Music video analysis

Andrew Goodwin’s 7 features of a music video:
 Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band,
Hip Hop).
 There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images. (either illustrative, amplifying,
contradicting).
 There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. (either
amplifying, contradicting).
 The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which
across their work (a visual style).
 There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic
the female body.
 The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a visual style)
 There are often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc).

“Seen it all” – Jake Bugg
“Seen it all” is a song by a British singer/songwriter Jake Bugg. This
song was released in 2013 and appears on his album simply
named “Jake Bugg.” The song was accompanied by a music video
which followed a Narrative very carefully. The video was set in a
rough estate and moves between different areas that the man
would have once occupied himself in. Fading of his body was used
effectively towards the end which looks very unique and ends the
narrative in a very abrupt way. Jake also appears in the video which
would promote him as an artist as well as his music and his videos.
Jake has a theme of appearing in all of his videos so it would have
been expected that he made an appearance in the “Seen it all”
video.

Genre Description
This video compared to other music videos within
this genre is very original and matches many other
themes that these specific videos follow. Jake Bugg
is a British Indie singer and he would produce songs
that fit within this genre without fail. His music
videos are always laid back and are more focused
around his vocals and a narrative instead of any
abstract or extensive videos. It follows a Narrative of
a man who has been in an accident and as no idea
that he has passed away so therefore imagines that
everyone is being ignorant towards him. The video
goes on to tell the man’s story and the audience is
drawn into his life before the accident and what he
has lost.
This video is very similar to “Two
Fingers” as they both follow a
Narrative and shows the progression
of Narrative and the continuous
themes that he links to follow within
his music videos. However he has
many videos such as “Broken” which
would fit more into the Performance
based video. This is where the artist is
seen performing their song and they
could be in front of an audience full of
their fans. The difference in videos
shows his ability to change the styles
of his songs and this is also based
primarily on the tempo of the song. He
shows his diversity and this connects
to the Indie/Alternative genre as they
can have many different styles and
this comes across in both vocals and
videos.
“Broken”
Indie videos usually follow the same
conventions but they can mostly be live
performance. This is he best way to
connect and create an opinion on an artist
as an audience are more able to see their
true emotions an feelings when they see
them perform live. This helps the audience
to understand the vocals and connect even
more to the Narrative and the meaning
behind the words rather than just the video
itself. This video via Jake Bugg would have
been done to show another side to his
performance techniques and his
capabilities and would also show a change
to an audience and keep them listening to
his tracks as the videos that he plays
would change and have more variety
keeping them interested. This makes his
video very unique as there is a very
conventional story used and the ending
can be seen as very unexpected.
“TwoFingers”
“LighteningBolt”

Relationship between lyrics and visuals
“Seen it all” is based a lot around a Narrative story involved the man who seems to walk through his life to portray to an audience
the clarity of his background. Therefore, there is a big relationship between the visuals and the lyrics. He is representing what Jake
is saying through the actions.
At the beginning of the song Jake sings ”On Friday night, I took a pill or maybe two”. This is shown by
a man in his bathroom cleaning his mouth and he spits blood. This shows that the night before would
have been a frantic one and he could have received an injury due to this. He then looks up with a
worried expression on his face. This then starts the audience off with the idea that there has been an
accident the night before and he is involved. This is then shown through the lyrics of “Then a friend
took me aside said everyone here has a knife” where in the video he is dancing next to a window of a
coffee shop and attracting to attention. This, through a deeper meaning, shows that the person who
was “stabbed with a knife” could in fact be him. By showing the lyrics through actions in the video, it
carries the Narrative on and also helps an audience to have a deeper understanding of the lyrics.
Another line, “To say I felt weird really doesn’t need repeating” is shown by the man that he is laying
ping pong with, fading away and he is left alone and playing alone. This shows that everything around
him in that particular day seems very strange and he doesn’t want this day to be repeated or the way
in which his life ended. He is almost reacting to the words which shows his frustration and
misunderstanding of the situation as he is unaware that he has passed until the end of the video
when he reacts to the name of the song ”Seen it all” as he has shown his life and what has changed
and it has reached its conclusion as he is seen coming to realisation that he is the one who has
passed and what has happened has all been an unrealistic dream.
“One Friday night, I took a pill or maybe two”
“Then a friend took me aside said
everyone here has a knife”
“To say I felt weird really doesn’t need
repeating”

