Lacey Ruttley A2 Research

8/12/2019 Lacey Ruttley A2 Research

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Lacey Ruttley A2 Media Studies Research

Music Videos – What’s the point?

My initial and then developed thoughts on the point in making music videos.Black - Initial

Red - Developed

Music Video Analysis

By The XX - Islands

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PElhV8z7I60&feature=player_embedded

The director to the music video for Islands by The XX has very cleverly madea simple concept to this video which makes the meaning behind it really

stand out and memorable to its viewers. With the repetitive cameramovement and choreography we can very easily identify the small changes

the dancers make which creates the story.

Through dance the music video shows the breakdown of a relationship. A set









of movements is performed to show the relationship between to the twocharacters. From these two main characters the camera pans out to showthe rest of the dancers and also the band members sitting on a sofa in themiddle. Then, when the beat of the song repeats again the camera jumpsback to the two main characters and repeats the dance with the pan out

again. Throughout the video we start to notice little changes in dancersmovements and body language which suggest the relationship of the twomain characters isn't as strong as it first was.

0:04 The first frame is of the bands logo which helps the audience identify who

the music video is for. The video then starts with a man and women in animage kissing. This makes us as an audience automatically believe at thesetwo characters are in a relationship. Behind the two characters is a brightwhite X which stands of the black wall that has many smaller X's on it. ThisX is logo of the band which was shown at the start of the video. This istherefore showing that this is The XX's music video. However, as in thisframe it is shown right behind the image of the couple kissing it would alsomaybe represent what they are doing or being together is no right.




0:05 In the next movement as the camera pans out two more dancers areintroduced into the frame that look like they are almost trying to pull thecouple apart. The fact that a man is pulling the women and a women ispulling the man can sort of create a story about this couple.

0:07 As the camera pans out further the 3 band members appear sitting on asofa. Each member is looking at a point directly with not much facialexpression and sort of oblivious to the dancers. Also they are placeddirectly in the frame in the center, like the dancers they are also wearingall back which could show that they don't want all the attention on themand that nobody is the main focus.

0:19 When the camera has panned out fully we can see the full set of video. Infront of the band are another pair on the floor also doing a set ofmovements together. This also also represent the couple characters in the

video. We can also see that the overall colours are the video are quite darkwith the only light coming from the white X at the back and the side boards




also with the X's on them. This could highlight the bands name but also givethe video quite a sad atmosphere.

The video then cuts back to the couple kissing again and repeats the wholething. This carries on for quite a times however each time the band are

sitting in different positions with the same dull facial expressions. This, withthe repetition on the dance, could symbolise the sameexpressionless routine this couple goes through.

1:26 This is one of the first very clear points of change within the dance.

Whereas before the pair on the floor did a movement together, this time isis just a one sided movement by the man with the women just sitting thereneutral. The set also becomes slightly darker. This is one of the clear pointsof the start of the breakdown.

1:51 This then progresses to the pair not touching at all and the finally them

actually not being there. The disappearance of the two dancers so the storyline becoming stronger.




1:52 This frame is the strongest so far as its such a clear change from the manywe've seen before. In this frame instead of the couple kissing the womenhas her head slightly turned away. Although this is only slightly as we haveseen it so many times before this slight movement has a big impact. In thiscut one of the band members runs his hands through his hair. This showsmore emotion from them and could also suggest this frustration of thesituation.

2:09 The next clear change is the shot when the couple are not even touching.They are both just standing there looking at each other. The women is hasclosed body language with her arms crossed suggesting she doesn't feelcomfortable. When the man gets pulled away he is still looking at thewomen which shows he still cares for her although something has happened.




2:15 As the camera pans out the women from the couple turns her back to the

camera and everyone else. This could represent her leaving therelationship. Also two of the band members are now sitting and laying onthe floor which could suggest that they have given up on this relationship.Also the X on the right hand side has caught alight which again adds to thebreakdown of everything.

2:37

All of this builds up to the last shot. In this shot all 3 X's and the sofa thatthe band was sitting on are set alight. There is only one dancer left and onlyone of the band members who is kneeling facing the women. All of thissymbolizes this couples relationship being destroyed.

This whole video however contradicts the actual song. The song itself talksabout how she is his and how she doesn't have to explore the worldsearching for love. The video however shows a breakdown of a relationship.I therefore think that maybe the video is showing this couple together andalthough they are in love the girl misses that exploring and this then createsa breakdown of their relationship. There isn't any restrictions on age in this

video, however I think the target audience is for teenagers that are olderand adults as the video is a sort of abstract way of showing something which




younger people may not understand.

