Rock – AC/DC ‘Back in Black’

‘Black in Black’ is a song by AC/DC, for their 1980 album of the same name.

This is a good example of a rock music video and contains many of the genre conventions seen in many other rock music videos. This includes the band performing their song on stage, with their instruments, which are the only props in the video, they include, the guitars, the drums and the microphones. By having the band perform on stage in the video, it allows the audience and fan to experience and understand what it would be like to see them perform live at a concert and it could help adverse and sell concert tour tickets, as the audience know what to expect. Therefore this video is a performance based music video and doesn’t involve a narrative. Other genre conventions of a rock video, which are evident in this includes  include the use of dark deep colours and no use of advanced special effects.

The Mise-en-scène of the production, includes quite dark lighting, as it only uses artificial stage lightening, spotlighting on the band on stage. The different strobe and colours change to the rhythm and beat of the music. Each band has their own individual costumes, which is unique to each  members image and together helps to establish to overall image of the band.

The technique codes of the music video links with the rock genre conventions, by using the hand held technique and having close ups of each member of the band, focusing closely of their faces while also showing them perfuming their instruments. Many low angles are used in the music video, showing the band from below like it is through the concert audiences vision, which links with promoting the band live events as the video is evidence of the experience that they will encounter.

Dance – Fedde Le Grand ‘Put Your Hands Up For Detroit’

This electronic dance video is produced by Dutch DJ Fedde Le Grand at was released on 26th June 2006.

This is an electronic upbeat music video. The narrative of the video features a Kubrick-type of science lab where gynoid technicians create multiple androids.

The video includes many genre conventions such as woman dancers half naked, in this video they are all wearing sexy doctors lab coats that are too small, showing to underneath pink bright undergarments, and later on in the video one go the androids take off the coat and give the android a lap dance. Other conventions include dance routines and bright lightening and colours.

The mis en sene of the music video link with the narrative and includes electronic props such as computers and a hospital location with hospital equipment and furniture. All the women in the video have the same doctors costumes and undergarments, which are bright pink allowing them to stand out, and all the makeup in the same to give the illusion that they are identical androids.

There are many low angle shots in the video to capture and focus on the undergarments of the women of the video. The whole music video features around the music’s electronic theme and sound. The lyrics are really represented within the music video but, the way the androids move and the dance routines are all to the beat of the music, and the editing jump cut are done performed to the beats and rhythm of the music.

R’n’B/Rap – Snoop Dogg ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’

This video features Snoop Dogg perfoming ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ with Pharrell.

The music video is a performance R’n’B video, and contains many genre conventions by including props like spray paint, expensive cars, boats and alcohol. The video also contains conventional clothing with the artist wearing baggy cloths, trainers, caps and various jewellery such as rings, necklaces, earrings and diamond belts. The video also included women wearing revealing clothing dancing to the music.

The video was shot in monochrome and is very simplistic, unlike pop videos, rap video tend to just contain the artist performing the song and focus less on a narrative. The video has many close up shots focused closely into the artists, which is sometimes used to see the artist holding something or to view the jewellery such as the rings on his hands, it also has many low angles shots, this makes it able to see the artist’s whole outfit and gives the impression of the artist being more powerful or dominant.

The lyrics matched the visuals on screen, as the video was performance based therefore the artist was mining along with lyrics. The visuals also linked with the music as all the characters on screen were dancing to the rhythm and the beat of the music. At the beginning of the video Snoop Dogg sprays some spray paint on the wall at the same as the music, which had a similar noise, also throughout the music has a clicking sound and the characters in the video moved their mouth in a certain way that created the illusion that they were making the sound on screen. The video has jump cuts edits, which is also done to the beat and the rhythm of the song.

Pop – Madonna ‘Music’

The music video for Madonna’s 2000 record ‘Music’ features the artist with a bunch of friends having a party in a limousine and visiting different clubs.

This is an example of a narrative and performance pop music video, therefore it has genre conventions such as, bright lightening and colourful and the video included people dancing and parting. It also had many woman and models wearing minimal clothing, which helps to attract the young audience.

