Music video analysis x3

Music Video Analysis
‘My Immortal’ by Evanescence
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen
‘Fix You’ by Coldplay
By Tom Crane

Andrew Goodwin’s 7 Features of
Music Videos
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in
metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented
with images. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of
the visual reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying,
contradicting).
4. 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).
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens,
mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a
visual style)
7. There are often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music
videos etc).

‘My Immortal’ by Evanescence
• ‘My Immortal’ is a song by an American band by the
name of Evanescence. The song came from their
debut studio album called Fallen which was released
March 4th 2003. The song was written by guitarist
Ben Moody, lead singer Amy Lee and keyboardist
David Hodges, and it was produced by Moody and
Dave Fortman. In the recording procedure their
were many versions of ‘My Immortal’ recorded as
one of them was actually used for a demo album by
the name of ‘Origin’ in 2000. Furthermore another
recording was also released on the EP ‘Mystary’. The
version of ‘My Immortal’ originally from the album
‘Original’ was later included on the album ‘Fallen’
featuring piano with backing strings. This version of
the song is now known as ‘My Immortal- Band
Version’ purely because of the complete bands
performance of the bridge and the final chorus of
the song. The song itself is very unusual in the rock
genre as it is a alternative song within the genre, the
song starts off with a very slow pace and it is also
very gentle. Throughout the song the tempo begins
to build gradually and as the audience we can start
to hear the gradual increase because towards the
end the song includes a lot of guitar playing and also
drumming towards the end. Lyrically, it talks about
"a spirit staying with you after its death and
haunting you until you actually wish that the spirit
were gone because it won't leave you alone."

‘’Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos,
dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).’’
Throughout this music vide the colour scheme is black and white which is very popular in rock
music videos, and ‘My Immortal’ follows this convention throughout the music video. The
main artist Amy Lee also fits the genre characteristics of rock as she is wearing a dull white
dress with bandages around her wrist and this is quite typical of the rock genre for the artist
to wear dull clothing. The dull colour used throughout the music video reinforces the
representations of depression, hurt and death. The style of Amy Lee also represents the rock
genre, her hair is very messy and a deep black colour which is typical of the rock genre. The
makeup that Amy Lee wears is also very dark and gloomy and this emphasises the deep
depression that she is undergoing during this song. The setting which this video was filmed in
is very gloomy and derelict which is typical of the rock genre Overall this Music Video
demonstrates genre characteristics as we can see this through the singer Amy Lee, the setting
of the video and also the lyrics and instruments used.
Andrew Goodwin’s theory clearly states that music videos demonstrate genre
characteristics, this means that each genre has specific characteristics that
represents that genre. Evanescence ‘s ‘My Immortal’ is rock alternative genre and
there are a number of significant factors that defines the genre of music during the
song and video. The song shows many characteristics of the rock genre but on the
other hand there are times during the song where it is alternative rock. The reason
that the audience can see the change in genre is because the song starts off at a very
slow place and very gentle which is not typical of the rock genre. The song gradually
starts to build in tempo which allows the change in genre to purely rock music, the
audience could see the typical conventions of the genre being used as guitars and
drums were being used towards the end of the song. It is a key convention of the
rock genre for the music to be loud through the use of instruments like guitar and
drums. Due to the slow pace of the song at the start it creates a very depressing and
sad mood for the audience, the lyrics also reinforce this mood as they are very
depressing. The lyrics are about "a spirit staying with you after its death and
haunting you until you actually wish that the spirit were gone because it won't leave
you alone.“ This just shows that the song is really portraying the lyrics perfectly as
the mood is like death. It is important that the song keeps the audience engaged at
all the times and they do this by their showing their emotions which helps the
audience relate to the song as they may have gone through similar problems during
their life. Most rock songs have a story to tell and they are commonly very
depressing songs which fits the genre characteristics of rock, this song does the very
same thing as it represents feeling of death, hurt and depression throughout which
are rock genre characteristics.
The image to the right
shows Amy Lees hand
with a bandage, this
reinforces the
representations of
depression, pain and
death. These
representations are
typical rock conventions.
This image on the left
shows the depth of her
makeup and hair, it is all
very dark which
represents depression.
Amy's hair is very dark
which may represent her
life as very dark and
gloomy.
This image to the left
shows some of the
instruments used
during the video. As
you can see the guitars
and drums are being
used which are typical
instruments used in the
rock genre.

‘’There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).’’
Evanescence's ‘ My Immortal’ is a narrative based,
presenting the storyline described in lyrics. There is a huge
relationship between the lyrics and visuals during the music
video of ‘My Immortal’. The lyrics describe "a spirit staying
with you after its death and haunting you until you actually
wish that the spirit were gone because it won't leave you
alone.“ The audience can quite clearly see from the visuals
that the lyrics have a close relationship with the visuals, the
song represents deep depression and we get this
representation through the lyrics. Furthermore as an
audience we can also see that the music vide represents
deep depression through the visuals as Amy Lee is dressed
in dull clothing and her makeup is very deep and dark. The
lyrics are reflected within the images used during the music
video , as the clip tells the story of how Amy Lee is being
haunted by a ghost. The song is very open and the audience
can make many interpretations of the song, the lyrics can
be seen in many ways and each individual member of the
audience will think differently. Due to the music video being
like this it allows for the audience to gradually create their
own understanding of the lyrics throughout the music video.
The lyrics used in the music video determined the mood and
atmosphere for the audience as the lyrics are very deep and
depressing. The visuals reinforce the lyrics by creating the
depressing mood and atmosphere through the stetting and
the main singer Amy Lee. The audience will most definitely
understand the music video due to a wide knowledge of
emotions and knowing how someone feels by the way they
act and portray their emotions. The lyrics most definitely
have a strong relationship with the visuals in ‘My Immortal’
due to the high amplification of the music video. The
audience can clearly see this through the variety of images
used and also Amy Lee and Ben Moody that keep the
audience engaged at all times.
In this clip shown to the left, Amy
Lee sings the first line of the song
which is ‘’I’m so tired of being
here’’, straight away links with
the visual that we can see
because Amy Lee looks very
depressed and down and she
expresses them emotions with
the lyrics.
In this clip shown to the left, Amy
Lee sings ‘’And it won't leave me
alone’’ this shows that she is
afraid and upset of what she is
experiencing. The lyrics have a
strong relationship with the
visuals in this clip as she is laid
down and she looks to have given
up because it wont leave her
alone.
In this clip shows to the left,
Amy Lee sings ‘’these wounds
won't seem to heal, this pain
is just too real’’ this
reinforces the idea that she is
depressed and hurt inside. As
the audience we can also see
that the image of Amy Lee
also has a strong relationship
with the lyrics because Amy
Lee is laid out across a car as
if she has given up.

