Music Video Analysis

Why do bands create music videos?

Meet Audience Expectations

Meeting the expectations of the audience is very important; meeting the expectations can lead to increased popularity and a stronger fan base. This can be done in music videos via including a performance to camera, as it is very likely the audience are watching the music video to see the band/singers. However trying too hard to meet audience expectations can also be a bad thing as many viewer may see the music video as generic or desperate, this could potentially discourage the audience from viewing more content from the same band.

Advertising

Advertising could be mean two things in the sense of a music video, firstly advertising the band itself; this is where the audience are given an insight into the lives of the singers/band members. This is how opinions can be formed about the members, for example if you depict them participating in good deeds many may perceive the band to be kind and view more of their content. However this works both ways as many may see the band members as trying too hard to gain approval or they could argue that these good deeds are all just staged for the video and there is no way to insure these actually occur-lowering reputation.

                  As I mentioned earlier there is also another method of advertisement, this is where the band is given money by outside sources to create the music video is they ensure to do something for the outside company, the most common of these takes the form of a prop placement (placing a item e.g. a can of Coca-Cola in fame) this can be good as the band may not have enough funds to create the video without this however many people consider this as a ‘money grab’ and say the artists are ‘selling out’

Further expression of the art

This is one of the most common reasons for creating a music video as many artists feel that just from the lyrics the message they want to spread is not obvious so they create a video; this acts as a visual method of the artist’s vision and hopefully raises more awareness for their cause.

Making the music available on more platforms

Ever since the creation of music videos more platforms came to existence for example MTV (Music Television) this platform only played music if they had an accompanying video, if not they would not play the music this meant may artists could not have their content played. To fix this problem artist created videos so there music could be played on more platforms.

Artist: Justin Bieber

Song: Baby

Song Genre: Pop

Music Video Genre: Narrative

Target Audience: pre/early teens (generically girls)

Throughout this music video I noticed that the visual style meant there was not much variation on transitions, the video consisting of mainly cuts and also using fades. These fades are used to create an emotional connection with the audience; these fades are also used to condense a large portion of time into a few key shots. This is crucial due to the average music video spanning from 3:20-4:00 minuets and all the time wouldn’t be available for a small part of the narrative. The narrative has been told in chronological order, with common cuts where the performance to camera takes place, this performance is a method of direct mode of address establishing a connection with the audience. The narrative is very generic for this genre of music in the sense that it is one man/teen with the goal of obtaining a specific female.

                  Many conventions are used regularly used in music videos and these are used here, one of the most common is movement in time with the music, this is important as it connects the music and the video creating one entity. One of the things I feel works well in this video is the slow fades, I feel these are effective for this emotional music video as they serve multiple purposes as previously stated. Something I don’t like however is the over use of camera flares as I found it distracted from the viewing experience, although this is a personal thing and I feel this may work for others.   

Artist: Meghan Trainor

Song: All About That Bass

Song Genre: Pop

Music Video Genre: Performance Based

Target Audience: young teens (13-15) as they are impressionable and the positive message shown

The main visual style present within this music video is the strong contrast in colour throughout, these contrasts consist of pale pinks and blues-these colours are often asserted with childhood memories and babies. This is further shown as the music video progresses revealing to the audience that the video is shot in a giant dolls house. There is no narrative to speak of throughout this music video, personally I feel this has been done so the audience are not distracted from the positive message the lyrics enforce, however it could be argued that the doll house represents society and Meghan is not conforming to how all of the other dolls are with their ‘plastic’ aesthetics.  There are many conventions within this music video, the most important being the direct mode of address as the singer/song writer is clearly attempting to spread the positive message. The other important convention I identified was the performance to camera; this performance allows an emotional connection to be established between the singer and the viewers. I think multiple things worked really well for this music video for example the musician (Meghan Trainor) was constantly centre framed, this is important as it establishes that no matter where you watch in the video she is the most important person in frame. Another thing I feel worked really well was the lack of narrative, in most cases this would be a negative however it works here due to the positive message being shown. However one thing I believe didn’t work would be the lack of transitions using almost completely cuts.                                   

