Analysis - Music Videos

Video 1 - Blink 182 - Rock Show
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxhl-xV0UOs


In this video the band aim to achieve a more relaxed attitude to music videos. Its very much concept based, there is nothing there that links the video to the lyrics, in short its all pretty random. At the beginning of the video we have a black screen with text - explaining the entirety of the video in the space of 3 or 4 seconds. This adds a bit of suspense as what to expect in the next few minutes. We then go onto to see the band explaining for themselves again what they're doing and why. Its all pretty basic so nothing is 'acted out' or performed in that sense. This builds up a sort of eagerness to watch the video, it brings in the audience and invites them into whats going to happen next.

Next we go straight into the next shot which is live performance. This is the instrumental part at the beginning of the song and being that its quite fast tempo, there are a lot of quick cuts flying about, showing different aspects of the live performing aspect but then alot of shots of what to expect in the rest of the video. With regards to mise-en-scene, the only time we see this is where the set of a certain shot is actually set out for example, all the live-performance shots. Here we see them with their instruments and a mob of crazy fans to emphasize their popularity. Throughout the video we see them give all their money away to random strangers, perhaps showing their generosity and such, but to the viewers their actions are amusing and sarcastic i.e; spending a few hundred dollars giving a makeover to a homeless man.

There are alot of closeups throughout the video, showing a more fun-loving side to the band. It shows the audience a less serious side with the introduction of funny faces and crude gesters to the camera such as spitting and swearing. This also emphasizes the bands punk-rock attitude and nature that their so well known for. There are a few scenes, located in the middle of the video that shows the band going to a strip club and then next paying bikini-clad women to clean a mans car. These are quite voyeuristic shots that show women in a derogatory manner although its clear that these are not intentional.

All the way through the video, every shot slots in every well to the pace of the music, the quicker it gets, the more different shots we see. Nearing the end of the video we get more shots with them eventually stopping everything altogether with a camera focusing on the sky with a plane that has a banner featuring their new album. I think what makes this video so successful is that it doesnt conform with your stereotypical concept of a music video with costumes and acting. Its all random basically and its filmed with members of the public and you see things that happens in everyday societies. I think the video is aimed at a target audience which consists of mainly teenagers who arent't really likely to conform, like rebels almost.. I think the busyness of the video reflects exactly what their audience will be like, that their not likely to conform to whats expected of them and their likely to be outgoing and such, etc.Theres a lot going on so much so that you dont want to switch it off, your drawn into the video completely by the concequences of what they've done and the reactions they've provoked. I think making a video so exciting and enticing keeps the viewer attached and i think its particularly clever when they advertise their album at the end. Thus this making a great video to take influence from and making it one of my personal favourites.






Video 2 - Bullet For My Valentine - Hearts Burst Into Fire
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_GJyUK0GUI


This video is entirely performance based with it beginning with a crowd of fans waiting outside a gig chanting the bands name which is a good marketing technique - it shows the bands popularity. We then see the noise fading and a camere panning accross a billboard with the bands name in lights. It then cuts to the bands set being built up in the venue, this is done very quickly with it all being sped up. Showing this makes the viewer more apprehensive and excited about whats going to happen next. It then quickly cuts to the band arriving at the scene and quickly cutting to a closeup of a drumstick with the bands logo/name on. The way the video is set out, it proves to be quite narrative. Although its not an obvious story it showing the viewer what going to a Bullet For My Valentine gig will be like going from beginning, middle and then to the end. We see the band in a room back stage preparing to go on stage then it cuts to the crowd entering the venue, this all being sped up emphazising the amoutn fo fans the band has.

Throughout the video we get alot of cuts to the massive crowd then back to the stage where the band is performing. The mise-en-scene really being the venuw with the fans where everything else is not pre-planned, filmed 'in the moment' kind of thing, then placed in the video. This gives the band a relaxed yet professional appearance. The lyrics themselves dont neccesserily tie in with the video however the lyrics do become more noticeable near the end when on particular line, "im coming home, ive been gone for far too long"-then showing a band member waiting alone at a train station. Also, the gig itself is in wales, and the band ironically are welsh. This questions wether the video is actually a message to their original fans when they first became known and them returning after they hit global success.

