Website Analysis - Taylor Swift

Digipak Analysis - Jack Johnson

Digipak Analysis - Lana Del Rey

Digipak Analysis - Blur

Institutional Information

Influential Video - Eliza Doolittle 'Rollerblades'

My Chemical Romance 'Na Na Na' Music Video Analysis

My Chemical Romance's Na Na Na music video released in 2010 is jam-packed full of excitement, action and comedy. The video is a parody with a combination of western/badlands and comic-book style which is made apparent through the extravagant mise-en-scene. The video is very high-concept and narrative based as the video tells part of a story that merges with all the other music videos from their Danger Days album to tell the whole story of the album.  The premsis is that the band member are a gang named the Killjoys and they are being hunted by a sinister character and his vampire-masked henchmen. It is unclear as to why they are enemies but it is made very explicit that they are rivals. The Killjoys have a young girl in their gang who the sinister characters are out to get. Again, we are unsure why he is after her. The video uses many referenced to pulp fiction as there are car chases, shoot-outs and a Mexican standoff at the end which results in the sinister character capturing the young girl and telling the Killjoys to "keep running". The video is very dramatic and action filled with elements of mystery as there are some parts to the narrative that are confusing and unclear, however this is what adds to the excitement and intrigue of the music video, as though it was a real action film.

There are also references to other media texts that inspired the idea of the music video, such as the films Easy Rider, Blade Runner, Terminator 2 and the Mad Max franchise.

The video has a very sinister and violent theme and perhaps is making an inexplicit statement about reality as the lyrics say "Drugs gimme drugs" which could be talking about peoples dependence on drugs or other substances. Overall I think the song/video has a political message as it talks about people ruling the world and everyone just follows - "You run the company, na na na na na na na, fuck like a Kennedy" - this could be a reference to the way the country is run or how it was run by president JF Kennedy. Also, the song is about revolution and peoples desire to take over - "Everybody wants to change the world, but no one, no one wants to die". The visuals that we see on screen certainly amplify the lyrics as everything about the video is open to interpretation.

Every album that My Chemical Romance have released, they have had a slightly different look accordingly. Danger Days is the bands 4th album and they transported their image from emo to more pop-arty, comic style for the album. I think a reason that many artists constantly change their image is so that they don't become boring and predictable and to keep fans interested and guessing about what they will do next. 

Throughout the video many mid-close up shots are used to clearly show who the characters and more importantly, who the band are. The video also follows the conventions of a normal music video as it shows the lead singer, Gerard Way, the most in order to inform the audience that he basically is the main figure in the band (and music video). 

'All The Small Things' Blink 182 Music Video Analysis

Smashing Pumpkins '1979' Music Video Analysis

One of my favourite songs of all time and favourite music videos is 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. In my opinion the music video is a work of art and is similar to a short film as the audience is taken on this journey of a day in suburban life for teenagers in the mid 90's. Although there is no concrete narrative with a beginning and an end, there is a story that this song/video is portraying to us.

The music video is almost like a home-movie or video diary as we view 5 teenagers life's in mundane suburbia. It’s nostalgic. It generates feelings of events that happened in the past from your subconscious, and the video for the song captured that perfectly. There was this sense of familiarity within the narrative, despite the fact that it was depicting things you had never necessarily done. The whole music video displays to us different scenes of the characters searching for fun in the wrong places and feeling trapped by their current life. The sense of distain for their environment/life is shown repeatedly throughout the video for example at 1.10 where one of the characters looks down on his town and sticks his middle finger up, at this point we really feel the teenage angst within them. 

A number of interesting camera shots are used perhaps to exemplify the teenagers imaginations, for example at the beginning when one of the boys is rolling down a hill in a tyre and the camera is rolling too. This shot also makes us feel as though we are there too and makes this image a lot more meaningful to us. Another similar shot is at 0.25 where we get a 360 degree camera turn that shows us all of the characters in the car. Additionally, at 1.30 when the video cuts to a new location (the party) an ariel shot is used to give an overview of the party and gives the chance to show of the band performing. 

