2. Andrew Goodwin identified 7 key ideas that we should look for to identify: Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/ girl band.) There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. (Either illustrative, amplifying and contradicting.) There is a relationship between music and visuals. (Either illustrative, amplifying and 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 screen, telescopes, etc. ) and particularly voyeuristic (sexual) treatment of the female body. There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc.) Whether the video is primarily performance based, narrative based or concept based and how elements of each is used in it.
3. Song: The Script – For the First Time I am going to analyse a song called For The First Time by a band called The Script. This video contains a few of Goodwin’s theory but not all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPEBN2dVNUY&ob=av2e
4. The characteristics for Pop Rock is dark deep colours, hand-held shots and emphasis live performances. Also is they appeal to a general audience rather than a sub-culture. 1. Genre characteristics These shots show the band playing their instruments. This shows that this band do mostly live performances as this represents them as if they are at a live performance. This also shows the production as we see them playing the instruments they used to make their song. The band is seen in black and white which suggests deep colours meaning a sort of sad video; this black and white shots are also in black and white which suggests a more home like video. This may make the audience feel more connected with the audience as they are acting similar to what they would do.
5. 2. Relationship between lyric and visuals This video is an amplifying video as there are some visuals of what is being said in the song. This could show the actors are young free and enjoying life. This could be because this is how the young adults are represented. This may represent what it is like to loose a job. As he has his hand at the back of his neck and looking down may suggest that he isn’t happy. “Drinking old cheap bottles of wine” “I just lost my job” This shot shows the couple that the band is mentioning. This couple is smiling but when the band says “but we’re close to tears” suggests that they may be putting it up and their smile isn’t real. “Smiling but we’re close to tears”
6. 3. Relationship between music and visuals The visuals go with the beat. In the first shot, we see the sun setting. This is during the bridge of the song and shows us that this videos duration is one day. The second shot is at night and shows us the song is going to end soon. The last shot the lighting has changed and is more pink which suggests calm..
7. 4. Demand of close ups Here are close ups of the band members. This will help the audience to recognise them. None of them are looking at the camera. This may suggest that they aren’t interested in the audience or they are distracted playing their instruments. These close up shots are establishing the actors in the video. We know this is the couple representing what the band is singing about. We know this because as they start of the song with “she’s all laid up in bed with a broken heart”, we see this female character wiping her tears. At 53 seconds in the video the band say “she needs me now but I can’t seem to find the time” here we see the male character rushing about the leave the female who looks upset.
8. 4. Demand of close ups These close ups are establishing what the band uses to create music; their instruments. These close us may be used to show the audience how they play their instruments. Here are some close ups to the singer in the band. This eye contact will make the audience feel closer. Usually the singers in bands are the leader and this is shown here as the rest of the band members don’t give eye contact.
9. 5. Notion of looking and voyeurism Notion of looking in music videos is where for example there may be telescopes or screens within screens. Voyeurism is a perversion in which a person receives sexual gratification from seeing the genitalia of others or witnessing others sexual behaviour. The notion of looking in the first shot shows the female actor looking up with her camera. The middle shots show the actors as a couple in sexual activity. This can be seen as voyeurism not only in the female but on the male as well as he is topless. This shot is the last scene of the video before it blacks out. This scene is ended with the couple kissing. This can be seen as voyeurism as kissing is of a sexual nature.
10. 6. Intertextual reference This is the first shot of the video. This is a postcard with the state of liberty on it.
11. 7. Performance based, narrative based or concept based This music video is narrative based; there is a story to it. The first scene is a female writing, there is no music until she stops talking. This shows us that this video is narrative based. The first shot shows the female actor writing a letter to her family about how she is doing in America. We know that she’s in America because the postcard is a statute of liberty. “I’m dying for a proper piece of brown bread” is one of the last things she writes out loud on the postcard. This shows she’s homesick and misses her home town Ireland; the clover and Irish accent suggests the hometown is Ireland. At the end of the video, the last scene shows tickets to Ireland. This shows the video is narrative based. This video is linear as there are no shots which ruin the flow of the narrative.
