music video analysis

 

glass animals- dreamland

dreamland is a slow indie song. it is about being in a dream like state, and almost feeling like you don't even exist. it came out in the year 2020 during the midst of a global pandemic which definitely made making music videos more difficult. however lead singer, Dave Bayley came up with an artistic and creative way to produce the perfect music video for dreamland. 

the video starts with a vibrant, neon background with Bayley sitting in the centre. as soon as the video begins, there is already a dreamy atmosphere. there is also a projector that shows different videos presumably from his childhood as the song dreamland goes through moments of his life as he grows up. 

the song as well as the music video is wanting us to explore our own past, Bayley sings, "pulling down backstreets deep in your head, slipping through dreamland like a tourist." dreams are where peoples fantasies run wild, they are a safe place for imagination and creativity which is portrayed in this music video. 

as Bayley moves with the camera, he takes us through his own dream where different objects from his childhood sit around him and also hang from the ceiling. halfway through the music video, it switches up to where we see him setting up the backdrop and cameras for the video. we see that this dreamy music video was put together all by himself during quarantine. there is only one mid shot used in the beginning of the music video but once it switches many different shots and angles are used as we watch a behind the scenes of him creating the actually video. it is a very visually stimulating music video to watch as we see Bayley go on a lone journey through his past, creating a hazy and colourful daydream.  

usher- burn

in this song, usher sings about breaking up with his girlfriend which he later regrets. he feels like he is burning without her. it is a slow, r&b ballad.

in the music video, there are multiple close up shots.

these close up shots make the video more intimate and shows the romance story happening.

close up shots help to show peoples emotions as well as making the video more personal. in the song we can tell that he is in pain after breaking his girlfriends heart.

the lyrics link to the visuals quite often in the music video. when usher sings "let it burn" the swimming pool that the girl jumps into turns from water into fire. 

this reoccurs again when he sings the word "burn" and his bed starts burning.  when usher sings "you know that its over. you know that its through, he breaks up with her but he finds her sad because of what happened to their relationship. he says she accept the truth. however when usher sings "its been fifty-eleven days / umpteen hours / ill be burnin / till you return", the direction changes when he realises he made a mistake and wants her back. 

usher reminisces about times spent with her, where we see them on the bed together as well as other flashbacks later on in the video. 

there are examples of looking and voyeurism in the music video. the female wears lingerie throughout the video which gives a voyeuristic view of the female body, used to gain attention of male viewers. notion of looking is also portrayed when usher is standing at his window, looking out of the frame.

fleetwood mac- seven wonders

in this 1987 pop-rock song, lead vocalist Stevie Nicks remembers a love affair from her past. she sings seeing the seven wonders of the world would not compare to the beauty of that relationship. 

the music video takes place in one setting, with the band all gathered behind Nicks as she stands in the front centre. throughout the music video, sketches of seven wonders are pictured in the background such as the roman colosseum, the Taj Mahal and the sphinx. in the video, greek pillars are also placed around the stage. 

close ups again are used specifically on Nicks whenever she is singing. at the beginning of the video, blue lighting is used however when the music starts the lighting turns more of a pink/red. there is also use of smoke machines at the start along with silhouettes. the music video is cut along with the beat of the song especially at the beginning with the hi-hats. a slow motion shot is used just before the synth begins playing. the editing is quite fast paced because of the upbeat song. Nicks also changes outfit halfway through the song. smooth transitions are used that switches between the two dresses, one black and one white. 

andrew goodwin

goodwin theory states that there are five key aspects to a music video:

relationship between lyrics and visuals 

- illustrating (meaning of lyrics to song)

- amplifying (to boost the lyrics)

- contradicting (lyrics to visuals)

music videos demonstrate genre characteristics 

- stadium performance

- studio performance

- location 

- narrative

- conceptual/experimental

several close ups of artists. some record companies require that the artist is featured within the video

- artist branding

- artistic portrayal 

- celebrity culture

- implications on looking good

star iconography that each artist will develop in their music videos

- branding

- style

- brand values/unique selling points

within music videos there is the concept of voyeurism

- nudity/revealing clothes

- exhibitionism

- an intimate location

- frame within a frame

the 'male gaze' is often used to attract a male audience. focuses on presenting things that appeal to men

intertextuality 

references to

- other music videos

- films

- tv shows 

how to analyse music video

- through beats, when you 'see' in the sound

look at the music itself, structure of the song

voice of the song

- narrative and performance

tend to get a gist of the meaning behind the song then tend to make up our own idea of what is being told

music video should coherent repeatability 

- the star image

meta narrative

- relation of visuals to song

- technical aspects of a music video

speed, camera movement, editing, mise-en-scene, beats

carol vernallis

carol vernallis is an editing theorist. in her work 'The kindest cut', she explores how editing in film and in music videos differ from each other. she talks about meaning, sound and visuals, editing as a whole, continuity and the star image.

