MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSES

  Lily Allen – Littlest Things
 Kate Nash – Pumpkin Soup
 Lucy Spraggan – Last Night
LILY ALLEN – LITTLEST THINGS
        Sven Carlsson                                                   Andrew Goodwin

•Monger – selling their body                                       •Cinematic genre,
image, voice, face, lifestyle,                                     •Visual art,
etc.                                                               •Post-modern texts.




                                           Theorists




                                         Michael Shore

                                 •Surface without substance
                                 (lyrics don’t have anything to
                                 do with the video)

                                 •Classical storytelling motifs.
GENRE
The genre of Lily Allen’s Littlest Things song is
  the pop genre. It is this particular genre
  because it follows all the conventions like
  selling their image in their videos and
  conventional verse, bridge, chorus songs.
CONCEPT MEANINGS
• The concept behind this music video is an old-movie feel.
  However, this is ironic because the lyrics do not match up to
  the video. For example;
• “Drinkin’ tea in bed, watching DVD’s when I discovered all
  your dirty grotty magazines”.
• Although the lyrics and the song do not match up – perhaps
  she is using the old-fashioned movie style video to emphasise
  that she wants her relationship to be like the old-fashioned
  movie and like the images that we see.
CAMERA
1. The first shot is a birds eye view of a piano that then pans
   forward.
2. The camera then zooms into an old fashioned camera to show
   an older version of the video.
3. Medium close-up
4. Pans out to show establishing shot of Allen and the man.
5. Close-up of piano playing itself.
6. Zooms out of old fashioned camera – opposite of start, shows
   that the video is coming to an end.
CAMERA SHOTS

1.    2.        3.




4.    5.
SOUND
• Can hear people talking faintly in the background (diagetic).
• Song structure is very conventional for the pop genre.
• Music starts with an old sounding piano and crackling (like on
  a TV show).
• Juxtaposition when it goes through the camera into an ‘old
  movie’ feel. Also the sound changes.
• The sound changing is clever because the sound starts to
  sound like old-fashioned piano playing yet we are clearly in
  the present day, but when we go through the camera into the
  old fashioned days – the sound becomes more modern and
  present.
EDITING
1. 0.00-0.37 – sequence shot. No other editing is being used.
2. 0.39 – close up.
3. Establishing shot of building.
4. Cut shot used before she starts to dance with the man.
EDITING SHOTS
1.    2.        3.




4.
MISE-EN-SCENE
• Colour – black and white is the dominant colour. This is used
  to give the video an ‘old’ feel to it.
• Dressed in old-fashioned clothes. Re-enforces that the video is
  supposed to be set in olden times.
• Lighting – lighting is kept dark (this usually connotes to having
  a mysterious feel to it).
• Set design – looks like it is all filmed on one set because there
  are a few sequence shots.
KATE NASH – PUMPKIN SOUP
       Sven Carlsson                                       Michael Shore

•Televised bard – she is                             •Clichéd imagery ,
telling the story of how she                         •Stimulated experience,
likes this guy and she is                            •Album art come to turgid
using the power of images                            life,
to show this.                                        •Surface without
                                                     substance,
                                                     •Immediate gratification.

                                       Theorists




                                    Andrew Goodwin

                               •Visual art,
                               •Dreams.
GENRE
• Kate Nash’s Pumpkin Soup is most likely to be in the
  pop genre because it follows the typical pop genre
  conventions. For example; the song is about
  love/relationships and the artist is wearing
  stylish/modern clothing. Some could argue that it
  could also fall into the indie category because she is
  more quirky than most current pop artists. Also, her
  voice is more like talking than usual auto-tuned pop
  artists.
CONCEPT MEANINGS
• The main concept behind this video is an upbeat, quirky love
  story.
• This is done deliberately so that it does not follow the typical
  pop genre conventions of soppy love stories told through
  music.
• For example; “you’re chatting to me like we connect, but I
  don’t even know if we’re still friends”.
• I think the main message in the video is that she doesn’t want
  a relationship but to be ‘loved’. Like a ‘no-strings-attached’
  relationship.
CAMERA
1. The opening title is set out like a TV show opening title, e.g.
   “starring”.
2. Close up.
3. Establishing shot of the kissing booth.
4. Medium close up of shoes.
5. Panning sideways – showing the two cats.
6. High shot.
7. End scene is zooms out with a heart.
CAMERA SHOTS
1.    2.        3.




