close video analysis

1. Music video analysis

2. Andrew Goodwin Theology
(Music Videos)
1 The music video demonstrates genre characters (Performance videos for rock/heavy metal bands, dance routines for
boy/girl bands).
2 There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visual elements (Illustrative, amplifying or disjunctive).
3 There is a relationship between the music and the visual elements (illustrative, amplifying or disjunctive).
4 The demands of the record label will include the need for close ups of the star and the artist in turn may develop trends
that remain consistent and are associated with their work such as a visual style or identity.
5 There are frequent references to the notion of looking (can be influenced using props or through conventions of
portrayal of gender/sexuality) and a particularly voyeuristic (sexual) treatment of women
6 There is often intertextual references to other media elements (films, TV, other music videos, etc.)
7 Whether the video is primarily performance based, narrative based or concept based and how these elements are
conveyed.

3. ‘Close’ – Nick Jonas ft. Tove Lo
1. The music video demonstrates genre characters (Performance
videos for rock/heavy metal bands, dance routines for boy/girl
bands).
This video showcases Nick Jonas’s ability to look convincing on screen
in terms of telling the story behind the song and communicating the fact
that he is speaking directly to someone else within the video. We know
that a music video from Nick Jonas will be more interesting than a
simple performance video as he was a young Disney channel star and
has satisfactory acting abilities.
As he is popular within the pop genre, he performs in a way that tells a
story which reinforces his image as a ‘grown up’ eg: no longer a Disney
star. Equally, Tove Lo (his counterpart in this video) also appears to
perform well and create a convincing story on screen. Both artists
perform in such a way that they appear to convey a meaning behind the
words which is later complemented with the action that takes place
later on in the video, almost like a dance routine.
Both artists are also conventionally attractive as they are prominent
within the pop genre and have to appeal to the mainstream audiences.
Nick Jonas is well styled and has the ’classic’ and current haircut and
clothing style in order to appear relatable and relevant to the
mainstream audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgJFqVvb2Ws

4. 2. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visual elements
(Illustrative, amplifying or disjunctive).
Early in the video after both of the stars have been introduced to the audience
and had their individual moments or ‘thoughts’ as the lyrics suggest, we see
them come together and touch each others face as they speak to each other
using the lyrics almost like an apology.
Later on in the video (usually during the chorus) the camera zooms out to reveal
the two artists sat on chairs. The prominent word in the chorus of the song is
‘Close’; the words stands alone is said on a beat of music. On the beat when the
word is said, the chairs slide back and forth taking the artists with them to
replicate the idea that the artists are being pulled away from each other only to
spring back to square one. This compliments the main theme in the song of
space within a relationship.
As the video progresses the clothes that the artists are wearing are gradually
ripped off to show the closeness and comfort they have with each other but they
are also exposed to us, the audience as the camera is also within a close
proximity to the stars. The artists react to both the chairs and the clothes ripping
off in a way that suggests that neither party is quite sure what is causing the
divide between them and they don’t know how to stop it as they both appear
surprised by the motion.
Near the end of the video the chairs disappear and they are left in skin coloured
clothes that suggest they are now unrestricted and the closest they can possibly
be, almost defying the idea of space which matches the meaning of the song.

5. 3. There is a relationship between the music and the visual
elements (illustrative, amplifying or disjunctive).
The fact that the video appears to have been filmed in an military
hangar further enhances the idea that they are trapped in some
kind of space together but they are somehow still restricted. Their
clothing also suggests that they are somewhere of a military
nature due to the style of clothing and the colours that have been
used.
The artists on the chairs move closer and further away from each
other on the beat of the music and the camera angles also change
and vary depending on the change of the music. Also the camera
tends to follow their mouths and faces mostly to match the words
to the action.
Later in the video there is a slow motion action where the artists
move/float before the song continues. The music stops in time
with the action and a sound affect is added so that the movement
makes sense. The visual elements also change to a wide lens
establishing shot to show how small the two appear in the space
in order to create an emphasis on the idea of space and closeness.
This brief pause is effective as it then allows for a larger impact
when the beat returns to the song and Tove Lo falls on top of Nick
Jonas and they proceed into an almost dance section that is
representative of the themes and emotions that are being
explored through the lyrics.

