This document provides an analysis of the music video for the song "Maybe Tomorrow" by the band Stereophonics. It discusses various technical and artistic elements of the video, including its black and white retro style, camerawork, editing techniques, use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound, and how the video relates to the lyrics and mood of the song. It analyzes how the video portrays the lead singer Kelly Jones as lonely and struggling with the pressures of fame, relating this to lyrics in the song. It also notes how the video focuses heavily on close-ups of Kelly Jones to promote him as the artist, in line with record label demands.

1. SupergrassStereophonicsMusic video AnalysisBy Hannah BrodieNicki Minaj

2. LyricsStereophonics“Maybe Tomorrow”I've been down and I'm wondering why,These little black clouds keep walking around, with me, with meIt wastes time and I'd rather be high,Think I'll walk me outside and buy a rainbow smileBut be free, they're all freeSo maybe tomorrowI'll find my way homeSo maybe tomorrowI'll find my way homeI look around at a beautiful life,Been the upperside of down, been the inside of out,But we breathe, we breatheI wanna breeze and an open mind,I wanna swim in the oceanWanna take my time, for me, all meSo maybe tomorrowI’ll find my way homeSo maybe tomorrow I’ll find my way home (x3)

3. StereophonicsMaybe Tomorrowhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q9_ZEtuTR8&ob=av2nI chose this video as the am a fan of the artist and song. The single was released in 2003 and featured in a few films. Micro TermsThroughout the video there is a retro element of Mise-en-scene. It has been edited black and white to convey a classy, old style look. I like this as it is simple yet effective. The props used are fairly simple as It is set in a hotel. There are props such as beds, chairs, bins and other typical elements of Mise-en scene that would be found in a hotel, but there are also musical instruments such as guitars, a metronome, speakers, microphone and music leads that feature in the video which represent the fact that they are a band as this is the equipment they use. Kelly the lead singer is using an old fashioned typewriter to write up the song. This again is a nice effect as it adds to the retro content of the video. In the video the lead singer is writing the song he is singing, this is why the metronome features, as a timer to the beat of the song. For the editing part of the video, they have used a selection of stills for some of it, to then edit into a moving image, such as the little girl playing with the wire. I like this effect as it makes the video more interesting, it is a simple technique but can also be very time consuming, depending on how many stills are decided to be taken as the more there are, the longer it takes to edit them. The scenes of the lead singer playing the guitar really caught my eye as I love watching people play the guitar and sing, without a backing track or any other instruments. I feel that sometimes this is better than lots of over exaggerated effects as it is more realistic and connotes the bands talents. The editing also involves cuts between different shots, such as long shot of the hotel corridor to close-ups on the bands faces and long shots of people in the hotel, such as the lady standing in the corridor. This editing scheme lets the audience explore the hotel as it is filmed from almost every aspect, giving us the feeling that we are actually there, making it seem more realistic.Metronome