4.    5.        6.




7.
SOUND
• Images shown change in time with the beat.
• Non-diagetic used – boy is talking to the artist but we don’t
  hear (used as a storytelling motif). Also see it when the boy is
  watching TV.
• Song follows typical pop genre conventions, e.g. verse, bridge,
  chorus, key change.
• Also see the boy singing along to the lyrics but we can’t hear
  him.
EDITING
1. Set out like a cartoon TV show in the opening.
2. Experimented with different font styles (emphasises the
   cartoon feel to the video).
3. Editing is showing the boy ‘putting a spell on her’ and
   blindfolding her (this matches the lyrics) – “but I trip fast and
   then I lose”.
4. Continuous cuts when they are in the kissing booth.
5. Cutaways between the acrobatic cat and them at the kissing
   booth.
EDITING SHOTS
1.   2.       3.




4.   5.
MISE-EN-SCENE
• Colour – pink and red are the dominant colours in this video.
  This is re-enforcing the valentine/love/romantic feel to the
  song because the lyrics do not give this away. The
  connotations of red and pink are often love and romance so it
  is easy to assume this has been done for a reason.
• they are dressed quite modern but not in an obvious ‘pop-
  star’ way.
• The lighting is kept bright and colourful to emphasise the
  cheeriness and show that it is upbeat.
• Set design – the set is just one big set with different props but
  with the same lighting, etc.
LUCY SPRAGGAN – LAST NIGHT
       Michael Shore                                                Sven Carlsson

Album art come to turgid life,                            Televised Bard – she is telling a
Classical storytelling motifs,                            story to us about last night. This
Ambivalence,                                              is done through images and
Clichéd imagery.                                          short clips.




                                         Theorists




                                         Andrew Goodwin

                                 Cinematic genre,
                                 Visual art.
GENRE
• Lucy Spraggan’s Last Night falls into the indie
  category because her voice is more unique
  than most pop artists because it is almost like
  she is talking. Also, her lyrics are different and
  written about different things (alcohol) rather
  than typical pop genre meanings like love.
CONCEPT MEANINGS
• The main concept behind this video is talking about her night
  and referring to alcohol.
• For example in the lyrics she said “last night I told you I loved
  you, woke up, blamed it on the vodka”.
• The difference between this video and the message is that
  she wrote the song deliberately so that the audience could
  connect and understand what she is singing about.
CAMERA
1. The opening starts with a close up of the artist – already the
   audience knows that this is the singer and the video will be
   focused around her.
2. Over-the-shoulder shot when a man is playing darts.
3. Panning when following the artist.
4. Extreme close-up of her playing the piano.
5. Birds eye view of her ‘dancing’.
6. Ends with a close up of the artists – this is interesting
   because it starts in the same way as it begins (set, costume,
   etc).
CAMERA SHOTS
1.    2.      3.




4.    5.      6.
SOUND
• Song starts off simply with a guitar and her singing.
• Diagetic sound of bottles clinking.
• Lyrics are quirky and a mix of indie-pop. They do not follow
  the typical pop genre conventions of lyrics. For example;
  “Wish I could stop, and I’m not joking, drinking too much and
  socially smoking”.
EDITING
1. The video is set out like it is in reverse (this is done
   continuously through the whole video).
2. However, she appears to be walking forwards while everyone
   else is going backwards. Again, this re-enforces that she is
   the main singer.
3. Sequence shot when she is walking through the streets.
4. The video is set in slow-motion.
5. Cutaways from her dancing to playing the boxing game.
6. The last 15 seconds are all in normal (not reverse) – showing
   that her night has finally come to an end and so has the
   video.
EDTING SHOTS
1.   2.       3.




