1. HOW DEEP IS YOUR
LOVE ANALYSIS
CALVIN HARRIS & DISCIPLES
2. ANDREW GOODWIN
6 features of a music video:
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
2. There are relationships between lyrics and visuals. The
lyrics are represented with images.
3. There is a relationship between the music and the visuals.
The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the
music.
4. 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 recur across their work (a visual style)
5. The frequently reference to notion of looking and
particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There are often intertextual reference
3. MUSIC VIDEOS
DEMONSTRATE GENRE
CHARACTERISTICS
Calvin Harris’ ‘How Deep Is You Love’ has a ‘deep house’
genre and characteristics of this genre include the location at
which the music is played, such as bars, lounge’s, festivals
and clubs. The music video fits this characteristic as it’s
locations include a nightclub, a casual pool location and a
bar.
A second characteristic is that there is usually use of a
female’s vocals, which is applicable to the track (Ina
Wroldsen)
4. THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
THE MUSIC AND THE VISUALS. THE
TONE AND ATMOSPHERE OF THE
VISUAL REFLECTS THAT OF THE
MUSIC.
The tone and atmosphere of the music is positive, uplifting
and ‘feel good’. This indeed fits the tone and atmosphere of
the music video created by the sunny locations such as the
party on the boat and Gigi Hadid’s performance beside the
pool. Clubs also denote positive uplifting vibes which fits the
music well. The bright, vibrant colours used throughout the
music video (especially in the studio) also fit the exotic
locations and the confidently optimistic vibes.
5. THE FREQUENTLY REFERENCE TO
NOTION OF LOOKING AND
PARTICULARLY VOYEURISTIC
TREATMENT OF THE FEMALE BODY.
This feature of the music video is very relevant as the camera work and
screen time focuses primarily on Gigi Hadid, who is not the artist, but a
model who is acting in this video. Throughout, she appears in minimal
clothing, for example, within the studio element of the video no clothes on
her top half is visible:
Close up shots are used on several different
sparsely dressed body parts such as Hadid’s legs,
stomach and back:
There is also a constant ‘notion of looking’
present within the video including the viewer who
is forced to focus on the female body by the
cinematography. Men are also shown paying the
beautiful female character a lot of attention:
6. 5 WAYS TO ANALYSE A MUSIC VIDEO
1. Thoughts beats – where you ‘see’ the sound
Step 1. To look at the music itself. We must take into account the structure of the song.
Step 2. The voice of the song. Unique and can form identification.
Step 3. Artist’s mode of address. Songs can be seen as stories and the artist the
storyteller, making the music video a two communication device – them telling us a
story and we listen.
2. Narrative and Performance
Songs fail to give us the whole narrative – we get a gist of the meaning and we add our
own meanings to it and music videos should ignore common narrative. Music videos
should have coherent repeatability. The artist acting both as narrator and participant
helps to increase the authenticity however the lip sync and other mimed actions
remains the heart of the music videos.
3. The star image
The star image is a vital aspect. Meta narrative which is big story that describes the
development of the star over time has an important part to play in the music video
production process. How is the star represented?
4. Relation of visuals to song
There are three ways in which music videos work to promote a song:
Illustrate – use of a set of images to illustrate the meaning of lyrics and genre
Amplify – meanings and effects are manipulated and constantly shown through the
video and drummed into our vision
Disjuncture – this is where the meaning of the song is completely ignored
5. Technical aspects of a music video
Mise-en-scene, sound, cinematography and editing and beats
7. 4. RELATION OF VISUALS TO SONG
THERE ARE THREE WAYS IN WHICH MUSIC VIDEOS WORK TO PROMOTE A
SONG:
ILLUSTRATE – USE OF A SET OF IMAGES TO ILLUSTRATE THE MEANING OF
LYRICS AND GENRE
AMPLIFY – MEANINGS AND EFFECTS ARE MANIPULATED AND CONSTANTLY
SHOWN THROUGH THE VIDEO AND DRUMMED INTO OUR VISION
DISJUNCTURE – THIS IS WHERE THE MEANING OF THE SONG IS
COMPLETELY IGNORED
I belief that this music video has a disjunctured ‘lyric to
visual’ relation. The lyrics repeat ‘how deep is your love’
consistently throughout, although the star remains
independent and alone in her performance and no
relationship with a male is present. Romance is not
represented in any part of the video and Gigi performs alone,
with the closing tracking shot being of her walking alone with
a satisfied look on her face. The meaning of the song is
mostly ignored, although it could be argued that the location
of the boat relates to the interrogative lyric ‘is it like the
ocean?’
