EG16-20: 5 Pop Music Video Analyses

ACT: Union J

TRACK: Carry You

YEAR: 2013

DIRECTOR: Unknown

GENRE: Pop

AUDIENCE: 12 - 18

LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/unionj/carryyou.html

VIDEO:

• The video is fast paced, with a variety of shot types and set ups. This keeps the audience engaged and interested in the video.
• Slow motion is used various times in the video, in the narrative shots. There also appears to be an effect added to the footage, as the shots appear light and faded.



Lip syncing shot

• There is a mixture of both performance and narrative footage. The song was written to signify the groups journey since the X Factor, so the performance shots show the group singing/lip syncing together, with their arms round each other. 

ACT: Sugababes

TRACK: Push The Button

YEAR: 2005

DIRECTOR: Matthew Rolston

GENRE: Electropop

AUDIENCE: 15 - 25

LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/sugababes/pushthebutton.html

VIDEO:

• The feminist male gaze theory can be applied to this video, as the group are all wearing tight or revealing clothing. This is to objectify the women for the pleasure of a male audience.
• The colours are all bright, which is eye catching and therefore keeps the audience focused on the screen. Effects and transitions are also used in between the lip syncing and narrative shots.



The group are all shown wearing revealing clothing

• There is a strong link between the lyrics and visuals. The title of the song 'Push the Button' is reflected through the setting of a lift. The song lyrics are also based on a man, so the use of men for each member is appropriate.

ACT: S Club 7

TRACK: S Club Party

YEAR: 1999

DIRECTOR: Unknown

GENRE: Pop

AUDIENCE: 15 - 25

LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/sclub7/sclubparty.html

VIDEO:

Performing a dance routine

• There is intertextuality in the video to the famous race scene in Grease, when the group are challenged to a race by the 'Back To The Fifties' cast.
• Because the track was their second single, this song introduces the audience to the group through the lyrics of the second verse. Each line mentions one member of the group. This is important, as it creates a relationship between the audience and the group.
• There is more performance than narrative, however the narrative shots are inter cut during dance routines and lip syncing. 

ACT: Atomic Kitten

TRACK: It's OK!

YEAR: 2002

DIRECTOR: Unknown

GENRE: Pop

AUDIENCE: 15 - 25

LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/atomickitten/itsok.html

VIDEO:

The group driving along a quiet road whilst lip syncing

• The male gaze theory can also be applied to this video, as the group are objectified at the beginning when they come out of the sea wearing bikinis. The camera focuses on their bodies and the shots are in slow motion. 
• There is a lot of lip syncing by the group, rather than narrative. However there is a narrative involved, as the song is about heartbreak, and this is signified by the sense of freedom provided by the open roads by the beach and the open top car. 
• The shots are slowly paced, and there is not much shot variety.

ACT: NSYNC

TRACK: Pop

YEAR: 2001

DIRECTOR: Unknown

GENRE: Pop

AUDIENCE: 15 -25

LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nsync/pop.html

VIDEO:

• The song in the video does not begin straight away. There is an introduction featuring Justin Timberlake on an advert, and a girl is watching holding a bowl of cereal with letters in it. There are many effects used, and as she drops the bowl, the letters P O P fly towards the screen, and the camera zooms into the O and the song starts. 

  

  Justin Timberlake lip syncing in front of a busy
  'random' background

• Justin Timberlake is the member who is featured in the video the most. He was the most famous member of the group, and now has the biggest success, so therefore there were more individual shots of him lip syncing. During group shots, he is also always at the front or in the middle.
• The video is bright and colourful, with many quick transitions and effects. This keeps the pace consistent and fast, to engage the audience.

EG15: McFly - Love Is Easy

ACT: McFly

TRACK: Love Is Easy

YEAR: 2012

DIRECTOR: David Spearing

GENRE: Pop rock

AUDIENCE: 12 - 18

LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/mcfly/loveiseasy.html

VIDEO:

Sprinkling the blue glitter onto the flowers to signify
the rain

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS + LYRICS:
At the beginning of the video, Tom (lead singer) is shot playing a pink ukulele, to attract the primary female audience. For example the lyrics 'Today I'm laughing the clouds away, I hear what the flowers say, and drink every drop of rain' are reflected in the video through the use of props. Dougie (bass player) is holding up clouds behind Tom as he lip syncs, and then Tom sprinkles blue glitter onto paper flowers, to signify the rain drops watering the flowers spoken about in the lyrics. 

Looking directly into the camera 

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS:
A common convention in pop music videos is having the group looking directly into the camera whilst lip syncing. This is often used to create a link and relationship between the band and the audience. It is also common for groups, especially boy groups, to wear matching suits and outfits. This signifies their connection and relationship.

Performing in front of an audience

The ending shot

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE + CONCEPT:

The video is entirely performance footage, but there is a narrative incorporated into the performance. The band start the video with relating the visuals with the lyrics, to create a clear connection, but towards the end, they all start to play their instruments in front of an audience, as if they were playing a gig. 

