Music Video Research
Artist: A Day to Remember
Track: Paranoia
Director: Ethan Lader
Visual style/mise-en-scene: During the beginning of this video, the camera is very shaky and it flickers a lot to emphasise the feeling off paranoia that they're trying to enhance. It gives us a lot of different camera angles, ranging from close up shots to mid-long shots, however most of the close ups are of the lead singer Jeremy McKinnon and the mid-long shots are of the band playing together as a whole or of the lead singer and the therapist.
Narrative: There is in fact a story being told throughout this video, it shows a young man suffering from paranoia, the constant feeling of being watched and general paranoia of everything, one line in the song says 'expect the worst of everyone you meet' insinuating that they're struggling to see the good in people due to bad experiences and 'paranoia clouding your judgement'.
Conventional/Unconventional: I personally believe the idea for the video is unique as it shows the different parts of paranoia as a whole, the therapy sessions, the constant feeling of looking over your shoulder and also from the point of view of the 'monster' that he feels is watching him.
What works/What doesn't: I believe that the best parts of the video are the 'monster' chasing the main character as it shows the constant feeling of paranoia the best, whereas the shots of the band as a whole kind of diminish this feeling. In my opinion, i'd like to take the idea of always looking over your shoulder and the overall darkness of the video, with the attempt of incorporating this into my own work.
Narrative: There is in fact a story being told throughout this video, it shows a young man suffering from paranoia, the constant feeling of being watched and general paranoia of everything, one line in the song says 'expect the worst of everyone you meet' insinuating that they're struggling to see the good in people due to bad experiences and 'paranoia clouding your judgement'.
Conventional/Unconventional: I personally believe the idea for the video is unique as it shows the different parts of paranoia as a whole, the therapy sessions, the constant feeling of looking over your shoulder and also from the point of view of the 'monster' that he feels is watching him.
What works/What doesn't: I believe that the best parts of the video are the 'monster' chasing the main character as it shows the constant feeling of paranoia the best, whereas the shots of the band as a whole kind of diminish this feeling. In my opinion, i'd like to take the idea of always looking over your shoulder and the overall darkness of the video, with the attempt of incorporating this into my own work.
Artist: Gorillaz
Track: Feel Good Inc
Director: Jamie Hewlett/Pete Candeland
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: There isn't necessarily many camera angles used throughout this video as it is an animated music video, but the shots used for the man laughing in the background is very close up shots to give the feeling of the characters being watched. Other than this, they show the characters in mid-long shots to really show them, as this is one video of many to show a story.
Narrative: The narrative for this video really speaks for itself, it is also the first video of several in a series in order to show a story. In this particular video, it just shows the characters in a dystopian universe, setting the scene that it's not a band/video for the feint of heart. At the start it shows everything quite dark, but as the bridge kicks in, its clear that there's some possibility of hope in the form of a windmill.
Conventional/Unconventional: This video is probably the first of its kind, i believe that this is one of the most unique music videos i have seen to date due to the utter originality and the level of creativity that has gone in to making this video. This is most definitely a good thing because it will stand with other famous music videos for being utterly iconic.
What works/What doesn't: I think that there isn't necessarily anything wrong with this music video because it is so different to other music videos and every little thing that could be considered weird or out of place has been put in it for effect.
Artist: Blink-182
Track: All The Small Things
Director: Marcos Siega
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: During this music video, the camera pans around a lot, there isn't very many close ups of the band as it's more made up of mid-long shots. As well as this, it cuts to different scenes throughout the video to show different environments and scenarios.
Narrative: There isn't necessarily a specific story for this music video as it's more of a spoof on other music video's all compressed into one 3 minute video. It features different scenarios such as the stereotypical 'boyband' set up, the romantic running along the beach etc.
Conventional/Unconventional: Although these techniques have been used before, the sheer point of the video is to steal other ideas people have had in order to make fun of it, so i do believe that with that taken into consideration, the video is indeed original in its own way.
What works/What doesn't: I believe that the idea for the video was ingenious in the sense that they would take every stereotypical convention of a 'boyband' music video so that works, however i don't believe the video has any relevance to the lyrics or the title of the song so it seems a bit all over the place at some parts due to the constant cutting between scenes.
Artist: Drake
Track: Hotline Bling
Director: Taj Critchlow/Director X
Visual style/mise-en-scene: The visual style presented in this video shows no close ups and is predominantly made up of long shots and mid-long shots. The camera pans around a fair bit, showing different girls dancing as well as Drake dancing.