4.   5.       6.
MISE-EN-SCENE
• Colour – the colour theme is quite dark because she is singing
  about the night before and so the setting is in a pub and
  outside when she is walking.
• Her dress sense is very casual. It also fits in appropriately with
  the setting which is a night out in the pub.
• Lighting – the lighting is kept dark because it is being
  presented in a pub in the evening. However, there are a few
  colour juxtapositions. For example; the multi-coloured dance
  floor.
• Set design – the set design looks like a pub. It is most likely
  that the set was specifically designed for this video and made
  to look like an actual pub.

Music video analyses

  • 1.
    MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSES Lily Allen – Littlest Things Kate Nash – Pumpkin Soup Lucy Spraggan – Last Night
  • 2.
    LILY ALLEN –LITTLEST THINGS Sven Carlsson Andrew Goodwin •Monger – selling their body •Cinematic genre, image, voice, face, lifestyle, •Visual art, etc. •Post-modern texts. Theorists Michael Shore •Surface without substance (lyrics don’t have anything to do with the video) •Classical storytelling motifs.
  • 3.
    GENRE The genre ofLily Allen’s Littlest Things song is the pop genre. It is this particular genre because it follows all the conventions like selling their image in their videos and conventional verse, bridge, chorus songs.
  • 4.
    CONCEPT MEANINGS • Theconcept behind this music video is an old-movie feel. However, this is ironic because the lyrics do not match up to the video. For example; • “Drinkin’ tea in bed, watching DVD’s when I discovered all your dirty grotty magazines”. • Although the lyrics and the song do not match up – perhaps she is using the old-fashioned movie style video to emphasise that she wants her relationship to be like the old-fashioned movie and like the images that we see.
  • 5.
    CAMERA 1. The firstshot is a birds eye view of a piano that then pans forward. 2. The camera then zooms into an old fashioned camera to show an older version of the video. 3. Medium close-up 4. Pans out to show establishing shot of Allen and the man. 5. Close-up of piano playing itself. 6. Zooms out of old fashioned camera – opposite of start, shows that the video is coming to an end.
  • 6.
    CAMERA SHOTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
  • 7.
    SOUND • Can hearpeople talking faintly in the background (diagetic). • Song structure is very conventional for the pop genre. • Music starts with an old sounding piano and crackling (like on a TV show). • Juxtaposition when it goes through the camera into an ‘old movie’ feel. Also the sound changes. • The sound changing is clever because the sound starts to sound like old-fashioned piano playing yet we are clearly in the present day, but when we go through the camera into the old fashioned days – the sound becomes more modern and present.
  • 8.
    EDITING 1. 0.00-0.37 –sequence shot. No other editing is being used. 2. 0.39 – close up. 3. Establishing shot of building. 4. Cut shot used before she starts to dance with the man.
  • 9.
  • 10.
    MISE-EN-SCENE • Colour –black and white is the dominant colour. This is used to give the video an ‘old’ feel to it. • Dressed in old-fashioned clothes. Re-enforces that the video is supposed to be set in olden times. • Lighting – lighting is kept dark (this usually connotes to having a mysterious feel to it). • Set design – looks like it is all filmed on one set because there are a few sequence shots.
  • 11.
    KATE NASH –PUMPKIN SOUP Sven Carlsson Michael Shore •Televised bard – she is •Clichéd imagery , telling the story of how she •Stimulated experience, likes this guy and she is •Album art come to turgid using the power of images life, to show this. •Surface without substance, •Immediate gratification. Theorists Andrew Goodwin •Visual art, •Dreams.
  • 12.
    GENRE • Kate Nash’sPumpkin Soup is most likely to be in the pop genre because it follows the typical pop genre conventions. For example; the song is about love/relationships and the artist is wearing stylish/modern clothing. Some could argue that it could also fall into the indie category because she is more quirky than most current pop artists. Also, her voice is more like talking than usual auto-tuned pop artists.
  • 13.
    CONCEPT MEANINGS • Themain concept behind this video is an upbeat, quirky love story. • This is done deliberately so that it does not follow the typical pop genre conventions of soppy love stories told through music. • For example; “you’re chatting to me like we connect, but I don’t even know if we’re still friends”. • I think the main message in the video is that she doesn’t want a relationship but to be ‘loved’. Like a ‘no-strings-attached’ relationship.
  • 14.