Lyrics of ‘My Immortal’ by Evanescence
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just
too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
You used to captivate me by your resonating light
Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just
too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
But you still have all of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me, I've been alone all
along
You still have all of me, me, me

There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual
reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
During the song of ‘My Immortal’ it is quite evident that there is a strong relationship between the music and the visuals shown through the
order and timing of cuts according the beat of the track. The song starts off really slow and we can see that the music video is edited in a very
gentle way to portray a depressing atmosphere. The cuts are very smooth throughout the music video and there is no real significant cuts that
are unnatural. Throughout the video we can quite clearly see that the tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. The
majority of the song is very slow and depressing but at the end of the video the tone of the music picks up due to the introduction of the
electric guitars and drums that are used, this meant that the editing changed and it was quite evident that fast paced editing had been used as
we could see a lot more movement with the camera. When the music tone increases it helps to create a better atmosphere of the music video
and the audience become more engaged with the song. Towards the end of the song the music video cuts to a performance of the band, when
this cuts occurs it reinforces the strong relationship between the music and the visuals.
0:04 0:07 0:10 0:14 0:18 0:22 0:23 0:25 0:28 0:30
The times above show where the cuts occur in the first 30 seconds of the music video, it starts off with very similar timing in between each
cut but then fast paced editing is used and the times in between each cut gets smaller. During the music video there is a range of close ups of
Amy Lee singing the song, this is showing the relationship between the music and the visuals. This establishes Amy Lee as the artist but also
establishes both her roles as the female lead and the ghost that is haunting her as we can tell this by her performance. This helps to portray
Amy Lee in a much better way as she can sing and be an actress which shows that she’s very talented and the audience can quite clearly see
that Amy Lee has a wide range of abilities.
The shots above are close ups of Amy Lee, the shots help the audience to relate between the music an the visuals. The close ups quite
clearly help the audience to feel Amy Lee’s emotion and how she Is feeling through the expressions she is making on her face. The audience
believe that Amy’s voice is so gentle and calming which help to show the strong relationship between the music and the visuals.

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).
In the music video ‘’My Immortal’’ by Evanescence there are many close-ups that are used of the artist performing the song throughout the music
video, by using the close ups of Amy Lee it helps the audience relate to her emotions and the way she is feeling. It is really important that a range of
close ups are used throughout the music video because it reflects the words of the song with the movement of the lips of Amy Lee as well as the
emotion that she expresses. Due to the music video being a narrative, the close-ups help the audience to have a stronger relationship with the main
artist and they personally reflect on their live comparing it to Amy Lee. When we see the close-ups of Amy Lee she emphasises the lyrics by using her
emotions and using strong eye contact with the camera, this will allow the audience to have a stronger relationship with the lyrics and Amy as they
will gather a greater understanding of the song. There are many reasons why the record label insists that the music video includes close-ups of the
main artist in the song, firstly it promotes Amy Lee as an artist and the band of Evanescence. Another reason the record label demand close-ups
because it brings the audience closer with the artist and this means there is a strong relationship between the artist and the audience. When Amy Lee
sings it is quite obvious that she is a very gentle singer by the movement of her lips has there is very vivid movement from her lips, the majority of the
time when we see a close-up or and extreme close-up she is always sat on something or standing on something which may show the audience that
she is scared of what's haunting her and she feels more safe off the ground. In ‘’My Immortal’’ Amy Lee doesn't directly look into the lens either,
possibly intending a natural look, which could be categorised as a visual style as well.
Here is a close up of Amy Lee and the audience can
quite clearly see that she is looking away from the lens
and this could be interpretive her as looking for the
future and a way of getting out her depressing mood.
The demands of the record label have been met by
using lots of close ups of the artist.
Throughout the entire music video we do not see a
close-up or extreme close-up of Ben Moody. The only
shots that we see of Ben is mid shots and long shots.
Evanescence develop many motifs across their work and
it is quite apparent as we see Amy Lee continuously
wearing deep and dark make up. Evanescence meet the
demands of the record label due to the continuous close
up shots across their music videos of Amy Lee.
The image on the left
is Ben Moody and we
can see a mid shot of
him. On the right we
can see a close up of
Amy Lee expressing
her emotions.

