This video is set in a remote countryside village which has an interesting narrative which uses humour and sensitivity. As the video progresses a 'reindeer' theme is introduced.
The conventions in the video include the instruments which are shown whilst the band are performing which is shown every few seconds. The countryside is focused on throughout the video, and to show this objects such as trees and leaves are used as a background affect. However, tools and weapons are used by the characters such as crossbows and saws. The father is portrayed as a lumberjack and wears a large coat, a hat and obviously hunts in his spare time. This also shows he is an over-protective parent caring for his daughter. The deer features are a convention used throughout which is vital for the narrative and represents a vulnerability for each character. The road sign which shows a deer is an important shot.
The cuts and different shots are relevant to the tempo and rhythm of the song. During the narrative, it concludes when the music calms down. The upbeat tune that Fallout Boy use in many songs of theirs, links with the heart-warming story. Where the music is slower the footage focuses on the narrative and where the song speeds up, the video shows the band performing. In the chorus the song becomes more lively.
The original idea of the them, narrative and setting means there is a lack of intertextuality in the video. It is arguable that the idea is similar to a One Tree Hill episode which featured Pete Wenz, who is the guitarist in the band.
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
1.2 Comparison between Trouble (Coldplay) and Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol)
Coldplay and Snow Patrol are two very similar bands who class themselves under the genre of alternative soft rock. They both use mixtures of emotional and upbeat songs, however, the two songs that are involved in the videos are both a bit sad and slow but very successful.
The conventions from both videos are very different despite the two songs have a very similar genre and tone. Trouble uses a dark environment which focuses on gangsters and the bleakness of the situation. The conventions of this include the cars in the background, which are not expensive emphasising a poorer, rough life that the character (Chris Martin). The flashing lights used would be typically used in this kind of situation even though it does had an aesthetically pleasing affect for the audiences. The string that are tying his hands together are perhaps the most important convention as they show he is in 'trouble' and the camera focuses on it throughout the video. Chasing Cars has a simpler choice of conventions which include the rural environments that show the loneliness of the lead singer, Gary Lightbody. In a way, he is a convention himself as he his wearing no shoes and is dirty from laying in the same position for a long time, which hints that. The rocks around him also tell us that he is away from society. The rain highlights his suffering in the video but mostly uses brighter colours than Trouble because the song is more positive.
The visuals link with the lyrics in both videos but especially in the Coldplay video he sings about being 'caught in the middle'. The video is based around the idea that Chris Martin has been caught up in a corrupt organisation of some kind, to emphasise this they placed him in the middle of the large area in between the buildings and walls. The rope on his hands work as a metaphor of the 'web' which he sings about throughout the song. When he sings the word 'web' in some places the camera focuses on the bindings. In Chasing Cars, the video has a very unique pattern where after every line, the camera changes to focus on another position or feature of the lead singer. For example after “just forget the words” it then cuts to an extreme close up shot of his eye.
The visuals also link with the music the two videos. In Trouble, he tries to struggle out of the chair in the beat to the piano, which looks like he his dancing in a very upsetting way. When the music sounds like it is spiralling, it shows Chris Martin floating and spinning in his chair which adds a surreal affect matching the sound. Because this matches the music it does not look out of place. When he falls to the floor towards the end of the song the music suddenly tones down as he has given up to break free at this point. When the normal tempo restarts the video gains more colour which concludes the footage. In Chasing Cars, the music and lyrics link anyway, therefore the cuts change with the beat of the music as well as each line. However when the music speeds up and progresses, the rain increases which intensifies the emotion in the song.
The two videos both sell the artist in different ways, although they both focus on their vulnerability in the videos. Chris Martin and Gary Lightbody are both regarded as the most influential in their groups also being the lead singers. Both videos focus on them through the entire video using different shots as transitions. The types of shots makes the characters look calm and relaxed despite Chris Martin being tied up by gangsters. This achieves the audience to feel that they are full of wisdom. Audiences would buy the product from Coldplay because you feel sympathy for the character as well as the song being of a high quality, the video just gives extra emotion which associates with the band which could end up selling. Gary Lightbody is just laying in the environment which is a very mysterious way of portraying the artists. However this represents the band as calm so people who like to be relaxed would purchase albums and the single.
