Research for the A2 Music Video

Research for the A2 Independent Music Video

My music video for the A2 Coursework is going to be situated within and inspired by the 'Indie' genre, slightly transforming it from the original genre of the song and the artist; which is contemporary R&B. I would like to stray away from the original genre of the artist as I don't feel as if it would be appropriate for the narrative that I wish to translate to my audience.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF AN R&B MUSIC VIDEO

My music video for the A2 Coursework is going to be situated within the 'Indie' genre, slightly transforming it from the original genre of the song and the artist; which is contemporary R&B. Typically, in an R&B music video, the codes and conventions are strictly suited to that genre; barely drawing parallels between others. The R&B genre is usually associated with sensual lyrics, accompanied by provocative visuals in order to successfully pertain to it's genre. Because of the nature of the lyrics (which are usually targeted at teenage girls and women), male artists such as Chris Brown and Usher are usually shown in music videos as being topless; this is because the music industry would want to attract a larger female demographic considering that this is their primary target audience. The music videos are filmed in certain settings, such as the beach, a night-club, or the artists own home; this is a convention of an R&B video as more often than not, this is the "go-to" location.

• Apparel for male R&B artists isn't too extravagant and is a subdued version of the hip-hop genre, for example, hip-hop artists usually don excessive amounts of gold chains and other jewellery, but in the R&B genre, this is kept to a minimum. 
• Tattoos are also shown to be prevalent in R&B music videos, thus making it an expected code of the genre.
• As far as characters that are shown in the music video goes, the narrative usually follows two protagonists: the male artist and a female companion. Usually, the male artist is shown to be serenading a female actor, thus reinforcing the strong relationship between the visuals and the lyrics. 
• Camera shot types range from extreme close-up shots, mid-shots and tracking shots. Extreme close-up camera shots are utilised to display the element of performance, such as lip-synching, and emotion as observed by the artist in order to form a relationship between artist and audience. Tracking shots aren't necessarily included in all R&B music videos, however, they make it easier for the audience to follow the narrative and ensure that the narrative is kept succinct. 

In comparison, female R&B artists are usually seen in music videos to be wearing minimal, provocative clothing in order to appeal to the male demographic. Because of this, female artists are more often than not seen as an object of desire are are blatantly objectified; this would be to suit the music industry demand, particularly concerning the genre of R&B.

The hair and makeup of the female artist is one of the most predominant features that is shown in an R&B video; used primarily to exemplify the sex appeal that the artists are notoriously supposed to have.

As a general rule of R&B videos, the notion of 'sexuality' is heavily acted upon and is used as an overarching influence in order to appease certain demographics. Sexuality is the most common influence for R&B videos and songs of which it is heavily reinforced through particular codes and conventions such as clothing, or a lack thereof, and makeup.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF AN INDIE ROCK MUSIC VIDEO 

In an Indie Rock music video, mis-en-scene is imperative as it's main purpose is to sustain a clear, succinct narrative that the audience can easily identify. This may be achieved through a limited amount of props or anything that correlates or offers iconography pertaining to the band. Typically, the mis-en-scene of an Indie Rock video features gritty, low-key lighting that is used effectively to invoke certain moods and responses from the audience. High-key lighting will only truly be prevalent in a music video where there is a sub-genre being represented, such as Indie-Pop; stemming from Indie Rock. Below are examples of an Indie Pop video (note the high-key lighting, vibrant colours) and an Indie Rock/Grunge video (note the low-key lighting, sombre/dark tones).

Indie Rock videos are laden with performance elements, such as lip-synching or a wide-angle camera shot capturing all band members performing the song through mime. Camera shots are also a very important feature of an Indie Rock video, most of the time wide-angled and extreme close up camera shots are utilised to make the band members known to the audience and therefore solidifying the strong relationship between the artist and the respective audience demographic. This idea of utilising specific camera shots allows for the integration of Richard Dyer's Star Theory, whereby audience members are so connected with a member of a band (usually the lead singer) that they imitate the actions, clothing or beliefs of the artist. There are three elements to Dyer's Star Theory:

• A construction - whereby the star is manipulated through the music industry and is dehumanised in order to relate to certain audiences; they are stripped of all human attributes and are "constructed" in a way in which the music industry can benefit from. 
• A commodity - similar to "construction", a star as a "commodity" simply means that the industry or label that the star is signed to, will use them as a way of making profit; this will be again, manipulated by the industry as they follow trends in other areas of the media that they know will work and attract the most audience attention. 
• An ideology - this pertains more so to the audience interaction, in which the star is used to promote an ideology, or represent certain social groups/causes that will in turn gain audience interest, and therefore results in a highly established and devoted fan-base whereby the audience of the certain artist will start to believe in the values and morals upheld by the star.

Location is an important aspect of an Indie Rock video as it typically features an urban environment such as dark streets or the city - I will specifically use The 1975's music video for 'Somebody Else' as inspiration for my setting as it features a dark, melancholia-inducing street.