There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc)
and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
Throughout the music video there is a continuous use of close ups and this creates the notion of looking in ‘My Immortal’, the audience are
engaged within the music video due to the camera focusing on Amy Lee’s in depth make up and the eye contact that she is making within the
music video. Throughout the video Amy Lee is mainly looking away from the camera which may be interpreted as Amy Lee looking away from the
ghost that is haunting her, on the odd occasion the audience get to see Amy looking directly at the camera. Due to the notion of looking it allows
the audience to feel engaged with the music video and also to feel the emotions of the main artist. The particular voyeuristic treatment of the
female body in the music video ‘My Immortal’ is Amy Lee’s eyes as the audience to get to see her eyes many times during the music video through
the use of close-ups. By using the close-ups to show the audience Amy’s eyes it refers to the notion of looking the music video. The notion of
looking is very important to any music video as it allows the audience to feel engaged and connected to the song in their own way.
The two screen shots that I
have grabbed shows the
costume that Amy Lee is
wearing and also the deep
use of make up around Amy's
eyes. There are many close
ups throughout the music
video that shows the Amy’s
eye contact and the dark
makeup that has been used.
The Mise en scene during the music video is very dark and depressing, the costume of Amy Lee is a white dress and it is very worn and ripped. This
may show representations that Amy Lee is distraught and broken and she will always be hurt for life due to what has happened to he in previous
life. Furthermore Amy Lee is also wearing bandages around her wrists which may give off representations that she is hurt and damaged mentally as
well physically. Although the main artist has a costume which makes her look very hurt and depressed it also looks very elegant and we can see
that she moves in a very gentle way so the dress may represent her insecurity.
The camerawork during the music video is voyeuristic on a high level, with the focal points of the close ups being Amy Lee’s lips and eyes, rather
than her breasts, legs and bottom. This could be due to the tragic and emotional nature of the track and the music video needs to mirror that in its
approach, and so despite Amy’s near-bare appearance, the filming technique and style creates an impression of elegance and attractive but not
promiscuous. The music video is very clever because the use of the costume and camerawork helps to keep the audience engaged at all times and
it helps to make the video more popular. The way that the music video helps to make it more popular is by the emotional attachment that the
audience have with the artist due to her emotions and the costume that she is wearing. The artist is attractive and appealing which makes it easier
for the audience to watch as they find it easier to listen like and follow the music video. The comments below show how much they appreciate the
main artist Amy Lee:

The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a visual style)
The definition of a motif is a recurring subject, theme, idea,
etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work. The
band Evanescence has many motifs throughout their work
and you can see many strong recurrences through each
song and music video that they produce. Furthermore
iconography is a representation or a group of
representations of a person, place, or thing, as a portrait or
a collection of portraits. This is also evident in
Evanescence's work as there are many representations of
Amy Lee throughout their work. Iconography in
Evanescence videos is clear that they focus on the main
artist and make sure that their music can be fully
understood by the audience at all times during the video.
The main artist Amy Lee is always the main focus of every
video that Evanescence make and this is important as Amy
Lee is represented as a woman that’s depressed and hurt.
Evanescence mainly keep to the rock genre characteristics
and this is important as they have kept to the style and this
is what they are known for. Evanescence stick to the same
genre characteristics with performance and narration as
their work is very similar. We can see that Evanescence use
the same genre characteristics because of the heavy use of
guitars and the drums and finally Amy Lees voice is very
powerful and she shares many emotions with her audience
in all of their work. One thing that the band has kept
consistent throughout their videos is the Mise en scene as
they are wearing very similar clothing and they look like
they are part of the rock genre due to the consistency of
costumes that they use. The band commonly wear black
costumes throughout their music videos and this fits the
conventions of the genre rock as it is quite common that
they wear black. One of the motifs that Evanescence do is
that they start off their songs at a very slow tempo and
then the song gradually heightens in tone by the use of
instruments and we can quite clearly see this in the music
video ‘My Immortal’ and ‘Bring Me To Life’. Overall it is
evident that Evanescence the band uses motifs and
iconography in their work.
This is the band in ‘My Immortal’ as we can quite clearly see they are all
wearing black which shows they are meeting a convention of the genre
rock as many other rock bands/artists wear black in the majority of their
videos.
This is the band in the music video of ‘Bring Me To Life’ and once again we
can see that they are wearing black which meets the conventions of the
rock genre.

There are often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc).
The song ‘My Immortal’ by the band Evanescence is a very deep song as it is about someone who is being haunted and they cannot
escape the pain that is being caused by the ghost. The reason we understand the story of the song is through Amy Lee as she tells the
story through the lyrics and the emotion that she portrays during the music video. We can quite clearly see in the music video that Amy
Lee is being haunted by her past as she seems very depressed and hurt, we can see this through her emotions, body language and also
her costume as she is wearing bandages. The song has many intertextual references as many experience these problems in life and they
will also feel like they are in a similar position the artist Amy Lee. Furthermore there is also intertextual references to TV programmes and
films because there are many programmes that are designed to show stories similar to Amy Lee in ‘My Immortal’. The song ‘My
Immortal’ was written by Amy Lee, Ben Moody and David Hodges and it was very close to their hearts as they all have emotional links to
the song. Overall there are many intertextual links to ‘My Immortal’ as any people are in the situation like Amy Lee and there are also
many TV programmes and films that are about being haunted.