AUDIENCE:

The target audience shown
in the video holding fan signs

At a point in the video the set up becomes a gig, and fans are shown dancing and holding up fan signs whilst the band perform. The audience are young teenage girls, which reflect the primary female audience. At the end, there is a little hand made stage which the group is holding which says 'for the fans'. This signifies how important the relationship between the audience and band is for a successful music video and music career.

Lyrics written on a red umbrella. The colour red signifies
the theme of love and romance.

LOCATIONS + MISE-EN-SCENE:

Only one location is used throughout the entire video, and this location is a stage in a hall. However, there are many props used to create different scenes and backgrounds, which keep the audience interested in what's going on. The props all relate to the lyrics, for example umbrellas with the lyrics written on them, and numbers to signify the 'equations' mentioned in the lyrics. 

EG14: Girls Aloud - Can't Speak French

ACT: Girls Aloud

TRACK: Can't Speak French

YEAR: 2008

DIRECTOR: Petro
GENRE: Pop

AUDIENCE: 15-35

LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/girlsaloud/cantspeakfrench.html

VIDEO:

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS + LYRICS:

The dining room

A link between the lyrics and video is created through the setting and costumes. The setting is based on an 18th century dining room, however there is a modern element to the video to attract a younger audience. The colours are brighter than the stereotypical french fashion. The other women in the video all wear long, floor length dresses, and the differentiate the group from the others, they are wearing short dresses.

The end of the video, dancing on the table to
signify rebellious ways

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE + CONCEPT:
The video is based on the group walking into a dining room and seducing the male guests. The girls then begin to dance with the men, and by the end, the elegance has been destroyed by the girls' 'rebellious' ways. 

PERFORMANCE STYLE:

Performing a dance routine

The video involves lip syncing individually and as a group. The group are also shot performing a dance routine during the chorus. Towards the end, the men and other dancers join in. This creates another element of performance in the video, which allows the group to show off their ability to dance. Slow motion is also used in some sections of the dance routine, to draw attention to the women and the way they are moving. 

Close up of Kimberly Walsh's body

Dancing with the men is 'sexy'

MALE GAZE:
The girls are all wearing tight and short dresses, to attract a male audience. The dresses are also low cut, to emphasize the chests of the women. When the group begin to dance with the men 

LOCATIONS + MISE-EN-SCENE:
There appears to be only one major location used
in the video, which is a dining room. There is also then an open room in the same building used for the dance routine. The individual lip syncing scenes are shot in front of a plain paneled wall, with the background a different colour for each member.

Pink background used for a lip syncing shot

EG13: The Wanted - Glad You Came

ACT: The Wanted

TRACK: Glad You Came

YEAR: 2011

DIRECTOR: Director X
GENRE: Dance-pop

AUDIENCE: 15 - 25

LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/wanted/gladyoucame.html

VIDEO:

Group shot looking directly into the camera

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS:

The genre is dance-pop, which is reflected in the video through the use of a party setting. The band is also shot lip syncing together looking directly into the camera. This is a common convention used in pop music videos, as it creates a direct link between the audience and lyrics. 

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE + CONCEPT:

The video features a performance and a narrative. The performance shots link in with the narrative, as they're performing at a house party, to signify the genre. The narrative involves the boys meeting some girls at a beach, then going back to house party and spending time with the girls. At the end of the video, they all wake up next to each other and the house is a mess.

One of the last shots

AUDIENCE:

An over 18 audience is reflected in the video, through the party and clubbing setting. The primary audience of the song is teens and young adults, however because there is a club scene, which therefore signifies alcohol use, the video is aimed at those over 18. 

One of the 5 girls featured with the group

MALE GAZE:

Each band member has a woman in the video, who are all models, except for one, who was seen on the streets. This attracts a male audience, as the girls are all shown wearing revealing clothing with lots of make up on and styled hair, which is a stereotypical representation of girls who go to parties.

SHOT VARIETY + SET-UPS:

Group shot at the house party

At the beginning, the shots are fast paced to match the backing beat of the music, and once the first verse begins the shots become longer. When the lip syncing stops, the shots speed up again. There is a range of shots used, to represent the party theme. Close ups and medium shots are used when the boys are being focused on individually or lip syncing, and long shots are used to provide exposition when there is no lip syncing being shown.

Speed boat

LOCATIONS + MISE-EN-SCENE:

The video was filmed in Ibiza, Spain, which provides an alternative Mediterranean atmosphere to a typically British pop song by a British-Irish boy band. The locations used include a beach, a club and a house/pool party. The locations all anchor the genre and party theme to the video. A speedboat is featured in the video as well, which signifies wealth and relates to the private parties also featured. 