Editing is also a key feature in Indie videos. Camera shots tend to be quick-cut rather than slow and smooth; this is with the intention that the editing and quick cuts mimic the up-beat tempo of the music.

Artist iconography that pertain to the band is somewhat important as it allows the audience to visually connect, and identify with the band. For example, The 1975 are associated with three rectangular shapes that feature on tours and even on album covers. Imagery associated with Indie Rock bands are that of guitars, drums, a vocalist, bassist and pianist (in some bands).




ARTIST PROFILE


Stephen Wrabel, most commonly known by his stage name 'Wrabel', is an American singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles that confidently prides himself on his virtuoso skills and ability to play numerous instruments ranging from the piano to acoustic guitar. After attending Berklee College of Music for a year, Wrabel left Boston and headed to LA to further pursue his music career in songwriting.

After spending time in LA, Wrabel was eventually signed to Pulse Recording under the occupation as a songwriter; this was the artists first major breakthrough into the music industry. Soon after this, in 2012, he was signed to Island Def Jam wherein he released his first single, "11 Blocks", which was supported and promoted by well-known artist, Kesha.

Currently, Wrabel is signed to various labels such as Island Records, Universal and numerous international labels such as Digital Distribution Turkey, Universal Music Spain and Digital Distribution Panama.

Having been assigned to so many international and national labels, Wrabel has released two albums, 'Sideways' and 'Ten Feet Tall'. Wrabel gained recognition from Dutch DJ Afrojack, who was so impressed by Wrabel's brooding piano ballad of 'Ten Feet Tall', the two artists ended up collaborating with each other under a co-sign. Afrojack released various remixes of 'Ten Feet Tall', this in turn increased publicity surrounding Wrabel's image and gradually increased his popularity, nationally and internationally.







AUDIENCE RESEARCH SURROUNDING ARTIST

Statistics concerning The Weeknd (YouGov.co.uk)

According to Twitter research, Wrabel has a 54% male following, with the majority race being within the Caucasian demog
raphic (77%). As for his female following, there is notably less with only 46% of his followers being female. Considering that the artist is so low-key, audience research is significantly limited, however, I was able to compare artists of a similar genre to Wrabel so I could gather an average of the demographics such as age, political stance, gender and interests. A similar artist to Wrabel in terms of genre would be that of The Weeknd, who is known for his brooding R&B tunes, much like Wrabel. A comparison that I can make from the two sets of research is that the female demographic is relatively larger than the demographic for male listeners of The Weeknd in comparison to Wrabel.

Abel Tesfaye, The Weeknd

Analytics from Twitter concerning Wrabel (zoomph.com)

Another interesting comparison of a similar artist in the contemporary R&B genre is Beyonce. Drawing similarities in audience demographic in terms of the gender that takes the most interest in listening to their music, the female demographic certainly reigns supreme in this category. By having these comparisons readily available from reliable websites, I can tailor the way in which I create my music video to fit to each demographic equally.


Considering that I've already established a solid narrative, comprising of a mixture of boys and girls, this will be easy for me to achieve as it relates more to an open audience, as to leave more scope for audiences to infer the narrative and story of my music video.

Statistics concerning Beyonce (YouGov.co.uk)

AUDIENCE PROFILE: Primary & Secondary target audience

My music video will pertain to a male and female primary audience demographic, sitting comfortably within the age range of 17-20 year olds. The reason I have my audience target age so high is because of the nature of the video; the visuals will entail age-restrictive content such as consuming alcohol and smoking, therefore it would be inappropriate to advertise "illicit" activities to a younger demographic. The secondary audience will be audience members who are actively engaged with the Indie Rock genre, whereas when advertising the song, which is a synth/R&B track, the secondary audience would be viewers are interested with the respective genre of R&B.

Pitch for A2 Music Video

Pitch for A2 Music Video

General Narrative and Plot

My music video for the A2 part of the course will follow a group of reckless teenagers, comprising of 4-5 actors, and their nighttime debauchery through town. Walking down The Grove, the group wanders into a wine store (Martinez Wines), and steals several bottles of alcohol; they then run through the streets where they make their way up to the Moors. Whilst up there, they start drinking and engaging into boisterous teenage activity. As the music video follows a repetitive narrative, during the second night, the group find themselves walking through Ilkley again, but a little more subdued in their attitude and engage into typical teenage activities, such as smoking and consuming alcohol. The music video concludes with the group standing on top of the Moors hugging and laughing as dusk falls over the town.

Song Choice

The song of choice for my music video is 'Into The Wild' performed by Wrabel; a Los Angeles based, contemporary R&B singer/songwriter. 'Into The Wild' features as synth track on the album 'Sideways' released in 2014. Operating under several record labels such as Island Records and Universal, Wrabel has collaborated with Dutch DJ, Afrojack following a remixed release of his song 'Ten Feet Tall', that consequently resulted in an international hit and gained publicity from over 10 million people.