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. The
song was written by one of the band members Freddie Mercury and the
song was part of the 1975 album ‘A Night at the Opera’. The song is a
more accessible take on the 1970s progressive rock genre. Apparently
when the song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was released it was the most
expensive sing ever made although the exact cost was never discovered.
The song was released on the 31st October 1975. When the song was
released it became a sensational hit within days as the song was at the
top of the UK singles chart for nine weeks and it sold more than a
million copies by the end of January 1976. In 1991 the same song was
released and it reached number one again for 5 weeks which is quite a
phenomenal achievement. The song was such a big hit as it was number
one in many other countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
Ireland and The Netherlands. Bohemian Rhapsody remains one of
Queen's most popular songs and is frequently placed on modern lists of
the greatest songs of all time. Throughout the song ‘Bohemian
Rhapsody’ there is a roller coaster of emotions that the audience see
through the lyrics of the song. First of all the lyrics portray a cold and
depressing feeling as if life isn't real. Furthermore the lyrics then portray
the guilt and dismay of killing which could be suicide that the character
feel he has caused rather than a murder. Finally the song then finishes
with his own suicide thoughts. Overall these meanings fit the genre of
rock as many songs within the genre have a similar meaning as many
are about depression and death. An interpretation of the ending is that
he just sort of gives up. He does not go ahead with the suicide, but
moves back to the depression stage at the beginning of the song.
Nothing mattered now his love had gone. Overall this song is highly
popular and many people do not see it as a depressing song due to the
upbeat tone of the song.

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance
routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ the song by Queen demonstrates many genre
characteristics and within rock there are many characteristics that represents
the genre of rock. Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is a rock genre and there are
a number of significant factors that defines the genre of music during the
music video. As the video starts we can straight away see that the music video
demonstrates genre characteristics as all the band members are wearing black
clothing which is very common with in the rock genre. The song starts off at a
very slow pace and the tempo of the song is slow at the start of the music
video which is not your typical rock song as you expect to hear fast paced
singing along with heavy use of instruments. Although we do not see this in
the opening moments of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ we eventually get to see the
heavy use of guitar and rums later on in the video which demonstrates genre
characteristics of rock as the majority of rock songs will have heavy use of
instruments at some point during their music. Once the instruments are
introduced in the music video it then means that the song is purely of the rock
genre. The audience could see the typical conventions of the genre being used
as guitars and drums were being used during the music video. Furthermore
due to the slow pace of the song at the start, it creates a very depressing
mood for the audience and this is reinforced by the lyrics as they represent a
very cold and depressing life. The lyrics can be interpreted in many different
ways but the first line of the song was ‘Is this the real life?’ this just shows to
the audience straight away that the mood is very depressing as he doesn’t
know whether he is dreaming or it is his real life situation. It is important that
the song starts off like this because it allows for the audience to engage within
the story from the start of the song, this also fits the genre characteristics of
rock as most songs within the genre are telling a story.
The image to the left
shows the heavy use of
guitars which fits the
genre characteristics of
rock as many rock music
videos make strong use
of instruments.
The image on the left
shows Queen, as we
can see they are all in
black which meets the
genre characteristics of
rock.
Throughout this music video the colour scheme is mainly black with a hint of
colour in places, this is very common in rock music videos, and ‘Bohemian
Rhapsody’ follows this convention throughout the music video. The band members
of Queen by the name Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and John Deacon
are all wearing black in the majority of the music video and this demonstrates
genre characteristics of the genre rock. The black clothing represents depression
and death which is typical within the rock genre. The dull colour used throughout
the music video reinforces the representations of depression, hurt and death. The
style of the Band Queen also represents the rock genre as there hair is very messy
and dark which is typical of artists within the rock genre. The setting in the music
video is very gloomy and at times there isn’t a background as we can see in the
image above. Overall this music video demonstrates genre characteristics and we
can see this through the band of Queen, and also the setting of the video and lyrics
along with the heavy use of instruments.
This is a gloomy
setting in the
music video which
is typical of the
genre
characteristics in
rock.

Lyrics of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by
Queen
Gallileo, Gallileo,
Gallileo, Gallileo,
Gallileo Figaro - magnifico
But I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come easy go will you let me go
Bismillah! No we will not let you go - let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go - let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go let me go
Will not let you go let me go (never)
Never let you go let me go
Never let me go ooo
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me
For me
For me
So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye
So you think you can love me and leave me to die
Oh baby can't do this to me baby
Just gotta get out just gotta get right outta here
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters nothing really matters to me
Anyway the wind blows
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go
A little high, little low
Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me, to me
Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooo
Didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters
Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time
Goodbye everybody I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooo (anyway the wind blows)
I don't want to die
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all
I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouch, scaramouch will you do the fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening me

There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has a really strong
relationship between the lyrics and the visuals and it is
evident through many different techniques during the
music video. The lyrics portray a cold and depressing
feeling as if life isn't real. The audience can quite clearly
see from the visuals that the lyrics have a strong
relationship with the visuals, the song represents
depression and death and we get this representation
through the lyrics. Furthermore as an audience we can
see the music video represents deep depression
through the use of the lyrics and also the dark clothing
that Queen wear in the music video of ‘Bohemian
Rhapsody’. The first line of the song is ‘Is this the real
life?’ this represents that he doesn’t know whether he is
living or if he is just in deep depression and doesn’t
actually know what is going on in the world. The visuals
also show this as the band start off in a very dark and
gloomy setting which may represent the deep
depression that he is experiencing. At times the music
video feels very disorientated and this may represent
the depression that Freddie Mercury is experiencing.
The song is very open and the audience can make many
interpretations of the song, the lyrics can be seen in
many ways and each individual member of the audience
will think differently. Although the music starts off very
slow the song still has an upbeat tone and many people
who listen to the song will not realise how depressing
the lyrics are, although he audience do not really see
the music video in this way the visuals help to create the
depressing atmosphere as the setting starts off very
dark and gloomy. The audience don’t really get to see
the emotions being portrayed through the band
because we do not see there faces that much during the
video but this may represent that they are trapped and
depressed as we don’t get to see how they are feeling.
Overall the lyrics most definitely have a strong
relationship with the visuals in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
due to the high amplification of the music video.
The image to the left shows
the very dreary and dark
setting which has a strong
relationship with the lyrics as
they sing ‘Is this the real life?’
the audience may think the
setting represents the life
they are living which is dark
and depressing.
The picture to the left shows
them singing ‘Because I'm easy
come, easy go’ this may show
that they are worthless and it
links to the visual as they are in
a dreary place that has no
meaning.
The picture to left shows a
very odd image where they
have been mirrored ad this
technique helps the audience
to understand the lyrics as it’s
as if they are dreaming.

