3. Codes and conventions of Music
Videos
Pop
One Republic - Counting Stars
I chose to analyse this video as I really like the song
and the video has an interesting narrative to it. The
video is set in an abandoned unused basement of a
building. There is a duel narrative (two story lines
happening at the same time, then at the end join
together) going on in the video which I find really
interesting. In the basement the band are practising
mean whilst up stairs there is a Church meeting going
on above the band. The layout of the two different
scenes are really interesting as church group seen is
superior due to the fact the room they are in is
positioned above the band and is a much nicer
modern room, however the room One Republic is in is
abandoned and placed below the church
meeting, potentially to depict heaven and hell, and at
the end of the video when the two ‘different worlds’
collide. This narrative continues after music finishes
which is when the two worlds collide which I found
really interesting and this aspect of a music video is
really common in pop music videos as it gives the
video extra depth and this technique is easily
transferable onto our own music video.
Another aspect of the Counting Stars video I really like
is the link between the video and the song lyrics as
the lyrics match with the actions of the band which I
have a print screen shot of on the next slide. Also the
songs tempo matches the dance moves rhythm e.g. as
the song speeds up and gets more intense the cutting
rate increases and so does the speed of the bands
choreography.
4. There are a variety of close up
shots of Ryan Tedder the lead
vocalist throughout the song.
This is to promote the artist
and make a connection with
him and the audience. Also
close ups could be used so the
artist can develop motifs
which reoccur across his
videos (Andrew Goodwin).
This print screen is a shot of
the main signer Ryan Tedder
mirroring the lyrics of the song
‘everything that kills me’ by
running his hand across his
throat
This print screen is a shot of all
the members of the band as
this is a common feature of
pop music videos/ most music
genre videos with a band in, as
it is a recognised convention
of a band and shows the
connection between them all.
Also the lead singer is places at
the front to show his
importance, and so the
viewers can connect with lyrics
of the song.
These two screen shots are
showing the link between the
narrative in the music video
and the band performing. In
this shot both narratives are
doing the same choreography
at the same time and the
video uses a fast cutting rate
between the shots to show
building intensity as the chorus
approaches.
This screen shot is where the
two
different
narratives
combine after the music has
finished. I took a shot of this as
I really like the fact the
narrative continues after the
music has finished, and the
two different story lines that
are happening in the video
combine in the end.
5. Codes and conventions of Music
Videos
Indie Rock
Coldplay – Paradise
I chose to analyse this music video as I found the narrative
really interesting and engaging and the video includes a variety
of common conventions of chart music videos. The music
video is representing the main singer of the band Chris Martin
dressed as an elephant going on a journey to find his elephant
family. The video starts off using emotive shots showing the
single elephant looking lost and lonely and as the song
progresses the elephant (Chris Martin) is reunited with the
rest of his family (the rest of Coldplay). The narrative is very
emotive as the elephant goes on its journey to ‘paradise’. Also
the video is abstract due to the fact they chose to use an
elephant as the protagonist rather than a stereotypical boy
which is quite common for the ‘indie rock’ music genre.
Mid way through the video the lonely elephant is videoed
begging on the street for money to go and find his family.
Whilst he is doing this he is holding up the song lyrics as they
are being sung, I really like this idea as it is more interactive
with the audience and shows a clear link between the video
and the song lyrics.
Towards the end of the music video there is an aspect of live
performance which is very common for most genres of music
videos. However the performance is a completely live concert
which isn't commonly used as many videos use ‘structured
reality’ via a fake audience to create a live feel to the video
however the director can control the surroundings easier. I like
the fact that Coldplay used a completely live performance as it
allows the fans to feel closer and more connected with the
band as many fans are featured in the video.
6. This print screen is a long wide
shot of Chris Martin dressed as the
elephant holding up the song lyrics
on a piece of card. I really like this
idea as it shows a link between the
abstract video and the song. This
simplistic idea is very easy to
replicate in our own music video
and looks very effective. I also like
the graffiti background as it adds
depth to the shot and depicts the
elephant as lost due to the
oxymoron of elephants being in a
city graffiti environment rather
than a desert.
This is a shot taken from the
Paradise music video, it is a
real live performance of
Coldplay performing in a large
music venue. Using live
performance is very effective
as it allows the audience to
identify with the crowd and
also it creates a buzz in case
the
viewers
can
see
themselves in the audience
which creates an intense
atmosphere. It also allows the
fans who weren't able to
attend the live performance to
experience it and connect with
the band. Showing an aspect of
the live performance also
allows the fans to feel the
atmosphere of a concert and
promotes the bands upcoming
tour.
7. Codes and conventions of Music
Videos
Hip Hop
Fuse ODG – Azonto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VetNdbu-ZNc
I chose to analyse this music video as the video is very
engaging and easily repeatable. The video is set in a
variety of different places with people doing the same/
similar dance moves in each shot through out the video.
The video includes a variety of different locations like an
unused basement, a city street, outside an art gallery, a car
park, a bedroom etc. all of these locations are easily
transferable into our college project as the city York
possesses all of these locations and many others that we
can use. I also like the shots used in this video as they use
a variety of close up shots, wide shots to fit everyone
in, and full length shots so you can see the dace moves
clearly, also as the song tempo increases so does the
cutting rate which is really effective.
A common feature of most music videos is also included in
this video as the main singer Azonto is features through
out the video signing the lyrics and imitating the dance
moves using a variety of different shots, however mainly
close up shots of his face. The reason this techniques used
in music videos, especially less well known ones is to
promote the artist and to allow the fans to have an easily
recognisable face to look up to.
The song is very catchy and the video is very light hearted
as all the dancers and actors featured look like there
having a good time and due to the lack of narrative the
video is humorous and has a fun light hearted feel to it.
