The creation of music videos can be a complicated business as almost all videos have to use the studio-recorded version of the song to lip synch to. This can create some problems so, generally, the song is played in the background so the artists can get a feel for the song and, if the band is shown in the video, this enables the director to get authentic live shots of the band playing their instruments to the song. Lighting rigs are also set up to help facilitate the artificial light needed to have a shot that isn’t too dark and, depending on the location, areas cordoned off much like a movie set.
Depending on what is going on in the video green screens may be used and these effects can send the costs of a music video up considerably. Overall, artists (despite accusations) tend to play the song live in some way to get the ‘feel’ of the song so it doesn’t look especially fake.
What are the main companies which show music videos?
MTV is the forerunner for music videos and it still is perhaps the number one television network that shows music videos, although it has now branched in to other forms of media. VH1 is another network that shows music videos on a non-stop loop but, on digital television, there are several channels dedicated to just music videos 24/7 which is a far cry from 25 years ago when MTV was the only channel to show music videos.
Where can you find music videos?
Music videos were once only found on television but now, with the advent of Web 2.0 and convergence, videos are found everywhere. MTV is still a major force in the music industry and the latest and most popular videos will be found on there but now music videos are shared everywhere and anywhere thanks to the internet. Some of the most popular distribution formats seem to be Youtube and Twitter with Justin Bieber’s song ‘Baby’ registering over 600 million views on Youtube is a good example of this.
Of course, music videos aren’t just found on the television and the internet. Screens in Times Square and other popular spots around the world show music videos occasionally and it is now very hard to get away from music videos as being the main reason for the success of a single due to the sheer amount of places where you can find music videos.
What is the purpose of music videos?
Music videos are generally made to advertise the single of a band or artist or to advertise the band/artist itself. Music videos create a real buzz around a song and a good idea can literally make or break a song. Royalties from music videos also help the artist so there is a financial motive behind music videos. The most important facet of music videos is that a well-created music video can make an artist popular, regardless of the quality of the song.
Intertextuality in music videos show how far-reaching pop culture is on every form of media and there are a range of videos who use intertextuality from films, other music videos and video games. An obvious example of a specific piece of intertextuality would be the video to ‘The Universal’ by Blur where the entire video is based around A Clockwork Orange and, specifically, the Korova Milk Bar in the film. The use of God in the lyrics also reflects the message from the book so there are specific reasons why intertextuality is used.
Another would be the use of video games in ‘Californication’ by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The meaning of the song is to denounce the meretricious nature of Hollywood and, in a way, video games represent the artificiality of Hollywood.
There are, however, times when intertextuality is used to represent the artist. Robbie Williams borrowed heavily from the band KISS for his video to ‘Let Me Entertain You’ which features a massive stage show which is akin to KISS and Robbie Williams in that they both represent the ‘showman’.
Intertextuality has been described as a ‘shortcut’ to the meaning and these examples have accurately conveyed their message and tone through intertextuality because it may simply be the easiest way but, also, to pay tribute to them. This is done more often in movies than music videos but it is still an interesting and valuable tool to use in music videos.
My main influence would probably be a film-noir style lent from films such as The Dark Knight. In terms of actual music videos, The Scientist is a huge influence as is the music video to ‘Hero’ by Chad Kroeger or ‘Signalfire’ by Snow Patrol as they both utilise narrative and performance effectively despite being constrained to a certain topic as they are soundtracks to movies.
I would probably imitate a few of these techniques in some way but I am probably going to steer clear from concept videos, despite being a fan of many, as they are tricky to pull off correctly and a more conventional music video may be better in these circumstances.
There are certain things I like but I won’t shoehorn them in to the music video as intertextuality isn’t the be all and end all of a music video and things shouldn’t be put in just because someone should pay homage to it in some way. Finally, it is important to take in to consideration my group’s stance when it comes to intertextuality.
Music videos are, predominantly, there to advertise the band and the video so a shot of the band throughout the music video is a must. Most music videos also tell a story and, at the very least, relate to the song in some way. In addition, music videos should reflect the lyrics.