The intertextuality resources are very limited in the two videos. Obviously the bleak setting of Trouble has elements such as scenes from Reservoir Dogs and films with a similar genre. Essex Boys is another film that the video may have been inspirated by. The Snow Patrol video has a very original idea so lacks any intertextuality in a way.
The voyeurism is very effective in both videos. The Coldplay video uses flashing lights in the background and lights that seem to highlight the main character and work as conventions, however, this also works as a visual affect that adds an aesthetically pleasing element. The Snow Patrol video also lacks voyeurism but has uses a wide range of colours and the affects such as rain improve 'the art of looking'.
The conventions from both videos are very different despite the two songs have a very similar genre and tone. Trouble uses a dark environment which focuses on gangsters and the bleakness of the situation. The conventions of this include the cars in the background, which are not expensive emphasising a poorer, rough life that the character (Chris Martin). The flashing lights used would be typically used in this kind of situation even though it does had an aesthetically pleasing affect for the audiences. The string that are tying his hands together are perhaps the most important convention as they show he is in 'trouble' and the camera focuses on it throughout the video. Chasing Cars has a simpler choice of conventions which include the rural environments that show the loneliness of the lead singer, Gary Lightbody. In a way, he is a convention himself as he his wearing no shoes and is dirty from laying in the same position for a long time, which hints that. The rocks around him also tell us that he is away from society. The rain highlights his suffering in the video but mostly uses brighter colours than Trouble because the song is more positive.
The visuals link with the lyrics in both videos but especially in the Coldplay video he sings about being 'caught in the middle'. The video is based around the idea that Chris Martin has been caught up in a corrupt organisation of some kind, to emphasise this they placed him in the middle of the large area in between the buildings and walls. The rope on his hands work as a metaphor of the 'web' which he sings about throughout the song. When he sings the word 'web' in some places the camera focuses on the bindings. In Chasing Cars, the video has a very unique pattern where after every line, the camera changes to focus on another position or feature of the lead singer. For example after “just forget the words” it then cuts to an extreme close up shot of his eye.
The visuals also link with the music the two videos. In Trouble, he tries to struggle out of the chair in the beat to the piano, which looks like he his dancing in a very upsetting way. When the music sounds like it is spiralling, it shows Chris Martin floating and spinning in his chair which adds a surreal affect matching the sound. Because this matches the music it does not look out of place. When he falls to the floor towards the end of the song the music suddenly tones down as he has given up to break free at this point. When the normal tempo restarts the video gains more colour which concludes the footage. In Chasing Cars, the music and lyrics link anyway, therefore the cuts change with the beat of the music as well as each line. However when the music speeds up and progresses, the rain increases which intensifies the emotion in the song.
The two videos both sell the artist in different ways, although they both focus on their vulnerability in the videos. Chris Martin and Gary Lightbody are both regarded as the most influential in their groups also being the lead singers. Both videos focus on them through the entire video using different shots as transitions. The types of shots makes the characters look calm and relaxed despite Chris Martin being tied up by gangsters. This achieves the audience to feel that they are full of wisdom. Audiences would buy the product from Coldplay because you feel sympathy for the character as well as the song being of a high quality, the video just gives extra emotion which associates with the band which could end up selling. Gary Lightbody is just laying in the environment which is a very mysterious way of portraying the artists. However this represents the band as calm so people who like to be relaxed would purchase albums and the single.
The intertextuality resources are very limited in the two videos. Obviously the bleak setting of Trouble has elements such as scenes from Reservoir Dogs and films with a similar genre. Essex Boys is another film that the video may have been inspirated by. The Snow Patrol video has a very original idea so lacks any intertextuality in a way.
The voyeurism is very effective in both videos. The Coldplay video uses flashing lights in the background and lights that seem to highlight the main character and work as conventions, however, this also works as a visual affect that adds an aesthetically pleasing element. The Snow Patrol video also lacks voyeurism but has uses a wide range of colours and the affects such as rain improve 'the art of looking'.