The video is completely shot in black and white. This ages the video, suggesting the years the band have spent performing together. I think this is a clever way to promote the band because it shows the viewer that they have a mass of adoring fans, demonstrated in the video with the crowd that came to see them but also with the tour bus, which states they've performed elsewhere to other fans etc.

It also cuts to scenes where the band are in a radio station, on the tour bus, in backstage rooms etc. This demonstrates the intentions of the band again perhaps questionning if the lyrics are relating to them being away, making a bigger name for themselves and returning back home. In one scene we see Matt Tuck (lead singer) alone in his hotel room singing to the song with his guitar then it quickly goes to a scene of them performing the same song on stage to a huge crowd. It then finished with Matt finishing the song in the hotel room, putting his guitar down and then leaving. This suggestd the development of the song itself, showing it in stages with him here, perhaps first creating the song which links back to the tour bus, radio stations etc, then always cutting back to crowd shots.

Altogether i think this video is quite successfull due to its rawness as the viewer gets an insight into the bands hectic life. I think their audience is again likely to be teenagers but more hardcore. As a viewer you get a look at the typical audience, with them donning dark clothing and crazy performances themselves. The camera techniques used are quite basic with panning shots, zooming in, zooming out so its shows that its not really a big-budgeted video, with the fans getting just as involved with it as the band does.






Video 3 - You Me At Six - Gossip
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqyIMODMmbI


This video is very much performanced based as well, however there is a still a party-like concept thats being held. Throughout the video we see alot of quick cuts, zooms in and zooms out, there are no special effects just basic camera work and basic editing techniques. The making of the video itself would be very simple. This is a good example to use whilst researching videos because theyre using the same equipment that we have available to us, just a basic video camera. Its all primarily based around the band, but we see alot of focus around the lead singer. What breaks this up is the quick cuts to closeups of the band members playing and a huge amount of cuts to the pool party and house party. At the beginning of the video, the camera focuses in on the drummer as it starts with a drum intro, so we see the drummer hitting the bass in time with the music. This almost simulates a live performance, like its not recorded and we actually there with the band. When the guitar instrumental is introduced we see the camera cut back to the band then just as the vocals are about the kick in we go back to the pool party where the lead singer is in sight, he takes hold of the camera and sings straight into it, and it is kept like this throughout.

At one point we see the guitarist miming along to the lead singers voice, making it seem as though its him whos singing that particular part when he isnt. Its gives us a false illusion and is almost quite confusing as to who sings what. There are alot of extras on the set of the video, to give the illusion of a party and it does so successfully. At the end of the video, at around 2.22 we see the same people surroundin the band outside (same set of pool party) showing their admiration almost for the band. This shows that whilst the video has the concept of a party we still see the band being the main attraction and that all the people that are at the party are there for them.

We see a few voyeristic shots of girls kissing and wearing minimal clothing, I think this is to emphasize the 'crazyness' of the party, not necessarily showing the girls in a derrogatory manner. The lyrics however dont link to the video at all, for example i think the main idea of the lyrics is a cheating girlfriend or something but there is no focus on one particularly girl to demonstrate this. There is one line, "I am at the party too", and the video does have this concept of a party but other than that the lyrics themselves and the video do not coinside with each other.

I think this video is successful because it paints a picture of what its like at partys for 17-19 year olds, demonstrated in the wild partys and games that goes on in this video. I think this will be a good video to take inspiration from because we are in the same age group as their target audience and the people used in their video, were likely to use the same ideas.






Video 4 - The Offspring - Why Dont You Get A Job?
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqHkuHy39eA&feature=channel


This video is a little different from the other ones that I have researched. There is not live performances but their is mock performing, with them walkin about with their instruments or some part of the instruments singing but there is no crowd of cheering fans. There are alot of short stories in this video so its quite narrative in that sense. The video itself is very random and if you look at the lyrics, there is no obvious relationship to the video and the lyrics. However, at one point of the video we see a girl in one of the stories, miming along to the singers voice, 'singing' to the title of, 'Why dont you get a job?" to her lazy boyfriend. In my opinion the idea of the lyrics is of a girl who is with a guy just for money and its never going to be enough but we aren't really shown that in the video itself.

