Music Video assignment 01 2019 pro forma - Case Studies

MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
D AVID LEE

MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
• We will look at Music Videos from a number of perspectives, this
template is for you to write up your notes and to complete your
case study.
• The document is split into 3 different tasks, each with separate
questions to answer.
• Task 1 is concerned with the purposes of music videos and the
strategies employed by labels and artists
• Task 2 is concerned with the styles, techniques and conventions of
music video production
• Task 3 is your own case study into a minimum of three music
videos where you can unpack and discuss the videos considering
everything you have looked at in Task 1 and 2

NOTES ON COMPLETING THE
CASE STUDY
• It is often easier to show something you are discussing than to
take time describing it. With this in mind, feel free to add lots of
illustrative images from your chosen video examples. Links to
YouTube/Vevo/etc are also encouraged.
• Remember, when you make a point or define something, you
should follow this with an example, an explanation of this and
then link to further texts/videos where possible.
• If you don’t think there is enough room to add your full response
to a question, don’t just reset the font size to really small, add an
extra slide wherever necessary.

TASK 1 -
PURPOSES
D AV I D L E E

TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q1:
• The three primary purposes of a music video, regardless of the
genre it belongs to, is:
1. To provide entertainment value for its key audience as well as to
people who are fascinated by how a video is created, even if
they despise the music itself.
2. To make money so that the record company responsible for
distribution can profit from the sales when the album the single
belongs to comes out.
3. To promote the track an artist has selected to be their single,
depending on the album they are releasing.

TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q2 – What are some of the broader purposes of music videos? Think about some of the
strategies employed by artists in their videos and how they represent themselves, you could
consider where the artist is on a major label, independent label of unsigned, is there a
difference between them?
• One of the larger-scale purposes of a music video is for the artist to reinforce a political
message and/or opinion. In the music video of independent rock band Pussy Riot’s song
Police State, the police are depicted as antagonistic as one holds a nightstick to the throat
of one of the women while the other forcibly removes their masks, while her friends simply
watch on in fear. This is regularly interspersed with footage of three children, also wearing
masks, being subjected to footage in a style reminiscent of the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film A
Clockwork Orange of various atrocities being committed across the world as well as Donald
Trump and Vladimir Putin shaking hands with one another. This conveys the message that
the public is being brainwashed by right-wing leaders in every corner of the world and, in
spite of what we do, we are utterly powerless to stop it.
• In putting together this message, it seems to deliberately create an ironic contrast between
the independent, unsigned band’s feminist image as well as the lyrics in the song,
particularly the chorus of “Oh, my God, I’m so happy I could die.”

TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q3 – Describe what is ‘synergy’ is and how it has been used in
music videos [min. 3 examples of synergy and convergance]
• Synergy is the result of two (or more than two) people and/or
organisations pooling together their resources to create a
complete product that is much bigger than the sum of its parts
or the two persons’ separate personalities.

TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q4 – Branding; select an artist you like and look at how they present
themselves in their music videos. Explain what their ‘brand’ is, who is
appeals to and why they might have done this.
• David Bowie, in his initial years as a musician, portrayed himself as being
a particularly colourful individual, which would often be showcased by his
outlandish hair style, the clothes he wore and the make-up he would were.
These are all particularly evident in his music video to Life on Mars, which
features him standing him against a vast white backdrop, wearing an aqua-
coloured suit, carrying an full head of red hair and wearing blue eyeshadow
across his eyes.
• This style of musical appeals primarily to audiences who have become fans
of artists like Bowie himself, Slade, Mott the Hoople and even Alvin
Stardust. Sometimes, this may be that they wish to be a musician in the
glam rock movement them or they are simply interested in the style of
music they have created.

TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q5 – Compare One Direction and Animal Collective music videos [find them on YouTube!], what can you discern
about each act from their videos? What is the main aim? Explain why.
• One Direction
• One Direction, as a pop band comprised mainly of boys, often rely on the use of similar colours in their music videos,
in particular the colours of green, grey and blue. In doing this, their style is evidently more conventional which, while
allowing for a higher budget (as is evident with the director’s name appearing at the front), ultimately substitutes
subtlety and originality for nostalgia and cliché. The aim of their videos is to seek out audiences, particularly
teenagers and young adults, who are more interested in following the next mainstream band or artist on tour.
• Animal Collective
• Animal Collective, as an independent rock band, are more willing to experiment with new and original things in their
music videos that conventional rock bands and/or artists may consider taboo. In doing this, they subvert the
audience’s expectations in what to expect from a music video. In comparison to One Direction, their videos
incorporate things such as psychidelia, surrealism, superimposition, electronic synthezisers, minialism (particularly in
the Fireworks music video, where we see brief shots of the band’s faces against a black backdrop with occassional
firework sparks seen throughout) and, most importantly, originality. The overall aim of their music videos is to seek
out audiences who have interests in more experimental music, as certain audience members (few though they may
be) will often be appreciative of music when an artist takes risks.

TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS
D AV I D L E E

TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q1 – Describe and explain the use of camerawork in music videos, i.e. the
types of shot used with examples to illustrate this.
• At the beginning of, and possibly throughout, the music video of David
Bowie’s first hit single Space Oddity, there are extensive zoom-in shots of
Bowie as he recites the lyrics of the song and plays guitar (this instrument
is also given a zoom-in close-up 90 seconds into the video). These shots
have been used to show that David Bowie would have, at the time, by a
newcomer in the music industry trying to make a name for himself.
Additionally, the close-up of his guitar at 1 minute 30 seconds
demonstrates that he is multitalented and can play instruments in his songs
as well as providing vocals.
• During the start of the music video for Higgs Boson Blues, the camera
follows Nick Cave as he enters the performance studio in a tracking shot.
This has been done to demonstrate that he is the central performer of his
band, The Bad Seeds.

AND CONVENTIONS
• Q2 - Describe and explain the use of editing in music videos, i.e. the types
of shot used with examples to illustrate this
• Although they are only often used in films, match cuts can also be applied
to music videos albeit in a limited capacity, depending on what the artist
envisions. One such cut is used exactly sixty seconds in to the music video
of Kate Bush’s 1980 single Babooshka. As she reaches the chorus of the
song, we see an extreme close-up of her face masked by a black veil,
playing the role of a paranoid wife, which then quickly transitions into Bush
wearing an outlandish costume as the eponymous Babooshka. This shows
that while the characters of Babooshka and the angry, bitter wife are two
different personas interchangeable with one another, they are both one and
the same. Such a transition was also accomplished by first filming Bush in
her veiled costume and then replicating the same shot in the more
extravagant Babooshka costume.

AND CONVENTIONS
• Q3 - Describe and explain some of the technical developments in
music videos, i.e. the types of shot used with examples to illustrate
this.
• In the early years of music videos, they were filmed on a low
budget as the only possible way to watch a band or a solo artist
perform was either at the studio it was being filmed at or on
television. This would have necessitated directors to place
emphasis on the performers, either in a tight-close up or a two-
shot. Most videos in the 1960s would have been shot primarily in
black and white and, additionally, as a result of the limited
technology the studio had, they would have been unable to
incorporate special effects into the video, as can be seen in The
Beatles’ Twist and Shout.

• Question 3 – continued
• By the turn of the 21st century, many music videos were starting to
become more extravagant and incorporate animations and
computer effects that would have been impossible to come by
years ago. A particular example can be found throughout the
duration of the video to Animal Collective’s My Girls single,
originally released c. 2008-2009. Such effects and animations
include superimposition of instruments such as synthezisers and
drumkits, shadow outlines of the band members and even green
single-celled organisms flying by. The band has taken this
approach deliberately to demonstrate that they are creative and
original, ready to experiment with different things and push
boundaries.
AND CONVENTIONS

AND CONVENTIONS
• Q4 – Genre conventions; often music videos adhere to genre
conventions within their visual style and production techniques.
Select a recognisable genre and use illustrations to explain what
their genre conventions are…
• Childrens’ music, as an unwritten rule, is designed to have a simple
tune and upbeat rhythm that they can easily follow, as a means to
help them learn speech as well as language. Music videos,
however, are created with the intention of helping them understand
colours and, as such, will often produced in a limited 2D animation
format. Baby Shark prominently features bright and vibrant colours
throughout the video, such as green, blue, pink, green, orange,
yellow etc., all of which are used to great effect as the shark family
is introduced one by one.

AND CONVENTIONS
• Q5 - John Stuart’s description of the music video “incorporating, raiding and reconstructing” is
essentially the essence of intertextuality [something asserted by Andrew Goodwin]. Can you
explain what intertexuality is and find some examples of it in music videos?
• Intertextuality is the interconnected relationship between two otherwise completely disparate texts
in visual media, literature or audio that reflects the audience’s interpretation and understanding of
the source material.
• The music video for the 2005 Thirty Seconds to Mars single The Kill, written by lead vocalist Jared
Leto (also known for his acting roles in films like American Psycho, Requiem for a Dream and Mr.
Nobody) references Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror film The Shining in a multitude of areas
including the bar where Jack Torrance meets the ghostly bartender Lloyd for the first time, the
typewriter in which the repetitive intonation of “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is
created, and the scene where Torrance throws a tennis ball in the writing area of the Overlook
Hotel as he gradually begins his descent into madness.
• Perhaps the most obvious example of intertextuality in music is the video of Madonna’s 1985
single Material Girl, in which the artist replicates a famous scene from the 1953 Marilyn Monroe
musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes where Monroe performs the film’s signature musical number
Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend. Each detail of the scene is, more or less, faithfully recreated in
the music video from Monroe’s iconic pink evening gown to the crowd of admiring men watching
her perform.

