Winner by Noisettes
How might this video be consumed?
- This music video was uploaded to YouTube in July 2012 and has generated more than 70,000 views. Uploading music videos to YouTube is standard practice in the music industry now, allowing artists' music to reach a worldwide audience, and creating the potential for viral success. Utilising social networks can be key to the success for many musicians in this age of Web 2.0.
- The video could also be consumed via music channels on television, such as 4Music or MTV.
- The Noisettes also have many of their videos available to purchase online, including on iTunes. This allows users to download the videos onto their smartphone or computer, where they can view them at any time. This means of consuming media is suited to positive technological determinists, who are usually young people, and therefore also the target audience for this genre of music: indie pop.
- Noisettes are signed to the label Vertigo Records (a subsidiary of Universal Music Group). Although this label tends to sign indie, alternative and rock artists, it's ties with UMG are likely to mean that the process of producing music videos for their artists is done in an industry standard manner, as opposed to the more creative and unconventional route that other alternative artists often favour.
- This process involves a video commissioner from the label creating a shortlist of potential directors and sending them the track with a brief which summarises the ideas for the project. The directors then create a treatment for the video commissioner, who will choose the director. At this point, budget and deadlines are agreed.
- Because the band is affiliated with a major music company, the budget for the video is likely to be much larger than independent artists would have for music video production.
Genre and narrative
Runaways by The Killers
What are the forms and conventions evident in this video?
- Andrew Goodwin in Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992, Routledge) identified the key features of music videos. This analysis uses the categories which Goodwin described.
- The video is performance-based, which is conventional for band of the indie/alternative genre.
- There are multiple close-ups of the singer's face as well as shots of all the band. This will meet the demands of the record label in terms of the video acting as a commercial for the band.
- Goodwin noted the frequent references to the notion of looking within music videos, particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. However, within this video there is no voyeuristic treatment of the female body, and little reference to the notion of looking, other than shots in which the singer breaks the fourth wall.
- Despite the performance-based nature of the video, there are some visual concepts woven in to the performance, notably the recurring shot of a road lit by headlights. This could be seen as intertextual reference, paying homage to the many other music videos in which a 'road trip' is a central theme or visual element.
- Another use of pastiche within Runaways is the use of the smoke-like visual effects. This post-production effect imitates older videos in which that style was common.
- The footage of the road demonstrates an amplified relationship between lyrics and visuals within the video, as it connects to the 'runaway' lyrical theme of the song. It could also be seen as a literal interpretation of the title of the song.
- Due to the performance-based nature of the video, it could be categorised as an overall amplified lyric-visual relationship, as the director has chosen to produce a creative interpretation of the song.
- There is an illustrative relationship between music and visuals. The cutting rate is synchronous with the beat and emotional colouring of the song, and lip synching is used throughout much of the video.
Media Language
Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine
What is the 'message' or purpose of the video?
- The purpose of this video is to convey the lyrics and feel of the song in an artistic form, as is common for artists of the indie genre. The video has no particular 'message' or obvious narrative, it simply uses various visual techniques to compose an intriguing video, creating repeatability.
- The idea of repeatability is an important concept in music video, as it creates a more consumable product. This is because the narrative fuzz means that the target audience may wish to view the video multiple times in order to understand it fully.
- As well as this, another aspect of the video that makes it a success commercially is that Florence is represented very strongly throughout the video, advertising her as a performer.
What visual techniques are used to do this and why?
- Visual techniques used to make up Florence's representation within the Cosmic Love video are her screen time which dominates the video, her red hair which acts as a visual motif for her throughout most of her work, and the high levels of 'meat' in the video; close-ups of her singing.
- The video uses various visual techniques to create an arty and creative feel. The mise-en-scene in particular achieves this, for example through the use of the colourful lighting, and the set (such as the light bulbs and leaves).
Representation
Primadonna by Marina and the Diamonds
How is the artist represented?
- This video adds to Marina's 'meta-narative' as it introduces some of the main themes of her new album, Electra Heart. For example, visually she is shown with a small heart drawn under her right eye, which has become a visual motif for many of her recent performances.
- Marina has stated that the theme of Electra Heart is exhibiting the different 'archetypes' of female representation. In this track and video, the 'prima donna' archetype is presented through the use of mise-en-scene, particularly locations, such as a ballroom with chandeliers, and her clothes and make-up.
- Similar to Cosmic Love, Marina has prevalence in terms of screen time throughout almost the entire video, including many 'meat' shots. This helps to sell the product as it familiarises the audience with her as an artist, making consumers feel an affiliation or connection with her.
What is the ideological discourse?
- To create the theme of a 'prima donna' stereotype, the director, Casper Balslev, has chosen many different visuals and signifiers to create the semiotics of the video.
- One of these ideologies is the idea of wealth and greed. The video shows the protagonist in luxurious locations, with grand pianos, chandeliers, etc.
- Another use of semiotics is the idea of glamour and beauty. Signifiers for this are the shots of the protagonist on the exercise bike; her high fashion clothes, such as vintage dresses and fur coats; and her hair and make-up throughout the video, which are highly feminine and glamorous.
- Another aspect that makes up part of the ideology of the video is the idea of media or TV culture. Much of the video is made up of footage which has a grain-style filter on it to make it look as if it's being filmed from an old television. A fuzzy TV screen is also shown.
- Overall, this creates an ideological discourse which represents the selfish and superficial life in an appealing way. However, the stylised and exaggerated style of the video which connote an ironic stance on the glamorous life being represented; which is enforced by shots in which the protagonist seems to come out of character, and by moments of disjuncture. Most importantly, the irony is derived from the emotional colouring and lyrics of the song. "I know I've got a big ego / I really don't get why it's such a big deal, though."
- The video could be interpreted as having an emergent ideology, as it represents a woman who is unapologetically rich and successful, which is traditionally a characteristic more common of males in the media.
Well done Rozzie, excellent comments. In particular the last video is relevant to your idea. Have you thought of including flashbacks to a little girl who always wanted to be a star. I love the florence video and use of colour. Could you create a set for closeups using christmas tree lights tinsel etc and then shoot in shallow focus?
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