During the song of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ it is quite evident that there is a strong relationship between the music and the visuals which is shown through the
order and timing of cuts according to the beat of the track. The song starts off very slow which is common for rock songs and we as an audience can see that the
music video has been edited in a very gentle way by the use of fades and cuts. The use of these editing techniques helps to portray the gloomy and dreary setting
and also the depressing atmosphere even though the song is very upbeat. In the opening 20 seconds the fades are very smooth and there are no real significant
cuts that makes the music video look unnatural. Furthermore there is one part in the video which is very unusual as a picture is mirrored and it makes the
audience feel disorientated. Throughout the video we can quite clearly see that the tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. The start of the
song and music video starts off very slow and depressing but it then starts to pick up in the middle of the music video as the tone heightens and the introduction
of guitars and drums allows for fast paced editing and a higher tone of music. When the music tone increases it helps to create a better atmosphere of the music
video and the audience become more engaged with the song. Towards the end of the song it starts to slow down again and we then begin to see that the life of
the artist never changes and he is always depressed and this is reinforced by using the same image at the stat and end of the video.
0.19 First Fade 0.30 Second Fade 0.37 Third Fade
The times above show where the fades occur in the opening first 40 seconds of the song, as we can see it starts off very slow with slow paced editing due to
there being such a huge gap in between each fade. During the music video there are many occurrences where we as the audience get to see close ups of the
bands faces, this is showing us the relationship between the music and the visuals.
The three images above all show close ups of Freddie Mercury and it is important that rock music videos use close ups because it allows the audience to
understand the music through the visuals. Freddie Mercury was clearly very passionate when singing this song and we can see that by the emotions. The
audience will feel by seeing close ups it will allow them to develop a greater understanding of the song due to the expressions and emotion that he is
portraying during the music video.

One of Andrew Goodwin's theory is that 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 and this is evident in the song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen. In the music video ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ it
is quite evident that there are many close-ups that are used of the artist performing the song throughout the music video, by using the close-ups of
Freddie Mercury it helps the audience relate to his emotions ad the way he is feeling while expressing the lyrics. It is most definitely important that a
range of close-ups are used throughout the music video because it helps the audience to develop a greater understanding of the lyrics through the lips
of Freddie Mercury as well as the expression in his face and the emotion that he portrays. When we see the close-ups of Freddie Mercury he sings the
song with so much passion and this allows for the audience to feel his emotion and we as the audience also develop a greater understanding of the lyrics
as we can see the lip movement of Freddie Mercury. There are many reasons why the record label insists that the music video includes close-ups of the
main artist in the song, firstly it promotes Queen as a band within the rock genre and also the members within the band like Freddie Mercury.
Furthermore another reason the record label demands close-ups is that it brings the artist closer to the audience and this means that a relationship is
developed between the artist and the audience . A relationship is important because it allows for the audience to feel more engaged within the song.
These three images are close-up shots of Freddie Mercury, by using these close ups
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ meets the demands of the record label. The close-ups allow for the
audience to feel the artists emotions and it also helps to develop a better understanding of
the lyrics. Furthermore Freddie Mercury hardly even looks into the camera as you can see
from the images above this may represent him being depressed as he doesn’t want to look
at what is facing him and he clearly doesn’t want to be here in life as he may be thinking
about suicide.

Throughout the music video ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ there is a regular occurrence of close ups and this creates the notion of looking in the music video, the
audience will always be engaged within the music video due to the close ups that are used as the camera focuses on Freddie Mercury’s deep brown eye
brows and his hair is also very dark and this allows for the audience to be engaged even though he does not make much eye contact with the camera.
Throughout the video it is quite evident that Freddie Mercury is mainly looking away from the camera and may will have their own interpretation of this as
he may be looking away because he cant face life as he is majorly depressed. On the odd occasion Freddie looks directly at the camera but then moves away
this may show that he is scared of life and wants to stay out of it. Due to the notion of looking it allows the audience to feel engaged with the music video
and also to feel the emotions of the main artist. The use of close ups in this music video allows us to see Freddie Mercury and the use of make up and the
darkness of his hair refers to the notion of looking in the music video. The notion of looking is very important to any music video as it allows the audience to
feel engaged and connected to the song in their own way. Overall there has been an effective use of the notion of looking during the music video of
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
The Mise en scene during the music video is very dark and depressing although at times there are a few flashing lights which creates a better mood during the
music video. The costumes that the band is wearing is very dark clothing which may represent the deep dark depression that the artists are suffering from,
black has connotations of death and this may be a representation of the clothing they are wearing. Furthermore their hair is very long and dark which is very
typical in the rock genre as many people seem to have this characteristic. It is very typical of a rock band to wear black and Queen follow this convention.
There is barely any movement in the opening 30 seconds and in fact they are just stood there this may show that they down want to move in life and they
have suicide thoughts. The music video is very clever because the use of the costume and camerawork helps to keep the audience engaged at all times and it
helps to make the video more popular.
These two images
show the dark black
costumes that may
have connotations
of death.
Furthermore we
see Freddie
Mercury's messy
dark hair which is
typical of a rock
artist.