Narrative: The story behind this video is that ever since he left the city they were living in, the girl he was seeing has moved on and became a different person, a more 'adventurous' person, so to say, as one quote from the song says 'started wearing less and going out more' meaning that she's letting herself go in a way.
Conventional/Unconventional: In my personal opinion, i believe that although the video has some relevance to the song at the start, showing all the different girls, proving that 'his' girl has become just like all the other girls in the city (hence the matching clothes), the video doesn't have any relevance to the lyrics however it is very original in the sense that the best part of the video is just Drake dancing in a multi-coloured box.
What works/What doesn't: I think that the beginning of the video with the call centre works best as it has a lot of relevance to the story the song presents, however the rest of the video featuring Drake dancing around awkwardly brings it down as it seems out of place.
Artist: The Fratellis
Track: Henrietta
Director: Tony Hoffer
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: The camera seems to pan around a lot, showing it from the other characters point of view, also, it shows it so it seems like the band is singing to somebody recording them as they play in the street. Most shots are made up of mid-long shots when not focusing on the band themselves as then its predominantly close ups of the band.
Narrative: The story behind this music video shows an older woman in an unhappy marriage. The band are trying to 'woo' her in a way, singing/playing outside of her window in the attempt of getting her to come out of her 'cage' and to come live a little, offering her a job as a secretary and saying she can come live amongst the 'has beens and the addicts' promising her the wild life she deserves and not the drab boring one she's living currently.
Conventional/Unconventional: In my opinion, this video sticks very tightly to the lyrics and presents it exactly how they made it out to be through the lyrics.
What works/What doesn't: I believe that the whole story presented by the band is shown well through the video as it stays close to the lyrics. However i believe it may have worked better if they only used greyscale when showing 'Henrietta' in the apartment to enhance the feeling of being trapped, instead of using it all throughout the video.
Artist: Twenty One Pilots
Track: Stressed Out
Director: Reel Bear Media
Visual styles/Mise-en-scene: The camera angles explored in this video are very limited, the ones used are mid-long shots of the band together and close ups of the lead singer (Tyler Joseph). In the thumbnail for the video lots of low angles are used to give the feeling of us looking up at them, a few high angles are used at certain points in the video too, for example, when they're lying on the bed and their families are shouting at them to get out of bed and 'make money'.
Narrative: The story presented throughout this video is showing the nostalgia of childhood, how simple it was and how 'stressed out' they have become due to the stressful qualities life possesses. As well as this, the video shows the pressure family puts onto us, telling us things like we need to just get on with it because life goes on and you 'need to make money', just one of the things life requires.
Conventional/Unconventional: In my own opinion, i believe that the concept of the video (eventually growing old and missing the times where everything was simpler) isn't necessarily original, but the video itself is. This is done by making the band act like children through bike riding and juice drinking as these are things commonly linked to children. As well as this, the concept of Tyler's other persona 'Blurryface' is something that brings out its originality as it shows us that as we grow older, we can develop problems such as anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
What works/What doesn't: The video as a whole works very well together, the balance of different shots and angles makes it seem as though we've been given an insight into their lives, and i personally think it portrays the lives/thoughts of children extremely well. Although its fairly well directed and produced, i think that they could have increased the nature of life getting harder and more complex better.
Artist: Melanie Martinez
Track: Dollhouse
Director:Nathan Scialom & Tom McNamara
Visual Style: There are a lot of different camera angles used in this video to show different perspectives of characters, such as long shots, medium shots and close ups. As well as this, it shows a lot of high angle shots to give the feeling of looking down into the dolls house.
Narrative: The story behind this music video in particular is to show how unrealistic a perfect family is, most families suffer from problems such as drug abuse, alcohol abuse and adultery. I think it's trying to say that not even the dolls you play with have a perfect life, even they can suffer from such problems.
Conventional/Unconventional: I personally believe that this video is, in its own way, original. The way this video has been set out and the problems displayed really make it the original video it is, considering they're such racy topics to talk about.
What works/What doesn't: In my honest opinion, i can't particularly fault this video as it's so brilliantly directed and written, however i would have preferred it to show more of the mother and father's struggles and maybe even something else that the main character/singer deals with.