Monday, 6 July 2009
1.3 Music video timeline
1941: A new jukebox is released which plays short video clips of music. They were called Panoram Soundie and available in the bars and clubs in USA. Thousands of soundies were made, mostly of jazz musicians and comedians. They were very popular but faded during the second World War.
1956: A wave of 'Rock and Roll' films begin to hit Hollywood which were feature lengths productions. This was shown in front of box office audiences. Dj, J.P. Richardson was the first to convert the phrase into 'music videos'.
1962: Gigantic shows such as Top of the Pops and Ready Steady Go start as band vehicles and became huge hits
1964: The Beatles star in A Hard Day's Night directed by Richard Lester and was presented as a documentary. This had a huge influence on the style of the genre visually. Sequels were then made in following years.
1966: Bob Dylan stars in the famous Subterranean Homesick Blues which is a very iconic video in history. The footage showed him holding pieces of card which have the lyrics what he is singing to. The idea was simple but very affective.
1966-67: The Beatles continue to release promotional films including 'Paperback Writer', 'Rain', 'Penny Lane' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever
1969: Independent music clips came out of fashion because bands preffered to perform in television shows which gave a better visual affect.
1970: The record industry realised that this TV shows were a great way to promote bands and acts. Short 'promos' were encouraged to be released to replace the live performances. This was even more beneficial for the artist and giving even more visual affect to the audiences watching on television and at the studio.
1973: The first of 46 'Schoolhouse Rock' music videos were showed on Saturday morning television
1975: Bruce Gowers made a promo video for Queen's single Bohemian Rhapsody. It was first shown on Top of the Pops and is famous for being taped and edited entirely on a videotape.
1979: The first music video to involve computer animation was "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise" by Devo which was the same year in which computer animation was used in video games.
1980: David Bowie released Ashes to Ashes which was a trademark videos of the early 80s
1981: MTV is launched. It was the first 24 hour music channel and was available on satellite television, it rapidly become successful and become a influence on the culture of teenagers.
1984: Thriller by Michael Jackson was a short film released which is to date, the biggest selling VHS of all time. It changed the concept of videos forever.
1985: Madonna releases Material Girl which bases on its intertextuality on 'Diamonds are a girls best friend' by Marilyn Monroe
1989: Like a Prayer was also released. Despite its controversy, it was hugely successful
1990: The first 3D music video was produced called 'Love Can Build A Brigde' performed by the Judds
1995: This saw the release of the most expensive ever video by Michael Jackson which also starred his sister Janet. With the help of MTV, it was clear how much the muisc video industry has changed since its beginning in the 1960's. Michael Jackson and Madonna were the most popular video artists of their time.
1996: Smashing Pumpkins launched their video for Tonight Tonight which was one of the first videos to be based on an earlier film 'A Trip To the Moon.
2002: MTV Hits is launched as MTV2 is showing gradually less videos. Many more channels have been introduced.
2008: 3D music videos made by David Meyers and Missy Elliot for her single Ching-a-ling
1956: A wave of 'Rock and Roll' films begin to hit Hollywood which were feature lengths productions. This was shown in front of box office audiences. Dj, J.P. Richardson was the first to convert the phrase into 'music videos'.
1962: Gigantic shows such as Top of the Pops and Ready Steady Go start as band vehicles and became huge hits
1964: The Beatles star in A Hard Day's Night directed by Richard Lester and was presented as a documentary. This had a huge influence on the style of the genre visually. Sequels were then made in following years.
1966: Bob Dylan stars in the famous Subterranean Homesick Blues which is a very iconic video in history. The footage showed him holding pieces of card which have the lyrics what he is singing to. The idea was simple but very affective.
1966-67: The Beatles continue to release promotional films including 'Paperback Writer', 'Rain', 'Penny Lane' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever
1969: Independent music clips came out of fashion because bands preffered to perform in television shows which gave a better visual affect.
1970: The record industry realised that this TV shows were a great way to promote bands and acts. Short 'promos' were encouraged to be released to replace the live performances. This was even more beneficial for the artist and giving even more visual affect to the audiences watching on television and at the studio.
