Music video analysis

Music Video Analysis
James Meadows

Andrew Goodwin’s 7 features of music
video
• Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos,
dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
• There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
• There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual
reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
• The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the
artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
• There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc)
and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
• The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a visual style)
• There are often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc).

Blake Shelton Blake Shelton Blake Shelton Blake Shelton Blake Shelton Blake Shelton Blake Shelton Blake Shelton Blake
Shelton

Blake Shelton is a very well-known country artist. He is from Ada,
Oklahoma on the 18 of June 1976. He decided that he wanted to be a
country music songwriter and at 17 moved away to allow this to be
possible. He moved to Nashville and by 2001 got his name out there by
getting his 1st No. one hit called “Austin” this stayed at No. one for five
weeks. This was not a one off and there for it got Blake Shelton known so
well that he released a lot more albums and songs and was even judging
on the “Voice” in 2011. So the single “Austin” is very important for his
career and there for had a big impact on the country music he has gone
on to create, so I will go on to analyse the single by Blake Shelton called
“Austin”.

Music videos demonstrate genre
characteristics.
Lighting
The lighting within this video is dull allowing it to correspond with the music.
The dull lighting is there to shoe that this song is more of a sad song, the black
and white filter with a tint of blue used for the white is used within the video as
this makes the shots that use this filter look duller and shows the lady within the
shot is sad but at the same time is not as basic and simple as a plain black and
white background. By using this dull light and the filter on the shots of the
women it gives the music video a classic country feeling. Also as all the shots of
the women are shown to be on a projection screen, this screen is creating most
of the light in the room apart from the dull glowing lights that appear to be
coming from behind the screen. This attracts the user in to the images/film
being projected because of it being the only main light source within the music
video.
Performance
This music video is defiantly a narrative video as it tells a story
throughout the video but at the same time does show him playing the
guitar and singing. This is typical for country music as most of the videos
will tell a story but at the same time include elements of performance
when he is singing and playing his guitar. In this video, it also starts with
him driving his car this could indicate that he is driving away from
everything where as it ends with him sitting on his car and the women
coming to join him, this indicates that he has no need to drive away and
finishes the piece with the car in the shot just like the first shot. The
narrative structure is very common for country music as all of the songs
sing with a meaning and the narrative vide helps to get the meaning
over.

characteristics.
Editing/ Camera
The shots within this video match the typical shots within a country music video,
this video uses mainly close shots which show the emotion on their faces. The
close-up shots are mainly on the artist Blake Shelton but they are sometimes on
the women that the song is based around. The song also uses long shots to show
what is in the background. The long shots give the video a feeling of space and
allows the audience to see what is within the shot. These shots all change
abruptly which keeps the audience’s attention and goes well with the changes in
the music as there is no delays between the shots. There is also the use of low
angle shots to make the artist look bigger, this draws in the attention of the user
on to the artist and I believe works very well.
The editing within this clip consists around basic cuts which cut between the
artist Blake Shelton and the female that he is singing about, the cuts happen
when he stops singing so when the music is just instrumental it cuts to small
videos of the female he is singing about and then cuts back to him when he
begins to sing again (shot reverse shot). So, the editing follows the same
discourse of the music. There is also cuts used to go from long shots to close up
shots when he is singing making it very clear that he is the star of the
performance.
Styling
The styling in this video has a classic country feeling and matches the
country genera perfectly, the classic cowboy hat is worn all the way
through the song giving this classic country feeling to the song. He also
wears a shirt with all the buttons un done which is also a very typical
thing to be worn in a country music video. This shirt is also a red colour
like his car which makes him and his car stand out in the dark room to
show the importance of both of him and the car. The bright colour plate
used for what he is wearing is very typical for a country artist as it makes
him stand out to the audience using the colours white red and blue. This
colour pallet can be linked back to the American flag which again
demonstrates that he is a country artist and shows the importance of his
country. The way that he wears all the cloths makes him fit the image of
country artists as he is just wearing casual clothing. This allows the
audience to be able to relate to him as he is not over the top.