'Into The Wild' was featured on the American television series, 'Suits', a programme that has 3.6 million viewers every season; thus gaining it's notoriety from the worldwide population.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am5qJmNAoK8

Mood

I have been inspired by many indie videos that exhibit a certain grittiness and raw quality to their visuals; I wish to translate this into my own music video for 'Into the Wild'. Many of my influences came from the band 'The 1975' and the way that they shoot their videos; many show raw emotion and melancholia is a prevalent feature within all of their music videos. The element of Colour Psychology is also evident within their music videos, more specifically, the 'Somebody Else' video. This has greatly influenced my mood and it will also translate through the editing process. My intentions are to make the music video sit comfortably within the realms of the 'Indie' genre, so as to ensure this, I will edit any obvious warm, orange/yellow lighting so that it is transformed into cooler tones. Even though the original song is a synth track with elements of R&B, personally, I believe that it would be more appropriate to incorporate elements of the indie genre as to comfortably suit my overarching narrative; which is of paramount of importance in order to ensure the success of the video.

Considering that the music video follows the narrative of out of control teenagers, in order to reinforce and justify my reasons for the way in which I film this video, so that both the visuals and narrative coalesce successfully, I intend to use a first person camera perspective. This means that I will be running with the camera in order to create a disjointed effect that coincides with the theme of the video in terms of narrative. The shakiness of the camera is what I intend to have in the final product, I won't be using the stabilising editing tool in Final Cut to change this; it is purely intentional.

Organisation

Just because I won't be working one to one with the artist, doesn't mean that I can't explore the organisational element elsewhere in preparation for this video. My intentions are that during one part of the narrative, the group of teenagers steal bottles of wine from an independent alcohol store located on The Grove, called Martinez Wines. Because of this, I will prepare a small pitch for the owner to ensure that no bottles are going to be actually stolen or broken; all I will need is several frames of footage so that it will fit into my video. Failing this, I have a back-up plan that will ensure that none of the narrative is lost or I am behind schedule with filming and completing the coursework.

Setting

The abundance of beautiful scenery around Ilkley is unlimited. I intend to keep my music video locations local and make use of the heritage and setting that Ilkley offers. The Grove comes alive at night; floods of warm, orange lighting cover the streets inducing an intimate setting of which I can use to my advantage as I won't have to carry around extra lighting, and I intend to keep the lighting throughout the video more intimate than high-key. Moving to The Moors, the isolated setting offers panoramic views of Ilkley from an elevated position of which I intend to use for various shots throughout my video.

As well as using The Grove for the setting, I will also use one of it's landmarks; the Bandstand. Here, I intend to capture a spinning shot of one of the couples featuring in the video.

Music Video Analysis: Glass Animals - Gooey

Music Video Analysis VI: Glass Animals - Gooey

Australian director-duo, Lily Coates and Gavin Young, formally known as 'The Apiary', brought new meaning to an idiosyncratic, whimsical music video that relies purely on a conceptualised idea with their video for 'Gooey' released in 2014 by the Glass Animals.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS

As the narrative unfurls, it is evident that the lyrics bare no relation to the visuals whatsoever, but however form a compilation of varying shots that define it as being a highly experimental video with psychotropic exploration in which the lyrics haven't been taken literally to influence the cinematography. When inferring meaning from the lyrics, it seems to be a song dedicated to the naivety of youth culture and subtly references a potential relationship. Through an initial watch of the video, it became apparent of the varying statuses of characters throughout the narrative, these were shown through low-angled camera shots that empowered the character but disempowered the audience; with the close-up camera angles revealing the characters that were blatantly devoid of emotion. In essence, throughout the video, there is an underlying message that seems to pertain to that of a power struggle between the characters, this is justified with the myriad of low-angled and high-angled camera shots specific to each character and their status within the video. It is only until the narrative reaches a mid-point that I am able to identify that the conceptual stimulus of the video is that of the 'Seven Deadly Sins'; or it is certainly depicted in this way.

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

As an Indie Rock band, the music video certainly encapsulates the 'indie' genre, with minimal to no reference to the rock genre. However, the video exhibits less conventional codes and conventions that pertain to the indie genre. As the video is heavily conceptualised, there leaves mass scope for anything creative to be represented through the visuals, and as previously stated, the narrative follows that of the cyclical, repeated journey of 'The Seven Deadly Sins'. A more blatantly evident genre characteristic that appertains to 'indie culture' is that of the high-key lighting that remains constant throughout the entirety of the video. A music video for the 'Indie Rock' genre would usually have an element of performing in it from the band, but 'Gooey' is devoid of any relation to performance and features none of the band members, but instead relies entirely on the actors to further push the narrative along; therefore this music video subverts the typical expectations of an 'Indie Rock' video. 

