Today we learnt about Andrew Goodwin and his music video theory. He believes that six methods are found in every music video.
1. A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics.
2. Thought beats: seeing the sounds (the relationship between the music and the visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the music.)
3. Genre-related style and iconography.
4. Multiple close-ups of the main artist or vocalist: the creation of a star image to promote a recognizable brand image.
5. Voyeurism.
6. Intertexual references to other media texts may be present.
I will apply and analyse these aspects regarding to three music videos of my choice.
American Football - 'Never Meant'
Genre: Emo
1. A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics.
2. Thought beats: seeing the sounds (the relationship between the music and the visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the music.)
3. Genre-related style and iconography.
4. Multiple close-ups of the main artist or vocalist: the creation of a star image to promote a recognizable brand image.
5. Voyeurism.
6. Intertexual references to other media texts may be present.
I will apply and analyse these aspects regarding to three music videos of my choice.
American Football - 'Never Meant'
Genre: Emo
American Football's 'Never Meant' contains a strong relationship between the lyrics and visuals. It shows the story of two people becoming lovers and then breaking up. However, the lyrics are sung with hindsight after the couple have departed and the lyrics dispute what is being shown on-screen until the montage of romantic clips catches up to the time of separation. For example, the video displays the couple far apart from each other with a wide shot to fully portray the growing distance between the two. This image is reinforced with the lyric: "everything and anything between you and me was never meant". The shot, shown below, shows the male looking alone as the female fails to answer his romantic gestures anymore - as depicted previously. This shot makes the audience sympathise with the male character as a result which the director will have intended. The visuals shown throughout the music video amplify the lyrics through romantic scenes to sad ones.
There is not much relationship between the music and the visuals however the sad guitar riff that plays throughout does move smoothly with the narrative and the pace of the story being shown. The genre of the music is of the 'Emo' category and it's generic cliches, such as Polaroid pictures, vinyl and 35mm film, are displayed all the way through the video. This old-fashioned style relates to the time that the music was produced (in 1999) and the iconography also consolidates the hipster/alternative fan-base that follow the band. The iconography/style also establishes and represents the style of the music the artist is representing.
There are no close-ups of the band as the music video revolves around the male character. However, the band can briefly be seen performing, if partially, during the first few seconds of the video. Therefore, this music video disputes Goodwin's theory of artists being shown in a provocative manner to increase sales and market the artist to a greater extent. Furthermore, voyeurism is not included in this particular video as it does not relate to the genre of the music or the mentality of the three-piece. Examples of voyeurism can be found in most popular mainstream artists' music videos such as Rihanna and Beyonce.
Aforementioned shot of American Football performing
Versus.
Beyonce - 'Drunk In Love'
American Football's 'Never Meant' does not have any intertextual connections. It is not directly influenced by another media text as it is a purely original story - even if it does contain many generic romantic cliches.
There are no close-ups of the band as the music video revolves around the male character. However, the band can briefly be seen performing, if partially, during the first few seconds of the video. Therefore, this music video disputes Goodwin's theory of artists being shown in a provocative manner to increase sales and market the artist to a greater extent. Furthermore, voyeurism is not included in this particular video as it does not relate to the genre of the music or the mentality of the three-piece. Examples of voyeurism can be found in most popular mainstream artists' music videos such as Rihanna and Beyonce.
Versus.
American Football's 'Never Meant' does not have any intertextual connections. It is not directly influenced by another media text as it is a purely original story - even if it does contain many generic romantic cliches.
The 1975 - 'Robbers'
Genre: Alternative/Indie
The 1975's 'Robbers' music video is first and foremost inspired by Quentin Tarantino's 'True Romance', the story of an Elvis obsessed loner who falls in love and marries a prostitute.
the
story of an Elvis obsessed loner who falls in love and marries a
prostitute - See more at:
http://lifeofarockstar.com/new_music/top_music_videos/files/the_1975_matthew_healy_steals_hearts_with_robbers_music_video.php#sthash.YqtR9Hsi.dpuf
the
story of an Elvis obsessed loner who falls in love and marries a
prostitute - See more at:
http://lifeofarockstar.com/new_music/top_music_videos/files/the_1975_matthew_healy_steals_hearts_with_robbers_music_video.php#sthash.YqtR9Hsi.dpuf
The iconography - floral shirts and bloody injuries - is reminiscent of the 1993 classic. This is a brilliant example of intertextual references being used to engage audiences and provide them with gratification if they recognise the link. The scene where the vocalist and the female character are sitting together in the cinema is shot-for-shot identical to a scene in 'True Romance'. The lyric, "you look so cool", is also a reference to the movie's, "you're so cool". Another similarity and use of iconography would be the bloody bandages after a robbery.