4. StereophonicsMaybe Tomorrow…Micro TermsMetronomeThe camerawork consists of various angles of the band, lead singer and the hotel they are in. They use close ups of the lead singer to promote the artist and repeat these throughout the video as it helps the audience to remember their faces and recognise them. They use an interesting camera technique near the beginning of the video, which is where Kelly, the lead singer is playing the guitar in time to a metronome. They film from behind the metronome towards Kelly's face using a mid-shot and then they blur Kelly out and focus the camera onto the metronome as it is ticking. I really liked this effect as it sort of freezes time and just focuses on the metronome ticking peacefully. It adds a relaxing element to the song as it is slow paced.The video then moves into the filming of a road view from the front of a car. They speed this up which connotes an element of time, speeding by. This links in with the steady, slow paced ticking of the metronome which is relaxed and portrays time as moving slowly then it moves into a fast paced image just before the song starts. The song isn't particularly fast or upbeat but it is faster and more energetic than the quiet ticking of the metronome which connotes a change in mood n the song which the video is related to.The camerawork is also very realistic as it looks as though it is mostly filmed using a hand held camera, this represents that the band are real, genuine, good artist’s as the camerawork is natural and realistic, just like the band, they are not fake as they do not need to use artificial effects or highly edited images to make them look or sound good. Most of the imagery used is of the band, but mostly the lead singer. This is done to promote the artists. The video features them writing, producing and performing their songs acoustically and on stage, which connotes to the audience what they are like live, and encourages them to go and see them perform. I also like how the video features the band in their natural state. They are not airbrushed or made up with lots of make up or computerised in any way, they are shown in their real state and not worried about their appearance, they represent themselves in a natural and realistic way.The sound in the video features both Diegetic and non-diegetic sound. It begins with diegetic sound of Kelly playing the guitar and singing. Then the band are having a conversation, before it cuts back to Kelly writing the song, singing and playing the guitar. A metronome is then introduced as further diegetic sound, as a timer to the song. As the metronome fades, it then reverts to the non-diegetic sound of the track, which has been edited into the video afterwards. About three quarters of the way through the video, the band are then on a stage, rehearsing and lip sinking along with the non-diegetic track. Then finally, the video ends with the diegetic sound of the band sitting down around Kelly whilst he is playing the guitar and singing the track acoustically. There are also voices and laughter of the band during this scene as the video then draws to a close. I like the variety of sound used in the video, as it switches between diegetic and non-diegetic sound. It makes the video more interesting and adds a realistic effect to it as you feel as though you are really there, with the band. When they play acoustically, they are almost inviting us in as the audience, as it is a relaxed feel, with no pressure, as they are having a laugh with music in the background. It isn't meant to be taken seriously as they are not recording or playing to a live audience. This effect also connotes to the audience that the band are good live as they can sing well, encouraging them to go and see them live.

5. StereophonicsMaybe Tomorrow…Andrew Goodwin’s TheoryKelly on his ownIn The Stereophonics video, there are definitely elements of Goodwin’s theory quoted from his book, “Dancing in the Distraction Factory”. For example, although there isn't a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, there is certainly a relationship conveyed between the music and the visuals . The song is quite slow and relaxing, it isn't upbeat or particularly loud and has more of a jazz ambience than some of their other songs, which are usually under the genre of Classic Rock. This is illustrated in the video as it is slow paced and relaxed, such as the opening and finishing scene’s of Kelly, the lead singer playing the guitar and singing acoustically. Because it is just the diegetic sound of him singing and playing without a backing track, it portrays a laid back, softer feel which is amplified by the visuals. There is no pressure as it is just Kelly playing the guitar in a hotel room alone, without an audience or live pressure to perform perfectly. The visuals in the video vary from images of the band to Kelly alone among images of people in the hotel. I think the song is about the stresses of being famous, which is amplified by the video. As an audience we get the impression that Kelly is lonely or under pressure from the constant attention of fame. The lyrics suggest this because, they begin with “I've been down and I'm wondering why, These little black clouds keep walking around, with me”, the words used suggest negative feelings and emotions, possibly due to fame, and the “little black clouds” following him could represent the fans or the media and press that don't leave them alone. Some of the visuals confirm this because many of them feature Kelly on his own, without the band, suggesting his loneliness or the feeling of separation from others, maybe he feels as though he is going through a tough time on his own.The repeated lyrics in the chorus “Maybe tomorrow, I’ll find my way home” suggest that Kelly feels lost or as though he doesn't belong in this world of fame. The visuals in the video of Kelly alone portray him as being lonely, busy with work and unhappy(close-up to the right) but when he is with the band he seems toput on a brave face and look happy, in front of the media attention and public eye. There is also a reoccurrence of alcohol and Kelly drinking it, which againconveys his stress, and is his way of dealing with it. Furthermore, Kelly has a sign on his hotel room door saying please disturb me, again suggesting his loneliness. These are just some of the examples of a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.Another element from Goodwin's theory applies to this video, which is the demand on the part of the record company for lots of close-ups of the main artist/lead singer, which in this case is Kelly Jones. The majority of the video’s visuals are just of Kelly, this promotes the artist and allows the audience to recognise his face and remember him, along with exaggerating his star persona and image. This is a popular technique to gain money and push the artists to sell records. The band do still feature in the video more than once, but the lead singer is the main artist and needs to be promoted and frequently reoccur in the video.Moreover, there are references to Goodwin’s theory about certain music genres having their own style and iconography, such as live/acoustic performances or rehearsals for Rock bands or bands that play instruments. The Stereophonics are a band that play the Lead, rhythm and bass guitars, along with the drums and Keyboard, as well as singing. Making them ideal to watch perform, whether its live or acoustically. There are various scenes of Kelly playing to himself acoustically at the beginning of the video, to the band playing with him on rehearsals nearer the end of the video, with one woman in the audience, and finally the last scene of Kelly, the band and some vocalists performing acoustically to themselves in a room. These are used in the video to make it more interesting and sound as though it is live, and the audience are drawn in, with the feeling that they are really there with the band. Also it helps promote the artists as strong performers who work hard, making their audience want to see them live and support their music.