LOOKING/MODE OF ADDRESS

Considering that the band aren't featured in the music video at all, and it is heavily reliant on the actors, the looking and mode of address is kept to a minimum up until the very end where a wide-angled camera shot captures all of the actors sitting on a sofa looking directly into the camera. This is the only time the actors directly address the camera. Personally, I don't believe that this was done with an intention to distance the actors from the audience as the video is more of a compilation of frames that forms a didactic purpose; to educate the audience of the sinister, cyclical cycle of 'The Seven Deadly Sins'. Because of the lack of the direct address to the audience, theories such as the Uses and Gratifications model remain partially unsatisfied, however, the audience may use this music video as a form of escapism as the video offers a complex yet bizarre narrative to pique audience interest and solidify some sort of deeper connection with them; thus compensating for the lack of mode of address. 

REPRESENTATIONS

The music video for 'Gooey' offers various representations, all of which have neither outlandish positive or negative connotations, and doesn't reinforce a particular stereotype. In this sense, the video is void of prejudice and racial stereotyping, although this doesn't seem obvious at first, with several viewings of the video, I was able to infer that age, race and stature bore no relevance to how the music video was shot, and was evidently based on their acting and dancing abilities. 

However, a striking representation that if anything, promotes body positivity is that of the wide-angled camera shot of the woman laying on the sofa, completely naked. This doesn't necessarily pertain to the ideology behind Laura Mulvey and sexual satisfaction of the male audience but rather has two inferences. One being that the nakedness of the women suggests an essence of vulnerability, the second being that it pushes the narrative forward as she is depicted as being 'Gluttony' from 'The Seven Deadly Sins'. Although, this may be inferred as being insensitive and inappropriate, I believe that it firmly reinforces body positivity, but is also reflecting the narrative.

LINEAR OR CLOSED & NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT? 

As previously stated, the music video for 'Gooey' is highly conceptualised and takes the audience on a journey of 'The Seven Deadly Sins'. The narrative is cyclical in structure as the video opens with various close-up camera shots detailing the process of the sinister cycle with a scientific and psychedelic twist. What is interesting throughout the video is the minimal quick-cut or even slow-cut editing shots, and however only entails around 4-5 quick-cut jump shots to further pursue the narrative. Panning and tracking shots feature heavily in the video, as a rigged camera follows the actors from room to room in an abandoned mansion. This idea of slow, panning and tracking shots emphasise the smoothness continuity of the deadly cycle of the sins. 

MIS-EN-SCENE

The music video allows for in-depth analysis and inference in terms of it's bizarre but unique mis-en-scene as it takes the audience on a psychotropic, free-flow journey. As briefly mentioned, the video essentially follows the evolution of 'The Seven Deadly Sins' and the repetitive nature of the concept. Wide-angled camera shots address each and every actor and defines their 'being' within the cycle; as the music video opens, the close up camera shots of the woman with gold embellished over her hands is represented as 'Greed'; this is due to the fact that 'gold' is usually associated with wealth and riches, and as the camera transitions into quick-edited shots, the making of the "essence" (the liquid) within the video is made by 'Greed' and passed on from person to person, hence, alluding to the idea that greed is capable of being felt by everyone and leads to the exposure of other sins. A panning, wide-angled mid-shot captures the younger girl representing 'Envy'. She has stolen the "essence" that 'Greed' created, and out of spite, passes it onto the man in red: 'Wrath'. Colour Psychology is yet again at play here, as the man donned in a red wrestling suit depicted as being 'Wrath', further reinforces that the colour 'red' more often than not connotes with anger or danger. Jealousy then transforms into anger, wherein the wrestler in red beats the man dressed in blue, whom is depicted as being 'Pride'. 'Wrath' eventually spits on 'Pride' which would be generally humiliating, therefore the wrestler in blue has gotten his pride hurt, and then turns to 'Lust'; the woman dressed in yellow, to boost his ego and forget about the misdeed of 'Wrath'. To further justify this idea of 'Pride' being affected by 'Wrath', the scene ends with a high-angled camera shot towering over the actor for 'Pride' but elevates 'Wraths' status with a low-angled camera shot. The woman representing 'Lust' leaves the man as soon as she gets what she wants from him; something that lust does is lead to instant gratification; therefore, a tracking shot captures the woman dancing as she exits through the door to enter another room where she meets the man representing the sin of 'Sloth'. A high-angled camera shot tracks the man depicting 'Sloth' as he wanders over to the woman on the sofa representing 'Gluttony'. Laziness and subdued attitudes is an instigator for gluttonous acts and the power of 'Gluttony' ends up acting as a fuel to power 'Greed' and her consumption of materialistic possessions.