There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.
The lyrics are represented with images.
Three rings and an answering machine is what she got- the relationship between the visuals and the
lyric corresponds as the visual matches the lyric as the lady he is singing about is shown ringing the
phone, this matches the lyrics “three rings” as she also only presses three numbers on the telephone.
Ps if this is Austin I still love you – when he sings if this is Austin it makes her the centre of the shot
and makes all of the attention drawn on to her. As soon as he sings “I still love you” it goes in to a
close up of Blake Shelton and shows the emotion on his face and shows the audience how important
she actually is to him. This close up shot shows how desperate he is to get her back.
The telephone fell to the counter- in the background of this shot on the screen it shows the
telephone falling this is a direct correlation with the lyrics and is yet subtle as it is in the background.
What kind of love that must be- in the background on the screen Austin is shown smiling as if she is
thinking about what kind of love it must be, this shows to the audience that she still likes him as well.
This is Austin- she says these words down the phone as if she is saying them as he is singing them so it
has a direct correlation with the lyrics and makes all of the at56ention be put on to her.
I still love you- as this is said the lights dim down as she walks on to the stage for the first time walking
towards him, this shows that they both still love each other and now they are together.
The Blake Shelton “Austin” music video has a direct correlation between the lyrics and the visuals
giving it an illustrative links all the way through. The passion and emotion shown in the close-up shots
also help to demonstrate what is going on and tells the story of the lyrics. Also, the dim light around
Blake Shelton and the grey colour scheme used for Austin shows that they are sad and links in with
the lyrics. As soon as they are joined together Austin is in colour as she walks over to Blake Shelton
showing that they are happy and together.

There is a relationship between music and visuals.
The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of
the music. There is a distinct link between the lyrics and the visuals connecting
tone and atmosphere. The editing works very well with the slow
passed song and allows the visuals to show the emotion and
meaning through the shots. The way that when Austin is mentioned
it cuts to her or just fades in to her depending on the lyrics
demonstrates the emotion and shows the reaction of both of them
throughout the cross cutting. The use of lip syncing is used in certain
sections like when Austin is on the phone as she is singing the lyrics
down the phone, this demonstrates a perfect correlation between
the lyrics and visuals and also amplifies the meaning of the lyrics.
Blake Shelton is also shown playing his guitar and singing throughout
the song this allows the audience to be able to connect with the
song and makes them feel as if they are at the live performance.
Mise en scene helps to amplify the meaning of the song and helps to
illustrate the meaning of the lyrics, the dark background with the
screen in which Austin is shown on helps to reflect the meaning of
the song and also the lyrics. Also, the light that is placed on Blake
Shelton when he is singing and the dark background makes him
stand out very well showing the importance of him to the song. Also,
the clothes in which they are both wearing are just everyday clothes
that country music supporters can buy cheaply so there for allows
the audience to be able to fell a connection between them and the
song.

The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of
close ups of the artistand the artist may develop motifs which
recur across their work (a visual style).
The demand of the record label is shown in this video. There is a lot of close up shots used so that the audience see the
main artist a lot throughout the video. This allows people to get very familiar with the artist and allows his face to get
out to more people which there for allows the artist to get bigger and more successful. As Blake Shelton is the only
artist he needs to be on screen a lot to show that and this allows people to see that he is the face of the song and there
for he is the one they need to take note of.
It is obvious that in this video they have tried to demonstrate a classic country music feeling due to the way that he is
dressed in the cow boy hat the blue jeans and a checked shirt. This allows him to stand out to the audience and already
existing country music fans as he matches the genera and there for stand out.
The motifs are very similar to the other videos by Blake Shelton as he is shown with his guitar and singing in nearly all
of his songs. Also the performance element within the music video is common with in country music and there for
shows the audience that this is country music and gives them a real country feeling.