TASK 3 – CASE
STUDY
D AV I D L E E

TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
DAVID BOWIE – ASHES TO
ASHES
• For your individual case study you must study an artist or genre of
music, focusing on a minimum of 3 videos [ideally 5+ videos]
• This should provide discussion on the usage of the following:
Style[s] & Techniques employed
– Intertextuality
– Camerawork/editing
– Genre conventions
– Critical approaches [you should be applying some of the critical
approaches from your lessons and some of your own, to your
videos}

ASHES
• You should include a video link for the video
• You can include as many illustrative stills as you like
• Be creative in your approach, it is suggested you use the
heading on the previous slide a guide on how to structure your
response to get you started
• Remember, make a point, use a specific part of the chosen
video as an example, explain yourself and then link to another
video where possible
• Compare and contrast your artist/genre to other artists/genres
• Remember to consider differing contexts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyMm4rJemt
I

• Despite the song’s dark lyrics and subject matter, the video’s visual look varies throughout its
duration ranging from bright, deliberately oversaturated colour (solarisation) to pseudo-solarised
black and white, creating a sharp, clear and crisp picture in the process as well as unaltered
colour, during the scenes Bowie is seen in a large prison room . This continually varying visual
style mirrors David Bowie’s struggle with drug addiction in the late 1970s with the oversatuated
colours in the scenes on the beach and the kitchen representing his hallucinatory state of mind
and the scenes in the prison room where Bowie’s character gradually begins to suffer from
withdrawal representing reality. It also mirrors his radical change in personality, as a result of said
struggle, from a naïve, optimistic glam rock star to a broken, cynical and world-weary artist.
• Through the majority of the video, particularly the solarised colour scenes where he is situated at
an undisclosed seaside location, Bowie wears a clown costume similar to that of well-known
pantomime character Pierrot, made popular in French plays in the 19th century by both mime and
stage personas of that time, such as Paul Legrand and Sarah Bernhardt. While the costume and
make-up remains the same, the hat the clown wears can often vary from a flat circular shape to a
rising cone, the latter form being used by Bowie in his music video for this song. Often being
portrayed as a sad clown carrying an uncrushable air of naivety with him, this form of
intertextuality is particularly appropriate for the Ashes to Ashes video as the lyrics of the song, at
its core, tell the story of Bowie reflecting on his early, more naively optimistic years as a musician
and the chain reaction of events that led to the decline of his mental health and how he has
become filled with regret with what he was.
ASHES

• Having been structured first and foremost as an art form song with elements of
the new wave movement incorporated, the video’s main purpose is to
incorporate colour which it does to particularly great effect through the
combination of the utilisation of a photographic technique mentioned previously
in this case study, causing the image to become more brighter than usual and
the surreal sci-fi atmosphere the colour provides at the beginning of the video,
helped further by the electronic synthesisers used to create the tune’s opening
bars.
• During the first few opening bars of the tune, there is an establishing shot of the
undisclosed seaside location with a miniscule figure sitting upon one of the
rocks. After a few seconds, the camera zooms in to the landscape and a
dissolve transition is applied within less than a few seconds, revealing the figure
to be David Bowie in the Pierrot clown costume mentioned above. This
transition unfolds gradually, a wise creative choice by the crew responsible
creating the video, as it allows the viewer to take in the surroundings of the
location while simultaneously acquainting themselves with the video’s portrayal
of Bowie himself as a fool.
Two French 19th century talents
Paul Legrand (left) and Sarah
Bernhardt (right) in costume as
Pierrot the Clown.

CHRISTOPHER LEE – THE
BLOODY VERDICT OF VERDEN
• For your individual case study you must study an artist or genre of
music, focusing on a minimum of 3 videos [ideally 5+ videos]
– Style[s] & Techniques employed
– Intertextuality
selected videos]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvKRbi
2ovDY