The video exhibits constant warm hues complimented with high-key lighting but also outlines and exemplifies the battle of status and dominance between the sins by utilising scores of high-angled camera angles contrasted with low-angled camera angles; both of which are used in order to sustain a fluctuating narrative in terms of status. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIA1XQnAv5s

Music Video Analysis V: Bryson Tiller - Exchange

Music Video Analysis: Bryson Tiller - Exchange

Directed by Rohan Blair-Mangatt, the music video for 'Exchange' was released in 2016 and follows a fragmented narrative in which the audience are taken back and forth between the past and present relationship featured within the video.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS AND LYRICS

As previously stated, the music video follows the fragmented narrative of a past relationship and how Tiller and his respective lover wishes to rekindle. It is easy for the audience to establish a clear and solidified relationship between the visuals and lyrics because of how it is based entirely off the song, and bears no relation to a conceptually devised piece. The setting varies throughout the entirety of the video as the audience are taken on a journey from past to present-day and features a myriad of frames that feature intimate low-key lighting to vibrant high-key lighting. In terms of a successful relationship formed through the visuals and lyrics, a wide-angled camera shot features a radio with the overlaying track vocalising, 'everywhere she goes, they're playing my songs', as she looks over to the radio itself. This is significant as it reveals to the audience that she is aware that he is trying to reach her through other forms of communication, i.e. the radio and he wants to let her know that all of the songs are about her. Another example of when the relationship is established between the lyrics and the visuals is when Tiller says "blow dank" which translates to "smoking marijuana", whereby the visual of Tiller lighting up a 'joint' is mirrored with the lyrics. The lyrics themselves speak of heartbreak and redemption as Tiller is desperate to fix his past relationship and often mirror what the visuals are conveying to the audience.


GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

Tiller redefined the R&B music industry when he released 'Exchange' from the album TRAPSOUL in 2016 from the record label RCA. Typically, as a genre, R&B is associated with intimate and subdued visuals, both of which are present within the music video. The majority of the video is filmed with settings that feature low-key, warm lighting, further intensifying the intimacy that the audience would experience as Tiller recalls a past relationship; the stimulus for the entire music video and song itself. There is also an element of performance prevalent within the music video, as a high-angled camera shot captures Tiller lip-synching to the song whilst nostalgically looking out of a window. A further convention of the R&B/hip-hop genre would be that of the expected 'gold chains' donned by the artist; a wide-angled mid shot captures Tiller as he continues to perform to the lyrics of the song whilst also highlighting the two heavy, gold chains around his neck. An interesting feature to note about this music video is that the majority of scenes are shot in slow-motion; this further reinforces the intimate nature of the video and contributes to a typical convention of the R&B genre, whilst pertaining to the cynosure of the song, allowing the audience to appreciate the visuals a lot more.


INTERTEXTUALITY

Intertextuality features through a minimum during the music video for 'Exchange'. The only notable relation that one could infer from another media text would be that the opening of 'Exchange' is similar to that of the opening of 'Heartbeat' by Childish Gambino. This is recognised through the camera following the respective actor walking down a suburban street, adjacent to a fence and seemingly saddened or affected by another person, with a non-diegetic, melancholic beat running in parallel with the visuals (demonstrated through stills taken from both videos [BELOW RIGHT]). As Tiller continues to grace the music industry with his solemn and brooding releases, he gives a hint to the audience of a future music project, 'SHE'S GOT MY SOUL'.  Tiller is now known to go by the alias 'Pen Affleck' and hints that 'SHE'S GOT MY SOUL' may be a music project that is to be released after the platinum album release of 'TRAPSOUL', this is evidenced in the video through a wide-angled/establishing shot of a cinema. Aside from this, there seems to be no other distinct relationship drawn between other media texts and the music video for 'Exchange' but continues to exist on it's own for the remainder of the video.



LOOKING/MODE OF ADDRESS

Throughout the video, Tiller refuses to acknowledge the camera, therefore reinforcing the element of disconnect between artist and audience. Because of the overarching theme of the song, being it a homage to heartbreak and redemption, this would be expected as Tiller remains no way inclined to publicise the extent of his feelings as the non-diegetic, overlaid sound continues with it's melancholic beat accompanying the visuals and further pushing the story onwards as to establish a clear, but fragmented narrative. However, there is one direct address to the audience near the end of the video, where a close-up shot captures Tiller in a state of agitation, accompanied by harsh red, low-key lighting. There is an element of Colour Psychology prevalent here that establishes a foreshadowing of some sorts and as an interpretation, the general population would associate the colour red with either anger, love and/or danger. As the narrative ensues, the audience are aware that he drives "back and forth from Louisville to Lexington" to meet his ex lover, this highlights an element of danger, for fear that the girl won't reciprocate his feelings and he will have his heartbroken again; anger, so that the girl and him get involved in an argument or, finally, love; wherein the pair reconnect at the end of the video and rekindle the relationship. This close-up camera shot highlights to the audience that Tiller is indeed trying to connect with the audience as compared to at the beginning of the video where it could be inferred that he was reluctant in opening up about his feelings, but is now in a position to reconnect and accept the extent of what he feels for his ex lover.

LINEAR OR CLOSED NARRATIVE & NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT?

As previously stated, the narrative is fragmented but is closed, as it seems to be that Tiller and his ex lover come to a state of reconciliation by the end of the video. The way in which it is fragmented is that the quick-cut and slow-cut camera shots jump back and forth between the past and the present, although bearing no significant detail as to how the audience would differentiate the two separate narratives much like in the music video for 'Everybody Talks'. In terms of complexity, the narrative exhibits no ambiguity or hidden subliminal message, therefore reinforces the idea that the music video was driven solely by the message of the song; which was to rekindle an old relationship.