1973: The first of 46 'Schoolhouse Rock' music videos were showed on Saturday morning television
1975: Bruce Gowers made a promo video for Queen's single Bohemian Rhapsody. It was first shown on Top of the Pops and is famous for being taped and edited entirely on a videotape.
1979: The first music video to involve computer animation was "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise" by Devo which was the same year in which computer animation was used in video games.
1980: David Bowie released Ashes to Ashes which was a trademark videos of the early 80s
1981: MTV is launched. It was the first 24 hour music channel and was available on satellite television, it rapidly become successful and become a influence on the culture of teenagers.
1984: Thriller by Michael Jackson was a short film released which is to date, the biggest selling VHS of all time. It changed the concept of videos forever.
1985: Madonna releases Material Girl which bases on its intertextuality on 'Diamonds are a girls best friend' by Marilyn Monroe
1989: Like a Prayer was also released. Despite its controversy, it was hugely successful
1990: The first 3D music video was produced called 'Love Can Build A Brigde' performed by the Judds
1995: This saw the release of the most expensive ever video by Michael Jackson which also starred his sister Janet. With the help of MTV, it was clear how much the muisc video industry has changed since its beginning in the 1960's. Michael Jackson and Madonna were the most popular video artists of their time.
1996: Smashing Pumpkins launched their video for Tonight Tonight which was one of the first videos to be based on an earlier film 'A Trip To the Moon.
2002: MTV Hits is launched as MTV2 is showing gradually less videos. Many more channels have been introduced.
2008: 3D music videos made by David Meyers and Missy Elliot for her single Ching-a-ling
Sunday, 5 July 2009
1.4 Research - Music promo research
The purpose of a music video is to promote the artist and song by interesting audiences who view it by using conventions that suit the genre of the act shown. This can be shown by using techniques such as camera angles, mise-en-scene and lighting which can influence the way a viewer sees the production. As examples I will use different genres to prove that different types of music need a different approach to the making of the music video as part of my research on my own music video.
James Morrison – Wonderful World.
James Morrison is a well known song-writer who uses a light hearted style of music and gives the listener a 'feel good' element. In the video 'Wonderful World', the makers have obviously used 'happy' conventions such as use of colour and setting. The first component shown in the video was of the beautiful countryside in the background full of trees and grass which looks very aesthetically pleasing, added with gleaming sunshine which has been emphasized with extra lighting. This all shows that the song has a good-feel factor to it and also represents the tittle of the song, 'Wonderful World'. James Morrison's clothes also representing that his own life his perhaps 'wonderful'. He has been dressed casually but brightly and all contributes to the happy feeling that the audience are experiencing. We also gain the feeling that he is personally enjoying his life which helps portray the artist as happy, which could lead to further interest into him and possibly selling more records. The main setting of the video is surrounding a pool full of glamour including women in bikinis and a very expensive looking house. The setting has a large percentage of white furniture and brick work which indicates the wealth in the video and the fact that a lot of the props are the same colour makes the scene look very clean. Wealth is another reason why the video is represented as a wonderful world.
The night time shows fireworks and the women looking up to the sky which is an even further showing of the wealth and happiness of the people involved, however, this works as a narrative conventions as well as a generic one. The passing of time hints to the viewer that there is a storyline involved in the clip. Also the woman jumping around in the bedroom who is constantly shown in the video, appears to be involved in the storyline and could possibly have a relation to the singer who sings about love in his song. She is behaving very strangely and a doctor is concerned about her and contrasts to the women outside who have deliberately normal characteristics. Naturally the audience would take more interest in this character who is equally attractive but has more of a 'wild' personality which may show the artist prefers a woman with different characteristics.
The point where the women by the pool all simultaneously drink water proves how similar they all are compared to the odd one indoors. Another narrative convention is the pool that slowly turns black during the video. The changing colour is shown when the woman starts to go a bit crazy which and resembles a dis-equilibrium of the very normal life of the perfect looking setting. The woman going mad that the disruption of the normality is shown by a changing of setting, therefore the black pool manipulates the perfect image which we were shown at the start of the video.
