2. Avril Lavigne- Alice
Alice is a song written and performed by singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. The
song was actually featured in the Disney film, Almost Alice. The concept of
the video is very similar to ours, in that a fairy-tale/fantasy world is created
and carried out throughout the song . Lavignes video follows the storyline of
Alice and Wonderland as she falls into a hole, finding herself in wonderland.
Her fall is intercut with shots of Alice (from Burtons films) and colliding
objects. The video cuts and dissolves between Lavigne’s character running
through the forest and her singing and performing the song on the piano. The
lyrics of the song are emphasized visually through the video. For example, as
Lavigne sinks into a chair singing her lyric “echo”, her face, visually, quickly
dissolves in and out. The video is very much piano driven. There is high usage
of CGI to recreate the eerie, fairytale like imagery of the video. CGI is used to
create the colliding objects and furniture when she falls down the hole. The
clothing also emphasizes this eerie atmosphere, as she is casted wearing Goth
corsets, accompanied by dark, black eye make.
3. DYER-ALICE
Dyers theory on videos constituting their own utopian universe can be
applied to Avril Lavignes music video. In this case, the utopia is the
‘wonderland’. Dyer claims that the utopia should evolve from escapist act
sequences; it is ontologically part of the visual universe and there is no
return to a normative world outside of the act. Avril Lavignes video is
pact with vigourous acting. The song is full of intense emotion, which the
audience can experience. The video is very spontaneous and there is no
sense of holding back. The music video acts as an escape, with its
entertainment offering ‘something better’ to set against the realities of
‘day-to-day existence’
6. Katy Perry- Wide Awake
• ‘Wide Awake’ is a song by American recording artist, Katy Perry. The song
utilizes electronic and dance-pop within its composition and is lyrically
reminiscent of the reality of a break-up and moving past it. This is very
similar to our music video, which also looks at a couples break up through
both a reality, and fantasy viewpoint. ‘Wide Awake’ uses a lot of CGI to
recreate a fantasy world, which at first is very dark and eerie, but becomes
a beautiful labyrinth full of colorful flora by the end. The video also seems
to follow a fairytale-like story, as Katy is presented, at the end of the
song, with her “prince charming” ridding a unicorn. This transition
between a dark reality, and a beautiful fantasy is mirrored in the imagery.
For example, shards of glass from a shattered mirror transform into
butterflies. Something dark and hurtful transitions into something bright
and beautiful. This idea of Katy entering a labyrinthian world is mirrored
through her clothing. Katy Perry is dressed in all purple, allong side her
purple hair do. The music video features several allusions to past videos
including the chest explosions from “Firework” and ends with Katy dressed
up in a tour outfit ready to go out on stage and perform ‘Teenage Dream’
7. • ANDREW GODWIN- ‘WIDE AWAKE’
Andrew Godwin believes that one of the key aspect that makes a great
music video is the technical aspects of the music video. These
technical aspects involve camera work, movement, angle, mise-en-
scene, editing, sound and special effects. Katy Perry’s music
video, Wide Awake uses a lot of special effects to keep the video
visually interesting. For example, special effects are used to recreate
this labyrinth world which Katy finds herself in. Special effects are used
to create this dark, mysterious atmosphere, which is eventually
broken, through sparks and glitters of lights protruding through the
stone walls. The lighting helps set the mood and emphasize the key
movements of the song for dramatic effects. The lighting in the video
contrasts between dark, grey lighting, to colorful, bright lighting. The
editing shows a variety of shots of this labyrinth world to keep the
viewer visually interested. Andrew Godwin argues that it is these
features and technical aspects which holds a music video together.
10. Miley Cyrus- We Can’t stop
• ‘We Cant Stop’ is a song by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. It
is a midtempo pop, R&B, dance track. The video portrays Cyrus and
her friends at a house party. There are a variety of bizarre scenes,
such as a skull made out of french fries, a mountain of bread and
smoke coming out of a mans anus and crotch. The video is full of
vibrant colors, and is full of creative imagery. There is an edgier
sexual image of the young adult, with Ryan Secreast noting that this
edginess “may be a little too much”. The video sends a high-spirited
celebration of freedom that young women are blessed with today.
11. THEODORE ADORNO-WE CANT
STOP
• Critic, Theodore Adorno, argues that popular media and music
products are characterised by standardisation, (they are basically
formulaic and similar) and pseudo- individualisation ( incidental
differences make them distinctive, but they're not). Miley Cyrus
music video presents her in a sexual manner; an object of desire for
men to look at. This idea of woman being placed as an object of
desire can be seen in other music videos like Christina Aguilera’s
‘Gene in A Bottle’, which presents Christina rolling around on a
beach in skimpy, tight clothing.