STAR TREATMENT

Tiller operates as a sole artist under the record label RCA. As a new and up-coming artist within the music industry, audiences start to establish links between the artist and their music, such as through artist iconography. Albeit, considering that Tiller is new to the music world, not a lot of theory could be applied that would detail audience recognition as he is steadily building his fan-base with the release of the platinum album 'TRAPSOUL'. Although, the release of the album gained Tiller immense notoriety from the public with the single 'Don't' being released in early 2015 and started to solidify the franchise behind 'TRAPSOUL'. Throughout the video, Tiller is consistently seen by the audience as the narrative unfolds, with a variety of differing camera shots that establish his status and dominance throughout the video, but very rarely are there close-up camera shots of the artist.


MIS-EN-SCENE

The video features a fragmented narrative, as the aforementioned point states, but however lacks in the diversity in setting. Because of this fragmented narrative, the audience are taken on a journey of a recollection of memories that are seen through wide-angled, high-angled panning shots of the pool and contrasted with a quick-cut edited shots of the past that are shown to the audience through low-key lighting and a mid-shot of Tiller. The significant contrast in camera angle and lighting are important as it highlights Tillers feelings at that time and ensures that the audience can distinguish a clear narrative and difference between the past and the present. Vibrant high-key lighting accompanied by a high-angled panning camera shot of Tiller enforces the happier times that he had during the relationship, although, a typical high-angled camera shot would disempower the artist (as shown through the still on the top right) and empower the audience; subverting the typical convention of the camera angle. However, this choice in camera angle could suggest that the relationship was known to the public, as the enforcement of power to the audience is suggested by us looking down on Tiller and his lover. Perhaps alluding to the idea that because the relationship went too public, it was inevitably what tore them apart. As the narrative continues, the sexualisation of the female ex lover is apparent to the audience and appeals to Laura Mulvey's ideology of 'The Male Gaze', in which female actors or performers are portrayed in such an overtly sexual or provocative way, as to satisfy the male population. An intimate, subtle high-angled camera angle portrays Tillers lover in a sexual light as it is accompanied by amorous low-key lighting, scantily dressed in frilly, white lingerie, while she seductively rubs her hands over the tops of her thighs. The colour white, in most senses, is associated with purity and 'virgin-like' attributes, however, the depiction of the woman and her 'purity' in this video is heavily subverted as she is objectified in order to satisfy the male demographic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj9coPGuFkM

Andrew Goodwin Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin Music Video Theory

There are many theories in Media Studies, all of which culminate to form certain ideologies about different media texts and forms, rarely are there ever theories that can be applied to the artistry of music videos, however. 

But, through the theory coined by Andrew Goodwin, studying and analysing the forms of a range of music videos has never been so easy, thanks to a checklist of features that amalgamate to create a successful music video.

The theory includes a checklist of seven key points that should work in complete synergy in order to form a music video. This checklist encompasses the series of codes and conventions that music videos should have in common, whilst reiterating the fundamental basis of all music videos, which is to have a strong, constructed link between the visuals, the song and the artist or band. 

Key features of Goodwin's Theory:

• Typically, all music videos have unequivocal genre characteristics that would pertain to the specific genre of music being relayed to audiences.
• There is almost always a relationship between the visuals of the video and the lyrics performed by the artists. 
• Demands of the Record Label (i.e. Warner Bros.) will be evident within the video and represented by the artist.
• Intertextual references are common, too.
• The 'Notion of Looking' (such as the objectification of women and men - links to other theories such as 'The Male Gaze' theorised by Laura Mulvey) with features of 'Voyeurism', such as direct gaze, screen and mirrors and potential insight into the life of the artist. 
• Artist Iconography/Star Image.
• There is a strong relationship between the music and the lyrics.

Below, there are examples that further deepen the understanding of these key features of Goodwin's Theory that feature across a range of music videos and genres.



Notions of Looking/Voyeurism/Objectification

Taken from Childish Gambino's music video for 'Heartbeat'. (RIGHT)

Here we see Gambino (Donald Glover) directly addressing the camera through a cars rear view mirror. The song is a tribute to Gambino's 'True Love' or 'The One' and

not being able to be together. This direct address heightens the intense relationship between artist and audience as Gambino continues on to signify his heartbreak of not being together even though the pair are still in love, through the lyrics.

(LEFT) Taken from Shakira's music video of 'Can't Remember to Forget You'. 

Here we can see the blatant objectification of Rihanna as she is captured in a provocative pose in an effort to satisfy the male demographic; this is closely linked to Laura Mulvey's theory of 'The Male Gaze'. 

(LEFT) Taken from The 1975's music video for 'Love Me'.