The music video is full of factors that create Goodwin's six areas of analysis. The clip has a link between the music and the visuals, including the tempo of camera cuts used matching the tempo of the song. Also when James Morrison is singing high notes, a close-up shot of him is shown and appears to be zooming in on the singer. During the verses that are a bit slower and are quiet, the video seems to focus more on the developing storyline that involves the out of control woman. This is similar to the relationship between the video and the lyrics. None of the lyrics particularly link to any part of the video but again in the chorus the camera does focus on the singer performing by the swimming pool. The intertextuality involved in the video is perhaps from old-fashioned films such as James Bond which involves wealth and women. There is no obvious intertextuality for the video but it has a very typical view of living in luxury which is included in films and other music videos. The video sells the artist in a way that he is brightly clothed and has a wide imagination, as the audience has the feeling he is imagining this luxury. This luxury lifestyle that is shown within the production gives the video an element of voyeurism.
Kings of Leon – Sex On Fire
The video for Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon was released in September 2008 and the single reached UK number 1. The video maybe had a very big affect on 'selling the artist', and this was evidential in the charts. The genre of the song is a powerful, rock song which has a strong element to it. The video shows the ferocity of the song with dark colours and the theme of the clip which is based around an imprisonment scene.
The fast cuts and sharp movements in the video link brilliantly with the tempo of the music which makes the audience gain an adrenaline factor to it. The fast tempo cuts involve insert shots which give the idea that the characters in the video, the band members, are being tortured in their time in this haunted-looking prison. Constant shots of the lead singer being strapped to a bed show the darkness of the genre of the song and also props which are shown to us such as buckets and gloves. The shadows are an affect which further haunts the viewer which can increase their feeling towards the track. In breaks between the scenes of the video, the band are performing in a similar place to where the torturing was taking place.
The colours and lighting are the same and the clothing that they are wearing is very similar to what they are wearing during the drama. This could have been done to make the viewer try to believe that they are performing in a prison and the scenes which are shown to us feel more real. Some very interesting shots in the video are in the performance scenes, including zooming in on the band when they play their famous chorus which is loud. This is added to emphasise the power and spectacular feeling that the group are trying to create. A wide variety of shots are shown which gives us more detail on the band. For example, the lead singer is in focus when the drummer is out of focus, therefore underlining the superiority of the singer and his importance to the video. However the other characters and band members do have close-ups but are mainly used as insert shots to keep the cut tempo at a quick speed. The extreme close-up of the eye of the lead singer is an interesting one which shows his personal emotion.
The lighting in Sex On Fire is very limited because of the dark theme to the video. The clothing of the members are all black as well as the props being mostly a dark colour looking like metal. This tells us the danger of the prison and the darkness of the song and situation. The use of shadows is an added affect to that. Although, the lead singer, Caleb Followill is lighted with a golden fiery colour which could link to the song title, 'Sex On Fire'. This may because he is valued more than the other band members so is lighted a different tone. The other band members are lighted but not as shiny as him, they also wear duller clothing compared to the lead singer which further adds to the contrast between them. When the band perform you can see the contrast between the band and the surroundings such as the dark walls that appear to be pitch black and the presence of the tools spread around them is considered as non-existent to the viewer.
Mise-en-scen is important to this video as it creates the feeling that video is trying to generate. The costumes of the characters are old and ruined and further give us the impression they are being held and their facial hair and make-up say they have been held there for a long period of time. This in a way shows the strength of the characters and what they have experienced. The strength of the characters as shown in the make-up and costumes portrays the song and the feeling of watching the video. The props in the video are a key indication of the theme involved, giving the clip a haunted feel to it which includes big gloves, curtains and metal instruments such as axes and poles which gives the audience the scary element. The musical instruments shown when the band were performing were influential to how professional they looked. Obviously Kings Of Leon are one of the biggest bands in the world so they need to have a high amount of quality instruments to sell records and to fit in to the rock genre.