6. 4. The demands of the record label will include the need for close ups
of the star and the artist in turn may develop trends that remain
consistent and are associated with their work such as a visual style or
identity.
The video starts with a close up shot of Nick Jonas’s face and that shot
continues to appear throughout the video as Nick Jonas is known for being
conventionally attractive and also needs to be seen by the audience as he
needs to be seen for the ‘new’ artist he is, opposed to the squeaky clean
Disney channel star that everyone is used to.
Tove Lo has an equal amount of screen time although different parts of her
are focused on instead. For example her face is shown after a shot of her
body in leggings and a crop top is shown, she also hasn’t even sung by this
point either. This is to show that there is an interest in both genders during
the video, however Nick Jonas is focused on more by the camera as he is the
leading artist and according to the male stereotypes as well as the idea of
the male gaze, we are supposed to look at and ultimately objectify Tove Lo
as we are made to look on her body rather than her face.
The clothing style is interesting as it not only supports their location but for
Nick Jonas especially, it makes a point of being dull enough in the beginning
so that we can focus on their faces but later on in the video when the
clothes are taken away we have to focus on their bodies instead.

7. 5. There are frequent references to the notion of looking (can
be influenced using props or through conventions of portrayal
of gender/sexuality) and a particularly voyeuristic (sexual)
treatment of women
There are frequent references to the notion of looking throughout
the video in terms of the way that the artists look at each other due
to the context of the song and the way that the artists have to be
portrayed in order to gain and retain their audience and their
image of being ‘conventionally attractive’.
Nick Jonas isn’t shot by the camera in a way that objectifies or
exposes him to the audience because the attention visually is on the
female in the video. We know this because Nick Jonas is
continuously looking at her and the camera follows the looking
motion in order to adhere to the idea of the male gaze and make
her appear attractive to a mainstream audience by showing her
figure first and her face second.
At the end of the video both artists have stripped down to clothes
that are skin coloured and very torn in order to look more exposed
and open to each other and the audience. Whilst the clothes are
skin tight on both stars, the clothes that Tove Lo is wearing
simulate that of lingerie in terms of the way that the clothes have
been cut. This further enhances the way in which she is being
sexualized and is there to look appealing for the audience.

8. 6. There is often intertextual references to other media elements (films,
TV, other music videos, etc.)
The end of this music video is very similar to the music video for Sia’s ‘Elastic
heart’ featuring Maddie from the US TV show ‘Dance Moms’ and Hollywood’s
Shia LeBeouf. Both music videos recreate the idea of an intimate duel almost as
they go through an emotional battle together and cant seem to figure out what
they want.
In both videos there are stark backgrounds and the emphasis on the idea of
space and exposure as in the Sia video the performers are in a cage to make
them appear trapped which is a slight contrast to the ‘close’ video as they are in
a larger space to make them appear a lot smaller and almost dependent on each
other.
The only real difference between ’close’ and ‘elastic heart’ is the build up
beforehand in close and the fact that the artists are directly talking to each
other in Nick Jonas’s video whereas Sia appears to be narrating the story told
between Maddie and Shia LeBeouf and there is a slightly different context
behind the story.

9. 7. Whether the video is primarily performance based, narrative
based or concept based and how these elements are conveyed.
The video could be viewed as illustrative as the lyrics give some sort of
anchorage to the video and help to give the visual elements some sort of
meaning an context. There is no real narrative to the song therefore the
music video has no narrative either but a concept is created in order to
give the song and visual elements some kind of connection in order to
illustrate the words in a better way.
The song is also a duet so the ‘performance’ element of the video
exploits the fact that there are two people engaging with each other and
by them performing the words and conveying the meaning behind them
they are essentially adding a drama based element to the concept
behind the song.
We aren’t given a backstory or setting as such but we are introduced to
the two artists and we follow their thoughts and see a representation of
the emotions and ideas that are being conveyed to us through the way
they perform the song and work together as artists.