The definition of a motif is a recurring subject, theme,
idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical
work. The band Queen has many motifs throughout
their work and you can see many strong recurrences
through each song and music video that they produce.
Furthermore iconography is a representation or a group
of representations of a person, place, or thing, as a
portrait or a collection of portraits. This is also evident
in Queen’s work as there are many representations of
Freddie Mercury throughout their work. A motif of
Queen is that they are most definitely in the majority of
their videos wearing black. Furthermore another motif
that occurs across Queens work is that they have a
strong use of close-ups in almost every one of their
music videos and they may do this to emphasise the
emotions of their artists and also to make the audience
feel closer to the artist and develop a relationship.
Furthermore another motif that occurs across Queens
work is the use of a dark setting with hardly any
background. The setting will always be very simple but
effective as the audience just gets to see the artists
singing and also the heavy use of instruments without a
distraction. Queen always feature instruments within
their music video and this fits the conventions of rock as
most music videos within the genre will have heavy use
of instruments like drums and guitars. Furthermore
another motif of Queens work is that they start off
there songs really slowly and I can see this across there
work as they also do this in ‘Don’t stop me now’. There
work is very similar and most of the songs have a very
similar sequence, they start off slow and then pick up
the tempo and the introduction of instruments always
heightens the song. There are many songs that are
similar in Queen’s work including ‘We will rock you’,
‘Don’t stop me now’ and also ‘We are the champions’.
This is the video ‘We will rock you’ by Queen. As you can see the artist
had wavy hair and also is showing a lot of emotion while singing the
song. This shows that they have motifs in there work.
This is a screen grab from the music video ‘Don’t Stop me now’ by
Queen, as we can see there is a heavy use of instruments in the
music video which reoccurs across their work.

There is often intertextual references to music videos through TV programmes, films and even other music videos. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
will have many intertextual references that will relate closely to films and TV programmes. The song is very deep as it links to depression
and suicide and they cannot escape the life that they are living. The reason we get these representations is through the lyrics as they
portray depression and also the emotion from Freddie Mercury. We can quite clearly see in the music video that Freddie Mercury is in
deep depression and also has suicide thoughts as we can see this through his emotions, body language and also the lyrics give off these
representations as well. The song has many intertextual references as many experience these problems in life and they will also feel in a
similar position to Freddie Mercury. It is a very difficult situation to be in but the song allows the audience to relate to their real life
problems and it will help to understand that they are not alone at any point in life. Furthermore there is also intertextual references to TV
programmes because there are many programmes that relate to problems in life like the song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. Overall there are
many intertextual links to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ as many people are in the situation like Freddie Mercury and there are also many TV
programmes and films that are about depression and suicide.

‘Fix You’ by Coldplay
‘Fix You’ is a song written by a British alternative rock band by the
name of Coldplay. The song was written by all four members of the
band, Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will
Champion. The song was written for their third studio album called
X&Y and it was released in 2005. The track is built around an organ
accompanied by slow tempo drums and vocals. The exact release date
for the song was on the 5th September 2005 and the song reached
number four on the UK singles chart. Furthermore the song was also a
hit in other countries as it reached number 18 in the US Billboard Hot
Modern Rock Tracks. The song closely relates to the leading artist of
the band Chris Martin. Blythe Danner, the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow
and former mother-in-law of Chris Martin, stated in an interview in
May 2012 that Martin 'wrote the song for Gwyneth when her father
died and I weep every time I hear it'. This just shows that the song was
close to the heart of Chris Martin and he felt very passionate about
the experiences Gwyneth had gone through. The song was nominate
for multiple awards in categories of Best Song Musically and Lyrically
and Anthem of the Summer. The music video was garnered as a
tribute to the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The lyrics of the song lie
very closely to the band member Chris Martin and we can see this
through the lyrics and the use of emotions. First of all the lyrics
portray death and how sad it is for close relatives and there is no way
of getting your loved ones back. The music video for "Fix You" was
directed by Sophie Muller, who had previously worked with the band
for their 2002 video "In My Place". Overall the meanings of the song
fits the genre of rock as many songs within the genre are also very sad
and also relate to death. The song was written in remembrance of
Gwyneth Paltrow's father who sadly passed away, at the time Chris
Martin and Gwyneth were married but since they have divorced. .
Overall this song is highly popular and many people do see this an
emotional song which is important because the audience may be able
to relate closely with the lyrics as they have lost loved ones.
The image on the left is Chris
Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow
before they divorced, Chris
clearly felt it was important for
him to show his appreciation to
her farther who sadly passed
away and also the rest of
Gwyneth's family.
This is the album X&Y that
Coldplay released on September
5th 2005. The album consists of
many songs but ‘Fix You’ is one
of the songs that was included
within the album.
The album cover is an unusual
design and this may be because
they are an alternative rock
band so they like to do things
differently.