The relationship between music and the visuals in the video is proven throughout the production, starting with the pace of both of the factors. The louder the music, the more regular the cuts and the stronger images appear, such as the lead singer fighting against the torturers of even exorcists. This relationship is clearer than the link between the lyrics and visuals. Because of the nature of the song the lyrics match the music anyway, therefore the lyrics in the chorus would match the exciting shots that are shown during this area of the song.
The intertextuality involved is based around horror films such as possibly Hostel which has similar props and colours involved. The foreign prison idea has been used in James Bond, Die Another Day and 24, becoming a popular feature of an action storyline. Both of these use the idea of showing the audience the bravery of the main character which the music video also creates with the lead singer. There are many other examples of intertextuality in the production, although the audience gains the thriller film attitude towards the video which generates concentration from the viewer. The strict use of colour gives the video a very high voyeurism account. The black and gold remain the main colours throughout the clip and becomes a pattern of the video. The camera angles complexity in some ways creates a voyeurism of its own.
The two opposing genres I have compared use different concepts of mise-en-scen, lighting, colours, camera angles and themes to create the atmosphere that links perfectly with the song they are advertising. The happier James Morrison video used mainly bright colours with luxury props to create a happy feeling for a viewer of the video which represents the artist and his genre of music. The darker Kings Of Leon video in a way uses opposite techniques which generates a dark and powerful image with the audience. This uses darker colours with costumes which have tears and rips in sleeves, with props and a exorcist theme. The comparison shows a wide range of camera angles which link with the music and lyrics, both including basic close-up shots of the performance and the story line. This keeps the viewer to continue watching until a climax point in the video and also shows the band playing which also helps to sell their records and to raise their profiles. Both of the artists have gone on to make similar videos to these as people now recognise the relationship between technical features of the making of the productions and the recorded track.
James Morrison – Wonderful World.
James Morrison is a well known song-writer who uses a light hearted style of music and gives the listener a 'feel good' element. In the video 'Wonderful World', the makers have obviously used 'happy' conventions such as use of colour and setting. The first component shown in the video was of the beautiful countryside in the background full of trees and grass which looks very aesthetically pleasing, added with gleaming sunshine which has been emphasized with extra lighting. This all shows that the song has a good-feel factor to it and also represents the tittle of the song, 'Wonderful World'. James Morrison's clothes also representing that his own life his perhaps 'wonderful'. He has been dressed casually but brightly and all contributes to the happy feeling that the audience are experiencing. We also gain the feeling that he is personally enjoying his life which helps portray the artist as happy, which could lead to further interest into him and possibly selling more records. The main setting of the video is surrounding a pool full of glamour including women in bikinis and a very expensive looking house. The setting has a large percentage of white furniture and brick work which indicates the wealth in the video and the fact that a lot of the props are the same colour makes the scene look very clean. Wealth is another reason why the video is represented as a wonderful world.
The night time shows fireworks and the women looking up to the sky which is an even further showing of the wealth and happiness of the people involved, however, this works as a narrative conventions as well as a generic one. The passing of time hints to the viewer that there is a storyline involved in the clip. Also the woman jumping around in the bedroom who is constantly shown in the video, appears to be involved in the storyline and could possibly have a relation to the singer who sings about love in his song. She is behaving very strangely and a doctor is concerned about her and contrasts to the women outside who have deliberately normal characteristics. Naturally the audience would take more interest in this character who is equally attractive but has more of a 'wild' personality which may show the artist prefers a woman with different characteristics.
The point where the women by the pool all simultaneously drink water proves how similar they all are compared to the odd one indoors. Another narrative convention is the pool that slowly turns black during the video. The changing colour is shown when the woman starts to go a bit crazy which and resembles a dis-equilibrium of the very normal life of the perfect looking setting. The woman going mad that the disruption of the normality is shown by a changing of setting, therefore the black pool manipulates the perfect image which we were shown at the start of the video.