    CAMERA 1. The openingtitle is set out like a TV show opening title, e.g. “starring”. 2. Close up. 3. Establishing shot of the kissing booth. 4. Medium close up of shoes. 5. Panning sideways – showing the two cats. 6. High shot. 7. End scene is zooms out with a heart.
  • 15.
    CAMERA SHOTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
  • 16.
    SOUND • Images shownchange in time with the beat. • Non-diagetic used – boy is talking to the artist but we don’t hear (used as a storytelling motif). Also see it when the boy is watching TV. • Song follows typical pop genre conventions, e.g. verse, bridge, chorus, key change. • Also see the boy singing along to the lyrics but we can’t hear him.
  • 17.
    EDITING 1. Set outlike a cartoon TV show in the opening. 2. Experimented with different font styles (emphasises the cartoon feel to the video). 3. Editing is showing the boy ‘putting a spell on her’ and blindfolding her (this matches the lyrics) – “but I trip fast and then I lose”. 4. Continuous cuts when they are in the kissing booth. 5. Cutaways between the acrobatic cat and them at the kissing booth.
  • 18.
    EDITING SHOTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
  • 19.
    MISE-EN-SCENE • Colour –pink and red are the dominant colours in this video. This is re-enforcing the valentine/love/romantic feel to the song because the lyrics do not give this away. The connotations of red and pink are often love and romance so it is easy to assume this has been done for a reason. • they are dressed quite modern but not in an obvious ‘pop- star’ way. • The lighting is kept bright and colourful to emphasise the cheeriness and show that it is upbeat. • Set design – the set is just one big set with different props but with the same lighting, etc.
  • 20.
    LUCY SPRAGGAN –LAST NIGHT Michael Shore Sven Carlsson Album art come to turgid life, Televised Bard – she is telling a Classical storytelling motifs, story to us about last night. This Ambivalence, is done through images and Clichéd imagery. short clips. Theorists Andrew Goodwin Cinematic genre, Visual art.
  • 21.
    GENRE • Lucy Spraggan’sLast Night falls into the indie category because her voice is more unique than most pop artists because it is almost like she is talking. Also, her lyrics are different and written about different things (alcohol) rather than typical pop genre meanings like love.
  • 22.
    CONCEPT MEANINGS • Themain concept behind this video is talking about her night and referring to alcohol. • For example in the lyrics she said “last night I told you I loved you, woke up, blamed it on the vodka”. • The difference between this video and the message is that she wrote the song deliberately so that the audience could connect and understand what she is singing about.
  • 23.
    CAMERA 1. The openingstarts with a close up of the artist – already the audience knows that this is the singer and the video will be focused around her. 2. Over-the-shoulder shot when a man is playing darts. 3. Panning when following the artist. 4. Extreme close-up of her playing the piano. 5. Birds eye view of her ‘dancing’. 6. Ends with a close up of the artists – this is interesting because it starts in the same way as it begins (set, costume, etc).
  • 24.
    CAMERA SHOTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
  • 25.
    SOUND • Song startsoff simply with a guitar and her singing. • Diagetic sound of bottles clinking. • Lyrics are quirky and a mix of indie-pop. They do not follow the typical pop genre conventions of lyrics. For example; “Wish I could stop, and I’m not joking, drinking too much and socially smoking”.
  • 26.
    EDITING 1. The videois set out like it is in reverse (this is done continuously through the whole video). 2. However, she appears to be walking forwards while everyone else is going backwards. Again, this re-enforces that she is the main singer. 3. Sequence shot when she is walking through the streets. 4. The video is set in slow-motion. 5. Cutaways from her dancing to playing the boxing game. 6. The last 15 seconds are all in normal (not reverse) – showing that her night has finally come to an end and so has the video.
  • 27.
    EDTING SHOTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
  • 28.
    MISE-EN-SCENE • Colour –the colour theme is quite dark because she is singing about the night before and so the setting is in a pub and outside when she is walking. • Her dress sense is very casual. It also fits in appropriately with the setting which is a night out in the pub. • Lighting – the lighting is kept dark because it is being presented in a pub in the evening. However, there are a few colour juxtapositions. For example; the multi-coloured dance floor. • Set design – the set design looks like a pub. It is most likely that the set was specifically designed for this video and made to look like an actual pub.