Close-ups and Motifs
Throughout the “Seen it all” video the man actor is shown the most but there are not many close-
ups within the video. This can show how individual Jake Bugg is as an artist and he doesn’t want
to follow simple conventions. The first close up is used within the first 10 seconds as the build up
begins with the intro music. This tells the audience that this man is the feature of the video and
helps them to begin to recognise who he is. The second close-up comes at 35 seconds when he
is seen smoking. This could begin to show his personality and give an audience an insight into his
life and background. This could give the impression that he is well known as a thug or that he is
involved in gangs that are known for violence This relates to the song as well as the line whilst
this is shown is “We had planned to crash a party” and that could show an insight into his nature
and what could have happened to him. Another close up comes at 1:37 in which his facial
expression shows shock and misunderstanding. The partner that he was playing table tennis with
has just disappeared and he is therefore confused as to what is going on. The close up would
have been done to show an audience just how confused he is and that he is unsure what is
happening around him. Finally, at 1:53, there is a montage of close-ups on his face as though he
has a distorted view and his life is flashing before his eyes. This also shows an audience an
insight into his life as it shows him smoking and also the area in which he lives within. It also
shows us how he has been feeling all day as everything has been passing by him very fast so
therefore he can not understand what has been happening. This shot also helps a relationship to
be build between the main character, Jake Bugg and the audience as we get an insight into the
mans life as well as how this relates to the way in which Jake is singing and the lyrics that he has
written. The man acting is expressing the words that Jake feels.
Nothing is repeated in this video so therefore there are no motifs within this music video

Reference to the notion of looking
During the “Seen it all video” the notion of looking is not
used much as it is a Narrative video. Eye contact is not
made but the actor does look towards the camera a lot
and this is used to show this facial expressions and draw
the attention to this. This would ultimately draw the
attention more to the actor’s feelings. It is mainly used
towards the middle and end of the video as this is where
his feelings are more prominent. He moves at the same
pace as required contrasting with the video. This keeps the
tempo moving throughout the video. This follows the
concept of a Narrative video as they wouldn’t usually make
a connection with the camera as this takes away from the
storyline. It is a very common convention in pop videos so
it would have been used in a standard pop music video.
The use of looking is only used by the main actor in the video
as he looks in the direction of the camera. This allows him to
be shown as the main focus of the video and helps an
audience to follow his storyline. It helps an audience to
connect more with the artist and increase the interest in him.
He looks past the camera a lot which communicates that this
video could be more than a narrative in a music video. The
actors facial expressions have a much bigger effect on the
audience as they are essential to the narrative. He always has
a particular expression on his face which therefore shows his
reaction to the particular event. It helps an audience to
sympathise with the character and they become more
connected to his character. The artist hasn’t used the common
convention of using eye contact and the notion of looking. He
has used originality to construct his video and has only used
the notion of looking in specific areas of the video where

Intertextual References
The main story throughout the video is the night before a man was killed and him living his life unaware of the night before. He feels
as though he is still alive and is living his life as normal. He walks through his life to show how life really does continue as normal. His
life is shown through walking through all stages of his life and making an audience aware of how his life was lived. There is a line in
the song that says “Down at the car park I saw everyone I knew” which can be interpreted as both someone who is alive and meeting
up with their friends or someone who is watching other people meet up. This shows that this video can have numerous views and
meanings.
Overall, in this video there are no intertextual
references to other music videos and therefore stands
alone. This is due to Jake Bugg’s unique outlook on
music and his lyrics. This is expected due to the Indie
genre so he therefore follows simple conventions such
as intertextual references.

“Piece by Piece” – Kelly Clarkson
“Piece by Piece” is a song by an American singer/songwriter Kelly Clarkson.
The song was released in 2015 and appears on her album “Piece by Piece.”
The song was accompanied by a music video featuring a number of children
and women going through the same situation she is singing about. They
appear in close up shots and towards the end, medium shots. The video is
set in a studio and filmed in black and white. Kelly appears in this video as
she is in a number of close up shots where the camera is fixated upon her
face to reveal her facial expression. The ending of the video is very effective
as the mood and atmosphere has completely changed and it ends in a
happier way. This is typical of a pop music video as they tend to follow the
same pattern that the story usually ends with a happy ending. Kelly usually
appears in her music videos as it helps to promote her music and the idea
that she is the inspiration behind the song on some occasions.