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance
routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
‘Fix You’ is a song by the British alternative rock band Coldplay. The song
demonstrates many genre characteristics and within the rock genre there are
many characteristics that are definitive within rock. During the music video
there are many significant characteristics that are specific to the rock genre.
At the start of the music video I can straight away see that the band member
Chris Martin is wearing black clothing which fits the genre characteristics of
rock as many rock artists and bands wear black clothing. Furthermore the
song starts off at a very slow pace which is very similar to the other two
songs ‘My Immortal’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. This shows that Coldplay
demonstrates genre characteristics by starting off the song at a slow pace. As
the audience we also get to see the heavy use of instruments throughout the
song, this is very typical of the rock genre for a lot of instruments to be used.
It meets the genre characteristics by the heavy use of guitars and drums and
also a piano. ‘Fix You’ demonstrates many genre characteristics as it is a
typical rock song. Once the instruments are introduced in the music video it
then means that the song is purely of the rock genre. The music video is very
unique as we actually get to see Coldplay live at a concert which is incredible
as it really highlights the heavy use of the instruments. The lyrics portray a
very sad mood as the song is sung for someone that has died and Is dearly
missed. We get this representation of the song through the lyrics ‘When you
lose something you can't replace’. The audience will be engaged with the
song due to the narrative story of losing someone and how distraught it can
be to lose someone close. This also fits the genre characteristics of rock as
most songs within the genre are telling a story.
The image to the
left identifies Chris
Martin in black
clothing which fits
the genre
characteristics of
rock.
The image to the
left shows one of
the band member
playing the guitar,
this is a strong
indication to the
heavy use of
instruments used
during the music
video and it meets
the genre
characteristics of
rock.
Throughout the music video the colour scheme is mainly dull colours like the
street lamps and dull walls in the top image. When the music video cuts to the
concert then bright colours are introduced and this creates a brighter
atmosphere and mood. The band members of Coldplay by the name Chris
Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and John Will Champion are all wearing
black in the majority of the music video and this demonstrates genre
characteristics of the genre rock. The black clothing may represent death which
closely relates to the song as it is about losing a loved one through death.
Overall this music video demonstrates genre characteristics and we can see this
through the band of Coldplay, and also lyrics along with the heavy use of
instruments.

Lyrics of ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay
When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face and I
Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I

There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
Throughout the music video of ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay we as the
audience can see a close relationship between the visuals and
the lyrics. The lyrics are sung with passion and we can see this
through the emotion of the lead artist Chris Martin. The lyrics
portray someone who has lost a love one and they are in despair
and they do not know what to do with themselves. The audience
will most definitely be able to identify the strong relationship
between the lyrics and the visuals because Chris Martin the
main artist looks empty and distraught as he has lost a loved
one. The lyrics represent death and also the emotional
rollercoaster that people have to go through when losing a loved
one. Furthermore as the audience we can see the
representation of death through the dark black clothing that
Coldplay wear during the music video. The first line of the song
‘Fix You’ is ‘when you try your best, but you don't succeed’ this
portrays that they are blaming themselves for the death of their
loved one and they could be suffering from depression. The
visuals also shows this as Chris Martin is under a bridge at night
which may represent his emptiness and loss of the loved one.
We can see Chris Martin and he looks very disorientated and
doesn’t really know what's gone on although he knows he has
lost a loved one. The audience will make many different
interpretations of the song, as the lyrics can be portrayed in
many different ways. For example the line ‘when you lose
something you can't replace’ this can be interpreted in many
different ways as some people may have lost something else
that meant a lot to them and I’m positive that all the audience
will be able to relate to this line of the song. There is a point
during the music video where Chris Martin sings ‘lights will guide
you home’, this relates strongly to the visuals as there are many
lights used in the setting of the music video. Although we get
too see Chris Martin a lot during the music video he doesn't
show many emotions as his face is very blank and I feel as if he
doesn’t quite know that he has lost a loved one. Overall the
lyrics most definitely have a strong relationship with the visuals
in ‘Fix You’.
shows a clip from the
music video and Chris
Martin sings ‘lights will
guide you home’, as the
audience we can quite
clearly see the lyrics
have a strong
relationship with the
visuals due to the
strong use of lighting.
shows Chris Martin in
dark black clothing this
may be a
representation of death
and pain. The lyrics
portray the death of a
loved one so this may
show the strong
relationship between
the lyrics and the
visuals.
shows the dark setting
which may represent hurt
and pain

Throughout the song ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay I can quite clearly see that there is a strong relationship between the music and the visuals. The tone and
atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. The relationship is shown through the editing of the music video, this is mainly through the timing of
cuts according to the beat of the track. The song starts off at a very slow pace which is typical within the rock genre and we can see this through the use of
slow motion and also the cuts between each scene is very slow at the start of the music video. The use of these techniques helps to give the audience time
to understand the story and also to represent the setting as it is under a bridge which is stereotypically known as a dark and gloomy place. In the opening
40 seconds of the music video there are no cuts and the only use of editing is slow motion as we see Chris Martin rise from sitting down on the ground at a
very slow pace. Throughout the video we can quite clearly see that the tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. Although the song
starts off very slow we as the audience can see the relationship between the music and the visuals because of the slow motion that is used. Furthermore
midway through the song the music starts heighten and is much louder which is typical of the rock genre, the music still has a strong relationship with the
visuals because the heavy use of instruments is used as the audience get to see the guitar, drums and piano being played. The tone heightens and the
introduction of guitars, drums and piano allows for fast paced editing and a higher tone of music. When the music heightens it creates a much better mood,
its as if Chris Martin is letting all of his emotion out and singing his heart out.
Around the 41 second mark we see the first cut of the music video, although up until this point we see the use of slow motion throughout. The next cut
is then at the 1 minute mark this just shows that the start of the music video is at a very slow pace. Due to the slow paced editing it relates strongly with
the music and the visuals at the start of the music video as Chris Martin is in slow motion and also song is very slow.
The two images above show close ups of Chris Martin and it is important that rock music videos use close ups because it allows the audience to understand
the music through the visuals. Due to the song being written by Chris Martin it shows that the song and lyrics are very close to his heart, this allows for the
audience to see the emotion he puts into his performance. The audience will feel by seeing close ups it will allow them to develop a greater understanding
of the song due to the expressions and emotion that he is portraying during the music video. Overall there is clearly a strong relationship between the music
and the visuals as we can see this throughout the music video.
The two images
to the left and
right are close-
ups of the main
singer within
Coldplay by the
name of Chris
Martin.