The camera shots are of a wide range with the majority being close ups of the band and, if the scene is particularly important, a pan of the entire scene. Music videos tend to have a variety of shots compared to films as there is room to experiment. Close-ups tend to show the emotion of the singer or an actor if the music video is showing a narrative. Longer shots emphasise the scenery and it is not uncommon to see low-angle shots of the band or artist to give them a sense of superiority in the video. The music video is generally a little longer than the track due to most videos having some sort of introduction which last from a few seconds to a minute in some cases.
The aforementioned band playing in the music video is also accompanied by them playing instruments as well as miming the album version of the song. Taking in to account certain theories, most music videos tend to match the tempo at which the song is played at and the editing also matches this to create a complete synchronisation effect.
The mise-en-scene also needs to be synchronised in some way with the band wearing similar costumes or costumes that highlight their personas. Also, lighting plays a huge effect as certain genres (hip-hop, for instance) may use a different lighting effect to a song from the rock genre.
The genre we are working on is the indie/rock genre so the lighting will probably be dimmed and we will utilise darker colours. Close-ups of the band are a must for the indie genre as a lot of stock is taken in the band as a whole rather than things going on around it (which the rap genre tends to use). Indie music videos also tend to use a faux-concert setting with a story going over the top of the song. The style of the video normally changes from song to song. ‘Run’ by Snow Patrol has a very dark, sombre scene due to the pace and meaning of the song whereas our song ‘Feeling Good’ may be much more upbeat in its editing and narrative although we will probably distance ourselves from using special effects.
Performance- These tend to show the band or artist performing the song in various locations and being rather one-dimensional. An example of this would be the video to ‘Yellow’ by Coldplay. These types of videos tend to fall in to the pop genre.
Narrative- These videos include a story which goes hand-in-hand with the song and generally represent the message of the song. An extremely famous example of this would be ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson with the 14-minute video detailing a story. Pop/Rock songs are often seen utilising this type of video.
Concept- Concept videos rarely utilise techniques present in performance and narrative videos and they generally focus on one unique idea to present their video with. An example of this would be the song ‘Harder, Faster, Better, Stronger’ by Daft Punk. Dance music tends to use this more as it is better suited to that genre as the lyrics aren’t the important part, which they are for Narrative and Performance.
Andrew Goodwin and Laura Mulvey’s analysis of music and music videos are very influential and, as such, should definitely be taken in to account when we are creating our own music video. Goodwin’s first point is that the music video should always have something to signify its genre so, for example, a boy band will have a heavily choreographed dance routine whereas an artist from the rock genre will favour a large performance for their video. As our song comes from the rock genre it seems that a large performance or a chaotic (yet choreographed) performance would be the best bet as it shows what the rock genre is about.
The second point on the lyrics relating to the video is, in my opinion, the most crucial of all the points as a music video should be made to get across the point of the song in ways that lyrics may not be able to much like movies cover certain things that are hard to picture in books. Because the song title is Feeling Good I feel it would be beneficial for the music video to go along with the lyrics rather than contradict them as this would come off as strange and wayward. Goodwin also states that the music (tempo, composition etc) should be similar to the music video or at least representative of it in some way. These two points will be heavily considered and debating before we even get to the filming stage because they are that important.
The point about close-ups of an artist and a motif can be one that could be easily ignored, especially if we don’t have the resources for a charismatic lead. Motifs are established through a series of videos so that can be ruled out but I still think close-ups are integral to the creation of a good music video so this may have to be interspersed with a story to accommodate it. We also have no pressure or ‘demands from a record label’ so things like this really don’t have to be taken in to consideration.
Points five and six from Goodwin (a notion of ‘looking’ and intertextuality) would be done on a video-by-video basis and may not be deemed necessary at all for our video to be a successful one. Out of all the points, numbers five and six are the only ones that aren’t important when it comes to creating a music video. Goodwin also mentions a voyeuristic look at women which brings me on to the next theory.
Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze’ theory is definitely an interesting one as it breaks down the barrier of a male-driven society and this shows the audience has to be taken in to account when creating a music video. To relate this to our video, it seems that when putting different genders and different portrayals of genders in our video we have to take in to particular consideration on why are we doing and how people will convey this. Although I have stated before the majority of our target audience will be male it doesn’t mean every single person will be male so a fine balance has to be achieved and it may just be best to not court controversy too much and stick very much with a gender-neutral or an abstract idea.
Our song (Feeling Good by Muse) falls in the Rock genre so when describing a target audience it is important to know the genre as other facets of information can be blanketed with this either fairly on unfairly (i.e. occupation, gender). However, it is likely that the age bracket for our target audience will be 16-25 as they are the people who are more likely to listen to this type of music. The rock genre can have both genres but this song (and, by definition, band) are aimed almost solely at the male audience.
Because the age bracket is 16-25 the occupation of the target audience may simply be students so that would group them socially but they are also unlikely to partake in the lower end of the audience scale (for example, labourers) so their grouping is more likely to be BCD. Rock has always been the antithesis to more popular music such as dance and pop and this also has to be taken in to account when looking at their interests in other media as they are far more likely to not be ‘following the crowd’ and they would also be interested in more independent products.
Independent films (or films with a limited showing) may be popular as may noir films be of a particular interest. TV shows can be a mixed bag but, if I were to generalise, satirical comedies and thought-provoking documentaries and dramas would be high on the agenda- if you were going by the BCD scale. For example, the audience may enjoy Monty Python more than another comedy because of the way it is presented and how it doesn’t shy away from intelligent comedy.
If I were to follow John Hartley’s theory of grouping audiences it would seem that the target audience would be very creative, either in the arts or some other form of academia. The class we would be aiming at would most likely be middle-class, verging on working-class as there is a sense with this type of genre to ‘rebel’ against someone or something, stemming back from the 1960s/70s.
Because the entirety of Muse are Caucasian males this may be something we have to look at when targeting our audience as they are most likely to be Caucasian males aged 16-24 as it is instantly relatable.
Going by Richard Dyer’s Utopian Solutions theory it may be necessary to show our target audience they are a part of an ‘indie’ crowd to avoid isolation but also to provide social networking and, most importantly with a music video, to provide excitement to prevent boredom. Blumier and Katz’ Uses and Gratifications Theory lends more to this by proving reasons as to why an audience would consume certain media pieces and avoid some entirely. Entertainment, escapism and identification can all be portrayed effectively through a music video but this must also be shown to be a major part of our audience so a great deal of work must go in to providing all three of these whilst also following on to something more basic and primal which can be seen in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
The song title ‘Feeling Good’ bluntly sums up the top three levels of the Hierarchy as all of those things are needed to ‘feel good’ whether we are aware of them or not. Our audience are bound to be high in creativity and spontaneity (as reflected upon earlier) so our video needs to reflect this but something more basic such as friends and family can also be included.
Overall, our audience are likely to be BCD (possibly bordering E with B being at the lower scale) with their ages around 16-24 and the ethnic group likely to be Caucasian with the gender being male. This is only the tip of the iceberg as our audience needs entertainment, escapism and a chance to identify themselves.
The music video for Can’t Stop is very abstract in the way it is set out as members of the band each do crazy things which reflects the tempo and the lyrics in the song. The colour scheme is very bright and vibrant which helps get the message of the song across more effectively as the plethora of reds, yellows, blues etc paint a real picture of the band and the song.
The camera work and editing is very quick and the shots rarely last more than five seconds and the fact that members of the band are all doing different things helps make the music video flow as if the band were just singing it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting. The variety of camera angles highlights the madcap nature of some of the people in the video but, also, the tempo of the song which is incredibly quick. The amalgamation of quick shots and interesting camera angles is extremely beneficial when watching the music video and this is something that has to be taken in to account when creating our own music video.