Madonna stares in this music video as the lead in a group of girls that go out partying. Being the lead in the video helps the audience to connect the artist to the music and will help the video and the song become more successful, it also connects with Madonna’s dominate, strong persona. This video also links with the fact that Madonna is seen as a sex icon all around the world, this showcases that by having the artists, parting and visiting strip clubs, this is showcased right from the beginning of the music video when the character of Ali G started that Madonna’s ‘Babylon’s look less big than they do on the telly, but i’d still defiantly would.’

Ali G stares at a cameo character in the music video. Played by Sacha Baron Cohen Ali G is a satirical fictional character, who has appeared on his own chat show in Britain. He features as Madonna’s limo driver in the video. By having Ali G in the music video it attracts many young British fans that wouldn’t normally associate with the artist, will we help make the video and the record successful. Furthermore it’s mutual beneficial as the actor and his characters at the time were not well known around the world and this music video would have gain some global fans.

The lyrics explaining the effects that music can have of people, links with the visuals on screen as the artist sings along to the lyrics throughout the video, it also links with the narrative and the visuals of Madonna and friends partying and dancing to music. The music itself links with the visuals, a good example of this is at the beginning of the music video, and the music starts when the Ali G character has out the tape into the car and pressed play.

Codes and Conventions

Codes and conventions of a music video are different techniques used to make the video. Theses techniques can be divided into, Technical codes which includes the used of different camera angles and editing. Audio codes, which can be split into diegetic and non-diegtic.  Visual codes, which includes costumes and makeup and different locations.

Genre conventions, which are different technical codes needed to fit the genre of true music video. For example a pop music video will be bright and colourful and will try and appeal to the young demographic. An R’n’B music video may have party scenes with alcohol and usually have young woman dressed in revealing clothing.

 

Concept – Sigur Rós ‘Valtari’

Sigur Rós are a post-rock, alternative band from Reykjavík, Iceland. The video to their song ‘Valtari’ was written and directed by Christian Larson, and features two dancers coming together to move in interesting ways.

The start of the video builds the bleak harsh environment, with a blue/green look, the video has a washed out broken theme to it. With shots of dead plants a industrial estate and a set of an old abandoned building the cinematographer success creates that harsh bleak environment.

The man within the building, performs kind of contemporary dance, the technique of dance which allows him to to unpredictably change his rhythm, speed and direction which is done to the rhythm of the music. During the video the woman joins the contemporary dance style and continues to get closer to him, as finally they dance together in the final act of the music video. When the woman starts dancing the music changes to a lighter tone with sounds that sounds similar to bell chimes. As the couple dance together the lyrics begin and the volume  and base of the music boost, as the music gets rhythmically faster and harsher, so does the dancing from couple, and the editing is done effectively to show the characters in various positions around each other.

This video is a concept style music video, this is clear as there is not a clear narrative neither is the band performing, there are simply just two characters dancing with each other, but the way the video directed and the cinematography of the music video clearly shows that there are ideas and hidden messages towards the visuals and the song. The unique choreography of flexibility and rhythm is an interesting contrast to the harsh bleak environment.

I believe that the video is about two induvials that view the world in a unquie and different way, and they have finally found someone that feels the say way, and they want to embrace this fact. At the beginning of the video, the man is dancing on his own and dances like he can feel the rhythm been produced by the environment like the bleak and pure building around him is shouting out, and he is the only one that can hear. The woman wonders into the environment sort of like his movements and dance are calling out to her and that there is an attraction pulling them together, and allowing them to dance and communicate their thoughts and feelings about the world around them in a very intermit and rhythmic way.

Styles – Concept

A concept based music video, are usually based around one idea and message. They are sometimes unusual and unique to other conventional music videos. With the increase of technology used in music video, concept video are becoming more common, this is proven in music videos such as “Her Morning Elegance’ by Oren Lavieand ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ by Gotye, that use many different techniques such as stop frame animation to portray a idea and message in an interesting way.

Performance- will.i.am ‘Bang Bang’

In 2013 will.i.am realsed the track ‘Bang Bang,’ the single features on the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Great Gastsby.’