There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens
within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly
voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
Within this music video the notion of looking is given trough the music by using close up shots of both of the actors this breaks the fourth wall and allows
the audience to feel as if they are involved in the shots. When he is singing and playing the guitar, he is looking off to the side of the shot this gives the
feeling that he is performing the song live and draws them in to seeing that he is looking away.
In this music video, they have placed the female that he is singing about on a screen in the back ground of Blake Shelton. this makes her look like she is on
a screen of a screen which draws in the attention of the user, there for makes the viewers’ attention be drawn in to her before the camera zooms into the
screen.
This music video also has an attraction for the female gaze due to the way in which Blake Shelton is a one-man band and the way that he keeps making eye
contact with the viewer due to him looking in to the camera, and the light pointing on to him gains a massive female gaze over the video. Alongside this he
is wearing typical country male singer cloths like blue denim jeans, un buttoned shirt, this also plays a big part in getting a big female gaze.
There is also a slight scene of male gaze when she seems to be posing in the positions she is in like sitting down, she does this in an exaggerated way which
draws in the male viewer. This also shows the significance of the female actor within the video.

The artist may develop motifs or iconography that
recur across their work (a visual style)
There is a common visual element thoughout all of Blake
Shelton songs. The same styling of the mise-en-scene
keeps the artist looking the same throughout all of his
songs (example in image from “Goodbye time”, this allows
people to instantly be able to identify him and makes him
stand out more to the audience.
The idea of having him playing the guitar and singing
(performance element) in this video is used within
basically every one of his songs as a performance based
part is very important for these genera of music. The
typical way of Blake Shelton playing the guitar in a relaxed
way and leaning up is very common through his music and
again allows the audience to recognise it is him through
his posture and relaxed playing style.
Most of the shots in the video are of Blake Shelton this
shows the viewer that he is the main man and is why his
music is successful. This is the same in “god gave me you”
this song has the majority of shots on Blake Shelton and
makes him stand out very well, this song also has a lot
more performance element than “Austin” and zooms in to
Blake Shelton instead of the interment players in the
background when they are featured in the shots their
faces are not clear making the viewer notice Blake more.
This video is an example of him being in most of the shots
and showing a performance part just like “Austin”. Using
these techniques and also the dim lighting makes it fit in
with the country genera perfectly.
Blake
Shelton-
Austin
Blake
Shelton-
Goodbye
Time

There are often inter-textual reference (to films, TV
programmes, other music videos etc).
This piece of work demonstrates inter-textual references to other Country artists like “Toby Keith”. This is shown in the way in which they are dressed,
this typical county outfit and the common yet iconic cow boy hat. This is a good thing as if someone was to see him they would th8ink country music
due to the clothing he is wearing. This draws in country fans and there for will get the artists name recognised to more people quicker.
The way that Blake Shelton dresses also matches the typical image portrayed within film and tv shows of a typical American country artist. Also, the
cow boy hat in which he wears also links in to western films like “the magnificent seven” this link joins his style in to western films which are American
films and there for links the country music and the films together.
The way in which Blake Shelton is shown singing and playing his guitar is very common within country music videos there for this allows it to have a
typically country feeling which will draw in a crowed of country music supporters.

Luke
CombsWhen it rains it pours

Luke Combs was born and raised in Asheville North Carolina, since his
childhood he has been performing as a vocalist. While attending A.C.
Reynolds High School, Combs performed with multiple vocal groups,
including performing a solo in the world-renowned Carnegie Hall. He
attended Appalachian State University this is where he played his first
country music show at the Parthenon Cafe. After this he went on to
move tom Nashville where he properly started his music career.

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
Performance
This vide matches the typical convention for a country music song,
this creative take to the song tells the story of the song perfectly
with the action matching the beat/tempo of the music. This allows
the performance to flow. this works very well as when he is just
having an average day at the petrol station the video is basic
zooming in on the scratch card and when he wins the performance
and the song speeds up making it more interesting and gets the
audience’s attention. The idea of this song being about his women
leaving and then everything goes right in his life gives the song a
funny element. The setting of the music video starting out with his
house trashed and then ending on a boat deep sea fishing, this
gives the music video a real change in location and there for keeps
the viewer interested and makes the video have a surprising
element.
Lighting
The lighting in this music video is very typical for a upbeat country music as
the use of the natural lighting gives it an upbeat feeling. The user of the
outdoor shots making the most of the natural light makes the video
cleverly make the audience feel like he is performing the song outside.
When he wins on the scratch card they are using lights pointing down on
him as loads of confetti falls on to him, this lighting gives the viewer the
feeling that this is a gift from god as the light is shining down on him as the
confetti falls on to him. This is cleverly done and gives it a twist to other
typical country music videos for this shot. The way that the lighting dims
down at the end of the song as if the day is drawing in gives the audience
the warning that the song is finishing.