Artist: My Chemical Romance
Track: Welcome to the Black Parade
Director: Samuel Bayer
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: The camera angles shown throughout this music video are pre-dominantly made up of long shots of the band themselves and close ups of the main character and the lead singer Gerard Way.
Narrative: The story behind this video comes from the thought of something after death. It shows a man on his deathbed surrounded by nurses and doctors, once he 'dies' however he is taken to join the black parade, a place for somebody to go once they've died like heaven or hell. The parade itself is a sort of welcome ceremony, to celebrate somebody joining the black parade.
Conventional/Unconventional: Although the band may not be the first to create a video portraying life after death, the whole idea of another dimension other than heaven or hell is very original. As well as this, the band themselves are very alternative so i think this shows their personality as a band very well.
What works/What doesn't: In my opinion, i believe that the whole video works however i myself am biased. One of my favourite parts of the video is that although it isn't in greyscale, it's just dull enough to make it seem like another dimension, almost like another version of purgatory. However, i do think the video could have went in more depth with the story of the character reaching death instead of just showing the band playing for most frames.
Artist: Carrie Underwood
Track: Before He Cheats
Director: Mark Bright
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: The camera angles presented throughout this video are mostly mid-long shots as well as a few close ups of Carrie herself. As well as this, the camera pans around a lot, showing her singing in different locations, such as what seems to be a car park, when she's destroying the car and also walking down a deserted street.
Narrative: The story behind this pretty much speaks for itself, it takes the viewpoint of a girl who has been cheated on by her partner and she's getting revenge for it by destroying one of his most prized possessions, his car.
Conventional/Unconventional: In my opinion, the video itself is fairly original in the sense that it shows the perspective of her destroying the car and him cheating, however its not necessarily the first music video to show a woman taking control of her life and getting revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend.
What works/What doesn't: I believe that the whole video shows the story extremely well and it doesn't stray from what would have been expected from the lyrics of the song. I think that the special effects used in this video really make it, in the end of the video it seems as though Carrie's rage is strong enough to fight back winds that are destroying buildings all around her.
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Track: Wrecking Ball
Director: Dr. Luke
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: The camera angles throughout this video switch between close ups of Miley's face as she's singing to the camera and medium shots, as well as this there is sometimes some long shots, i.e. when she's on the wrecking ball.
Narrative: The story behind this is one of Miley's personal experiences with an ex-boyfriend going by the name of Liam Hemsworth. It's very clear that from the sheer anger and heartbreak portrayed in this video, that it ended very badly and she is still struggling to get over him.
Conventional/Unconventional: I think that although the overall message of the song has been done before, i believe the way Miley portrayed this was incredible in the sense that she portrayed the fact she was broken through not wearing clothes, signifying she had nothing left, the destruction of the walls signifying she just wanted to break down his walls and get him to trust her, and one of the most known scenes, the kissing of the sledgehammer to signify her love for him even though he was destructive (like a sledgehammer).
What works/What doesn't: In my personal opinion, i believe the metaphors explored throughout this video are beautiful and show her struggle trying to get better mentally after the brutal breakup extremely well, through the use of little things such as her not wearing any clothes, or the kissing of the sledgehammer. However, i do think they could have made it a bit more complex as in maybe having something else going on in the background or different angled shots but the use of minimal props adds to the simplicity but brutality of the situation at hand.
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: There isn't necessarily many camera angles used throughout this video as it is an animated music video, but the shots used for the man laughing in the background is very close up shots to give the feeling of the characters being watched. Other than this, they show the characters in mid-long shots to really show them, as this is one video of many to show a story.
Narrative: The narrative for this video really speaks for itself, it is also the first video of several in a series in order to show a story. In this particular video, it just shows the characters in a dystopian universe, setting the scene that it's not a band/video for the feint of heart. At the start it shows everything quite dark, but as the bridge kicks in, its clear that there's some possibility of hope in the form of a windmill.
Conventional/Unconventional: This video is probably the first of its kind, i believe that this is one of the most unique music videos i have seen to date due to the utter originality and the level of creativity that has gone in to making this video. This is most definitely a good thing because it will stand with other famous music videos for being utterly iconic.
What works/What doesn't: I think that there isn't necessarily anything wrong with this music video because it is so different to other music videos and every little thing that could be considered weird or out of place has been put in it for effect.
