Tuesday, 1 February 2011

Goodwin's Analysis of Music Videos

Goodwin's analysis of music videos focuses mainly around how the genre is used in a piece of film. The music video is important in determining how the genre characteristics engage a specific target audience. Here is how Goodwin's five main points of genre characteristics are used in our music video:

1) Genre Characteristics: As our media video is in the genre of Rock/Punk, we decided to base our film set on the roof of a car park to signify rebellion, anarchy and power. Another important characteristic in our genre is our use of narrative and performance, switching systematically between the two to enhance the contrasting differences between the two distinctive parts. Along with this we had to look to Goodwin and his theory to allow us to match the stereotypical costume of our genre within our video through the use of jeans, vans, converse, wristbands, hoodies, long hair, all in dark colours. In keeping with the idea of darkness, we also decided to film our video at night, as this would emphasize the idea of rebellion and the feelings of emotion established with punk-rock.
As our music video is band based, we had to include many shots of drums, guitar and bass etc, as this is what would be expected to be seen by our target audience.

2) Within our music video we made sure that we had a relationship between the visual video and the lyrics.
"I saw you walking home in the dark" - Our video is based on our main character walking around the streets at night time, and these lyrics symbolize this.
"Start to pray that I'll get through" - This is a reference to drug use, showing that there's a mind struggle with the thought of taking drugs.
"Thinking about you" - Whilst this lyric is being sung we can see can see the main character walking towards a bus shelter. This symbolizes that the main character is thinking about the main character.
"I don't like to be ignored" - Through the video we see the lead singer following the main character. This shows how the lead singer does not want to be ignored by her and thus, follows her until she notices him.

3) In our video we have created relationships between music and visuals by the camera being handheld when the music is heavy with lots of pans as a result of the speed of the music.
The music symbolizes the character walking with a steady beat and slow tempo.
When the chorus fades out, we have a focus pull and that shot goes from blurry to clear.
Drone sound of music is in time with the cross dissolve between two characters.

4) We use many close ups such as the re-occuring motifs that we included, for example, sitting on the wall idle whilst singing verses.
"Head-banging" is shown to signify the heavy music genre. Fast movement parts in contrast to narrative whilst chorus is being played.
Close ups of lead singer singing and at the start of our video posing.
Music and lyrics reflect emotions felt by actors

5) Our reference to the notion of looking in our video is the use of an ipod at the start of the video showing other change persona songs. We also included looking out across the skyline as this represents the lead singer looking for the main actress. shots also with a reference of looking include over the shoulder shot, the idea of the main actress being followed by the singer, somebody looking through the windscreen of a car from the back seat. We also focused on two lights that blur as a reference to the idea of reminiscing over someone from the past looking at it once and then another light again.
Voyeuristic treatment of females is focused on the main actress for example, the close up of the mouth at the end of the music video is a sexual reference.

6) Product placement is included in our music video, through the use of the ipod at the beginning and from what we have learnt in our research of skins, we have tried to follow the conventions of a traditional teen drama.

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