Genre Description
This video compared to other video’s within this
genre is also very original. The pace and tempo of
the song also helps the video to follow a particular
pattern. Kelly Clarkson is an American pop/rock and
country singer. Her music videos vary a lot as her
first music video for “A Moment Like This” is a
stripped back of version and just features her
singing. The hall she is singing in makes her look
very small whereas other video’s such as “Stronger”
she is in control of the music and all the camera
shots are close ups which shows she has more
power. The “Piece by Piece” video follows a real life
story and features actresses portraying the lyrics to
add emotion. The audience would be more drawn
into the words when the actresses faces show up as
their facial expressions create an atmosphere.
“Stronger”
BecauseofYou”
Pop videos usually follow the same
conventions as they are mainly following a
Narrative or just feature the artist
performing. This is the best way to show
the true meaning of a song and paint a
picture in an audiences mind like the
artists would intend to. It works best with a
pop ballad as they have more intensity and
a stronger word meaning as it has either
come personally from the artist or is a
strong subject. The “Piece by Piece” video
would have been done differently as she
would want to show a more sentimental
side to a ballad compared to “Because of
You.” This worked effectively as her vocals
and the actions vis the actresses
collaborated well together. It had an ounce
of power and meaning behind every lyric
that was sung. It also added variety to her
usual conventions.
This video is very unique to all of her
other video’s as she has shot it in a
studio with a handful of actors
whereas when she has used actors in
other videos they have been
performing a Narrative. Usually when
Kelly uses a Narrative, she stars in the
video. She does this in “Because of
You.” In this video she is starring with
another actor and portraying the
effects of a relationship breakdown.
This makes an audience connect with
her more as a person as they are
seeing what she has been through and
how it is had an effect on her mental
state and song writing. She varies her
videos depending on the tempo and
seriousness of the song she is
performing.
“A Moment Like This”

“Piece by Piece” is a live performance by Kelly Clarkson involving actresses. The story is based around a man leaving a family
behind and leaving a woman with no trust in men. This could be an insight into Kelly Clarkson’s background and it is represented
through the actresses facial expressions and the actions that they portray with a child behind her vocals.
At the beginning of the song, Kelly sings “And all I remember, is your bag.” To go with these lyrics,
there is a visual of a man letting go of a woman’s hand. This shows that this video (and song) is going
to be about a male leaving a family home and giving an insight into the story behind the lyrics. Kelly
then goes on to sing “Leaving us all in your past” which is shown by a door shutting to symbolise that
he has left an forgotten about the life that he has left behind. When she sings the next few lines, the
pain she is feeling is visible in both her facial expression and the way that she has screwed up her
eyes. She also sings “That you burned in me at 6 years old” which is followed by a visual of a woman
crying showing that events that happen in someone's childhood can affect them in later life too. It
shows a deeper meaning in the lyrics when there are women in the background that look genuinely
hurt as this reflects of all the hurt and pain that Kelly is singing about. A further line, “I made
something of myself and now you want to come back.” When she says this line she has a smirk on
her face and she looks happy within herself as she has clearly proven him wrong and she never let
her past ruin her future. This shows that she knows she needs to think about herself for her future to
be better. The end of the video is the most uplifting as she sings “He’ll never walk away” which is
shown by a man and a woman holding hands again which contrasts with the start of the video as they
are now reconciling whereas at the beginning he was leaving. This shows that she now has restored
her trust in men.
“All I remember, is your bags”
“That you burned in me at 6 years old”
“He’ll never walk away”

Throughout the “Piece by Piece” video, there are a lot of close-up’s of both Kelly’s face and the
actresses too. Close-ups are used more than any other shot, besides the end when quite a few
medium shots are used. The first close up is used right at the beginning of the video as the side
of Kelly’s face is first to face the camera. By her facial expression it tells the audience that this is
going to be a very sad song and it would have a deeper meaning to her as an artist. Another
close up comes at 22 seconds when a flower is directly in front of the camera. This has no
significant relationship with the lyrics but it is repeated further on in the video which does make
it a motif in this. At 1:16 there is a close up on a lady’s face as she wipes away tears. This is
quite heart felt and upsetting for an audience to see as she is visibly upset. This is also repeated
making it a motif a there are many close up’s where ladies are either crying or wiping away tears
which show the audience that a lot of people are going through this story that Kelly is explaining
whilst singing. There is an extreme close up at 1:48 as the shot is closing in on an eye that can
see a number of shining lights reflecting in it. These lights are what seem like “silver linings” to
all of the women as they watch for them and reach out to them for comfort. Which is followed a
few shots later by a woman crying in a medium shot but with these shiny lights behind her which
could show that life is beginning to get better and heal around them. The final close up shot with
significance is at 3:11 as the same lady that was once seen crying with a black background is
now smiling with the lights behind her. The significance is the close up on her elated smile and
how happy she now is. This also relates back to the lights being a positive thing for them. The
lights could also be a motif as they are always something that the ladies look up at and the one
thing that makes them smile.

