2. Who are Universal Music Group?
◦ Universal Music Group are the world's leading music company,record label
conglomerateand music producer,in which operate in over 60 different countries.
◦ UMG were founded in 1934 and had headquarters in the Netherlands,but by 2018
they had managed to make a revenue of USD$1.7billion.
◦ They are mostly owned by the French Media Conglomerate Vivendi,who's aim it is
to shape culturethrough artistry.
◦ Their aim is to support and also partner up with different global organizationsthat
work towards significantpositive change such as companies like LittleKids Rock.
◦ Artistssuch as Taylor Swift,Post Malone, Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga have all signed
up to UMG all present diversity within their music videos.
3. Music Video Analysis Research
◦ The 3 songs I'm analyzing are:
◦ "Stand By You" - Rachel Platten
◦ "A Thousand Years" - Christina Perri
◦ "Thursday" - Jess Glynne
4. "Stand By You" - Rachel Platten (Representations)
◦ Throughout the music video there are different cutawayscenesin which represent the different kindsof love in which people can share
between one another,varying from couplesto friendsto family.Each and every one of these different groupsshowing the ways in which
they show express love for one another.By having the variety of people represented in the video, it displays how love comesin all shapes
and sizes and that we should accept people for who they are.
◦ Representationsof each social group and the love that they expressfor one another can be seen through the use of camera shots/angles,
costumes,and in some cases the type of cameraused to capture the scene. In multiple shots the music video uses visual codes in
which people link to the theme of love, such as holding of hands, hugging, laughing, etc.This enablesviewers to feel a personal
connection to the feelingsexpressed as they can look back at momentswhen they felt the same.
5. "Stand By You" - Rachel
Platten (Costume)
◦ "Stand ByYou" goesback and forth between the
bad - "emptyhands, scars, broken wings,hell" - and
the good - "shining eyes, open wings, heaven".But
in reality, it's the same person who faces all of it,
and shares it – such as the friends,couplesand
familiesin the video.Theytake whatever comesand
uses it to love even more.Thisis represented
through the use of Rachel Platten'scostume during
the video changing from black to white, and both.
This could be a way of expressing how, in any kind
of love shown within her music video and in life as a
whole,there will be difficult momentsto overcome
as well as the enjoyable momentsto cherish and
embrace.The outfit in which she wears both black
and white can be seen as how she has come to
terms with the fact that both the bad and good
momentscome together to create love and that
love inevitably comeswith both kinds of emotions.
7. "A Thousand Years" -
Christina Perri (Camera
Shots)
◦ Starting with a slight high angle shot of the candle being held
shows that there is an emotional elementto the music video as
the high angle shot usually represents vulnerability. The contrast
between the dark silhouette shot of Perri standing at the window
and the brighter shotof candles scattered on the floor gives the
impression that there is both happiness and sadness to come
within the music video and, in the bigger picture, within love
itself. The colour palette used within both these shots are very
similar yet show completely different meanings within eachone.
The full long shot of Perri's silhouette staring at the window into
the surroundings shows how there is a sense of longing to find
someone, the silhouette representing how she is colourless and
empty until someone comes into her life to make her life bright,
which is why she is looking out into the colourful surroundings.
The white candles, however, connote purity as that now the
silhouette figure of Christina Perri is now becoming much more
open and clearer, giving idea that she mighthave found what she
was looking for.
◦ In distinction from the previous darker scenes of the music video,
the cuts away to Bellaand Edward's wedding scene from Twilight
(the movie the song was written for) the lighting and colours are
much brighter. The colour palette, just like Christina Perri, are
black and white, whichshows the clear similarity from both
scenes despite one being from a movie.
8. "A Thousand Years" -
Christina Perri (Setting)
◦ In the mid-shot of Christina Perri, the orange-
toned colours signify the idea that Christina is
looking for new beginnings and that others have
had their new beginnings,but she is longing for
her own. In contrast, the full shot in the music
video of Edward and Bella from the Twilight
Saga series gives the idea that their new
beginning had begun. The warm tones bounce
off against the dark colours and give if a warm
home-like feel to the setting in which the
director chose to use.
9. "Drumming Song" -
Florence and the Machine
(Costume)
◦ The blue costume that the 5 people are wearing is a
sexualized nun's costume. The reason why I believe that
this costume was used is because of 2 reasons: the
video is based in a church and nuns are a member of a
religious community of women, so it works in
connection with the setting of the music video.
Secondly, the costume would be appealing to the male
demographic.
◦ In the long shot of the girls where we can see the church
in the background, we can see that all the females
are wearing black clothing with "winged" sleeves. This is
an interesting juxtaposition being represented by this
costume. The wings are meant to
represent angles/afterlife, while the black is connoted
with the devil.
◦ The costumes represent the good and the bad sides
within her.
10. "Drumming Song" -
Florence and the Machine
(Shot Types and Meanings)
◦ Throughout the music video there are a lot of shot types used in
which connote meanings in which link withthe music video
concept.
◦ The medium shot of the girls in the blue outfits refers back to the
praying symbol shown at the start of the music video.This creates
a nuance around the symbolic gesture because the music video
could be about someone finding their own path in lifeand
moving to the beat of your own drum – reiterating the
individualistic mindset of her demographic audience
◦ The churchbackdrop is first seen in the long shot of the 5 girls in
the black dresses. This is significantas this allows viewers to see
and fully understand the churchreference in the conceptof the
video.
◦ In the mid shot of Florence withher hands in front of her face and
her fingers spread apart is quite a jagged shot. This jaggedness
is, however, quite effective as it could be seen as the first time in
the music video where the conflict between good and bad had
been portrayed.
◦ The shot with Florence's arms wide apart has been shot from a
birds-eye-view to see the shot from above her. It could connote 2
different meanings: one being the acceptance to higher power.
However, the ideawhich links more to the concept of the video is
that it could representdeath and how people carry coffins ofthe
dead at funerals (especially as they are all wearing black).
11. Audience Research:
◦ Who are the target audience?
◦ Why do they watch music videos?
◦ It is interesting to see how the imagery and visuals turn out in the music video and to get an understanding of the story/meaning behind a song in which
can express meaningful stories in which people can sympathize with.
◦ What do they like to see in love song music videos?
◦ People like to see how the music video can put across the meaning of love through the use of scenery, symbolic colours and lighting. Also, to see how the
connection between people and how the relationship (no matter if its romantic, family or friendship) changes throughout the music video.
◦ How do they access/view music videos?
◦ Most people watch music videos on Youtube.
