2. The band was formed in 1983 in Los Angeles.
The group consists of the vocalist Anthony Keidis ,
bassist Flea, guitarist Josh and Drummer Chad Smith.
Who are they?
3. Dark costumes e.g. KISS
Gloomy and mysterious music videos e.g. Smells like
teen spirit
The use of instruments e.g. Guitars, Drums etc.
Memorable logos e.g. Nirvana smiley face
One or more lead singers.
Common rock conventions
4. Rock is one of the most classic and popular genres of music as it
can appeal to many different people, even those who weren't
born at the time of release.
Red Hot Chilli Peppers are one of the most critically acclaimed and
therefore classic bands. They gained popularity in the 90s and
their most famous song is the 1999 hit 'Californiacation'. Not only
is the song globally famous, the music video is also one of the
most recognised videos of all time.
The chilli peppers typically follow many of the conventions used in
Rock music videos, such as displaying instruments such as drums
and guitars, which isn't as apparent in the pop genre which does
not glorify the use of instruments as much as Rock does.
Their connection to the genre
5. This is their most popular song. This is what
introduced the band to a mainstream audience and
brought more attention to the American rock genre
and not just British who dominated the genre.
The video contains several common conventions such
as instruments which are common in the genre. The
music video is very different to other rock music
videos as it is animated throughout most of the video,
Californiacation
6. One genre defining feature is the use of instruments
repeatedly during the music video, this is very popular
in rock as it allows the audience to see all of the band
members rather than one main artist, unlike most
pop stars who are always at the centre of attention.
Mis en scene
7. Animation is used throughout most of the video
which is quite uncommon for a rock video as they are
mostly just performances and not conceptual.
This unique video is one of the reasons why the song
was so well received.
Mise en scene
8. Its hard to talk about the use of camera in this music video as the
majority of it is animated, however for the parts which are not
animated, the use of wide shots are very common, the is typically to fit
in all of the band members which is important to the genre like I
mentioned before, The genre features a lot more bands than in pop and
therefor all members are shown in music videos. The actual movement
of the camera is almost as if the artist is being followed, With the steady
pace of the music it allows the viewer to actually appreciate what is
going on in the video which allows a story to be told
Camera angles and shots
9. A close up is used quite commonly, especially of the
lead singer Anthony Keidis. This is used a lot in the
Rock genre mainly because the lead singer is the first
person that is recognised in a band and therefore the
face of the group.
Camera shots
10. As mentioned before, wide shots are also very
common in this music video, mainly to show the band
performing together, rather than showing separate
shots for each member.
Camera
11. The style of this song is a also quite unusual for the genre
as the tune is very mellow and slow, the lyrics too are also
quite meaningful as it explains a realistic version of
Hollywood and fame. The tune of the song captures the
style of the lyrics. This also relates to Andrew Goodwins
theory that music videos have links the their lyrics which is
true in this case.
The editing in the video is very smooth and calm, it also
helps capture the mellow tone as all of the shots are fairly
long, unlike other music videos like bohemian rhapsody
which is quite jumpy and fast paced.
Sound and Editing
12. This is another legendary music video by the Chilli peppers. In
contrast to the previous song Cant stop is relatively new as it was
released in 2009 when the Peppers were still at their prime. The song
itself was released in 2003 but the video was not made until 2009
The difference between these two songs are very apparent due to
the fact that Cant stop is much faster and more typically rock
sounding, this is unlike a lot of their music as their songs are typically
slow like Californiacation.
Cant Stop-2000s Alternative
13. The 2000s alternative rock is considered its own sub
genre due to the fact that the genre has changed and
widened since 2010 and therefore it is easier to
classify the music as ‘different’.
The music video is also much more upbeat with faster
pace. Several popular conventions are used in this
video such as the whole band being shown with
guitars and drums
Alternative Rock (2000s)
14. The theme of the music video is definitely art. The
members of the band are performing tricks with random
everyday objects, I think the meaning of this is to tell the
audience that even after 10 years the band can still release
new and unique content. Id say that this music video is
definitely a mix between conceptual and performance, as
it features both the band playing and carrying objects.
The video also includes the lead singer topless which is
iconic for the band as this happens in most of their videos
and is used to convey the message of rock and rebellion.