The music video is full of factors that create Goodwin's six areas of analysis. The clip has a link between the music and the visuals, including the tempo of camera cuts used matching the tempo of the song. Also when James Morrison is singing high notes, a close-up shot of him is shown and appears to be zooming in on the singer. During the verses that are a bit slower and are quiet, the video seems to focus more on the developing storyline that involves the out of control woman. This is similar to the relationship between the video and the lyrics. None of the lyrics particularly link to any part of the video but again in the chorus the camera does focus on the singer performing by the swimming pool. The intertextuality involved in the video is perhaps from old-fashioned films such as James Bond which involves wealth and women. There is no obvious intertextuality for the video but it has a very typical view of living in luxury which is included in films and other music videos. The video sells the artist in a way that he is brightly clothed and has a wide imagination, as the audience has the feeling he is imagining this luxury. This luxury lifestyle that is shown within the production gives the video an element of voyeurism.
Kings of Leon – Sex On Fire
The video for Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon was released in September 2008 and the single reached UK number 1. The video maybe had a very big affect on 'selling the artist', and this was evidential in the charts. The genre of the song is a powerful, rock song which has a strong element to it. The video shows the ferocity of the song with dark colours and the theme of the clip which is based around an imprisonment scene.
The fast cuts and sharp movements in the video link brilliantly with the tempo of the music which makes the audience gain an adrenaline factor to it. The fast tempo cuts involve insert shots which give the idea that the characters in the video, the band members, are being tortured in their time in this haunted-looking prison. Constant shots of the lead singer being strapped to a bed show the darkness of the genre of the song and also props which are shown to us such as buckets and gloves. The shadows are an affect which further haunts the viewer which can increase their feeling towards the track. In breaks between the scenes of the video, the band are performing in a similar place to where the torturing was taking place.
The colours and lighting are the same and the clothing that they are wearing is very similar to what they are wearing during the drama. This could have been done to make the viewer try to believe that they are performing in a prison and the scenes which are shown to us feel more real. Some very interesting shots in the video are in the performance scenes, including zooming in on the band when they play their famous chorus which is loud. This is added to emphasise the power and spectacular feeling that the group are trying to create. A wide variety of shots are shown which gives us more detail on the band. For example, the lead singer is in focus when the drummer is out of focus, therefore underlining the superiority of the singer and his importance to the video. However the other characters and band members do have close-ups but are mainly used as insert shots to keep the cut tempo at a quick speed. The extreme close-up of the eye of the lead singer is an interesting one which shows his personal emotion.
The lighting in Sex On Fire is very limited because of the dark theme to the video. The clothing of the members are all black as well as the props being mostly a dark colour looking like metal. This tells us the danger of the prison and the darkness of the song and situation. The use of shadows is an added affect to that. Although, the lead singer, Caleb Followill is lighted with a golden fiery colour which could link to the song title, 'Sex On Fire'. This may because he is valued more than the other band members so is lighted a different tone. The other band members are lighted but not as shiny as him, they also wear duller clothing compared to the lead singer which further adds to the contrast between them. When the band perform you can see the contrast between the band and the surroundings such as the dark walls that appear to be pitch black and the presence of the tools spread around them is considered as non-existent to the viewer.
Mise-en-scen is important to this video as it creates the feeling that video is trying to generate. The costumes of the characters are old and ruined and further give us the impression they are being held and their facial hair and make-up say they have been held there for a long period of time. This in a way shows the strength of the characters and what they have experienced. The strength of the characters as shown in the make-up and costumes portrays the song and the feeling of watching the video. The props in the video are a key indication of the theme involved, giving the clip a haunted feel to it which includes big gloves, curtains and metal instruments such as axes and poles which gives the audience the scary element. The musical instruments shown when the band were performing were influential to how professional they looked. Obviously Kings Of Leon are one of the biggest bands in the world so they need to have a high amount of quality instruments to sell records and to fit in to the rock genre.
The relationship between music and the visuals in the video is proven throughout the production, starting with the pace of both of the factors. The louder the music, the more regular the cuts and the stronger images appear, such as the lead singer fighting against the torturers of even exorcists. This relationship is clearer than the link between the lyrics and visuals. Because of the nature of the song the lyrics match the music anyway, therefore the lyrics in the chorus would match the exciting shots that are shown during this area of the song.