Shot for Shot recreation:
Lyric intertextual reference:
Goodwin's theory of the lyrics having a relationship in a music video is present in this text. When the lyric "she had a face straight outta magazine" is sung, a close-up of the female character is shown. Similarly, the couple look unbelievably infatuated with each other when "you'll never leave her" is sung. Thought beats aren't used often in this piece, or in any music video of the genre, but the music video has been edited to accelerate the pace during the bridge of the song towards the outro and the male's escape from the shop after being shot.
'Robbers' does not include many genre-related iconography but the setting of the music video - suburbs of the United States - could possibly be linked to the alternative music scene as that is one of the places where the artists of the genre take inspiration and influence from. The vocalist's hair, playing the role of the male protagonist, could possibly be seen as iconography as it is of an alternative style and could draw attention to the band as whole due to its difference to "mainstream" haircuts. The vocalist has had this particular hairstyle in all of the band's music videos and this establishes their trademark and style. A close-up shot of the vocalist is included in the first half minute to focus on his hair and tattoos. Again, this establishes the genre and style of the band. The look of the band is clearly a strong marketing technique. The vocalist has become a sex symbol of the early stages of the band's career in the limelight and so they are clearly playing on this benefit to draw further attention. The vocalist is seen acting romantic and head-over-heels in love in a fantasy to create a fetishisation from the audience towards the artist. Instead of using provocative angles, displayed in many Britney Spears music videos, the male is shown to be passionate and affectionate.
Voyeurism is displayed briefly when the couple can be seen taking part in a sexual act. The female character can be seen without a bra and this could be included to entice a male audience considering that the members of The 1975 are all of the male gender.
Miley Cyrus - "Adore You"
Genre: Pop
Miley Cyrus' 'Adore You' uses voyeurism to its utmost extreme to attract a wide audience and entice the male gender. After the phenomenal global success of 'Wrecking Ball', it was clear that using the "shock factor" method makes millions and attracts a wider audience. So, Miley turned it up a notch for this music video where she can be seen practically naked and filming herself in a sensual, erotic manner. The artist can be seen singing the song throughout which is cross-cutted with close-up visuals of her biting her lip and touching herself. The feeling of the video is incredibly intimate.
There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals when Miley declares that she is "so scared" and covers her face in a terrified fashion. Therefore, this action amplifies the lyrics and her desperation for affection.
However the line, "i love lying next to you", contradicts the visuals as Miley can be seen alone on-screen. There are no thought beats during the music video although the pace of the interspersed clips flow smoothly throughout with the regular beat of the song. Miley's short haircut is an example of iconography as it contrasts all other female solo vocalists' haircuts at the moment. The haircut represents Miley's new direction in her musical career as she turns away from the Disney image and moves towards a more mature direction. This haircut is a reminder to the audience that she is no longer a child and wants to pursue a different musical genre. The use of voyeurism in this music video is similar to other uses by other female solo artists. Nowadays, artists such as Miley and Rihanna are expected to embrace their sexuality in order to attract attention and therefore increase single sales. The use of heavy sexual imagery is typical of the pop genre as it reaches far more of an audience than indie, for example. Close-ups of Cyrus are included throughout to create and consolidate her recognisable brand image. Provocative angles focus on her lips, bottom and breasts. Miley also focuses her eyes on the camera frequently to attract the viewer and to create a sense of sexual desire towards her from a straight male audience - of whom aren't her target demographic. There are no intertextual references to other media texts within this music video. Thought beats and quick cuts that coincide with the violin chords are used towards the end of the music video to increase the pace of the song until the last piano chord.
There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals when Miley declares that she is "so scared" and covers her face in a terrified fashion. Therefore, this action amplifies the lyrics and her desperation for affection.
However the line, "i love lying next to you", contradicts the visuals as Miley can be seen alone on-screen. There are no thought beats during the music video although the pace of the interspersed clips flow smoothly throughout with the regular beat of the song. Miley's short haircut is an example of iconography as it contrasts all other female solo vocalists' haircuts at the moment. The haircut represents Miley's new direction in her musical career as she turns away from the Disney image and moves towards a more mature direction. This haircut is a reminder to the audience that she is no longer a child and wants to pursue a different musical genre. The use of voyeurism in this music video is similar to other uses by other female solo artists. Nowadays, artists such as Miley and Rihanna are expected to embrace their sexuality in order to attract attention and therefore increase single sales. The use of heavy sexual imagery is typical of the pop genre as it reaches far more of an audience than indie, for example. Close-ups of Cyrus are included throughout to create and consolidate her recognisable brand image. Provocative angles focus on her lips, bottom and breasts. Miley also focuses her eyes on the camera frequently to attract the viewer and to create a sense of sexual desire towards her from a straight male audience - of whom aren't her target demographic. There are no intertextual references to other media texts within this music video. Thought beats and quick cuts that coincide with the violin chords are used towards the end of the music video to increase the pace of the song until the last piano chord.
