Colbie Caillat - Bubbly

DECONSTRUCTION OF A MUSIC VIDEO

GOODWIN’S KEY FEATURES OF A MUSIC VIDEO

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristic (for example stage performance in metal video and dance routine for boy/girl band).

2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals (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 the notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc…) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos, etc…).

FEATURE ONE.

• The artist immediately shows some singer songwriter characteristics in the clothes she is wearing. Dressed in casual jeans and a top, Colbie is showing the most common singer songwriter characteristics of dressing how you like.

• The video shows a typical singer songwriter characteristic of the artist playing a guitar, which is very common for this genre to play an acoustic guitar or piano within their music.

• The song’s meaning is about love and someone who Colbie has fallen in love with. Because the song is about a past experience in the artist’s life – in this case someone she has loved – this is another typical singer songwriter characteristic, because artists within this genre tend to create songs about a past experience in their lives.

FEATURE TWO.• Due to the song being about Colbie’s lover her lyrics are

about how he makes her happy ‘Every time I see your bubbly face, I get the tingles in a silly place’. With these kinds of lyrics there are shots that crop into the video of her lover which are therefore in relation to the lyrics.

• The scene where Colbie and her lover are outside in the rain she sings the lyrics ‘Under cover staying dry and warm’, this is in relation to the shot of them outside in the rain with a sheet over their heads.

• The artist also sings the lyrics ‘every time you hold me in your arms’ and ‘holding me tight’, this is in relation to the visuals which show Colbie’s lover cuddling her in his arms.

FEATURE THREE.

• The music throughout the entire song is very happy and relaxed, which altogether shares relation to the visuals of the music video which shows love and people caring for each other.

• The main instrument used in the song is an acoustic guitar, this also matches the visuals because there are shots put into the video of an acoustic guitar either standing or being played by the artist.

• Towards the end of the song the music begins to slow down slightly, at the same time the visuals change by jump cutting to different scenes of either the artist by herself or to her and her lover in a shot. This makes the visuals in relation to the music because as one slows down the other speeds up.

FEATURE FOUR.• Lots of close ups are used on the artist mainly throughout the

video, this denotes that she is the centre if attention at all times which is vital in a singer songwriters music video.

• Colbie tends to use the same motifs when being in the camera view on a close up, one being she always looks happy and is smiling and another being that she tends to look away from the camera instead of always looking directly into it. These motifs may be used to promote the artist as a happy, shy artist with no attitude and soulful music.

• The close ups of the artist tend to have a nice background for example (1:18) there is a summers view of a crop field in the background of a close up, this may promote the artist as being summery and associated with relaxed environments which audiences may be attracted too.

FEATURE FIVE.

• The notion of looking is mainly through the camera itself, however due to the song being about flash-backs to Colbie and her lover together, the notion of looking changes now and again to looking through the artist’s mind when she flashes back to when her and her lover were together. It is clear when this happens, because there is a tendency for the colour of the visuals to be of a black and white shade, suggesting the past is being shown.

• There is no voyeuristic manner in this video of a woman, in fact thecomplete opposite.

FEATURE SIX.

• The song and music video together both tell a classic love story, involving two lovers and show moments they have spent together. This could be considered an intertextual reference to a love film which the video is very similar too. Therefore most audiences will be able to relate better to the music video if they have watched some kind of love film following a similar storyline.