Artist: The Pharcyde

Song: Drop

Song Genre: Hip-Hop

Music Video Genre: Narrative

Target Audience: 16-25 year olds, usually in education.

                  Mise-En-Scene is very important in boy-bands this is important as generally speaking each member has their signature colour, this can be seen here via the choice of colours seen via the group. The visual style of this song is very different as the footage initially looks ‘off’ and it’s hard to see what is wrong with it, after a while however you realise that the footage has been reversed. Throughout this music video a narrative is shown, however there doesn’t seem to be anything happening other than walking while dancing. Due to the narrative only being small and also being played in reverse, this leads me to believe multiple people would miss it.

                  This music video is very unique in nature-making it unconventional. One of the main aspects of its originality stems from the entirety of the music video being played in reverse. Another however comes from the constant movement of the group weather it’s dancing or just swaying, this is unusual but personally I didn’t like it and the movement just looked meaningless and erratic. One of the main things that didn’t work for me was the constant movement via the group of singers, this lead to a lack of camera focus that irritated me when I was viewing this video. One of the things that worked really well and I will consider using during my project is the reversing shots; this can be done to create an interesting effect and can be used in a variety of genres.               

Artist: Fetty Wap

Song: Trap Queen

Song Genre: Hip-hop

Music Video Genre: Homage/performance based

Target Audience: rapscallions typically aged 16-19

Throughout this music video fast paced editing has been used that is in time with the music, this is conventional of music videos as it connects them making the video and soundtrack one entity. The use of mise-en-scene is iconic of the genre, this is done via the use of big chains and other Jewellery, and this is done to express their wealth. From what I can see no narrative has been used to speak off- this is effective however due to the entire video expressing wealth and performance to camera. A video consisting of mainly performance to camera is often used in the hip-hop genre, as it is a method of advertising as well as meeting the expectations of viewers. The narrative was also replaced via the women being fetishized-split into singular body parts and stripped of identity. This also appeals to the target audience as it meets expectations of the genre.

                  A main convention I can see throughout this music video is the insistence of the singer to place themselves in ‘the hood’ with run down environments where in reality the singer will be very rich and not have any association with the location. This is done to further the image that they are ‘down to earth’ so to speak, as well as making them appear tough to survive in this rough environment. Another convention of this predominately male genre is the insistence of the singer to be topless; this is done to give an impression of superior masculinity and toughness. Throughout this music video I acknowledged many things that worked well and others that didn’t. One of the key things that worked in the favour of the music video is the lack of narrative to express an ideology, however I will likely include a narrative in my own work. Something that never worked however was the insistence to attempt to show wealth, I know this may appeal to many but personally I seen it as petty and unneeded.

Artist: All Time Low

Song: Kids in the Dark

Song Genre: Pop Punk

Music Video Genre: Narrative

            The visual style changes throughout this music video quite drastically, this is shown, as the beginning of the music video is dark in tone with many shots almost consuming the protagonist in darkness. This changes however once the performance starts within the narrative as the use of neon paint is brought into the video making everything vibrant and it is shown that the viewers are having fun. A clear narrative is present, this is evident right from the beginning of the music video, and this is done without actually using words. Instead the story is told by the cinematography (camera work). The music video however uses one paragraph where the camera cuts in on key words, for example the word ‘escape’ this is a great method of telling the audience the words the character focuses on and drives the narrative forward.

            There are many conventions of the pop punk genre met here the most evident of which being that there is a large percentage of the video dedicated to performance to camera. This is important as this enables the band to gain a direct mode of address with the audience and makes the message more evident. One thing that defiantly worked for me in this music video is telling the story primarily by the use of the camera; this is very creatively done and is very effective due to the audience easily following the plot points throughout. It was increasingly difficult to find something that didn’t work throughout this music video as almost all expectations where met, however there was one thing I found however this is arguable as I would say the narrative is unresolved. I believe the narrative was unresolved as the main character returns to the home where the problems began and nothing changed from the experience.