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
Styling
Luke is styled in a very typical way wearing a shirt and a
baseball cap that has a camo design on the front, this
gives away instantly to the audience that he is a country
artist. This clothing also allows the audience to be able to
relate with what he is wearing as it is a very country outfit
that can easily be worn by any of their fans without
costing a great amount. Also, the women in the shots are
all shown to be wearing clothes that make it very clear
they are female and there for get the att6ention of the
male gaze. The clothes in which they are wearing are
really short denim shorts this is very typical for the
country music video styling and is also taken up by a lot of
the fans. There is also the element of a swimming
costume on the waitress that he has taken on the holiday,
this makes her stand out and also draws in the male
audience, this also goes well with the lyrics as he has
found someone else.
Camera/editing
The editing in this video uses a lot of cuts these help to give the viewer an insight to
everything that is going on in the shots and is used throughout the piece. At the start
of the piece there is a lot of cut shots this works very well and gives a jumpy felling
so this goes well as his women in the song is just about to have a go at him and then
walk out on him, these cuts allow the tension to build up and allow the viewer to
feel suspense about what is going to happen. These cuts are very commonly used in
country videos due to their success in the way that they can get the message of the
song out to the viewer.
Camera work allows the main man Luke Combs too to be featured in most of the
shots and there for makes him on the screen more than anyone else, this gets the
message out to the viewer that he is the most important part of the band. There is
also a lot of shallow focus used this allows Luke Combs to be in focus and then thee
background out of focus this allows the audience to be drawn in to him and not
distracted with what is in the background. This allows the viewer to be drawn in to
Luke and there for allows them to remember his face and make him stand out to
them if they see him.

Sunday morning man she woke up fighting mad- Luke Combs
starts the lyrics after she has just started having a go at him in
the morning, when he starts to sing these lyrics they match the
action of her in the background obviously having a go at him.
The camera uses shallow focus to make him stand out and blur
her in to the background as if to say they are over so this acts
out the lyrics perfectly.
When Thursday came around I was all alone- Luke is shown
singing and playing his guitar in the middle of an open landscape
this act out the lyrics that he is all alone and there for makes it
very clear to the viewer that it over. Just as he finishes the lyrics
it cuts to a bit of instrumental as he is shown alone again staring
down in to the water, this is again showing that he is all alone.
So I went for a drive to clear my mind- Luke is shown in the
shot to be driving his truck and then a shot of the truck driving
away. This relates with the lyrics very well and acts out exactly
what the lyrics say.
Then I won a 100 bucks on a scratch off ticket- This is related
with the image as these lyrics happen Luke is shown scratching a
scratch off ticket. And then shown confetti falling on him as he
looks up this relates with the lyrics as is showing how happy he
is that he has won.
Deep sea senorita fishing down in
panama- the shot shows him on a
big boat in the panama sea and
shows him doing the action of
casting a rod when the lyrics say
fishing, this represents the lyrics
and demonstrates exactly what he
is doing in the lyrics.
She was sure real quick to up and
apologize- She leaves a note that
says I’m sorry this matches the
lyrics and shows a very clear
relationship between the lyrics
and the image as it acts each other
out.
This song by Luke Combs shows a typically simple but very
effective relationship between the lyrics and the images. The
images are used to tell the story that the lyrics are telling so it
has a typical corresponding link, this is very typical for country
music and tells the story to the viewer very well. It also shows
the artist in the song as the main person this allows his face to
get out there and allows the success of the song to be pointed
in his direction.