Controversial Music Videos

Madonna - Like A Prayer

Directed by Mary Lambert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79fzeNUqQbQ&feature=player_embedded

When MTV first aired thisvideo in 1989 it set ofarguments from religiousgroups that protested its

broadcast. They deemedthe video to be'blasphemous imagery'from the many Catholicsymbols which sheincorporated. Theseincluded burning crosses,Stigmata, and also herdreaming about kissingthe saint passionately.While the video was still in production Pepsi-Cola announced that they hadsigned Madonna to a deal to use 'Like a Prayer' in their new televisioncommercial. This agreement was also for Pepsi to financially sponsorMadonna's next world tour. However, after its release that set of a firestormof controversial views Pepsi had to cancel the deal which left problems forher upcoming tour. Protests also lead to the Pope banning any appearanceof Madonna in Italy and the video also wasn't allowed to be aired there.

Although this is all seenas being negative, in the1989 MTV Video Music

Awards 'Like a Prayer'Madonna won bothViewer's Choice andVideo of the Yearawards. On the 25thanniversary of MTV,viewers voted it as the'Most GroundbreakingMusic Video of All Time'and in 2011 it was votedbehind Michael Jackson's

'Thriller' as the second best music video of the 1980's in a poll by Billboard.











NARRATIVE Narrative music videos share a story which is sometimes linked to the lyrics

of the song. They usually involve actors and are communally mixed withperformance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4BLVznuWnU&feature=player_embedded

Example: Ed Sheeran – Lego House

CONCEPT Concept music videos tend to be fairly unusual and are normally based

around a single concept or idea. They have no narrative and can sometimeslook quite random to the audience. This is why they are normally mixed

with either performance or narrative. They normally use a particular editingor filming technique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q06wFUi5OM8&feature=player_embedded
















Massive Attack - Protection

Music Video Idea After just reading the lyrics of Protection my group and I decided that if wewere to shoot the music video it would be a performance and narrative. Wethought the song was sung by a band and that the singer was a 3rd personlooking into a relationship. In this relationship they weren't getting along

and that the women was the more powerful one of the two."I stand in frontof you, I'll take the force of the blow, Protection"

The performance side of the music video would be the band performing on asmall stage with the audience holding up lights swaying along with the

music. The narrative would show the development of the couples argument.This would be in a candle lit room which would link the performance of the

artist with the lights and the argument together. As candles can bedangerous they could also represent 'protection' with the couple. An

example of the performance with and argument based narrative is the LoveThe Way You Lie music video by Eminem and Rihanna.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U&feature=player_embedded

The video could be shot in only a couple of days by only having to scenesand on quite a low budget.

Music Video Analysis Massive Attack - Protection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epgo8ixX6Wo&feature=player_embedded














Protection (1994) by Massive Attack shows a block of flats and the peopleliving in it. The beginning shows the camera entering the building and a

father and daughter in the lift. From this the camera pans out to show thelocation and then moves across into first room. The artist is shown singing in

a couple of the rooms. The rest of the rooms show an insight into each

characters life. In one of the first ones an elderly women in a wheelchair islocking all the locks on her door. This shows she is in need of 'protection',

the title of the song. A range of ages are shown in the video which suggeststhe target audience is for all ages. At the end of the video the father fromthe beginning gets into his car and the camera shows a child car seat in the

back empty. This could show that he doesn't live with her and couldrepresent that you sometimes have to put yourself and the people you love's

protection in others hands.

This music video was very cleverly filmed horizontally with all the set builtand set flat on the floor. This meant that all the actors and the artist had amove around on their backs on the floor but look as if they were upright.

This allowed the camera to run very smothly between each room. Theentire 6 minute video was also all one continuous shot. This made the

production very complex but left very little editing.

Laura Mulvey - Male Gaze Theory

Laura Mulvey came up with the 'male gaze' theory in 1975. She believed thatfilm audiences have to view women characters from the perspective ofheterosexual men. The gaze is split up into 3 different ways:

• How men look at women

• How women look at themselves

• How women look at other women.

Mulvey believed that women were objectified in film because heterosexualmen were in control of the cameras. For example, the camera may linger

over the curves of a women's body. She believes that in mainstream cinema,this happens more than the female gaze which shows the power over thefemales in the media. Mulvey's theory suggests that women are only used for

the visual pleasure for men and therefore suggesting that the media textsare targeted at men. She also states that the female gaze is the same as themale gaze. This means that women look at themselves through the eyes of

men.

However, there are some criticisms in Mulvey's theory. Some people say thatsome women enjoy being looked at and admired. Some people have also

said that the gaze could be aimed towards the same gender and not just in a

sexual way.

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Lacey Ruttley A2 Research