Analysis of existing Music Videos. Looking at how to build my own creation.

1. Media Music Video Analysis JoshWarburton
Macklemore – Downtown
The music videoIhave chosentoanalyse is
Macklemore’s‘Downtown’,asithousesmanythings
that make it useful forhavinganexample tobuild
fromfor my owncreation.
Characters
The characters are mostly Protagonists, withmultiplemalesandfemales.The womenshowninthis
videoare seenasobjectsof desire,alongside thistheyare alsoseeninahumanizedway –as people
that are standardand can be sociallyincluded.(Example of thisisthe Biker-chickthatMacklemore is
sharingherbike with.) ThissupportsMulvey’s‘Male Gaze’theoryastheyare wearingcostumesthat
can be seenasprovocative andsexualise femalesshowninthe video.
Setting
The settinginthisvideoisurban,whicheffectivelymatchesthe portrayal of these supposed‘biker-
gangs’and the presentationof workingclassthatreside inanurbanarea. The settingalsomatches
the prop usage as it coincideswiththe levelsof motorcyclesthatcanbe seeninheavily
industrialisedandurbanareas.
Mise en scene
The props usedinthisvideoare selectivelychosento helpportray the workingclass,lifeinurban
areas, groupsof specificareas,costumesanddialect.
Narrative
The videoisa clear narrative, whichcanbe definedaslinear, asitshows a clearprogressionof
passingtime andevents throughoutthe musicvideo.Thiscanbe seenfromthe purchase of the
‘Moped’to the musicartistridinga bike withotherpeople lateroninthe day, while lateronthere is
a large group of ‘Bikers’drivingtogether.
Style
Editingmethodsusedare continuityof time,asevidencedbythe linearnarrationbeingplayed
throughoutthe videolength.
Special effectsare smoke, confetti anddiegeticsounds.These all tie inwiththe settingof the music
videoassmoke is commonin industrial areas,confetti matchesthe festivalsettingthattakesplace
inurban areas andthe diegeticsounds(suchasenginesandotherformsof life) meetthose that
wouldbe expectedinanurbanarea.