Deconstructing Music Videos

For our first lesson of coursework, we looked at a variety of music videos which we deconstructed to find out what elements are used in videos in general. To do this, we made notes on: *The Use of Camera *Pace and Rhythm of Editing *Genere Ingrediants *Relationship to Audience *Type of Video and *How Visuals and Lyrics Work Together.

Chris Brown: Loyal

The Use of Camera: We found that the camera focused on the performing artist for the majority of the time, using close ups and medium shots to establish who they are and create a relationship between them and the audience. There were also close ups and long shots of the environment and the female dancers to allow the audience to identify the genre of the video.

Pace and Rhythm of Editing: The pace of the editing was quite quick to match the fast pace of the song, and the rhythm was in time to the beat to create a smooth and accurate mood that matched the lyrics.

Genre Ingrediants: The Mise en Scene and Iconography used in the video was bright and colourful to match the upbeat atmosphere of the song, with the girls in provocative clothing and he guys in 'cool' baggy clothing to reinforce the fact that they are 'up to date' and 'mainstream'. The chains on the guys clothes and the settings reinforced the fact that this is a rap video and of the 'hip hop' genre.

Relationship to Audience: The 'Male Gaze' is used to put the audience in the shoes of a heterosexual male, such as the three artists in the video, which makes them feel more connected and involved in the production. Close ups are also used to create a relationship between the on screen characters and the audience as well as eye contact with the artist and the camera (the audience).

Type of Video: This vidoe is a rap/ hip hop video, but also a performance video as there is no real story line or narrative to it.

How Visuals and Lyrics Work Together: The visulas and the lyrics in this video work well together, as the viusals are a clear representation the song. The men sing about 'hoes' not being 'loyal' whilst surrounded by women in provocative clothing who go from each artist to the others, showing that none of them are loyal to just one of them. The dancing and movement in the video are also parallel the pace of the music and lyrics.

McFly: Love is on the Radio

The Use of Camera: Like in Chris Brown's video, there are many close ups and medium shots of the artists to establish who they are. However, there are also times where the camera focuses on the artists individually, and then on the band as a whole, to promote the fact that these guys are all individuals, but also to reinforce that although they may be their own person, when they come together, they make up the band 'McFly'.

Pace and Rhythm of Editing: Again, the transitions of the editing were in time to the music and reinforced the 'fun' and 'playful' mood of the video.

Genre Ingrediants: There was a lot more emphasis on the instruments of the band in this video, to express that this is in fact a 'pop-rock' group. The costume and props used were also a bit quirky and different to show that this band is a bit more 'indie' or 'alternative'.

Relationship to Audience: There was a lot of direct gaze towards the camera, which makes the audience feel as if they are playing this song for them. The band members took it in turns to come out from the backgorund where they were all placed to sing or perform right in front of the camera, and there was also a time when one of the band members actually rubbed the lens of the camera which made the performance feel a lot more personal, as if the audience was actually involved in the fun.

Type of Video: The video was again a performance video, with no storyline or narrative. It was a family-friendly pop-rock video, with no swearing or rude gestures which makes it suitable for a broad target age.

How Visuals and Lyrics Work Together: The visuals matched the fun and carefee nature of the lyrics, and although it is not a literal representation of the lyrics, the video is in time to the beat and rhythm of the music.

Biffy Clyro: Mountains

The Use of Camera: Again, there were a lot of close ups of the band, however unlike the McFly video where there was equal time on each band member, the main focus was on Simon becuase he, as the frontman, is considered the most important member of the band. There was also alternative methods of camera movement used in the video, with handheld movements used for certain scenes which linked to the chorus of 'I am the Mountain, I am the Sea'.

Pace and Rhythm of Editing: Similar to the other videos, the pace and rythm matched the pace of the music.

Genre Ingrediants: Like with the McFly video, there was more emphasis on the instruments used as Biffy Clyro is a rock band. The genre was also reinforced by the Mise en Scene used which was quite dark' dark clothing, dark lighting, dark props, until the narrative side of the production, where there was a contrast between the light and the dark side of the chessboard.