Artist: Blink-182
Track: All The Small Things
Director: Marcos Siega
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: During this music video, the camera pans around a lot, there isn't very many close ups of the band as it's more made up of mid-long shots. As well as this, it cuts to different scenes throughout the video to show different environments and scenarios.
Narrative: There isn't necessarily a specific story for this music video as it's more of a spoof on other music video's all compressed into one 3 minute video. It features different scenarios such as the stereotypical 'boyband' set up, the romantic running along the beach etc.
Conventional/Unconventional: Although these techniques have been used before, the sheer point of the video is to steal other ideas people have had in order to make fun of it, so i do believe that with that taken into consideration, the video is indeed original in its own way.
What works/What doesn't: I believe that the idea for the video was ingenious in the sense that they would take every stereotypical convention of a 'boyband' music video so that works, however i don't believe the video has any relevance to the lyrics or the title of the song so it seems a bit all over the place at some parts due to the constant cutting between scenes.
Artist: Drake
Track: Hotline Bling
Director: Taj Critchlow/Director X
Visual style/mise-en-scene: The visual style presented in this video shows no close ups and is predominantly made up of long shots and mid-long shots. The camera pans around a fair bit, showing different girls dancing as well as Drake dancing.
Narrative: The story behind this video is that ever since he left the city they were living in, the girl he was seeing has moved on and became a different person, a more 'adventurous' person, so to say, as one quote from the song says 'started wearing less and going out more' meaning that she's letting herself go in a way.
Conventional/Unconventional: In my personal opinion, i believe that although the video has some relevance to the song at the start, showing all the different girls, proving that 'his' girl has become just like all the other girls in the city (hence the matching clothes), the video doesn't have any relevance to the lyrics however it is very original in the sense that the best part of the video is just Drake dancing in a multi-coloured box.
What works/What doesn't: I think that the beginning of the video with the call centre works best as it has a lot of relevance to the story the song presents, however the rest of the video featuring Drake dancing around awkwardly brings it down as it seems out of place.
Artist: The Fratellis
Track: Henrietta
Director: Tony Hoffer
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: The camera seems to pan around a lot, showing it from the other characters point of view, also, it shows it so it seems like the band is singing to somebody recording them as they play in the street. Most shots are made up of mid-long shots when not focusing on the band themselves as then its predominantly close ups of the band.
Narrative: The story behind this music video shows an older woman in an unhappy marriage. The band are trying to 'woo' her in a way, singing/playing outside of her window in the attempt of getting her to come out of her 'cage' and to come live a little, offering her a job as a secretary and saying she can come live amongst the 'has beens and the addicts' promising her the wild life she deserves and not the drab boring one she's living currently.
Conventional/Unconventional: In my opinion, this video sticks very tightly to the lyrics and presents it exactly how they made it out to be through the lyrics.
What works/What doesn't: I believe that the whole story presented by the band is shown well through the video as it stays close to the lyrics. However i believe it may have worked better if they only used greyscale when showing 'Henrietta' in the apartment to enhance the feeling of being trapped, instead of using it all throughout the video.
Artist: Twenty One Pilots
Track: Stressed Out
Director: Reel Bear Media
Visual styles/Mise-en-scene: The camera angles explored in this video are very limited, the ones used are mid-long shots of the band together and close ups of the lead singer (Tyler Joseph). In the thumbnail for the video lots of low angles are used to give the feeling of us looking up at them, a few high angles are used at certain points in the video too, for example, when they're lying on the bed and their families are shouting at them to get out of bed and 'make money'.
Narrative: The story presented throughout this video is showing the nostalgia of childhood, how simple it was and how 'stressed out' they have become due to the stressful qualities life possesses. As well as this, the video shows the pressure family puts onto us, telling us things like we need to just get on with it because life goes on and you 'need to make money', just one of the things life requires.
Conventional/Unconventional: In my own opinion, i believe that the concept of the video (eventually growing old and missing the times where everything was simpler) isn't necessarily original, but the video itself is. This is done by making the band act like children through bike riding and juice drinking as these are things commonly linked to children. As well as this, the concept of Tyler's other persona 'Blurryface' is something that brings out its originality as it shows us that as we grow older, we can develop problems such as anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
What works/What doesn't: The video as a whole works very well together, the balance of different shots and angles makes it seem as though we've been given an insight into their lives, and i personally think it portrays the lives/thoughts of children extremely well. Although its fairly well directed and produced, i think that they could have increased the nature of life getting harder and more complex better.