This still shows Matt Healy looking directly at the camera without the use of mirrors or screens. The element of voyeurism is present as we are watching Healy perform the song through an extreme close-up camera shot. 

(BELOW) Taken from Carly Rae Jepsen's music video for 'Call Me Maybe'.

This is an example of male objectification in order to satisfy the female demographic, more often than not, males who are objectified are usually portrayed without a shirt revealing the upper torso, in comparison to the objectification of women who are seen scantily clad, filmed with high-angled camera shots that further the objectification.

Genre Characteristics

Examples that pertain to the genre of rock and what would typically feature in a music video for that specific genre, would be that of the entire band performing, usually filmed through a wide angled, level shot so that it sustains the equality of the entire band instead of focusing on a sole member. 

Taken from the Red Hot Chili Peppers music video for 'Californication'. 

Every band member is present here which enables the audience to identify more with the music as they can see the full involvement of the band. The wide angled shot represents the band and it's unity, straying away from any misconstrued ideas about status as they are captured on a levelled shot. 

Taken from The 1975's music video for 'UGH!'.

Although the faces of the band members cannot be seen by the audience, they are still aware that the band performs together, solidifying the sense of unity within the band itself. 

Intertextual References

The concept of intertextuality makes the audience feel superior if they know elements of other media forms have been included in others. Intertextual references are always exciting to find and increases audience engagement with the media form, whether that is through a film or music video. 

Thirty Seconds To Mars released a music video for 'The Kill (Bury Me)' in 2010 that was heavily influenced by Stanley Kubrick's, 'The Shining'. The intertextual references are outstanding and somewhat follows a similar narrative to that of the actual film. 

Here are stills taken from the music video and the film that depict an intimate moment between two 'unorthodox' lovers.

Another scene of comparison is when Nicholson is alone in the main hall and starts to throw a tennis ball up against the wall, this is also shown in the music video where Jared Leto also throws a ball at a wall. Comparing the camera angles, the music video still shows a wide-angled shot that captures the momentary interlude where Leto continues to lash out at a wall with a tennis ball, there is an absence of diegetic sound.

The camera angle that captures Nicholson throwing the ball at the wall is also a wide-angled shot, but masks his face as it is filmed from behind. A similarity that can be drawn from these two stills is the limited lighting, which is inferred as low-key. The low-key lighting reflects the sombre mood of both the film and the music video as the narrative unfolds.

Although in terms of colour palette the two media texts differ, the music video follows the majority of the narrative as directed by Kubrick in the film. Compared to the film, the music video is bleak and features a desolate hotel, whereas the film depicts a wintery setting with warm hues and ornate walls.

Music Video Analysis: Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity

Music Video Analysis: Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity

Jamiroquai's music video for 'Virtual Insanity' is most notably a conceptual piece. Released in September 1996, Jonathan Glazer combined oddities that were then amalgamated into an aesthetically bizarre and unorthodox, conceptual music video for the hit song. The video is the epitome of intrigue as the audience are shifted back and forth between blank settings with only one object being the focal point, such as the couch or the cockroaches. An interesting feature of the music video is the use of special effects which gained notoriety from critics as a moving floor was typically seen as unconventional during the time period of which the video was released. 

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS AND LYRICS

A baffling yet interesting music video creates great intrigue for the audience as they try and determine a relationship between the visuals and lyrics, of which, there is one. The setting of the music video is agreeably bleak, and is evidently filmed in an enclosed room with featureless, white walls, a moving grey floor but is accompanied by intense, luminous high-key lighting. Lyrics often speak of impending technological advancements and how the future could be drastically altered if we don't heed to these advancing concepts; which in one sense, would marry with the visuals as a typical convention of the "concept of technology" would be the sleek, featureless, white coloured surfaces of objects or rooms, as seen in the music video. An example of the relationship between visuals and lyrics is where the song starts with "who can tell what magic spells", and it seems as if Jay Kay is as if by "magic" coercing the chair over to him, but it is in fact the moving floor. The bleakness of the video could be of significance as it detracts from any obvious message that could have been easily relayed to audience through use of colour or objects that are indicative of any subliminal message, but is perhaps symbolic of the emptiness that humanity could face with advancing technology.

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

As a band, Jamiroquai are known for their outlandish 'acid jazz/funk' genre, which is typically a combination of dance, disco, jazz and soul music. Albeit, there are no significant genre characteristics displayed throughout the videos entirety as I believe that the band wanted to encapsulate the harsh reality of technological reign if humanity lets it go too far. The absence of colourful settings, such as multicoloured lighting, commonly associated with a club setting and the genre of 'disco' coalesces together with the entire subliminal message of the video that is indeed reinforced through the bleak setting. However, a convention of the 'disco' genre that seems to have been retained is that of the precise and 'funky' dancing by lead singer Jay Kay, of which wide-angled mid-shots capture this. A constant that remains throughout the video is the intense, luminous high-key lighting that could be associated with the genre of the music, especially the genre of funk, although, not in its entirety. Other than the minimal genre convention mentioned, there are no significant genre characteristics present within the video that audiences can identify, other than the overlaying track and the dancing. The setting, of which is of ultimate significance in order to relay the message of the song is stark, and therefore offers no deeper meaning to the audience. 