Relationship to Audience: There was again a good relationship with the audience, with a lot of eye contact and performing to the camera.

Type of Video: The type of video differed between a performance video and a narrative video, with the band performing to the camera and audience half of the time, and acting out a story of a chessboard the other half.

How Visuals and Lyrics Work Together: The visuals again worked well with the lyrics as the dark nature of the song was reflected in the dark and slightly odd video. Also, the characters in the video sung in time to the lyrics as well as when the artists were performing it, creating a strong link between lyrics, perfomance and narrative.

One Direction: Little Things

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The Use of Camera: The movement of the camera was quite slow to match the slower pace of the song, and also used varied long and close shots to establish who the artists are and to show them in their studio. Again like the McFly video, each individual artist had their own close up shots when they were performing, all of which were equal lengths to ensure the audience is happy, but also had group shots to show that these individuals come together to make up the group.

Pace and Rhythm of Editing: Again, the pace of the editing matched the slower pace of the song, and each edit was cut on the beat to give it an overall smoother finish.

Genre Ingredients: A lot of props were used in the music room, such as instruments and technological music equipment to show that these are a music group. The boys wear casual 'trendy' and popular teenage clothes, which show the audience that the group are more mainstream. The video is in black and white, which work together with the lyrics to establish that this is a slow, romantic song.

Relationship to Audience: Again, the group often make eye contact with the camera, to create a connection with themselves and their audience. Their styling is also very similar to how their target audience (teenage girls/boys) dress, which makes them seem more approachable and easy to connect with.

Type of Video: The video is a performance video, which has been staged to seem as if it were recorded as they were initially recording the song. The effect of this is that it makes the group members feel as if they are more 'real' and easily accessible, as they are shown just 'messing about'.

How Visuals and Lyrics Work Together: The lyrics of the song are quite romantic, as they are singing about 'a loved one'. The visuals have been made in black and white to reflect this mood and the group members often look straight into the camera whilst delivering personal lines to lead their female target audience to thinking that they are singing it to them.

John Legend: All Of Me

The Use of Camera: Again, like the others, the use of camera in this video is mainly focused on the artist, establishing him as the main focal feature. However, the camera is often focused on both john and his wife to establish the fact that they are a unit, reinforcing the fact that this is a love song.

Pace and Rhythm of Editing: The pace of the editing is quite slow, which matches the slow pace of the music and lyrics. The rhythm of the editing is also in time to the beate, creating a smoother overall product.

Genre Ingrediants: This song is a slow love song, but is also quite mainstream. This is shown through the ingrediants used throughout the song, such as the black and white colouring which gives off a more romantic atmosphere than normal colouring, the use of only two characters- John and his wife, which shows how these two are in 'a world of their own', the mainsream/popular clothing choice which allows the target audience to feel as if they can connect and build a relationship with the characters easier as they are dressed like them and the use of the personal video clip at the end, which adds a sense of realism to the video and makes it seem even more romantic.

Relationship to Audience: The direct gaze with the camera and the close up shots of the characters helps to create a strong relationship between target audience and the artist and also makes the artist seem much more approachable.

Type of Video: The video is half performance and half narrative video, as the artist sings and plays the piano half of the time and spends the other half showing clips of the love story of him and his wife.

How Visuals and Lyrics Work Together: The soft, romantic lyrics work extremely well with the black and white effect placed on the video, as it reinforces the romatic nature of the song. The artists love is expressed through the words that he sings and also by the fact that the two characters have only each others company throughout the piece- showing that they only need each other.

Disclosure ft Sam Smith: Latch

The Use of Camera: The camera movement was slow, especially in the kissing scenes, and there were mostly close ups, medium and long shots used to follow the narrative.

Pace and Rhythm of Editing: In this video, the editing was sharp, but slow paced which contrasted to the pace of the song.

Genre Ingrediants: The genre of the song was dance, so the ingredients which helped convey this genre included party settings, bright flashing colours, and clips showing the characters kissing, dancing and having fun. The characters costumes were typical party clothes which again helps reinforce the genre.