Cant stop- Mise en scene
15. The first shot in the video is a continuous shot going
through a yellow tube. This is all while the song beings to
build up, the purpose of this is to make the viewer more
excited because it doesn’t give away the theme of the
video. It is almost as if its trying to make the watcher guess
who is playing, as the song was a comeback after a couple
years. This is one of their most popular songs however
there are no complex aspects to the video. This shows that
even with less effort than californiaction the band still
continues to do well
Camera work
16. Several common camera movements are used, for
example in the shot above, a tracking shot is used.
This is to take the viewer on a journey with the band.
There is no explanation for the lamps on their backs
but the camera will follow them anyway because of
their fame and power.
Camera work
17. A lot of wide shots are used, this is especially popular
in rock videos in order to fit in all members of the
band giving a sense of camaraderie. As you can see it
is also shown from a lower angle. This could
represent the way their fans see the band, due to
their popularity etc.
Camera work
18. The Editing for this video is almost completely opposite to
californiacation, the reason for this is that the songs are
completely different in pace and therefore the shots must
be changed in order to keep up with the lyrics. The shots
are very quick and there are very few continuous shots.
The reason for fast paced editing is so that the quick
energy of the video can be felt, it also resembles how
hyper people can be in their youth which makes the band
seem younger.
Editing
19. With the increased use of guitars, there is a much
heavier sound in comparison to californiacation. I
think that the reason for this is that there isn't really a
story that is being told unlike californiacation which is
intentionally slow.
In this song there are also a lot more backing vocals
from the other band members, this is to make the
song feel more lively aswell as to show that its not
just a ‘one man band’.
Sound
20. Dani California- Funk Rock
The very famous song Dani California was released in 2006 making it the bands
latest song, However the song itself sounds quite old and nostalgic for fans of the
band from the start. This is a very interesting music video as it is performance
based yet conceptual in the fact that the band impersonates other extremely
famous artists like the ‘Beatles’ and ‘Elvis Presley’.
21. Funk Rock is a mixture of Funk and Rock, giving it a
really old and almost blues sound, which can be heard
in the music video. This isnt the first time the band
have made a song under this genre. ‘Under the
Bridge’ was considered Funk rock.
Funk Rock
22. The mise en scene in this song is very interesting,
mainly due to the costumes and props used in the
music video. The costumes are used mainly to
represent other rock artists, an example of this is the
black suits and the bowl cut wig to look like the
beatles, or the famous leather jackets worn by the
punk band ‘sex pistols’.
Mise en scene
23. For every costume change there is also a set change
to make it more time appropriate, this is shown when
chilli peppers impersonate Elvis and his eras
instruments.
Mise en scene
24. The camera angles are very typical for a performance
based music video.
A very common shot used in the video was extreme
close ups, these were used to capture the energy that
the band has when performing.
Camera angles
25. Although this may not be apparent in the screenshot,
the use of a hand held camera is present through out
most of the video. In my opinion this is used to make
the viewer feel as if they are on the stage with the
band and therefore sharing the experience. Cant Stop
also uses this method which shows that there is a
level of consistency in the genre.
Camera work
26. Editing is quite interesting in this music video as, it
changes depending on which band is being
impersonated for example, when the scene was
supposed to portray Jimi Hendrix, the backdrop of
the stage was full of colour and psychedelic looking.
The pace of editing also depends on which band is
being shown, for example Nirvanas editing was much
slower to realistically portray what type of band it is,
but the opposite occurs for sex pistols.
Editing
27. The sound is a lot more old school at the start and
then becomes more modern towards the chorus, this
is to follow the theme of going through time with
different bands as the video started with Elvis Presley
and then made its way to Nirvana.
The sound of the bass guitar is a lot more apparent
than in the other songs.
Sound
28. From what I have seen from the genre and sub genres I
can tell;
The classic rock genre uses many shots of the band actually
performing, this is least seen in the music video for
californiacation, however this is mainly due to the fact that
its narrative and mostly animated.
Genre wise, the alternative rock music video was a lot
more upbeat and faster paced than the others, this is
because the genre is aimed towards a wider demographic
with younger listeners
Comparisons
