Analysing Music Videos

I have chosen to analyse relevant music videos as this will give me the most useful ideas for my own video. So therefore I will analyse dance music videos and also Shakira music videos. I will pick out the obvious conventions and then I will be able to work out how to use these effectively in my own music video.

Firstly I will analyse a Goldfrapp music video, Number 1.
I will analyse this because it is a dance track and includes a play on an animal theme, which ideas I could possibly use in my own work.

The video begins by panning right from a screen quickly to reveal the behind of someone wearing a green dress who is walking in time to the music. This adds a little humour. It then cuts to show the bottom of somebodies legs been pushed by the person wearing the green dress. The person been pushed is wearing white slippers and grey silky trousers. The camera moves slightly as the legs of the person wearing the green dress enter the frame. They are wearing white tights and black shows and are walking in a 'sexy' manner, swinging their hips. The camera then pans right and upwards slightly to introduce other characters as the other two we have seen continue to move out of the frame. The three characters are two sets of three dogs with human bodies wearing silky dressing gowns and pink tights. Both groups of the three 'dogs' are sat on posh red sofas. The shot cuts to each group of dogs. Behind them is a white wall and framed photographs of various objects. The dogs' heads on the human bodies are eerie but also humorous as it is so unusual and we as an audience are not used to seeing this. The lighting used is light which reflects the 'clean' idea of the beauty surgery setting that the dogs are in. A medium three shot shows all the dog's heads clearly. It then cuts to a long shot of another 'dog/human' wearing a pink gown sat on a posh red chair drinking a cup of tea and holding a saucer. This and the red chair are stereotypical of a rich and luxuriant lifestyle. The dog in the chair is to the right of the frame and to the left there is a table with a large red floor lamp behind it. The red could connotate to danger or love but in this context it connotates to a rich lifestyle as we as an audience usually see furniture with deep red colours to be associated with a rich lifestyle - it is a convention. The walls are white and bright. To the left of the frame there is a flat screen TV showing a young woman on all fours, like a dog, moving in time to the music in a sort of dance. She is wearing a short pink dress, showing she is feminine, and is on a light white box. It then zooms and pans left at the same time to focus on the TV screen. It zooms in far enough to be able to make out clearly the woman acting like a dog physically whilst singing. It then cuts to show a medium shot of the dog's heads and then back to the woman on the TV screen who we now see fully, not on the TV screen. It keeps repeating this but with closer shots of each. It then cuts to a medium shot of a 'dog/woman' sat at a reception desk and the same TV screen in the background to the right. The walls are white and bright and a smaller red lamp in the same style of the previous shots is placed on the table to the left. The 'receptionist' is wearing a green outfit which is the same as the outfit in the first shot. It zooms in on the 'receptionist.' A long shot then shows the full room from the 'receptionist's' point of view, with the same image of the woman been on the computer. The shot shows all of the 'dogs/humans' seen in previous shots to the left and right sides of the room and one of the dogs walking towards the reception desk. A telephone is visible to the right of the screen showing it is the reception desk. It then cuts back and forth to show the 'dog/human' getting closer to the desk and the 'receptionist' typing on a computer keyboard and looking at the computer screen. It then cuts to a close-up of the computer screen which now shows an image of the 'dog's/human's' face changing to the woman's face and various data. Underneath that it shows an x-ray like image of a dog's body on all fours and a human's body on all fours. At the top of the screen it says 'Pooch and Tucc.' The TV screen of the woman is shown again. Shots are then shown of the dog's head and the woman who is now laid on the floor with her hands and legs in the air like paws and moving them in time to the music. A long shot shows the behind view of four 'surgeons' in the green outfit shown in the first shot of the video. A light is visible that you would see in a surgery and the wheels of a hospital bed are shown. There is a white curtain surrounding the room which reflects that it is a surgery. The camera zooms and the 'surgeons' (who also have dog's heads) move aside so you can see the 'patient' on the hospital bed. As they move aside more and it zooms you can now see two 'doctors' wearing paler green outfits, also with dog's head, and with stethoscopes. Various close-up and medium shots are then used to show the 'dogs/humans' picking up various surgical instruments, walking around and 'working on' the 'patient.' A pan is then used to show the 'surgeons' from the 'patients' point of view. The 'surgeons' are stood in a circle and are passing round the surgical instruments. Medium and close-ups are used to show the 'surgeons' pressing down the injection and picking up other surgical instruments. The shot of the woman is also used a few times in this sequence. Close-ups are used of the 'patient' looking slightly uncomfortable -you can tell this because the 'dog' head is looking around as if nervous. A close-up is then used of the 'doctor's' head from the 'patients' point of view in front of the surgical light which is a convention of operations/surgery. Effects are then used to blur, distort and swirl various images with a bright light as the dog falls asleep under anaesthetic. This then splits in half and moves off the screen to reveal a medium shot of the 'dog/human' after surgery which is now the woman seen on the TV screens. She is helped up off the chair by the two 'doctors' which is shown in a long shot. She takes a mirror off a 'surgeon' and looks into it as she dances, whilst the two 'doctors' dance behind her. She runs her hands through her hair and looks satisfied with the result. The camera zooms out as they continue to dance. Two 'surgeons' move into the screen dancing to the left and right of the frame. A close-up is used to show the woman kissing the mirror showing she is very happy with how she looks. A long shot is used to show more 'surgeons' move into the frame also dancing, and it keeps cutting to a close-up of the woman's face singing. These shots continue as various shots of the other 'dogs/humans' in the 'waiting room' are also seen in a montage sequence which changes in time to the music. The end shot concludes of a medium shot of two waiting 'patients' looking at each other which then dissolves out to black.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VNL_SykDiQ

Secondly I will analyse a Freemasons music video , Uninvited.
I will analyse this because it is based on a supernatural idea, which is relevant to 'She wolf' as the 'she wolf' character is a supernatural character. Uninvited is also a dance track.