One particularly lyrics is shown in the video but its shown with roles reversals. This is reflected in the lyrics, "She sits on her assHe works his hands to the bone," but in one scene we see a girl cleaning whilst her lazy boyfriend looks on and laughs. All the scenes are recorded professionally with proper equipment and such, unlike the previous video where its done with a simple video camera. We see one special effect at the end of the video where there is an explosion and we see the crowd of people that were parading behind the band run away which leaves only the band members remaining, walking away together. This is how the video begins and ends which i think is quite clever. We also see at one point a character from a previous video return to this video which is amusing to the bands fans/target audience. i think this band as a varied audience, ranging from the ages of about 15 - 28. Because they've been around longer than the other bands forming in 1984. This automatically gives the band a viewing audience cause it gives the idea that because they've been around so long it will be interesting to see what they can do next.

In the scenes we see the obvious extras, and a set in a homely street and city centre. These are all completelt disserted for the recording giving the audience an almost blank canvas so set the stories that the band have given. Its giving the illusion that the stories are true, because there are no 'real life' elements of real people to remind you that the bands recording the video etc.
I think the video is successfull because of its randomness. It doesnt really have a flowing storyline so its hard to predict what will come next so this entices the viewer. I think because the band is successful anyways, their video is automatically going to become widely watched even if the video itself was to be less than perfect. I think choosing this video to research has proven to be quite useful as ive been given the chance to look out how even utter randomness can make a music video very interesting and initially make the song itself a success.






Video 5 - Armor For Sleep - Remember To Feel Real
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfpORFanIb8&feature=channel

This video sees the band performing and apsolutely nothing else. Straightaway realise that its going to be quite repetitive and bland. Its a very good song and the set itself and video is done really well but because because the video is performance based, for 3 and half minutes you just see the band singing to their song, which can get a bit boring. At the beginning we see the directors clapboard and you can hear the team working on the video preparing to film. The clapboard is lifted and camera zooms into the stage and as soon as the music kicks in, the stage is lit up and you can see the band on the stage in their set.

I really like the idea of this i think it looks visually great. But due to the lack of ideas etc, this is all that i can take from the video. The effects themselves are pretty basic, just quick cuts etc however there is a 'shivering' type effect that happens regularly throughout the video which again looks really good, an aspect i would like to demonstrate in my own music video. Another part of the video we see the everything completely slowed down, and this captures fine details such as fine detail such as droplets of water splashing from the drums cymbals. The actual equipment used makes the video look very professional, we have a 'proper' camera unlike a hand held video camera seen in Video 3.

I think this is a good video to research because it shows aspects of music videos that i dont want to see in my own. Although there is nothing particularly terrible in the video, i feel that because there is little else going on apart from performing it becomes a little dull after a while and it makes me want to switch it off. I will learn from this and use this as an example of how my own video can progress.






Video 6 - The Strokes - Heart In A Cage
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbRe5mxR0q0&feature=related

The video is completely black and white. We see members or the band playing their instruments on buildings and on top of cars which, visually, is quite effective. Because there’s so much going on it’s quite hard to switch off in a sense. The busyness in the video almost makes up for the lack of colour as it prevents the video from being dull.

We see the band being out of focus too set in the background with crowds walking past them so whilst still maintaining the performing side of the band (with them performing in streets and on top of buildings) it doesn’t keep them right in the limelight all that much. What’s different about this video is that you don’t see the band performing together at any point of the video. Occasionally you’ll get 2 band members but that’s as close as it gets to being a full band performing together.

What makes this video sorry different is that is has no concept; there is no meaning at all, so the lyrics don’t link in with it. It’s hard to pin point exactly what the video is about which makes it so interesting to watch. I think a typical viewer/target audience for this band is someone in the age range of about – 14 – 35. This band reaches out to a lot of people which I think keeps the video so simplistic because it has so many fans to please in a sense.
They don’t use a lot of props and such, but it is set in a dingy type of setting, and its set in a city, so what you would usually expect be in a urban location.