the rock genre. The lighting used is soft lighting and so this makes it appear realistic for lighting within a house. It also makes the two characters appear ‘glamorous’ and quite youthful.

 

 

The music video uses quite a slow pace of edit and so this matches the sad atmosphere, as well as the tempo of the music at various points. Slow motion has also been used to give this effect and also gives the effect that the narrative is fragmented and moving into scenes from the couple’s memories. White flashes have also been used to suggest that these are memories because it gives quite a hazed and alluring effect. Tracking shots have been used on the band performance which makes it more interesting because you are able to see the condensation, this suggests that it is freezing on set and links with the memories within narrative because it shows snow outside. Seeing the condensation adds more depth to the shots and gives the audience something else to focus on.

 

Having a close up of the dictionary allows the audience to focus on the writing, which gives the audience an indication on what the narrative may be based on. It also creates a link with the title because we see the definition of ‘nicotine’ and the song is called ‘Nicotine and Alcohol Saved My Life’. During the narrative there is a turn of events and the use of fast pace editing gives the suggestion that the man has died and this creates a sense of panic as the woman tries to wake her husband up. It also shows a few more shots from his memories; this also backs up this idea as they could be his last few memories before he dies.

 

 

An extreme close up of the woman’s eye allows the audience to sympathise with her because we are able to see the sadness and emotion in her eyes, an extreme close up adds to the sad and lonely atmosphere giving it a darker and more serious mood. The snow in the memory scenes have been juxtaposed by the black horse, as snow is white it could suggest innocence. Whereas, the use of black implies death or the juxtaposition between death and living or good and bad and so these two ideas juxtapose each other. The horse may have been used to suggest being young and free like the character within the scene.

 

A close up of the characters’ hands implies that they are together; this is juxtaposed by a mid shot of the woman on her own. This creates quite an emotional contrast because she appears sad and alone. The fragmented narrative continues and replays in full to show the audience what she remembers and what actually happened. This music video is effective because it is different from other music videos as it looks at the theme of death but in a completely different perspective. It also doesn’t have the dark and sinister atmosphere that other rock genre based music videos have.

 

 

 

EYES SET TO KILL 'DARLING' MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

‘Darling’ is a performance and narrative based music video within the rock genre. It is similar to the music video for Avenged Sevenfold ‘Nightmare’ with the use of an operation, being clinical and the dark themes that surround it. The music video uses iconography such as guitars and drums to give a suggestion to the genre of the music. Black hair and piercings are indicative of the rock genre as they provide a dark and typical ‘grunge’ look, as you would expect form a music video of this genre. Close ups of the band members allow us to see the iconography as this makes up part of the band’s signature, especially on close ups of the female band members because they are the most iconic members of the band as well as one of them being the lead vocalist.

 

 

 

The fast pace of edit, short shot durations and rhythmic cutting matches the speed of the music and so by doing this is makes the music video quite jumpy, it also distorts the vision on some of the shots because the viewers aren’t able to keep up with all of the individual shots that flash onto the screen. The black and white effect is also seen a lot in rock based music videos as it makes it appear quite dark and sinister and so it matches the screaming and dark atmosphere of the music video. Also along with harsh lighting and prominent shadows the black and white effect helps to distort some of the facial feature and so this conceals their identity and continues the theme of darkness and also the sinister atmosphere. There is also a close up of the girl gripping tightly onto the chair. This suggests that the girl is in pain and so this is typical of the rock genre because it links with the theme of death and torture which are dark subjects.

 

The scratched lines edited onto the music video implies aggressive behaviour and adds to the dark atmosphere because the vocalist is screaming the lyrics and so this suggests pain and anger which the vocalist may be feeling. The same effect has been used to create crosses over the female vocalist’s eyes, which is an act of violence because in some thrillers the victims eyes are scratched or crossed out in a way to suggest that someone wants to inflict pain on them. The person with the mask on is wearing all white and so this suggests that the connotations of being clinical and also angelic. This suggests part of the narrative because the lyrics are “Darling, don’t lie” and this suggests that he is doing good by sealing her mouth and so isn’t able to tell lies and so this avoids people getting hurt. The use of a mask and a pair of glasses conceals the man’s identity and so it is unknown to the audience as well as the female character.