8. This print screen is a shot of the title
credits introducing the song. The credits
say ‘off da ground’ which is spelt
phonetically in an African Ghanaian
dialect which is where Fuse ODG
descends from. This edit is something
that could be very easily replicated in
my own music video using the ‘final cut’
software.
This is a close up shot of Fuse
ODG, there are a variety of close up
shots of him (the lead vocalist)
throughout the song. This is to promote
the artist and make a connection with
him and the audience. Also due to the
fact Fuse ODG isn't a very well known
artist these close ups could be to allow
the audience to recognise the artists
face and create a brand image for him
using Also so that FUSE ODG can
develop motifs which reoccur across his
videos, similar to creating a brand image
so fans can easily recognise him
(Andrew Goodwin).
This print screen is a snapshot of one of
the dancers feet, this shows in detail the
choreography that is being utilised in
the video. Also this close up allows the
viewer to see the dance moves close up
to potentially learn them, which many
viewers have done, resulting in the
‘AZONTO dance craze’. The dancer is
wearing white trainers which also
represents the urban dance vibe of the
song and Azonto’s dress style, these
trainers could also be used for brand
awareness e.g. for Nike to advertise
there products.
This is a shot from the ‘AZONTO CAM’
it is a hand held camera that films
either home videos or people out on
the streets. I think this looks really
effective as it allows fans to send in
there videos and get involved on the
making of the music video. Also I like
the fact it says ‘AZONTO CAM’ in the
bottom corner as it signposts that
more abstract places are being used
and that it isn't a professional filming.
The text at the bottom of the shot
also has the name of the song in
which allows the viewer to constantly
remember the name of the song
which increases promotion and will
allow the viewer to remember the
title easier. Also this small effect could
be easily replicated when making my
own music video via the ‘final cut’
programme I will be using to produce
my video
These two screen shots show clips of
some of the many dancers used in this
music video. The dance moves are
reasonably simple and very repetitive
which allows the viewer to see the
dance moves clearly and potentially
learn them, which many viewers have
done to create the ‘AZONTO dance
craze’ which is advertised on Fuse
ODG’s website where fans are
encouraged to send in there own
music video version of his song and
have a competition to chose the best
remake.
9. This print screen is a shot of two
dancers in a underground car
park imitating the Azonto dance
moves. I think this looks really
effective as a car park is a very
common every day place which
makes it relatable for the
viewers, instead of alienating
them with upper class unrealistic
images. Also the fact the dancers
are wearing masks creates a
sense of mystery to the video
which I could easily interpret in
my own.
This shot shows one of the
masked dancers next to a street
performer. I took a screen shot of
this as York city centre has many
street performers which therefor
means I could directly interpret
this shot effectively.
Throughout the music video the ‘3beat’ brand logo is featured in
the left hand corner the entire duration of the video. 3beat is the
record label Fuse ODG is signed to and is a dance music label. This
logo could have been used to promote the label and so that other
similar music videos that are signed to the label get more views as
fans who have enjoyed Fuse ODG –Azonto will probably have an
interest in other music in the same genre signed to the same label.
This shot shows the singer
Tiffany (who's is featuring in
Fuse ODG’S Azonto single)
dancing. This shot complies
with a variety of codes and
conventions used in the hiphop genre of music as there is
an attractive female dancing in
a seductive way and being and
pictured as being promiscuous.
Also this shot promotes the
male gaze as Tiffany is very
good looking and therefor male
viewers will be attracted to
her, and female viewers will
aspire to be like her.
This is a group shot of all the
dancer in the music video
coming together. All the
dancers in the Azonto music
video have different ethnicities
and dress differently and this
shot shows them all coming
together and signals the music
video finishing as everyone has
joined together.
10. Codes and conventions of Music
Videos
Hip Hop
Akon – Lonely
I chose to analyse this music video as it is in the
hip hop genre which is the genre I have chosen to
use as my music video genre for my final project.
This video complies with a lot of the common
codes and conventions of the hip hop genre as
there is an aspect of live performance, sexualised
girls, and the main male singer is portrayed as a
player. The narrative of the video is constantly
linked to the song lyrics as Akon is acting out the
lyrics throughout the video. There are also a
variety of close ups of Akon as he is singing the
lyrics as the same time as they are played which
gives the video some synchronisation with the
lyrics. Close ups are a common occurrence in
music videos as they promote the artist and
creates a relationship between the audience and
the singer. The music video has a variety of
emotive visual effects that the audience can relate
to as the narrative is about a boy who cheats on
his girlfriend and the couple are both left lonely.
This relatable narrative would be easy to interpret
into my own music video as the story line is
simple and doesn’t involve a large budget or a
large amount of people.
11. This is a shot of a mock live
performance which is a form of
‘structured reality’ via a fake
audience, to create a live feel to
the video however the director
can control the surroundings in
the shot much easier which is
why many music videos opt to
use
this
form
of
‘live’
performance in a video.
This print screen is a shot that
complies with one of the codes
and conventions of hip hop music
videos as the females are seen as
sexual objects and the male is
normally portrayed as being a
stereotypical strong male and a
‘player’ which is exactly how this
shot portrays both genders.
All of these images are a
montage of the main artist
(Akon). There are a variety of
close up and full length shots in
the video so the audience can
clearly recognise Akon and so
they can start to get a feel of
how he looks, dresses and acts
which creates a brand image
for him. Also the images
portray him as a sexual object
who looks after himself and
who all the girls want, by using
these sort of images it allows
Akon to build up a female fan
base who will want to listen
and buy his music. Also close
ups could be used so the artist
can develop motifs which
reoccur across his videos and
create a unique selling point to
the artist (Andrew Goodwin).