Medium shots of a dimly lighted room are used as well as medium shots of a young blond adult female. Shots of a shadow of a door are used to add an anxious typical horror movie feel to the video. The decoration of the house is of that of an older out of fashion vintage house which also adds to the full horror feel of the music video as the house is from an older era and therefore fits in with the horror movie theme. The main character in the video, the blond woman, is wearing black eyeliner and lip gloss which makes it seem as if she is going out clubbing/dancing as it is clubbing make-up and this fits with the dance genre of the song. Her bedroom in the video is lit with a lamp and is decorated in nude wallpaper which emphasises the shadows which are cast on the walls and floor which adds to the horror theme. Quickly cutting from the image to a plain black shot creates a flashing, lightening, horror feel. A long shot is used to establish the bedroom, this zooms out and then cuts to a shot panning right to then introduce the character in this shot. The panning and zooming is at the same speed and creates continuity. A notable shot is a medium shot of the walls which are completely in shadow apart from a small square which is lit of the character against the wall looking frightened with shadows moving across her face. This really emphasises the horror feel. Various shots are used of her looking out of a window with white translucent curtains and a bright light outside which reflects her beauty. A medium shot is used of red patterned vintage wallpaper with the shadow of the staircase and a fast moving shadow of an unrecognisable object is used cleverly as the red connotates to danger and the vintage wallpaper and shadow are all conventions of horror films. A lot of close-ups are used throughout which show the facial expressions of the character and also show her singing. A high angle shot, almost birds-eye view, is used to show her sat on a mattress with white sheets and wearing a nightie which suggest she has moved out of her bedroom out of fear and is now settling for a mattress as she is so scared of the unexplained presence in the house. A montage of various shots is used, including clips of the shadows moving against the walls and shadows moving across her face. She looks scared and is seen pressing herself against a door as if trying to hear through it. A lot of fast panning and zooming is used perhaps to emphasis her confusion. A spotlight is seen to move quickly across a pitch black room to show her now laid on the floor - she has now been so scared she has had to move out of both her bedroom and the room with the mattress and is now that scared she is sleeping on the floor to try to escape the presence. A medium shot then shows her stood outside in front of some branches to show she has been scared out of the house. A montage of the various shots is used throughout. A long shot shows the garden she is stood in with white washing blowing on a washing line showing it is windy which is also a convention of most horror films. Another shot used is a shot of her looking into a mirror with her hand outstretched to it which is also very common of horror movies. The end shot concludes of the wooden floor of a room almost totally in darkness with a shadow moving across it which dissolves to black.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFBWPcaMKeo

Lastly, I will analyse the original music video for Shakira, She wolf.
I will analyse closely how the video is linked with the lyrics and how it portrays the song, and I could maybe gain some good ideas from this.


- The video begins with an extreme close-up of the singer's eyes opening. Her face is pale and she has no or neutral make-up on. The pale face connotates to horror. It then cuts to a medium shot of a window with curtains blowing in the breeze and a full moon is seen through the window in the dark sky. This is an icon of horror. The beauty of the woman and the horror icons reflect the genre of the music video, it is horror but is also based on beauty as the singer is beautiful. The singer's silhouette is then seen walking slowly towards the window. It then cuts to a medium close-up showing her nails growing in front of the full moon, which is a clever merge of the beauty convention ( nails ) and the horror convention ( them growing in front of the full moon. ) Various shots of her shadow, which is of a slim curvy woman (beauty again) slowly walking towards the wardrobe, or 'closet.' You can see the back of her boots as well, which also add to the 'sexual' element of the video. It then cuts to inside the closet and you can see the back of her hair which is long and blond. The sexual genre is continued throughout the video as shots of Shakira dancing in a sexual way and wearing little clothing keep this genre continuous. Also close-ups are used to show her flawless airbrushed skin and neutral make-up. Shots of the wolf moving are used as well throughout the video. This is basically what the full video consists (Shakira dancing and clips of the wolf) of until the end. The ending shows Shakira climbing into bed next to her sleeping partner, smiling at her 'secret' and then a shot of the moon through the window is shown again before the final shot of Shakira closing her eyes with the smile still on her face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aEW_Z5Va5s


Conventions - What I Found From This Analysis

From analysing these music videos I found various conventions of music videos in general, which I could use in my own work. Montage is one of the most obvious conventions. Generally, music videos contain montage sequences of various shots which relate to the music video. These shots change, by either cutting or dissolves, in time to the music. I have found from watching music videos in the past that music videos for slow songs tend to use the dissolving effect more than faster music as straight cuts are obviously a faster edit than dissolves and the montage sequences always change in time to the music. Various shots are also another convention as these make the music video more exciting and interesting for the audience to watch. They also allow the narrative to be established quickly as the shots establish this. Pans and zooms are also a convention for exactly the same reasons: they make the music video more interesting to the audience and also establish the narrative. The main character in the music video is always airbrushed and lighting is used to show their face in the most attractive way possible. Another convention is that at the end of the music video the shot dissovles out to black. Close-ups are also a convention as these show the singer's facial expressions as they sync the words to the song. The singer is usually almost always air-brushed to look physically attractive which encourages audiences to want to watch the video.
The conventions of my chosen genre, dance, are typically the same as music videos overall although a simple storyline, an attractive character and a montage of images changing in time to the beat are almost essential in portraying the genre.