the music. This music video shows a relationship between the music and the
visuals, the visuals go well with the tone and atmosphere of the
music and there for gives the viewer a better understanding of the
song. The Editing in this video matches the events within the video at
the start when he wakes up to his wife moaning at him there is a lot
of cuts of shots of the women used to show the anger of her but not
many cuts used to show shots of him this shows that he is relaxed
where as she is very anger. There is also a lot of cuts used to show
what has happened in his house. Then when the song goes in to a lot
less cuts and a lot closer up shots showing Luke on his own and
shows that he is all alone. There is then a lot of cuts showing
different angles of him when he is winning on the scratch off ticket
this is very important as shows how happy he is and also matches the
way that the song is faster showing the audience this is a good thing.
There is also a slow motion shot that shows confetti falling after he
has won on the ticket this matches the music as it is all going well.
There is also the use of cross cutting to show Luke having a great
time whilst his wife that left him is [posting a letter that says I’m
sorry, this goes well with the lyrics and shows the two different
situations that are happening at the same time.
Throughout this music video the music and visuals work well
together, with the editing and pace of the visuals matching the beast
of the music, this allows it to create a atmosphere of the story of the
song and allows the viewer to be able to see exactly what’s going on
without feeling like it does not match up with the lyrics.

The demands of the record label will include the need for lots
of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs
which recur across their work (a visual style).
This song shows a massive demand of the record label through close-up of the artist Luke Combs. This match the record label demands
and is very common in country music videos. This makes the viewer can see that he is the artist and he is why the song is so successful. By
using these close-up shots allows him to dominate the screen and there for connect with the viewer, this allows there to be a connection
between the viewer and the artist in the video so there for allows his audience to be able to remember him better than if he was not
shown in the shots. By using this technique, it allows it to fit in with other country music videos as it is typically used within them.
When Combs is lip synching, he looks straight at the camera this breaks the fourth wall and there for allows the audience to really connect
with Luke this allows them to get the feeling of the song and shows the emotion to the viewer as he sings the song. This is very important
as it can change the way that the lyrics are interpreted.
In Luke Combs Videos, there is a clear motif of him always singing the song and playing his guitar, this shows a performance element, this
is very common in his videos, this is shown in the video “Let the Moonshine”. There are also always close-up shots of Luke this shows that
he meets the demands of the record label and also has created a motif throughout all of his videos in the way that he uses these close-up
shots to draw in the viewer and break that fourth wall. He also wears the same style clothes in all of his videos which allows him to be
easily recognized and has also created a motif in what he wears in his videos.

There is a lot of references to notion of looking from Luke Combs this allows him to break the forth wall between the viewer and the
artist. There is a lot of use of Close-up shots this allows the artist to be looking directly at the viewer and allows the viewer to be
drawn in to look at the artist this allows the audience to know that he is thee artist and is very important to the song, it also attracts
the female gaze which draws in a lot of female viewers. They have also used close-up shots of the females in the video, these are a
lot less common but are still put in to the video this is there to also draw in the male gaze so there for this allows the video to be
balanced out and there for allows the video to make the most out of there potential audience. When the females re in close-up
shots or are shown to be the main part of thee shot they are not shown looking at the camera, this could be to show that they are
enjoying themselves and also could be for the record label as they want Luke to make more of an impact to the video than them.
The women that are in the pool and on the boat with him could be seen to be revealing compared to the women that walked out on
him however there is still an obvious country style within the females, this is put in there to attract a male gaze and is also there to
show that now she has gone life is going well which matches the meaning of the lyrics and acts out the song perfectly.