 

 

Concealing his identity causes a sense of unease because the audience doesn’t know who he is, his identity is also is also obscured through the use of a blur effect, it creates a mystery because enigma codes are created because the audience are left wondering who he is and what he is doing. The blur effect also creates a sense of unconsciousness and also visual impairment and so this creates a sense of unease and mystery. A close up of the equipment and tools is suggestive of the genre because it creates a sinister atmosphere and relates to the violence and operation which are often seen in the rock genre. Short shot durations have been used to match the speed of the song and so this makes it more visually exciting and creates a relationship between the music and the visuals because they are both matched at the same speed.

 

The bright white flashes during the music video add to the sinister atmosphere because it disorientates the viewer. This also makes them try to keep up with speed and change different shot changes. Voyeuristic elements have been added through the use of a movie projector, this makes the audience feel as if they are looking secretly onto the scene. The reel could signify the operation or the concealed identity of the male character as his identity is hidden the whole way through the music video and then when the reel stops so does the operation as well as him hiding his face. An over the shoulder shot allows the audience to see that her lips have been sewn together and that the word on her lips spells ‘liar’. This gives the audience the idea that she is now unable to communicate and that she has been silenced.

 

At this point the audience finds out that the music video is based on a typical boy and girl story, which is typical of music videos but less so for rock genre music videos. This is also evident as we see a medium close up of the man without his mask on and this reveals the word ‘lover’ sewn on his lips. The final shot is of the two characters standing face to face, which suggest that they are closer than what they think. This is backed up by a heart appearing between the two and so it implies that love can hurt us but it also still brings two people together, as it uses the scratched effect that we saw earlier in the music video.

 

 

The music video is effective because it displays codes and conventions within the rock genre and gives the audience an engaging performance and narrative based music video as it also contains thriller codes and conventions which are used a lot within music videos of the rock genre.

 

 

EMINEM F.T. RIHANNA 'LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE' MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS

The music video for ‘Love the Way You Lie’ is performance and narrative based which gives a fragmented narrative as well as creating a star image for the artists. This has been done by using various close up shots and so the audience are able to familiarise themselves with the artists. The use of hoods, frame the artist and so they appear prominent within the image. A hood also has the connotations of youth which makes people think about destruction and so this makes people create stereotypes. Destruction is also suggested through the use of CGI as we see the woman holding fire in her hands.

 

It also implies the connotations of anger and violence and so this becomes evident that the idea of destruction has been used to create a relationship between visuals and lyrics. There is also a relationship between visuals and music because the genre is hip-hop and rap and rap is seen to be aggressive and so this links with their behaviour within the music video as well as the lyrics and the subject of the song. The use of red has the connotations of love, lust, anger and passion and so this is suggestive of the theme of the song as the connotations link with the theme of the song.

The use of a high angle makes the couple appear united as well as vulnerable which suggests that the long and need each other. A fast pace of edit has been used to match the pace of the music. This has been done to engage the audience because it matches they action scene where the two characters are fighting and so this makes the music video more effective. During this scene, a range of long and medium shots have been used to show the two characters fighting, as well as their expressions. A close up of the man’s hands shows a girl’s name and number, this suggests that the man is cheating on his partner and gives the sense of distrust. The audience are able to see both the woman’s and man’s reaction through a pull focus. This adds to the tension and atmosphere of music video.

 

A tracking shot around the male artist suggests that the woman makes his world go round as well as creating a start image. The use of a lens flare makes the shot more interesting because the lens flare is shining on him, it also creates a three-dimensional effect as well as diegetic high key lighting as he appears ‘glamorous’. The soft lighting makes him look ‘glamorous’ because his facial features are highlighted as well as having a halo effect which suggests his supposed innocence contrasting the lyrics and subject of the song. The location of the music video suggests that the violence is domestic but also that the couple are intimate.

There is also use of sexualisation because the female artist is seen wearing a low cut top and so this could be seen as part of the star’s image. Long shot durations have been used to match the pace of the music as it begins to slow down and so this is parallel to the visuals as the scene is calm and the couple have stopped fighting. The slow tracking shot also matches the slow pace and the long shot duration. As the male artist is in the field the use of a long shot makes him appear lost and vulnerable as well as hopeless because he is singing about how he is losing the girl he loves. This is an effective music video because the recurring theme of destruction runs parallel with the music as well as the atmosphere of the visuals.