6. LyricsSupergrass“Pumping on your Stereo”Can you hear us pumping on your stereo? (x7)Life is a cigarette, you smoke to the end,But if you rocket the middle bit,Then you burn all your friends,The wider your eyes, the bigger the lies, yes it's true,Can you hear us pumping on your stereo?Can you hear us pumping on your stereo?Take a look through your window now,You're all alone on the road,Well you'll burn all your bridges down,And now you're losing control,The wider your eyes, the bigger the lies, yes it's true,If you make a mistake where you couldn't relate to your groove, (yes, that's true)Can you hear us pumping on your stereo? (x3)Well now that I've met you,And I love you as a friend,Yeah but your love is mogadon,Love is the end,Well, the wider your eyes, the bigger the lies, yes it's true,If you make a mistake well you couldn't relate to your groove, yes it's true,Can you hear us pumping on your stereo? (x11)

7. SupergrassPumping on your stereohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQbVyWED6Ac&feature=player_embeddedI chose this video as the am a fan of the song and the video as it is different and humorous. The single was released in 1999, and appeared in a film and a TV advert.Micro TermsThe elements of Mise-en-scene in the Supergrass video are fairly simple as there is only the bands faces and felt puppet instruments and bodies used. It is set in a studio and the background is blacked out, to make it easier to animate the felt bodies and instruments. As well as using computer technology to animate the puppets I think they may have used humans dressed in black from head to toe to make the puppets move, which they then blacked out against the black screen during the editing. The felt puppets look as though they were made by hand or machine, therefore soft and flexible enough to move and bend. The only other element of Mise-en-scene on set are the studio lights above the band as they play along with sparkler lights at the front near the end.For the editing of the video they cut from a variation of camera angles of the band performing, such as close-ups and long shots which they have edited together during post production to create a relatively fast passed, energetic and upbeat video which matches the cheerful and upbeat song. The editing was fairly straight forward since it was filmed in a studio, but the animation of the felt puppets and instruments would have been slightly more time consuming, as they also had to get them in sync with the song. The editing scheme allows the audience to see the band and comical puppets play from all angles, including close-ups for detail and long shots to get a picture of the whole set and whole band performing together. The band would have also been lip-sinking to the song.The camerawork consists of various shots, for example, lots of close-ups, to display the bands facial expressions and to help the audience recognise and remember them, these are repeated throughout the video for this reason. They also use long shots to get the whole band on screen, to portray that they are all playing together with felt bodies and instruments to convey a comical factor to the video for viewing pleasure. They also use medium close-upsto display the lead singer, singing into a microphone. They also cut to individual shots of each band member to display them playing their own instrument. I imagine that multiple cameras were used to film the video on set as it cuts from different angles, which would come from different cameras set up in various parts of the studio. They use both diegetic and non-diegetic sound in this video. The track was added afterwards during the editing process as non-diegetic sound, but there is clapping and cheering from the band at the end of the recording, along with the drummer, Danny Goffey saying, “Can we go home now?” This makes the video more interesting and funny, as well as letting the audience know that the band do not take themselves too seriously by having fun and joking with each other. This would suggest they are lively, energetic and good live.