Luke Combs has created a motif in his styling throughout his videos, this allows the viewer to instantly see that it is his work
and that he is the artist of the song before he even says a word. He is shown to always be wearing his baseball cap and also
always have a beard this allows these elements of his styling allow him to be instantly noticed and allows him to stand out
in his videos. In his music videos, the close-up shots allow these elements of the hat and the beard to stand out very well
and as it is used in all of his songs it allows him to create a focal point within the songs. The song “Hurricane” demonstrates
this as Luke is shown to have the beard and the baseball cap this stands out very well to the audience and is the focus
points in the close-up shots This is the same in the video I am analysing “when it rains it pours”.
Both videos “when it rains it pours” and “Hurricane” shows the importance of the performance being set outside and that
most of the video is filmed outside, this is done to give the viewer the feeling of loads of space and this is associated with
country music. This demonstrates the rural feeling of the music and allows the video to link back to this rural experience.
All of Luke Combs Videos have a very similar story with the same sort of styling to allow the user to be able to see that it is
his music and his video and there for makes it interesting for the viewer.
Luke Combs-
Hurricane

There are intertextual relationships in the way that he dresses in a modern country style, the baseball hat is worn by
a lot of country music video which is very common. People like Toby Keith wear baseball caps in some of his songs
like “trailerhood“ this shows a relationship between Luke Combs and Toby Keith, this shows that he could be
wearing a baseball cap as Toby Keith did within some of his videos and he is very successful.
The use of close-up shots and shallow focus is very common for country music videos this is used in other videos like
Blake Shelton “sure be cool if you did” this shows a variety of close-up shots and shallow focus and is used in the
same way that Luke Combs has wanted his to, this allows the audience to be drawn in to the artist of the song.
These shots help to break the forth wall and are a great example of intertextual references.
The direct links to other country music is present however there is no direct link to anything else, due to this
country artist taken a modern take on the music there is no direct inter textual reference to other media.
Toby Keith-
Trailerhood

• Luke Bryan Is a successful country songwriter and singer. He
began his musical path writing songs for his long-time friend
from high school. He released his first spring break album. He
then went on to release the album “I’ll stay me” which got his
name out there and his follow up album doing my thing this
included the number one singles on the country charts "Rain

characteristics.performance
The performance in this video is typical of a country music video as it has the
elements of telling a story but at the same time it has a performance element to
the video. This split of action works well as it makes it very clear to the user who
is the artist and allows him to get known to the audience and increase the
amount of people that recognize him and there for meets the demand of the
record label. There is also the narrative section to the video, this allows the
audience to be able to follow the meaning of the song and allows the words to
be a lot more powerful/meaningful. This video is very typical of country music
and there for allows it to appeal to country fans very well, including the shot of
the artist with the instrument players and then on his own works very well as it
allows the viewer to be able to see all of the people behind the music but at the
same time allows Luke Bryan to show the audience that it’s his song.
Lighting
This country music video features a dull lighting with different coloured lights
which just seem to be blurred out using shallow focus, this gives the music a twist
on typical country music due to the dim lighting. Most country music videos use
the element of natural light and the outdoors and if it is dull they tend to be
outside using the moon as a feature in the shot. The idea of the dull lighting in
this music video sets the scene very well and works very well with the song name
“Buzzkill” as even though they are all in a bar it seems to make it feel like the
liveliness is not there and the place has a gloomy sort of feeling, this allows the
audience to see that something is wrong. The use of the red lights gives this
feeling that the light is pushing down on everyone as the light is giving everyone
this felling that something is going to go wrong. The lighting within this video
gives it the perfect mood for the song and makes the lyrics more meaningful.

characteristics.Styling
The styling is very like the styling of Luke Combs in the song “when it rains it pours” Luke Bryan
has adopted a very typical country artist feeling in the clothes in which he is wearing. This
simple but very effective outfit consists of items that ca be easily be bought by anyone. When
he is performing the song, he is dressed in a shirt with all of the buttons undone and a t shirt
underneath this is very typical for country artists to wear and works well with the genera, he is
also wearing a black baseball cap this is also typically worn by country artist and the baseball
cap and the cowboy hat are very iconic to country music and acts as a big eye catcher for the
fans.
The setting for this piece is a bar which is very typical for country music videos however they
have added this twist to it and have made the place feel dark and gloomy as if there is very
important meaning behind the song and makes the viewer be able to see that this piece is not
about something good that happened in his life. However due to the styling of the clothes it
should draw in a country fan audience as they way in which they dress is very typical for
country artists.
Camera work/editing
The first shot is an establishing shot and allows the viewer to be able to see the
location in which the video is going to take place. Cuts are then used to show
different angles of the place and give this jumpy feeling as if something is not
going smooth. The user of cut shots are used throughout the video this is very
typical for country music as it works well to help tell the story and allows the
action to keep changing there for keeping the audiences attention. There is also
am lot of close up shots of the artist this allows him to meet the demand of the
record label and gets his identity represented in his own collaborative way. The
use of shallow focus is used throughout the music video this is very typical for
country music and is used a lot on close-up shots of the artist as it makes the
viewer be attracted in to the artist instead of the background so it allows him to
stand out a lot better.