Artist: Melanie Martinez
Track: Dollhouse
Director:Nathan Scialom & Tom McNamara
Visual Style: There are a lot of different camera angles used in this video to show different perspectives of characters, such as long shots, medium shots and close ups. As well as this, it shows a lot of high angle shots to give the feeling of looking down into the dolls house.
Narrative: The story behind this music video in particular is to show how unrealistic a perfect family is, most families suffer from problems such as drug abuse, alcohol abuse and adultery. I think it's trying to say that not even the dolls you play with have a perfect life, even they can suffer from such problems.
Conventional/Unconventional: I personally believe that this video is, in its own way, original. The way this video has been set out and the problems displayed really make it the original video it is, considering they're such racy topics to talk about.
What works/What doesn't: In my honest opinion, i can't particularly fault this video as it's so brilliantly directed and written, however i would have preferred it to show more of the mother and father's struggles and maybe even something else that the main character/singer deals with.
Artist: My Chemical Romance
Track: Welcome to the Black Parade
Director: Samuel Bayer
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: The camera angles shown throughout this music video are pre-dominantly made up of long shots of the band themselves and close ups of the main character and the lead singer Gerard Way.
Narrative: The story behind this video comes from the thought of something after death. It shows a man on his deathbed surrounded by nurses and doctors, once he 'dies' however he is taken to join the black parade, a place for somebody to go once they've died like heaven or hell. The parade itself is a sort of welcome ceremony, to celebrate somebody joining the black parade.
Conventional/Unconventional: Although the band may not be the first to create a video portraying life after death, the whole idea of another dimension other than heaven or hell is very original. As well as this, the band themselves are very alternative so i think this shows their personality as a band very well.
What works/What doesn't: In my opinion, i believe that the whole video works however i myself am biased. One of my favourite parts of the video is that although it isn't in greyscale, it's just dull enough to make it seem like another dimension, almost like another version of purgatory. However, i do think the video could have went in more depth with the story of the character reaching death instead of just showing the band playing for most frames.
Artist: Carrie Underwood
Track: Before He Cheats
Director: Mark Bright
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: The camera angles presented throughout this video are mostly mid-long shots as well as a few close ups of Carrie herself. As well as this, the camera pans around a lot, showing her singing in different locations, such as what seems to be a car park, when she's destroying the car and also walking down a deserted street.
Narrative: The story behind this pretty much speaks for itself, it takes the viewpoint of a girl who has been cheated on by her partner and she's getting revenge for it by destroying one of his most prized possessions, his car.
Conventional/Unconventional: In my opinion, the video itself is fairly original in the sense that it shows the perspective of her destroying the car and him cheating, however its not necessarily the first music video to show a woman taking control of her life and getting revenge on her cheating ex-boyfriend.
What works/What doesn't: I believe that the whole video shows the story extremely well and it doesn't stray from what would have been expected from the lyrics of the song. I think that the special effects used in this video really make it, in the end of the video it seems as though Carrie's rage is strong enough to fight back winds that are destroying buildings all around her.
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Track: Wrecking Ball
Director: Dr. Luke
Visual style/Mise-en-scene: The camera angles throughout this video switch between close ups of Miley's face as she's singing to the camera and medium shots, as well as this there is sometimes some long shots, i.e. when she's on the wrecking ball.
Narrative: The story behind this is one of Miley's personal experiences with an ex-boyfriend going by the name of Liam Hemsworth. It's very clear that from the sheer anger and heartbreak portrayed in this video, that it ended very badly and she is still struggling to get over him.
Conventional/Unconventional: I think that although the overall message of the song has been done before, i believe the way Miley portrayed this was incredible in the sense that she portrayed the fact she was broken through not wearing clothes, signifying she had nothing left, the destruction of the walls signifying she just wanted to break down his walls and get him to trust her, and one of the most known scenes, the kissing of the sledgehammer to signify her love for him even though he was destructive (like a sledgehammer).
What works/What doesn't: In my personal opinion, i believe the metaphors explored throughout this video are beautiful and show her struggle trying to get better mentally after the brutal breakup extremely well, through the use of little things such as her not wearing any clothes, or the kissing of the sledgehammer. However, i do think they could have made it a bit more complex as in maybe having something else going on in the background or different angled shots but the use of minimal props adds to the simplicity but brutality of the situation at hand.
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