INTERTEXTUALITY

There was no notable intertextual links that I could infer from this music video, as it seems to be based purely on the message of the actual song lyrics, therefore created entirely for that purpose and is absent of any other relation to other media forms. 

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE AND/OR CONCEPT?

At first, it would seem that the music video offers nothing interesting to the audience, aside from the lead singers 'funky' dancing. But considering that this video is heavily conceptualised, it offers the audience with an underlying message through it's progressive, cyclical narrative. The video takes the audience through the world of 'Virtual Insanity' through slick but fast camera angles, in which the camera suddenly jolts up to the ceiling, then brings the audience back down into the room but with the seating arrangement changed. As well as this room change, it also takes the audience into an entirely different room where Jay Kay is seen side by side with six men who remain in a statuesque state, clinging to the wall.  Performing throughout the song is in the hands of the lead singer as he lip-synchs to the song, but it fails to capture the rest of the band, therefore is limited in the "all inclusive" performance aspect of the entire band. 

LINEAR OR CLOSED NARRATIVE?

It could be inferred that the music video follows a cyclical narrative in the sense that it brings the audience through to different settings, but ultimately ends up with the original setting, therefore completing the cyclical, structured narrative of the video. There is only evidence of a singular, linear narrative throughout the music video, making it less complex in its execution, but as the purpose of the video is to "educate humanity", it would be appropriate that the music video was devoid of a complex narrative, as it conveys the message quickly and effectively to the audience.

LOOKING/MODE OF ADDRESS

Throughout the video, there is a variety of extreme close-up camera shots that capture Jay Kay's lip-synching and facial expressions, which would have an effect on how the audience receive the song. The close up-shots show how involved Jay Kay is with the music and how there is no evident disconnect between performer and audience.

STAR TREATMENT

The video only focuses on lead singer, Jay Kay, through various wide-angled camera shots and notably excludes the remaining band members. This was done with intention, for example, in terms of star recognition and based on Richard Dyer's 'Star Theory', Jay Kay would have been utilised as a pivotal tool in order for the audience to recognise and become increasingly influenced by what he is trying to convey throughout the song. Jay Kay is probably the most well-known band member from Jamiroquai, therefore the intentions of the record label would be that considering that he would already have a wider established fan-base than the other band members, he would have been used as an influential person to convey the subliminal message. A technical feature that backs this claim would be that there is no use of high-angled camera shots when the audience is shown Jay Kay, thus eliminating the idea that he has been empowered or disempowered, but instead is shown to have equal status throughout the video. If he was empowered with low-angled camera shots, the audience wouldn't feel compelled to listen to the message behind the song, likewise if he was disempowered with multiple high-angled camera shots, the audience would be dismissive. 

MIS-EN-SCENE

Through it's entirety, the video pays homage to the idea that as the future progresses, humanity could become enslaved by the rapid advancements of technology if we don't take initiative and solve the problem first. A special effect that could be inferred as having a deeper meaning is that of the moving floor laden with a variety of couches, but yet, still remains astonishingly minimal. It can be inferred that this feature is used to illustrate the idea that as a race, we are constantly moving but ultimately, we aren't going anywhere if we let technology hinder our ability to progress and evolve as a society. Jay Kay is seen to be walking and dancing on this moving floor, but still remains in the same position, which further reinforces this idea. Colour Psychology is introduced to the audience yet again through the dismal, two-toned, almost monochromatic colour palette of the walls, floor and surrounding objects. The cold colours invokes no feeling at all, aesthetically it is far from pleasing and ultimately conveys the emptiness that would ensue if we were to become controlled by technology. There are two symbolic features within this music video; the cockroaches and the crow, both contributing to a contradicting message. Cockroaches are typically impervious to outstanding forces and can withstand anything, but could be indicative of an underlying message that as humanities impending decline continues, these will be the only remaining creatures that withstood humanities neglect of emotions and it's society due to the infatuation with technology. Likewise, the symbolism behind the crow is that of it is typically associated with death or decay, much to mirror the subliminal message of the video. However, through it's positive connotations, the crow is often admired as a messenger, commonly associated with delivering omens. Therefore, representing hope and the potential breakthrough in human neglect as we stand together to change humanity for the better. The crow is seen through low-angled, wide-angled, tracking shots, which in turn creates the illusion of an overseer, and slightly disempowers the audience. There is no evidence of diegetic sound, perhaps alluding to the idea that audiences would be distracted from the message of the video, and is instead compelled to listen to the song as it resonates its message.

Furthermore, it can be concluded that such minimal features (i.e. the cockroaches/crow) contribute to the reinforcement of the overarching message of the music video, as shown through a variety of shots, absence of vibrant colours and lack of aesthetics.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JkIs37a2JE