The intertextuality involved is based around horror films such as possibly Hostel which has similar props and colours involved. The foreign prison idea has been used in James Bond, Die Another Day and 24, becoming a popular feature of an action storyline. Both of these use the idea of showing the audience the bravery of the main character which the music video also creates with the lead singer. There are many other examples of intertextuality in the production, although the audience gains the thriller film attitude towards the video which generates concentration from the viewer. The strict use of colour gives the video a very high voyeurism account. The black and gold remain the main colours throughout the clip and becomes a pattern of the video. The camera angles complexity in some ways creates a voyeurism of its own.
The two opposing genres I have compared use different concepts of mise-en-scen, lighting, colours, camera angles and themes to create the atmosphere that links perfectly with the song they are advertising. The happier James Morrison video used mainly bright colours with luxury props to create a happy feeling for a viewer of the video which represents the artist and his genre of music. The darker Kings Of Leon video in a way uses opposite techniques which generates a dark and powerful image with the audience. This uses darker colours with costumes which have tears and rips in sleeves, with props and a exorcist theme. The comparison shows a wide range of camera angles which link with the music and lyrics, both including basic close-up shots of the performance and the story line. This keeps the viewer to continue watching until a climax point in the video and also shows the band playing which also helps to sell their records and to raise their profiles. Both of the artists have gone on to make similar videos to these as people now recognise the relationship between technical features of the making of the productions and the recorded track.
Saturday, 4 July 2009
1.5 Michael Jackson - Scream
The Michael Jackson video featuring his sister Janet Jackson of 'Scream' is the most expensive music video ever made at a cost of $7 million. The production was released in May 1995 and directed by Mark Romanek who has now directed many popular song videos including Madonna and Jay-Z. The timing of the video acted as a response to the critics after Michael Jackson's backlash in 1993, meaning Jackson had to regain his fans with a gigantic record and a video that matched the situation. The video highlighted sexuality in a very unique way by using different aspects of mise-en-scene which creates the audiences' feelings with visual affects.
The theme of the video is a futuristic space ship travelling through space with the two characters on board far away from Earth, with possible inspiration from Star Trek or Star Wars. Clips are then shown of them dancing, almost competing against each other with great enthusiasm and a wide variety of different shots with fast camera cuts. The amount of money spent on the video is very evident to the audience.
Firstly, the make up used in the video is very similar between both artists, which emphasises the way that the production is trying to make the genders appear as equal. However, Janet has very darkened eyes which gives her a more tougher look to the audience. The makers of the video may have tried to make this with idea that the female character has a darker side to her giving her more personality. This also stops any stereotypes which usually try to represent women as innocent and sweet. Also making her hair messier gives her a wilder look that could be more vulnerable to a man, especially in this case where she is seen to be competing against Michael Jackson. Michael also has these features in a less extreme way so he looks a bit calmer than Janet with less eye make-up and straighter hair.
The costumes of the characters also match each other which in an interesting way shows hardly any difference between the sexualities. The costume used seems too masculine for a typical woman and too feminine for a typical man which shows that the style of the video aims at audiences of both audiences. Again it emphasises the point that men and women are shown as equal. There are certain clips in the video where Janet Jackson is more revealing than others. The shots which focus on her bikini top underneath her coat gives the video a sexual element and certainly her own attractiveness. During this scene she is wearing white instead of black which shows a change of rhythm of the video.
The different props shown in the video highlights the theme of the video being futuristic and also the props matches the colours and surroundings in the scenes. Although there is one important prop that is used throughout the video which portrays the artist's sexuality, the chair. It is the same scene which is shown with the two characters switching and they both reveal sexual actions to make them more appealing to the audience. The shot of Michael Jackson shown in front of the planet Earth almost looks like he is standing on top of the world which gives us the impression that he is overshadowing his sister vocally in the video. This is probably what the video makers were trying to achieve because he is the more successful artist and the video was made for the response of his own personal disaster.
The percentage of camera shots are zoomed in on Michael Jackson which also highlights the point the video is about him. We gain the feeling that Michael is competing against his sister but is overshadowing in ability which in a way is in favour of the male dominance in the video.
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