You’re a buzzkill (1)- Luke is shown to be looking down and shows the emotion that he is upset
and noting is going how it should be, this shows a relationship between the lyrics as they state
“buzzkill” and he has got no buzz and instead looks like he is having a really bad time.
Showing up hear on my side of the tracks- it shows a shot of the women that he is singing
about smiling and sitting next to him. This shows that she is happy she is there however Luke is
not.
Those beers might as well have been poured out why are you Showing up and bringing me
down- the visuals show a relationship with the lyrics hear as when the lyric beer happens it
shows one of Luke Bryans mate ordering him and Luke a drink. When the lyric “why are you
Showing up and bringing me down” it shows Luke necking a beer but not in a joking fun way
but in a way to demonstrate that she has ruined his night and he doesn’t really want to be
there. This shows a narrative video as it is acting out the story of the lyrics.
Buzzkill yeh yea yea- the shot is shown from going from shallow focus of Luke and his mates
drinking then the shallow focus goes in to focus and shows Luke looking at the women that he
was speaking too kissing someone else, this relates to the lyric buzzkill as it has killed his buzz
for her. It shows a shoot reverse shot of him just staring at her in disappointment and then
shows her just looking down.
This song does not have a lot of direct connections with the lyrics but instead shows you how
disappointed Luke is and the way that Buzzkill is repeated through the song allows a lot of
shots to just show how much he knows she is a buzzkill and also how disappointed he is about
what has happened.

the music. There is a very distinct relationship between the music and visuals that reflect the
tone and atmosphere of the music in the visuals. The dull lighting gives the
viewer this feeling that this song is about something going wrong this is backed
up with the use of the red light this give a dark sort of feeling to the video and
makes the viewer can see that something is wrong, this is acted out throughout
the video using Luke as the main figure. There is a lot of close-up shots and
shallow focus shots these are very important as it allows the viewer to be able to
see the faecal expressions through the video this allows the audience to tell that
Luke is upset due to his sad looking expressions.
There is also a lot of the video where Luke is shown lip syncing to the music in the
bar this is very important and allows the audience to be able to connect with the
performance element of the music. This creates a relationship between the music
and the visuals as he is shown to be lip syncing the music which is a direct link.
There is also a lot of close up shots used when he is lip syncing this allows the
artist to break the fourth wall with the audience and there for allows them to be
able to see that he is singing every lyric with a lot of emotion/ meaning, this adds
to the live performance feeling for the viewer.
Throughout this video the use of cuts is very important they are used to show the
different angles of the scenes and also allows the relationship between the music
and visuals to work as it cuts to different places within the bar, without these cuts
the relationship between the music and visuals would not work and there for
would not make the atmosphere of the video messy and ruin the song. All of
these elements cause the relationship between the music and the visuals and
allow the visuals to reflect the tone and atmosphere of the music.