One of Andrew Goodwin's theory is that the demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may
also develop motifs which reoccur across their work. As the audience we can see in the music video ‘Fix you 'by Coldplay that there are many close-
ups used to portray the main artist Chris Martin and also there are many motifs which reoccur across their work. Throughout the music video ‘Fix
You’ by Coldplay there are many instances where we see a close up of Chris Martin, this is a motif that reoccurs across their work as we see many
close ups throughout their music videos. The reason Coldplay will always use close ups of the leading artist Chris Martin is because they want to
help the audience to relate to the song though his emotions and also the way he sings the lyrics. It is most definitely important that a range of
close-ups are used throughout the music video because it helps the audience to develop a greater understanding of the lyrics through the lips of
Chris Martin as well as the expression in his face and the emotion that he portrays. Due to Chris Martin writing the song it clearly shows that it
meant a lot to him and the audience will be able to see this through his emotions while singing the song. This is a motif that occurs across
Coldplay's work as they always put so much passion into every song they produce and this evident through the use of close ups. There are many
reasons why the record label insists that the music video includes close-ups of the main artist in the song, firstly it promotes Coldplay as a band
within the rock genre and also the members within the band like Chris Martin. Overall the music video has met the demands of the record label
due to lots of close ups and we can see this in the images below.

There is frequently reference to notion of looking throughout the music video of ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay, we as the audience see this through the frequent use of close
ups during the music video. The reason close ups are used in music videos is to keep the audience engaged at all time during the video, the camera focuses on Chris
Martin and he focuses on the camera this creates eye contact between Chris and the audience. Throughout the music video it is quire evident that Chris Martin is
mainly looking towards the camera and this may be because he wants the audience to feel eye contact so that they are more engaged during the music video. Many
people will have their own interpretation of Chris Martin as some may think that he's looking at the person that he has lost. The notion of looking is very important
within a music video because it allows the audience to feel engaged with the video and also feel the emotions of Chris Martin as they can see the passion that he
puts into the song. The notion of looking is very important to any music video as it allows the audience to feel engaged and connected to the song in their own way.
Overall there has been an effective use of the notion of looking during the music video of ‘Fix You’ and I feel it has been effective through the use of close ups.
The mise en scene during the this music video is mainly very dark and the settings are stereotypically unusual places to visit, for example there is a scene
under a bridge and also a scene where the setting looks very derelict. There is a use of lighting during the video which will help to create a better atmosphere
as it isn't always dark and depressing. The costumes that the band are wearing is very dark clothing which is black, this is very typical of the rock genre for a
band to wear black clothing. The black clothing may represent death which would suit the story of the song as it is about losing a loved one. In the opening 30
seconds of the song it is quite evident that Chris Martin is still coming to terms with losing a loved one. The music video is very clever because the use of the
costume and camerawork helps to keep the audience engaged at all times and it helps to make the video more popular.
The two images show
Chris Martin, the lead
artist of Coldplay. He is
wearing black clothing
which may show he is
mourning over his lost
loved one.

Through Coldplay's music video it is quite evident that they have
developed motifs or iconography that recur across their work.
There are many strong recurrences through each of their song
and music videos that are produced. Furthermore iconography is
a representation or a group of representations of a person, place,
or thing, as a portrait or a collection of portraits. I can quite
clearly see this across Coldplay work as they are very passionate
with every song that they sing, we can see this through the use of
close ups. A motif that occurs throughout their work is that the
majority of the time they are wearing black and this meets the
genre convention of rock as most artists/bands wear black.
Something that I have also noticed which is a reoccurring theme is
that there is a strong use of close ups throughput all their music
videos. The reason that Coldplay will choose to do this is to show
the passion and emotions of the main artist Chris Martin.
Furthermore close ups allow the audience to feel closer with the
artist and they may be able to relate to the song through the use
of close ups. Coldplay use a variety of different settings
throughout their music videos and they are mainly quite unusual.
The setting in most of their videos link to the song, for example in
‘Fix You’ they are all very sad as they have lost a loved one and
they go to typical places where they can clear there head.
Coldplay always feature instruments within their music video and
this fits the conventions of rock as most music videos within the
genre will have heavy use of instruments like drums and guitars
and piano in Coldplay's instance. Another motif that occurs across
their work is that they always start off their music very slowly and
this is important in the build up to every song as it helps set the
story. An example of this is ‘The Scientist’ as this starts off very
slowly and then picks up the pace throughout the music video.
There work is very similar and most of the songs have a very
similar sequence, they start off slow and then pick up the tempo
and the introduction of instruments always heightens the song.
This is a image from one of Coldplay's songs ‘The Scientist’ it shows Chris Martin
in a very unusual setting and this is typical across their work. Chris Martin is also
wearing dark black trousers which is also a motif across their work.

Another theory of Andrew Goodwin's is that he believes there is often intertextual reference to films, TV programmes and other music videos. ‘Fix You’ by
Coldplay has many intertextual references which relates closely to films and TV programmes. The song is about losing a loved one and Chris Martin wrote
the lyrics so it’s a song that is very close to his heart. The reason we get these representations is through the lyrics as they portray the death of a loved
one and we see this through the passion of Chris Martin. The song has many intertextual references as many experience these problems in life and they
will also feel in a similar position to Chris Martin. Unfortunately in this day and age many people lose their loved ones and they may be able to relate to
this song which is important as they can think about the person that they have lost. Although it is very hard to cope after losing a loved one which is
understandable, the song allows people in the same position to relate to the lyrics. Furthermore there will also be TV programmes that represent the
death of a loved one which relates closely to ‘Fix You’. Overall there are many intertextual links to ‘Fix You’ as many people will be in the same position
where they have lost a loved one and there are also may TV programmes and films that relate to this situation.

Music video analysis x3

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