2. • In order to develop my understanding of
Dubstep and how the filming techniques
and the story line emphasises the mood
and atmosphere, I researched some
original Dubstep videos to gain inspiration
of how we should do our music video.
The first video i looked at was Magnetic
man- I need air
3. Magnetic Man- I Need Air
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2vWQFHP3D0
• There is no performance from Magnetic Man or narrative story line, the
music video is concept-based. In terms of Goodwin’s Theory, there appears
to be no specific dance routine. The video captures people dancing
differently (some with glasses, some on shoulders, others freely waving
hands) which I believe symbolizes free expression (a character trait from the
target audience). The music and visuals are synergized, the visuals often
have a fast cutting pace to the music which volumises the impact of the
club. The lyrics and visuals are illustrative, for example there are close-up
shots of people hot from dancing as the chorus goes ‘I need air’, effectively
relating to a target audience which dance. In a way the music video is not
selling the image of Magnetic Man (as there are no shots of them at all in
the music video) but rather they are selling dubstep nights. Emphasizing on
the lights and atmosphere of the club effectively promotes and may
influence the audience of the song to go to a dubstep night, perhaps to
promote the culture of dubstep, making it more popular.
4. Benga and Coki- Night
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7ArUgxtlJs
• This is a purely concept video. It emphasizes an abstract,
metaphorical interpretation of the music. The relationship between
the title and the images on screen have no obvious correlation. The
theme of the video seems to be a journey comparing between bare
feet walking and a car driving. Because there are no lyrics, it is hard
to compare the relevance of the music to the visuals. The visuals on
screen have been experimented upon (the background patterns and
the lighting) which almost represent the experimental instruments
used by the artists of Dubstep. The same visuals are repeated over
and over again which synergize with the music because the music
doesn’t change-the same tune is repeated over and over again so in
that respect, the music and visuals are intergrated.
5. Katy B- Perfect Stranger
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-VcBiS6dqw
• The music video for Perfect Stranger is a combination between
narrative and performance. Katy B is a mainstream artist under
dubstep, her music video’s are more to do with selling her image, so
the audience is presented with her performing and also being the
main character in the narrative as there are many close up shots of
Katy. The black and white effect makes the video look older or far
away (it is set in another country). Under Goodwin’s Theory, the
lyrics and visuals do correlate, but not obviously. There is a sense of
division between them and the police, as though a war is going on
(which may relate to the target audience, the police generally being
disliked) . The lyrics ‘I don’t know who you are’ come under the
narrative as she is talking about one of the uniformed men and
looking at him throughout the video. The relationship between music
and visuals is not amplified. When the base drops at the beginning
there was no dramatic change in the visuals (she is still singing
behind the curtain which emphasizes her as an image).
6. Skream- Trapped
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=OXIc8ofYNis&feature=player_embedded#!
• The music video is concept based. There is a story line
to the visuals on screen, the fly is personified and the
actions of the fly correlate to the lyrics. For example
when bug killer is sprayed on the flies the lyrics are
‘sometimes I feel trapped at point 1.55. The music video
is aimed at teenagers. The lyrics emphasize being
trapped when grounded, not having a phone as one way
of being grounded. The flies dance and listen to
pounding speakers which represent teenagers and the
target audience. Again, there is no clips of the artist
suggesting no interest in selling the artist as an image.
7. Common features in dubstep music
videos
• All the songs contain a base drop which
enhances the impact to dance (as dubstep
songs are originally designed for clubs
and raves)
• There is a lack of interest to sell the artist’s
image, perhaps because there is no
demand for a record label as songs are
generally downloaded