8. SupergrassPumping on your stereo…Andrew Goodwin’s TheoryGoodwin's theory does somewhat apply to the Supergrass video. For example, you could say that there is a small relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as the main chorus is “can you hear us pumping on your stereo” and in the video the band are performing the song, which repeats this question to the audience as they are listening to it through either stereo, radio or TV. The band are basically saying can you hear us playing, which draws the audience in, including them into the song and their performance. Other than that, there is a relationship between the music and the visuals because the song is an upbeat, cheerful and catchy piece of music, in which the video amplifies and illustrates by being fairly fast paced with lots of various shots and angles that coincide with the upbeat tune. The band/puppetsare also dancing along and not taking themselves seriously by just having fun in performing the cheerful song. Furthermore the gloves/hands (image above) clap in time with the beat throughout the video. This is a definite example of a clear relationship between the music and the visuals. It is also a clever technique which encourages the audience to join in with the band by either tapping or clapping along with the tune as it is a very catchy record. I feel that Goodwin’s theory on particular music genres having their own style and iconography apply to this video as Supergrass’s music comes under the genre of Rock, meaning that their videos often consist of the band playing live or performing somewhat using the instruments that they play. Their video is stereotypically about them playing instruments and singing, to show off their talents and to connote to their audience that they can play instruments, sing and perform well. This is included to persuade people to go and see them live, again a money making process to promote the band.Another theory of Andrew Goodwin’s that applies to this video is the demand on the part of the record company for lots of close-ups of the main artist/lead singer, Gaz Coombes. A lot of the visuals in the video are of Gaz, to promote the band/artist along with allowing the audience to recognise and remember his face as it appears frequently during the video. This demand is also used to emphasise the bands star persona and image. As Gaz is the lead singer, he is considered slightly more important than the rest of the band, therefore he features more often throughout the video. A further reason for this is to push the artist to sell records and make money by familiarising the fans with their face.

9. Lyrics Nicki Minaj“Superbass”This one is for the boys with the booming systemTop down, AC with the cooling systemWhen he come up in the club, he be blazin' upGot stacks on deck like he savin' upAnd he ill, he real, he might got a deal He pop bottles and he got the right kind of build He cold, he dope, he might sell coke He always in the air, but he never fly coach He a motherfucking trip, trip, sailor of the ship, ship When he make it drip, drip kiss him on the lip, lip That's the kind of dude I was lookin' for And yes you'll get slapped if you're lookin' hoe I said, excuse me you're a hell of a guy I mean my, my, my, my you're like pelican fly I mean, you're so shy and I'm loving your tie You're like slicker than the guy with the thing on his eye, oh Yes I did, yes I did, somebody please tell him who the F I is I am Nicki Minaj, I mack them dudes up, back coupes up, and chuck the deuce upChorus:Boy you got my heartbeat runnin' away Beating like a drum and it's coming your way Can't you hear that boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom, boom, bass Yeah that's that super bass Got that super bass boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom, boom, bass Yeah that's that super bass Boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom, boom, he got that super bass (x2)This one is for the boys in the polos Entrepreneur niggas in the moguls He could ball with the crew, he could solo But I think I like him better when he dolo And I think I like him better with the fitted cap on He ain't even gotta try to put the mac on He just gotta give me that look, when he give me that look Then the panties comin' off, off, uh Excuse me, you're a hell of a guy you know I really got a thing for American guys I mean, sigh, sickenin' eyes I can tell that you're in touch with your feminine side Yes I did, yes I did, somebody please tell him who the F I is I am Nicki Minaj, I mack them dudes up, back coupes up, and chuck the deuce upChorusSee I need you in my life for me to stay No, no, no, no, no I know you'll stay No, no, no, no, no don't go away Boy you got my heartbeat runnin' away Don't you hear that heartbeat comin' your way Oh it be like, boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom, boom, bass Can't you hear that boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom, boom, bass