Relationship to Audience: There are a lot of close ups of the couples kissing, which make the audience feel a part of their love and part of the party. There are also a few intimate scenes which have the potential to make the audience members feel a bit awkward or uncomfortable, which again includes them in the video.

Type of Video: This is a purely narrative based video, as it just tells the story of the characters without any performance from the artist, which is another typical convention of the dance genre.

How Visuals and Lyrics Work Together: The music and the lyrics of the song are quite dance-y, which is reinforced by the visuals, as the characters are shown dancing in a club which is a typical convention of dance music. The visuals also represent the lyrics and the title of 'latch' as the song and the video both focus on the 'latching' of one person to another, which is shown by the characters kissing throughout the visuals.

Genre

Genre is the way in which we categorise media texts.

What elements do we use to identify a genre?

• Mise en Scene: Stock Settings, Stock Characters, Props, Lighting, Costume, Composition, Hair and Make Up.
• Iconography: Signs, Symbols and Semiotics.
• Narrative
• Themes

My chosen genre Indie Rock

Narrative Theory

Propp's Theory

Valdimir Propp established his 'character theory' after studying folk tales. His theory stated that in ever narrative there is a set of 'stock characters'- typical characters that appear in every narrative. These were:

• The Hero
• The Villain
• The Princess
• The Helper
• The False Hero
• The Dispatcher
• The Father
• The Donor

Strauss' Theory



Levi-Strauss stated that in every media text, there were binary opposites (or a conflict between opposites) and that audiences are subsequently aware of which side they should pick.
These include:

• Good vs Bad
• Rich vs Poor
• Love vs Hate

Todorov's Theory

Todorov's narrative theory suggests that there are five stages in all media texts.
These are:

• Original Equilibrium
• Distruption
• Recognition
• Attempt to repair
• New Equlibrium

Firth (1988)

Firth said that music videos can be charcaterized by three broad typologies.


These are:

• Performance Videos: These convey a sense of 'in concert' experience.
• Narrative Videos: Most popular being linear and love stories.
• Conceptual Videos: These include metaphors to create a mood and offer multiple meanings which are up for the audience to interpret.

Andrew Goodwin

Goodwin stated that there are various different relationships between lyrics and visuals and music.

These include:

• Illustrative: The images and visuals provide a literal representation of the lyrics.
• Amplifying: This is a repition of key meanings and effects to manipulate the audience.
• Contradicting: The images and visulas contrast with the lyrics or music of the video.
• Disjuncture: This is when the meaning of a song is completely ignored.



Applying Narrative Theory Music Videos

I looked at a range of indie music videos to analyse what narrative structures were included in the genre.

Twenty One Pilots: Holding On To You

Propp's Theory:

There is a sort of confusion between who is the 'Hero' and who is the 'Villain' in this video. The frontman is shown in the beginning covered by a white sheet, which may connote innocence and goodness.

However, as the song progresses, he is shown to be wearing dark clothing and is associated with darker props such as a noose. At one point, he has his face painted in a dark and eeire manner, which contrasts to the light with darker and possibly more dangerous themes, which would consequently label him as the 'Villain'.

In addition to this, the backup dancers are painted with the same eerie makeup and wear dark and alternative clothing which may also label them as 'Villains'

Strauss' Theory:

There is a large use of binary opposites in this video, the most prominant 'Good vs Evil', 'Life vs Death', 'Sanity vs Insanity' and 'Light vs Dark'. These are reinforced by the make up of the backup dancers, and also in one scene the face make up of the frontman, and also by the fact that the video has been made in black and white.

The staccato movement of the frontman conrasts to the wild and unpredictable movements of the dancers which reinforces the binary opposite of sanity vs insanity.

The lyrics of the song also adds to these contrasts, with lyrics such as 'tie a noose around your mind, loose enough to breathe fine' showing the fight between the need to stay alive and how he sometimes wants to die. 

Todorov's Theory:

• Equlibrium: Frontman is covered by white sheet but wearing dark clothing showing a contrast between light and dark. He is passive and 'not in control' of his body or actions.
• Disruption: Frontman is uncovered by dancers and begins to move in a staccato fashion as he begins to 'take control' of his body.
• Recognition: The frontman begins to dance more freely as he takes full control and ownership of his body.
• Attempt to Repair: Dancers now try to restrict his movement by crowding around him and tying a noose around his 'mind'. They also paint his face like their own.
• New Equilibrium: The frontman once again becomes passive and the white sheet is once again palced over him.