• Having been structured as a power metal song as well a symphonic metal song,
thereby creating the symphonic power metal subgenre, the voices of the main singers
are placed upon with particular emphasis, including that of Christopher Lee’s, as they
unfold the gruesome story that took place at Verden, while pianos and violas, mainly
during the first and ninth verses of the song, along with guitars and drums are put to
extensive use during the chorus as the singers, both playing the character of
Charlemagne, recite the lyrics and variations thereof of, “I shed the blood of the Saxon
Men.”
• Throughout the duration of the video, the use of colours varies from a misty, grey forest
to a blood red sky with flames raging across the backdrop of a ruined castle, with each
colour being used effectively to visualise a number of different aspects in the story e.g.
the abbey that the ghost of Charlemagne sits in while reminiscing on the events that
led to the sacking of Verden uses various shades of colour including but not limited to
green (faded in the window, bright on the walls), blue, yellow (to indicate sunset),
purple and black, while wearing a crown and holding a sword in hand, possibly
indicating that he is now in the spirit world where is both revered and respected. The
grey fog that surrounds the forest in which the young Charlemagne is surrounded by
skulls could represent the aftermath of the bloodshed and his regret over the wanton
death that has been dealt, while the raging flames surrounding the ruined castle and
red sky the band are superimposed against could serve as a visual metaphor for the

• Whether or not this form of intertextuality is intended, the ruined castle displayed
at certain points during the video extensively references the ruined city of
Osgiliath as depicted Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, in which
Lee himself starred as the villainous wizard Saruman the White. This allusion is
particularly appropriate to the subject matter of the song as well as the backdrop
shown at the beginning of the song, showing that, like Osgiliath, while the castle
was once a place of majesty and wonder, it has now been reduced to ruin as a
result of war and decay.
• Halfway through the video, as Christopher Lee, performing as the ghost of
Charlemange, continues to reminisce on the events leading up to and during the
battle of Verden and how citizens of various regions were converted to
Christanity, there is a small but noticeable jump cut that takes place as
Christopher Lee recites the verse, “Victory for the chosen people.” This may
have been done deliberately to give the impression that time works differently in
the spirit world, where Charlemagne now resides. Additionally, as the video is
about to come to an end, there is a close-up shot of Christopher Lee standing in
the abbey as he points his sword and stares at the camera with an intense look
in his eyes, almost as if the horror of the bloodshed that took place in Verden is
still a living memory in his eyes and has forever left him traumatised and broken.

KATE BUSH – RUNNING UP
THAT HILL
• For your individual case study you must study an artist or genre
of music, focusing on a minimum of 3 videos [ideally 5+ videos]
– Style[s] & Techniques employed
– Intertextuality
selected videos]

THAT HILL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp43OdtAAk
M

THAT HILL
• Although the colours in the video start to become slightly brighter towards the end, the
visual look of the video remains completely consistent throughout as muted colours are
used throughout, ranging from grey to blue combined with a relatively muted purple
hue, the latter of which is displayed prominently in the building that Bush and another
dancer are in as light breaks through into a window, providing even more mystery as to
where the video is set. Red is also used towards the end to a reveal darkened desert
landscape as the hallway as the previously grey hallway complete with lighting in the
background begins to disappear along with the masked men and women.
• Throughout the duration of the video, Bush and a fellow dancer perform an
interpretative dance routine with various editing and camera techniques utilised to
capture both points of view of the routine including one or two dissolve transitions in
which they both dance back-to-back. The second transition reveals thunderclouds in a
medium shot of Bush as she prepares for the next movement of her interpretative
dance routine, thereby turning the verse “unaware I’m tearing you asunder” as a visual
metaphor for the rocky relationship between Bush and her lover in the song, a
particularly inspired choice on Bush’s part, as if to say that their volatile natures are
thunderclouds that are tearing them apart and putting their relationship at risk, hence
her decision to make, in her words, a deal with God and get him “to swap our places.”

• Whether or not it is intended as a form of intertextuality, part of the desert landscape
depicted in the video as Bush and her fellow dancer run across the catwalk in an
attempt to stop one another from escaping is slightly reminiscent of the landscape of
Tatooine in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, particularly the pink stream of clouds
hovering over the sky ready to cover it over as sunset begins. While the idea of a
person sharing the same face with someone else was arguably not depicted until this
video, through the use of paper masks made of the persons’ faces, it would inspire
later films and television programmes in which a similar albeit more advanced special
effects principle was utilised including, but not limited to Being John Malkovich, The
Matrix Reloaded as well as its follow-up The Matrix Revolutions and Doctor Who: The
End of Time Parts 1 and 2.
• Having been structured and written as an art rock song, Running Up That Hill, along
with the vast majority of Kate Bush’s other songs, makes extensive use of electronic
instruments and equipment. This ultimately allows her more creative freedom in which
to create the tune and rhythm of her songs than conventional rock would. In doing
this, she deliberately and wisely favours experimental and original tunes over
mainstream ones. Additionally, the rhythm of the tune of an art-rock song is
considerably much for easier for an audience for listen to as opposed to the constant
beats inherent in ordinary rock. This gives the audience the opportunity to
contemplate the meaning of the song and draw their own conclusions as to what it is

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