10. Nicki MinajSuperbasshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JipHEz53sU&ob=av2eI chose this video as I like the song, artist and the fresh, vibrant styling and colourful visuals in the video. The song was released in 2011 and was a popular hit with the critics.Micro TermsThe Mise-en-scene of Nicki Minaj’s video is very glossy and vibrant. It is filmed in a studio against a green screen with various colour backgrounds such as pink, blue, a sky theme and black which would have been edited in during post production. The video includes expensive objects such as flash cars, aeroplanes, bikes and stacks of cash along with various sculptures made out of ice. This portrays the artists rich, wealthy lifestyle along with appealing to a male target audience as men like fast cars and money. Lots of men feature in the video which are good looking and muscly, which would appeal to females, as well as Nicki being a female. A lot of the objects, clothes, make-up etc. are pink, this is a strong stereotypical representation of females, and a typical colour associated with Nicki Minaj as part of her iconography and star image. Pink is a vibrant colour which stands out against the plain backgrounds and would appeal to girly girls. Nicki portrays herself in a sort of Barbie doll style, with her blonde hair and pink outfits which make her stand out and attract attention. Although there are appealing objects in the video, it is not over the top with too many, the set is fairly spacious as not to draw attention away for the main artist. The video also includes certain luxury's of Mise-en-scene such as a swimming pool, which is an appealing image. Ice and snow Is used around the pool to portray a fresh, pure image. The light bounces off the ice, giving a variety of colours and glossy effect. Most of the imagery is set up in an unrealistic way, using the colours, lighting and computer editing software to make it more appealing to the audience, conveying perfection instead of realism. The pool is full of pink water, which is very unrealistic and there is a scene where Nicki pours the pink liquid down her chest, this is a sexual scene and is slowed down and zoomed into to appeal to the male audience. The make-up used is again bright and exaggerates Nicki's features such as her eyes as she is wearing false lashes and vibrant coloured make-up. Again this is part of Nicki’s star iconography and image along with her fluttering her eyelashes a large amount during the close-ups, again another artist trait which also portrays innocence and flirtatiousness. Minaj also wears neon make-up and lots of wigs for unnatural, yet vibrant hair colours and to glow in the dark and stand out. The main artist wears a number of outfits during the video, each are figure hugging, bright, colourful and revealing. This is again to appeal to the male target audience and to show off her ‘perfect figure’.