This music video is an good example of a performance style video. It features will.i.am and a band performing on a stage. The performance and the whole music video has a has a jazz theme, which links with the soundtrack from the 2013 film ‘The Great Gastsby,’ which follows the life of the millionaire Jay Gatsby and his neighbour Nick Carraway. The film is set in the 1920’s at largely centres around Gatsby’s excessive partying lifestyle. Will.i.am created ‘Bang Bang’ for the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s film, therefore the song itself has a 1920’s jazz theme and the music video duplicates this. Featuring the artist performing in 1920’s themed clothing with white gloves and a top hat, singing into an vintage microphone in a set filled with chandeliers and spotlights. The band behind the artist is dressed in a similar way, playing interments such as trumpets and saxophones which helped give the music video the jazz theme. Will.i.am is later joined by Spalione who performs the chorus of the song, throughout the video the two singers and the band perform a choreographed routine, which starts with over exaggerated instrument playing, tap dancing , and  an choreographed assemble dance routine.This video has a straight on camera angle, which features all the attention on the artist in the centre on the screen. Directly behind will.i.am centred i the middle of the camera is a drum set, containing the #willpower insignia, which is the symbol that has paid a large part of the artists latest album promotion.

Styles – Performance

Performance music videos focuses on the artists performing the song, this can be a performance in front of an audience or just on their own. This style of music video is very popular with rock artists.

The camera angles are usually repeated angles showcases the artists on the stage, crosscutting between the audience singing and dancing along and different members of the band. Performance style music videos also give the audience an idea of what to expect at the artists own concerts, and can help to advertise and boost ticket sales with the artist go on tour.

Narrative- Beyonce ‘If I Was A Boy’

In 2008 Beyonce released her video for the song ‘If I was a Boy.’ The video tells a narrative of a relationship between a man and a woman, and shows different emotions that the couple are feeling about each  other. The video was directed by Jake Nava, and stars Beyonce as the main character. The short film is fully shoot in black and white and has a unique role reverse theme, similar to the 1976 film Freaky Friday.

This video is a good example of a narrative music video, and portrays the message of honestly and jealously within a relationship. The video opens with the artist saying the three themes of the narrative ‘intimacy’, ‘honesty’, and ‘commitment’ the video follows Beyonce’s characters as her boy friend becomes jealous and believes that she spends to much time with her co- workers, although as they co- front each other, the video shifts and shows that the feelings are actually the other way round and Beyonce is the one who is jealous. Having this role reverse technique makes the video very unique and stand out from other narrative videos. It also plays on the relationship stereotype, as some people may believe that it’s more usual for a woman to become jealous and a man to see other woman, and after the role reverse, we find out that the relationship is completely the other way round then we first thought. This stereotype links with Beyonce’s political views of society, being a large follower in feminism, her music and video all show a message linking with equality to women, and with the role reverse she tries to prove that a relationship is an equal bond and what we see in the media and texts only shows one side to every argument, and real relationships has two equal sides and two point of views. The narrative fits in with the nature of the lyrics, even more so with the role reverse is revealed, as the lyrics are about a jealous woman stating about what she would differently if she was a boy, as she would get some revenge, from the way she was treated. Beyonce stars in all of her music video including this one. Having the artist in the video will help advertise the video and the record, helping the video to become more successful. The music video also has a performing aspect, as it cross cuts between the narrative to the Beyonce singing to the camera, this adds to the emotion of the video, as the from the facial expressions and the way she sings, we can clearly see the pure emotion within her, similar to Sinead O’Connor’s video ‘Nothing Compares 2 You,’ where the artist performs down the camera and purely shows all her emotion in her face and the way she projects her voice. Emotions is a large aspect to this video, which is shown in the narrative, the way Beyonce sings, but also in the technique aspect of the video. By having the whole video black and white suggests that the relationship is on and off, and clearly tells the audience straight away that the video and the song isn’t an all happy dancing pop songs, instead it’s a soul narrative about people struggling to stay together and the black and white colour really helps to add the atmosphere and emotions.