Artist: Black Stone Cherry 

Song: Blind Man

Song Genre:  Rock

Music Video Genre: Performance

            Throughout this music video the band Black Stone Cherry performs in a clearly derelict building, this is an interesting location for the video however this is nothing new as it is very common in the rock genre to perform in a rundown locations. The mise-en-scene is very important in any music video as it can tell a lot about the individual for example many bands where costumes, Black Stone Cherry however have chosen to wear their own clothing this gives there videos a very rustic feeling and compliments the previously stated location. There is no narrative present throughout this music video, personally I think a narrative would have complimented the song however throughout my research into the band I realised it was an artistic choice as the was no narrative present within any of their music videos that I looked into so I chose this song for the visual style.

            I have stated multiple ways previously how Black Stone Cherry have been very conventional to the genre however it has been very difficult to see where they differ from the conventional. I could only offer one way of how they differ, this is simply that there is no objectification of women and the lack of an audience, as both of these tend to be present throughout music videos within the rock genre. One thing I picked up on that I thought worked in this music video is the fact that the editing is in time with the music-picking up pace as the song does- this is present throughout almost all music videos as it connects the video and the song and is very effective at doing so. One thing I do think this music video lacks is a narrative, as I stated previously however they might not have included a narrative, as it may be more difficult to capture the rustic effect like they have here.

Artist: Fall Out Boy

Song: Dance, Dance

Song Genre: Indie Rock

Music Video Genre: Narrative

            The visual style present is realistic in nature, by this I mean that there has not been any obvious change in colour such as altering contrast to extreme lengths, there is a lack of shadow however illuminating everyone in frame at all times, and this is done to make viewing more enjoyable as you can see everyone clearly. There is a fast paced editing has been used in time with the music. Finally the mise-en-scene regarding costumes is very important as the director has made the ‘popular’ and ‘unpopular’ kids easily distinguishable.

            There is a clear narrative present throughout the music video the narrative is shown via breaks in the song for dialog, many believe that this distracts from the song however it is one of the easiest methods of getting the message or plot across to the audience without confusion. The narrative includes a performance so this is done via fall out Boy this is a smart way to have a performance to camera without directly taking a break from the narrative. Many conventions of the indie rock genre are met within this music video for example performing in front of an audience that are almost captivated via the music, this is very common throughout this genre of music video as it gives the impression of popularity and enjoyment of the music preformed. Another convention that is met throughout this music video is that the guy gets the girl this is conventional as it meets the expectations of the audience and makes them gratified that they could predict such events.

              One thing that standout for me about this music video is that the director has taken those who are socially considered to be unpopular and through the power of Fall Out Boy and there music they overcome this and become popular and complete their objectives (in this case getting the girl) this is a way to show a positive message about the band. One thing I believe doesn’t work throughout this music video is that some of the dialog is not needed and actually distracted me from the lyrics of the song, I can see why this has been done (explain narrative) however there is other ways this can be done shown in previous music videos.

Artist: Green Day

Song: Boulevard of broken dreams

Song Genre: Punk Rock

Music Video Genre: Narrative

            The visual style of this music video is dark and consistent throughout this matches the tone of the song connecting them as one entity. The mise-en-scene also follows a consistent theme; the theme this follows is isolation this is shown via the appearance of tumbleweeds when the band members are in the wilderness. A narrative is loosely established via the intro into the video if this weren’t there it would be very hard to argue the case as the narrative literally consists of just walking. This narrative remains unresolved as video ends with the bands members still walking.

            A conventional aspect of this song would be the performance to camera present throughout as this takes place throughout most music genres such as punk rock. An unconventional aspect would simply be the lack of true narrative as the entirety of the music video consists of the band just walking, however I do think this works in the favour of the band in this song. Many people could argue that the music video is very basic with nothing really happening, I partially agree with this statement as the band are simply just walking and I believe a more creative music video could be created. However I feel the music video is very effective at establishing a theme of isolation despite it-in my opinion-not really doing justice to the song. Something I do feel is effective is that a constant theme is created via having a filter on the camera in this case it is an ‘old fashioned’ filter it just furthers the feeling that something isn’t quite right-matching the lyrics of the song.

                     

Visual Style
Narrative
Conventional/unconventional
What works what doesn’t