11. Nicki MinajSuperBass...The editing cuts from close-ups, to medium shots of Nicki, then to the various Mise-en-scene objects and men. The editing is fairly fast-paced, to keep it interesting and to include lots of shots of luxurious images. This editing scheme allows us as the audience to have an insight to the luxurious lifestyles of the famous. They have used a selection of stills for some scenes of the video, to create moving images, such as the growing stack of money(image to the left) this varies to the normal editing cuts from camera to camera and adds a slightly different effect to the usual visuals seen in music videos. However this maybe more time consuming. I think they chose to use fairly fast paced editing because Nicki Minaj’s rapping in the song is quite fast, therefore it matches the speed and tempo of the video. As it is recorded in the studio, the artist would have been lip-sinking to the record, which would be edited in during post production. The lip-sinking would have had to have been precise as there are lots of close-ups on Nicki Minaj’s face, showing her miming to the studio track. It is very important to edit the track over precisely otherwise the whole video would have been out of sync. Some elements of the video for example, the choreographed dance is sped up during post production to create a different effect on the dancing. Oppositely, the more sexual scenes are slowed down to create a sexier, more appealing look.The camerawork is of lots of different angles, such as long shots to display large scenes and set ups such as the swimming pool scene, the choreographed dance routine, of several girls, along with the neon scene at the end of the video. But there are also lots of close-ups on Nicki Minaj, as the main artist. This is to promote the artist and is used to familiarise the audience with her face, allowing them to remember her and recognise herunique star persona. Furthermore, it allows the audience to see her exaggerated and renowned facial expressions, along withthe bold make-up she wears. The song is hers and the video is about her, therefore, she appears in most of the visuals throughout video. Unlike the other two videos I have analysed, SuperBass only includes non-diegetic sound. This connotes a false, unrealistic element. The video isn't supposed to be realistic, it has deliberately been exaggerated and set in a studio for this purpose, to create an ideal girly world and this is why there is no diegetic sound coming from the studio as it has been cut out to create perfect and pure digital sound, the exact same sound as the track.

12. Andrew Goodwin’s TheoryGoodwin’s theory highly applies to the SuperBass video in a n assortment of ways. Firstly, there is a definite relationshipBetween the lyrics and the visuals in certain extracts of the video. These vary from a stack of money which relates to the lyrics “Got stacks on deck”, also an image of a pink plane which connect to the lyrics “he always in the air but he never fly coach.”Another link is the image of male lips(to the right) which is referred to in the lyrics “kiss him on the lip” and again the example of “I'm lovin’ your tie”, which is in sync with Nicki wrapping one of the males ties around her whilst miming these lyrics. These visuals all help to amplify the lyrics of the song to convey a certain image and storyline.The theory about a relationship between the music and the visuals, stated in Goodwin’s book ‘Dancing in the distraction factory’ is also apparent in this video. The song is about a boy which Nicki Minaj has feelings for and this is illustrated in her video as it features lots of men, which Nickiinvolves herself with during the video. Although there is more than one male in the video, the visuals still somewhat amplify the lyrics. The third form and convention of Goodwin’s theory is that particular music genres have their own music video style and iconography. In this case it is a choreographed dance routine for an R&B song. Partway through the video there is a scene of Nicki Minaj amongst about 5 other girls, who are all dressed similarly to her, including hair and make-up. They perform a choreographed dance routine as a group in sync with each other. This is stereotypically used in R&B music videos. Although the video is not just a dance routine, there are still obvious elements of this theory occurring in Minaj’s video.Moreover, there is a definite demand on the record companies part to include lots of close-ups of the main artist. Nicki Minaj repeatedly occurs throughout her video, as she is a solo artist and not part of a band, it allows the record company to include even more visuals of her than if there were other band members. A vast amount of close-ups are used to promote her as an artist and to build up her image and popularity, allowing the audience to easily recognise her.Nicki Minaj definitely has her own, individual star iconography, inside and outside of her videos, which is ongoingly becoming part of her star image. In Nicki’s case, this involves her extravagant and vibrant dress code, her so called perfect body and image and various coloured and styled wigs, along with her persona, which is innocent, attractive and bold. People will recognise these traits and either love or hate them, developing their own personal opinions of her as an artist.Lastly, the SuperBass video conducts a reference to voyeurism in the treatment of women. The video portrays women in a sexy, appealing, wealthy and sexual manner, purely to attract male attention and appeal to them as the target audience is roughly between 15-25 year old men. Nevertheless, this video is interesting yet unusual as it includes voyeurism towards the treatment of males as well. The men in the video are all muscly and attractive, with perfect bodily shapes and sizes, just like the women, to attract the female viewers attention. Therefore the target audience could also be for females between the ages 15-25 due to the treatment of men in the video. Goodwin states that a wide variety of music videos include female voyeurisms, but rarely male ones, making this video unique.