Codes and Conventions Vodcast

EG8-12: 5 Music Video Analyses

ACT: The 1975

TRACK: Chocolate

YEAR: 2013

DIRECTOR: Unknown

GENRE: Electronic Rock

MAIN AUDIENCE: 15+

LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/1975/chocolate.html

VIDEO:

The video is shot in black and white and features many smooth, slow motion shots. As Matt Healy is the lead singer, there are many more shots of himself individually lip syncing. There is also a girl featured in the video, and a silhouette of her body is shown on camera and she is blonde which attracts a male audience. 

ACT: Peace

TRACK: Follow Baby

YEAR: 2012

DIRECTOR: Jake Harmer

GENRE: Indie Rock

MAIN AUDIENCE: 15+

LYRICS: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/peace/follow+baby_21055872.html

VIDEO:


The video is a performance by the band, set in a living room. During the chorus', the furniture moves and is thrown around the room, with blue and purple flashing lights. The shots used are mostly long and medium shots, focusing mostly on the lead singer lip syncing into a standing microphone.

ACT: Black Eyed Peas

TRACK: Don't Stop The Party
YEAR: 2011

DIRECTOR: Ben Mor

GENRE: Hip House

MAIN AUDIENCE: 15-25

LYRICS: http://www.metrolyrics.com/donat-stop-the-party-lyrics-black-eyed-peas.html

VIDEO:

The video is fast paced to match the beat of the music and features footage from their E.N.D world tour in Brazil. The video also features diegetic sound from the audiences at the arena concert. The footage represents the genre, as there are colourful flashing lights and the band are featured wearing 'trendy' outfits which signify the modern element to the song.

ACT: Paramore

TRACK: Decode

YEAR: 2008

DIRECTOR: Shane Drake

GENRE: Emo

MAIN AUDIENCE: 15-30

LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/paramore/decode.html

VIDEO:

This video features footage from Twilight (2008) and footage of the band searching through the woods which is intercut with performance scenes in a forest by the band. The vampire theme is reflected by the dull, cold colours, and the lead singers makeup and pale skin signify the coldness typically associated with vampires.

ACT: Calvin Harris ft. Example

TRACK: We'll Be Coming Back

YEAR: 2012

DIRECTOR: Saman Keshavarz

GENRE: Dance-pop

MAIN AUDIENCE: 10-30

LYRICS: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/calvinharris/wellbecomingback.html

VIDEO:

Throughout the video there is diegetic sound of car engines as the police motorbike is chasing the two getaway cars. There are also various effects used, such as split screens and zooms into reflections of sunglasses, which work effectively. The video is a concept, as there is no clear link between the lyrics and visuals.

EG7: Arctic Monkeys - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High

ACT: Arctic Monkeys
TRACK: Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High
YEAR: 2013
DIRECTOR: Nabil Elderkin
GENRE: Indie Rock
MAIN AUDIENCE: 18+
LYRICS: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/arctic+monkeys/whyd+you+only+call+me+when+youre+high_21064136.html

VIDEO:

Alex Turner looking into a mirror and seeing himself double

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUALS + LYRICS:

The song title refers to being 'high' and this is reflected in the video through the use of special effects and the way Alex Turner is acting. There's also a phone, to connect with the 'call' from the title. 

PERFORMANCE, NARRATIVE + CONCEPT:

The girl

When the music stops and Alex falls

There is a clear narrative followed throughout the video. At the beginning of the video, the song Do I Wanna Know? is playing (also an Arctic Monkeys track from the 2013 album 'AM') in the background in a bar. The song Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? does not begin to play until 1:36 into the video. The start of the track is faded to achieve the verisimilitude of being in a bar. When Alex Turner steps outside at 1:49 the track becomes clear and focal. At 3:11 the track stops when Alex falls to the ground and begins again at 3:29 when he imagines someone shouting at him to get up. The music stops at 4:26, but the video carries on til 4:48, where the girl featured in the texts is revealed.

PERFORMANCE STYLE:

There is no performance from the band, although Alex Turner (lead singer) is the main character in the video. There is no lip syncing either.

STAR TREATMENT:
Alex Turner is the lead singer of the band, and he is the only member mostly featured in the video. Because he is the lead singer, he is the one who gets involved with fans during live performances, and is perhaps the most famous member. Because of this, he is featured in the video the most because it will achieve recognition and his appearance allows the audience to connect with him, despite there being no live performance or lip syncing. Simply being on screen creates a connection with the fans, as he is an extremely popular vocalist.

The clock hands move to form a smiley face

FX:
Special effects are used in the video to highlight the fact that Alex is high, as stated in the song title. The effects used involve the clock at the beginning moving around the wall, and he sees things that are not really there. This is effective as they're not over used yet they still represent what Alex is experiencing. 

The phone 

LOCATIONS + MISE-EN-SCENE:

Text messages

The beginning of the video is shot in a stereotypical pub, with red walls and middle aged men standing at the bar. The camera then moves outside, and follows Alex walking down a street at night. It is dark so the only light source is the street lights, yet there is typical nightlife activity occurring, such as drinking and sex. The phone is a major prop in the video, as it links to the title and the use of messages being shown on screen allows the audience to connect with what's 
going on.