During the “Piece by Piece” video. The notion of looking is
used a lot and it is used by both the actresses and Kelly
herself. Eye contact is made a lot during the close-up shots
of Kelly’s face as after she sings a line she looks up or
towards the camera. It is used to show that they are aware
the camera is there. This would usually be done in a live
performance such a this as Kelly is directly singing and
addressing the camera. A lot of the actresses stand and
stare at the camera as it focuses in upon their facial
expressions. This also helps to relate the words to the
visuals as it is clear what is being said through the facial
expressions they are showing. When the camera is on an
extreme close up, Kelly is singing looking in the opposite
direction, this would add a difference in the video. Eye contact is used at different sections of the video. The eye
contact s made when the camera is of either a close up or an
extreme close up of their faces. This helps the audience to
connect with everyone involved in the video as they are almost
reacting to the lyrics that are being sung. This would make
Kelly’s music more likeable and relatable and would therefore
lead to more sales and more people listening to her music.

The main story throughout the video is about a man that walks out o his family and leaves his life behind. Kelly got the inspiration
from her own life as after she had given birth she struggled to believe how anyone would be able to walk out on their child. She goes
on to explain how once women have had a bad male influence in their lives, they seem to be drawn to these types of men when they
grow older. She also wanted to show the positive side and how this didn’t affect her to this extent and she waited and made
something of her lif before she decide to settle down with a man. It was written to be a positive song but with hard truths behind the
lyrics.
references to other music videos or films and therefore
stands alone. This is due to the truth and meaning in
Kelly’s own life behind the lyrics. This could be similar
to others but there is no direct intertextual link. Pop
music does sometimes follow conventions such as this
but Kelly hasn’t in this particular video.

“Most Girls” – Hailee Steinfeld
“Most Girls” is a song by an American singer/actress, Hailee
Steinfeld. This song was released in 2017 and is currently a stand
alone single. The song was accompanied by a music video which
involves her showing that there are many sides to her and also
having a number of girls of all backgrounds and shapes and sizes
to perform in the background whilst she sings about how girls can
be different. Hailee appears in the video which would also prove as
a positive for her as she would be most well known through Pitch
Perfect 2 and not really through her own music so by her featuring
in her own video she is helping to create her own fan base and
show another side to her rather than just acting. This is expected in
pop music videos as artists do usually appear in their own videos.

Genre Description
This video compared to others within this genre is
very similar as it follows the same conventions and
rules of any other pop music videos. Hailee Stenfeld
is an American singer and has previously appeared
in Pitch Perfect 2 in which she also sang an original
song “flashlight.” Her music is always up beat and
they are written about stories that she feels
passionate about. Her videos can look very similar
as they mostly feature her singing. There isn’t much
of a difference due to the similarities in the videos
such as melodies and people who feature. “Most
Girls” is similar to her other video “Love Myself” as
she is yet again featuring and she is seen in front of
the camera singing a lot as she is in “Most Girls.”“LoveMyself”
This video is unique in the way that
she has women featuring behind her
and she usually either stars in her
videos herself or has other people in
them without interacting with them.
That’s because this video is based
around women and peoples opinions
of them so she wanted to have this
visible in the background. In all of her
other videos, she is featuring in other
artists videos as they are
collaborations. In “Starving” she is
featuring the most singing and she
also takes part in a dance routine with
a man. These lyrics also match the
way in which she is dancing as well.
This is similar to “Most Girls” in the
way that she features heavily.
“Starving”
The mise-en-scene used in this video
was used very cleverly as she had
women wearing t –shirts with
numerous inspirational words printed
on them. This would back up all of the
valid points that she is making to show
that women are strong and
independent. She also used
appropriate background props when
she is portraying different women’s
social lives. This is most apparent in the
fitness female as there are boxing
gloves and straps found around as well
as it being in a typical room where
boxing exercises would occur. It was
also apparent with the woman who was
focused upon her work. She had books
placed around her and she was in a
higher class house. She also wore
glasses which is a stereotype of a
“smart female.”
“MostGirls”