At the beginning of the video we get a long, winding intro to mirror the guitar opening up the song. A close-up of the lead singer followed by a pan of the band introduces us and effectively sets the scene for the video. The mise en scene is minimalistic which adds to the quick-paced nature of the video as the viewer can concentrate on only a few things rather than lots of things because the quick shots do not enable the viewer to concentrate on things for very long which can be seen as a positive or a negative and it will have to be considered when making our video.
The washed out colours are the antithesis to Coldplay’s video and it is a great juxtaposition to the anarchic video. Because the entire video is abstract in its nature (i.e. no real story mixed in with a series of random events which bare little or no meaning.) The angles, however, aren’t as varied and most are either close-ups or extreme close-ups.
Overall, the creators of this video have taken into consideration the band’s public image and they have transferred it over to the video which is extremely clever. The quick shots, abstract scenes and washed out, minimalist colours provide a fitting backdrop to the song.
Take Back The City- Snow Patrol
This video starts with a story intertwined with a shot of the lead singer- a typically normal opening for a music video which is flipped on his head with the use of stop motion. The close-up on the lead singer is pretty much fixed throughout the video and it is clear to see the different between this and the ‘story’. The close-up is clearly lighted whereas the stop-motion section of the video is lit fairly naturally and the camera is extremely erratic in terms of angles and shots. The duration of shots is far quicker and much more ‘jumpy’.
The mise en scene is fairly important in this video as it tells a story of a ‘city’ and the birth of a day. The long shot of the man walking down a path with the sunrise in the background over a derelict building presents us with the connotations of ‘new’ and ‘birth’. Light is used to show the purity of the city- here light is all encompassing but later on in the video there is a lack of natural light as the city is lit by artificial light which is where the city’s dark side truly comes out.
The band, like the other videos I have analysed, are shown fully in some detail playing instruments and this seems like a generic convention from, at the very least, the rock genre which will be explored later. During the instrumental portion of the song the story is explored in far greater detail as, when the lyrics aren’t being sung it can lead to a lull in the video and some people may be more inclined to just switch off.
The use of a red light in one scene shows off the more risqué nature of the particular part of the video as the lead singer is getting drunk. This is then juxtaposed by the serene and empty streets. The point of view portion of the song shows off the city in question and because it is sped up it also mirrors the quicker tempo of the song; this is something which has been present throughout all three songs.
To sum up, light is a major factor running throughout the song and the video takes a traditional story/band mechanic and changes things by introducing a stop-motion aspect with other techniques such as point of view and the transformation of the landscape.
Every Teardrop is a Waterfall- Coldplay
The extreme long shot of the city landscape sets the scene for the music video but it is cleverly juxtaposed by the watercolour drawing of the landscape as the mood shifts. The stop motion that follows keeps up with the high tempo which has just been set but it is also very clever as the camera pans across the wall to show the lead singer, Chris Martin, so people will instantly recognise it as a Coldplay song.
Because the lettering is colourful it reflects heavily on the song and it again contrasts with the damp warehouse. The stop motion creates an abstract vibe and the clothes that Chris Martin is wearing also mirror the song. The rule of thirds is utilised heavily throughout so the text and the band are in clear shot so there is very little blank space in the shot.
The quick, juddering shots and the vibrant colours once again create a motif of excitement and happiness which can be argued is a theme for the song and when watching the music video it instantly strikes you as something different and, because it is aesthetically pleasing and catches your eye, it can be popular simply because of the video rather than the song which is an important advertising tools.
Much like the previous two videos the entire band is in the video which shows that the video is about ‘togetherness’ because, for example, The Scientist shows Chris Martin alone and this is because the story and the song requires for him to be alone.
The pace of the video picks up in the second half when they enter a darkened room and this is represented by the glow in the dark graffiti, the quicker shots and the flashing effect. The graphic match where Chris Martin beats his chest shows the contrast (light) on his own and with the band (dark) and this is extremely effective.
The theme of paint running throughout the video really captures the meaning of ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’ as the paint gradually gets higher in quantity as the video reaches its denouement.
Overall, the song is extremely quick and it is matched by the quick editing. The angles and mise-en-scene lend to the ‘fun’ nature of the video and the clever use of stop-motion sets the video apart from its competitors.