The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of
close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which
recur across their work (a visual style).
The demand of the record label is shown throughout this music video, this is done by using loads of close-up shots this is very
typical for country music, these close-up shots break the fourth wall and allow the user to be able to connect with the artist. These
shots show a clear link between the music and visuals and there for allows the viewer to be able to connect with the video. As Luke
Bryan is the artist of the song these close-up shots of him are very in portent as it allows the audience to see he is the artist and he
is the most important part of the song, this allows him to get his identity known by the viewers.
The motif in this video and over his work is a typical motif for a country music video as it has this narrative element which allows
the audience to be able to understand the song better and allows the user to be able to see the story behind the lyrics. This is split
up with random performance parts which are used to split up the story and allow the viewer to be able to see he is the soul of this
song. He has also developed a motif in what he wears as he wears this typically common outfit for a country artist as he is shown in
a shirt that he is wearing with all of the buttons undone and also a baseball cap which are becoming very popular in country music.
This outfit allows him to fit in to the genera of music very well.
These elements allow the Luke’s videos to have a powerfully way of getting the meaning of the song over to the viewer.

In this music video, there is frequent reference to notion of looking, this is shown through close up shots, these shots are used to break the
fourth wall as the artist is looking directly in to the camera in a majority of these shots, so this lets the audience connect with the artist.
When Luke is performing and the use of a close-up shot is used he is shown to have is eyes closed or squinting, this makes the audience
feel like they are watching the live performance as he is shown looking like he is really singing the song with all of his soul, this allows the
audience to feel the emotion of the song. The user of close-up shots are also used on the women he is singing about however she does not
look at the camera, this shows that there is something wrong with her and she shouldn’t be trusted and also means that she does not
break the fourth wall with the audience for her.
There is some voyeuristic treatment of the female body when she is shown kissing the other man, this is in the video to match the Lyrics
“Buzzkill” as Luke as it has killed Luke’s buzz this makes the audience feel bad for Luke. The use of the dull lighting and the red light giving
this red glow in some of the shots gives this sad feeling and demonstrates that she is evil and also that this song is a serious song and not a
fast-lively song.
The female in the song is shown to have Luke rapped around her finger as she gives him false hope and even though he knows it won’t
work he is still trying this is again shown in the lyrics “Buzzkill” as even though he has been singing this throughout the song he keeps
looking at her and even speaks to her. So through this video she is shown to be able to make or ruin his night as she is shown to be
dominant over Luke.

The artist has developed a motif in the way in which that his
videos all include an element of narrative and also an element of
performance, this recurs throughout his videos, this is very
important as the visuals can be a lot more important as if Luke
was never shown on the screen people would know his songs but
not him. This pattern allows the audience to recognise that it is
his video. The way that Luke closes his eyes or looks like he is
squinting when he is singing in this song it is also shown across
his work when he is singing something with a lot of meaning this
allows the audience to be able to see that he is singing the song
with a lot of meaning and draws the audience in, this is also
another way in which the audience can recognise that it is him
from his actions. This is shown in the song “Do I” again this song
is a slower song and there for shares the same dull lighting and
also the same technique of the closed eyes when he is singing
parts of the song, this there for creates some iconography
throughout his work.
The majority of the shots are always of the artist Luke so there
for this is repeated over all of his work and allows his identity to
get out to everyone very well and there for allows the credit for
the song to be pinpointed to Luke. This there for allows him to
get better known and also shows a motif throughout all of his
videos.

This music video has a very big inter-textual reference to other country music videos, this
video follows the same styling to songs by Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton and Thomas Rhett
as they all have the same elements of performance and narrative throughout nearly all
of their videos. He also follows the styling of these other artists as they all wear shirts
with the buttons undone and also all wear a hat in some of their videos, this shows a
direct inter-textual reference. These inter-textual references allow the video to be
identified as a country music video and there for allows more people that are country
fans to click on the video to watch the music, so by having these Inter Textual references
allows the video to appeal better to its target audience.
The use of all of the coloured lights being in shallow focus giving the place a feeling of
sadness is very unique within this video and I can’t find another example of this within
country music, this allows this video to also stand out and makes people like the video as
it has a little twist on the standard music video for a country song. There is also no other
inter-textual reference other than music videos so there for makes it very clear to the
viewer that it is going to be a music video.
Thomas
Rhett
Thomas Rhett is
shown with his
shirt
unbuttoned
and also his
eyes closed
which shows an
inter-textual
reference.

Music video analysis

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