“Most Girls” is a performance based video by Hailee herself but also features women to feature with her. It is to clarify and begin to
put a stop to stereotypes. Therefore, her actions and looks in this video are very important and relate very well with the lyrics. She is
representing, through the way se dresses, what she is trying to interoperate through the lyrics.
At the beginning of the song Hailee sings “Some days you feel so good in your own skin.” This is shown
by her walking into a gym in a sports bra and shorts and puts on supports for her wrists. She is doing
what she likes to do and wants to make her body better so is therefore partaking in fitness regimes.
The video then goes on to show her doing a number of exercises such as: boxing and lifting and
dropping ropes. This would show when she feels ‘good in her own skin.’ She also goes on to sing “Are
smart and strong and beautiful” whilst she is dressed in a very glamourous outfit. This shows that girls
can be smart and strong but they can also make themselves look very nice when they want to. It
carries on the idea that girls can have many interest and sides to their personality. “Most girls” is then
sung again and this time it shows her in the same fitness outfit but she uses her fingers to show that it
is a stereotype that she doesn’t agree with, she shows that it is a quotation or a made up saying. She
also has a really annoyed face whilst she does this to show that the stereotype isn’t real. When she re
sings the chorus, she has girls in the background wearing jumpers with inspirational words on such as
“Unstoppable,” “Fearless” and “Fierce.” This shows many aspects of girls personalities and all the
different types of people that they can and will be. It would also be inspirational to younger girls and
show them that it is ok to be who they want to be. After she has sang “no two are the same” she has
different shots that come up very fast after each other showing the different costumes and outfits she
has been place don to show different types of girls to prove they aren’t all the same.
“Some days you feel so good in your own skin”
“Are smart and strong and beautiful”
“Most Girls”

Throughout the “Most Girls” video, there are many close ups of Hailee’s face and this occurred
number times throughout the video. She appears at the start of the video, sat on the floor with
her arms around her legs, whenever she sings a line she looks towards the camera and she sings
directly facing it. This is making the audience aware that she knows there an audience and she is
using direct address. By the way she sings towards the camera, it is clear to an audience that she
is a very confident person. This then carries through to 57 seconds in as the camera zooms in on
her facial expression and she has a determined look on her face which is what would be
expected in the environment that she is in. There are motifs used but these are when a certain
character is re used. They would re use her gestures and bodily presence in a previous section so
that when it is repeat, it looks similar. This is only used for a couple of the sections/characters.
There are then a number of close up shots at 1:19 as she is sat in a limousine in a glamorous
outfit. The camera zooms in on her face so hat the pristine make-up is clear to be seen and this
therefore then matches with her outfit. This is to show how the glamorous girls live and how they
like to be seen, which is another type of personality/character. At 1:52 there is a close up on
Hailee’s face as she is wearing glasses and reading. By zooming in so close on her face, it
escalates the thought of her being a stereotypical “geek” This is showing her in another
environment but it is showing the motif of always zooming into her face when she turns into
another character. This helps to highlight how different they all are, this is done by the make up
and props that are used in each one. By doing this it helps to signify the importance of the
difference.

During the “Most Girls” video, the notion of looking is used
a lot as Haliee sings most of her lyrics towards the camera.
Eye contact is used a lot during her starting sequence as
she sings all of her lines whilst sat on the floor. She moves
her head a lot but still keeps her eyes peeled on the
camera. This would be used a lot in this kind of video as
she is basing the words she is singing to her audience and
trying to inspire them so therefore making eye contact with
them would be the only way to connect. She also helps to
inspire as when she sings these lines, trying to inspire
them, she has a smile on her face which shows that she is
passionate about what she is singing about. When she is
facing towards the punch bag, she is looking towards it
rather than the camera which would also show that this
video has a meaning and its not all a live performance.
The use of looking is used by all people in the video as
whenever they appear in a close up they are facing towards
the camera as if to direct the importance to the audience. It
helps to highlight the fact that all women are important and
individual. It also helps the audience to connect with the
individuals in the video and the importance behind it as they
are directing their messages straight to their audience through
their eye contact. She also always has a smile on her face
which would motivate all women to believe in themselves. He
has followed the simple convention of eye contact to construct
the video.

The main story throughout the video is how different girls can be and not all girls are the same. It shows that there is a very particular
stereotype that a lot of people associate with girls and it isn’t always true. She makes reference to a few types of girls such as: the
girls that enjoy sport, art, glamour and just relaxing. She also shows through this that girls can have a number of personalities and
they can enjoy a number of activities. She wanted to show this in a positive light as she showed how beautiful all girls look doing
whatever they want to do.
references to any other types of media in this song.
There is a bigger focus on stereotypes within the media
and how it can affect girls of all ages. This isn’t similar
to other videos as others focus on other stereotypes. It
does follow conventions through the video though as it
is set out and performed as a pop music video would
be.

Music video analysis

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