Firth&Goodwin:

The music video is although illustrative in some palces, it is mostly a conceptual music video, and is open to audience interpretation. It is also an amplifying music video, with the key meanings and themes being repeated such as the theme of life and death.

Flobots: Handlebars

Propp's Theory:

The 'Hero' and the 'Villain' of this video are a lot clearer than the previous video. The 'Hero' can be identified as the casually dressed man. We can identify him as the hero as he is shown to be helping out with the community- picking up apples off the floor and putting them back, and leading protestors to campaign against the corrupt polititians.

The 'Villain' is also easy to identify; he is the man wearing the business suit. We can tell this as we see him working his way up the ladder getting more power and money, where he eventually becomes presient and ends the world in a holocaust where the lives of innocent people are lost. He also causes the death of the 'Hero' who is shown to be an old friend of his.

There are also 'Helpers' present in the video- the people in the community who help the 'Hero' protest against his old friend.

The 'Villain' in this video can also take on the role of the 'False Hero' as he beileves that what he is doing is the right thing to do, and is shown when we see how shocked and guilty he looks when he see's that he caused the war and the death of his friend.

Strauss' Theory:

 Again, there are a range of binary opposites in this video, including 'Money and Wealth vs No Money and No Wealth', 'Power vs No Power', 'High Status vs Low Status', 'Good vs Evil', 'Democracy vs Tyranny' and 'Freedom vs Control'.

These are shown by the contrast between the two amin characters- one just wants to help his community and the other just cares about money and power, and is also represented by the two birds- the white bird is plucked out of the sky by the black bird.

Todorov's Theory:

• Equlibrium: Two friends are shown coming out of a bright white light riding their bikes with no handle bars.
• Distruption: They go down different paths- The 'Hero' decides to help the neighbourhood and put his skills to helpful uses, whilst the 'Villain' decides to use his skills to gain more money and power.
• Recognition: The 'Hero' see's the 'Villain' on TV with his political power and decides that he isn't doing any good.
• Attempt to Repair: The 'Hero' encourages people to protest against his corrupted friend and his political party.
• New Equlibrium: The 'Villain' causes a war between the goverment and the protestors, who all end up being killed. The video ends with the 'Hero' being shot dead, a horrified expression on the 'Villain's' face and then a repeat of the starting scene- the two boys on their bikes, riding with no handlebars.

Firth&Goodwin:

 This video is completely a narrative video, with no performance in it at all. The video is cartooned and dominated by the two (male) characters. It is also an illustrative video, as the visuals are a literal representation of the lyrics being sung/rapped.

Gorillaz: Dirty Harry

Propp's Theory:

Again, the 'Hero' is easy to identify in this video as the artist who arrives in the van. We can tell this as he replies to the distress signal which the teenaged cartoon charcater gives out by driving over to them in the desert and saving them.

The 'Helper' can be identified as the cartoon character who drove the van out to the desert so that the 'Hero' could save the children.

There was also a 'False Hero' who we can identify as the teenaged cartoon character who fired the flare gun for the van to rescue them and keeps watch over the children.

Strauss' Theory:

The binary opposites in this video had more to do with the production of the video, with contrasts such as 'Real vs Surreal', 'Real Life vs Cartoon Life' and 'Human vs Cartoon'.

Todorov's Theory:

• Equlibrium: The cartoon characters are stranded in the desert.
• Distruption: The cartoon teen fires a flare gun for the rescue van to find.
• Recognition:The real artist notices the flare and his driver takes them to find the cartoons.
• Attempt to Repair: The artist dances with the cartoons whilst alternating between performing his rap.
• New Equlibrium: The cartoon characters get into the van and are driven away.

Firth&Goodwin:

Unlike Flobots, this video alternates between narrative and performance, and is also an amplifying video, with what little lyrics it has and the rap conveying a repeated message to the audience.