she talks about four main categories: 

• camera - close ups are very common shots used in music videos to show the importance of the parts the band or artist is playing and the way that they look. establishing shots are also commonly used to show the location. the camera sometimes may move in time with the beat of the song. vernallis also argues that framing in music videos is very distinctive 

• editing - music videos tend to usually break the rules of continuity. an editing technique used in music videos is jump cuts, as music videos usually go straight from one thing to the next. the frames are mostly cut to the beat of the music

• narrative - the narrative is a visual response to the song as well as what the artist or band wants the meaning to be presented as. vernallis argues that the ending of a music video is not always clear which allows the audience create their own interpretation. sometimes music videos can be seen as disjointed or disconnected

• diegesis - the 'world' created within the music video. the diegesis is something that is slowly revealed throughout the music video. vernallis argues that music videos are sometimes left 'uncompleted', making the audience want to know what happens next 

gaant chart

 

promotional video analysis

cadbury dairy milk - aliens - canada 

cadbury dairy milk is a brand of milk chocolate manufactured by Cadbury. it was introduces in the United Kingdom in 1905 and now consists of a number of products

when they run out of chocolate, they stop dancing. however when they find more chocolate, more aliens join them and they all start dancing. this creates a happy and uplifting atmosphere for the audience which could encourage them to buy a bar. 

this video sticks to the same colour palette throughout. the colours (browns and purples) fit into the product that is being sold which creates the perfect aesthetic. in this promotional video, the camera often zooms in and out when capturing the emotion an alien is feeling. when an alien eats a bit of the chocolate, the camera slowly zooms in showing the aliens smile. when the aliens are dancing, there is a 'pulse' type camera that zooms in and out subtly along with the diegetic music. 

this influenced my promotional video idea with the animated aliens and also colour palette and aesthetics.

I think one of the reasons they chose aliens is to show that their chocolate can appeal to anyone even aliens. 

 

john lewis christmas advert 2015 -man on the moon

this is the story of a young girl. looking at the moon through her family telescope one night, she is amazed at what she finds, a man on the moon. the girl watches on as our man goes about his chores, all alone up there. she becomes determined to get something to the moon, to send him a message and show him that someone down here if thinking of him

this promotional video is very story based that continues throughout. it keeps the audience attention to see how it ends. the non-diegetic music gives a magical and emotional feel to the video. throughout this advert there are many extreme close ups on the young girl and the old man. this can show that they are perhaps looking for each other or know that there is someone out there looking at them. the close ups also help to show their emotions to the audience. the young girl feels determined and the man feels lonely. 

this concept and the story behind this advert, I think people would be able to connect to as everyone has times where the feel lonely. this advert isn't really promoting one certain product but instead a whole brand that can make the audience feel welcome to shop with them. at the end of the video when the man receives a telescope and he can see the young girl, it makes the audience feel happy and emotional as the man and young girl finally connect after the young girl tries so hard to let the man know he's not alone. I think this advert could also encourage the audience to get in touch and check up on their family and friends as the Christmas time can be lonely for many especially the elderly. overall I think this advert sends out a meaningful message through a powerful and heart-warming story at Christmas. 

this influenced my promotional video with the emotional story that the audience can connect with.

storyboard and budget

 

I wanted to use the storyboard and aliens to create a comedic type promotional video so it can be enjoyable for different people. I think the storyboard shows how simple the app is to use from how easy and quickly the alien was reconnected with his family. 

my idea with my promotional video was for it to be comedic but to also have a slight emotional backstory as well as it starts with a lonely alien who spots other aliens on a different planet having fun which then makes him want to find his own which he is able to do through the app. I wanted the video to say that if an alien can use the app then anyone can use the app. 

voiceover script:

connect with your family past. find your ancestors and share stories with them. create your own family tree that goes back through generations. communicate with relatives from all around the world and learn more about your family's history all in one simple and easy to use app so you don't have to feel alone. 

download now and discover your own family history. no one is ever truly alone. 

budget/costs:

length - roughly 1 minute

for every 5-10 seconds of animation, it'll take at least a day 7.5 hours. 1 minute animation: 60 seconds = between 6-12 days. (extra days for amends, render time, final edit). 

5-7 days for animation. 1-2 days for amends. 1 day for sound design. 1/2 days for final edit. 1-2 days conform. roughly 14 days altogether.  ecmstu.com

around £107 animation from small studio. studio charge £70-£140 per one minute of animation. authentic artwork and end-to-end service from studio. more expensive for higher quality so £140. medium.com

voice over work around £150