Many close up shots of the lead singer Billy Corgan are used throughout the whole video as this creates intimacy between him and the listeners/viewers, it also makes us empathise with him as we feel as though he is also one of the teenage characters in the video, it also implies that the lyrics he is singing are related to himself and his personal experiences. 

The use of mise-en-scene is used to build upon the theme of disconnected/bored teenagers, for example the sticker on the car at 0.53 that reads 'Proud parents of a 'D' student', this satirical comment implies that the characters feel as though they are a let down to their parents, and this is something a lot of the bands fans can reason with as many teenagers experience this feeling. Additionally the characters body language and facial expressions amplify the sense of mundaneness.

The editing pace of the video is relatively smooth during the video, however when the song pace speeds up at 2.35 the editing gets much quicker and this builds tension as the video (and the story it is telling) is drawing to a close. The speedier pace also represents the teenagers angst building up within them. 

The use of different locations such as the mountain/hill, the 7/11, the party all create the image of life in suburbia. Showing the characters cause havoc at the 7/11 and at the party (when they cover the tree with toilet paper) represents both their freedom in their youth but alternatively, their bordem and feeling of entrapment in their lives. 

In my opinion this music video is excellent as it presents so many feelings and experiences that many teenagers experience in their lives. What was so great about this video is how it glamorizes teenage boredom, making it seem rather epic. Smashing Pumpkins generated a video that they knew the masses could connect with. They basically showed us the joys and tribulations of being young and opened our eyes to realize that the things that teenagers  complain about so much would be what they long for later in life. The video opens our eyes, and this is what art is supposed to do.

Star Image - Miley Cyrus

Music Video Director - Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze is an American director, producer, screenwriter and actor. His work ranges from TV advertisement to film and television to music videos. He was born in 1969 (his birth name is Adam Spiegel). He has done a vast amount of collaborative work such as being a co-founder and editor of  Dirt magazine as well as an editor for Grand Royal Magazine and senior photographer for Transworld Skateboarding. He is also a producer and co-creator of MTV's hugely successful prank and stunt series Jackass.







Jonze has been directing music videos for over 20 years now and has worked with an eclectic range of artists including; The Beastie Boys, Weezer, R.E.M, Bjork, Sonic Youth, Daft Punk, Puff Daddy, Biggie Smalls, Fatboy Slim and Kanye West.

A personal favourite of mine, and one I have always remembered from a young age is Fatboy Slim's Praise You music video (directed by Spike Jonze). Jonze actually starred in the video himself as one for his alter-egos named Richard Koufey accompanied by his factious dance crew. This video is an excellent example of 'stealing shots' as it was filmed using guerrilla style filmmaking. This is when you film at a location without any permission from the owners of the property. The music video is very simple, it has no narrative or abstract artistic edge, it is just Jonze and his dance crew dancing to Praise You outside a cinema in California as passers by observe with curious expressions and the cinema employees get aggravated by their public disturbance. In my opinion the fact this music video has no motive or goal, it has no high-concept drama or special effects is what gives the video its charm and entertainment. The video only cost $800, which was used to purchase the boombox used and food for the dancers. This goes to show that a successful video can be made on an extremely low budget, as long as the idea is simple and straightforward to achieve and has some originality and charm behind it. Despite it's low budget, the video was hugely successful and won 3 awards at the MTV Music Video Awards in 1999 including; Breakthrough Video, Best Direction and Best Choreography.

Another example of Spike Jonze's work is Daft Punk's Da Funk music video. This video's narrative focuses on a dog/man named Charles who is wondering around New York City at night blasting the song from a boombox which he carries on his shoulders. The video follows his journey through the night as he is laughed at, rejected and ridiculed by member of the public. He then bumps into an old friend and is supposed to go to her house but when he sees the sign on the bus saying 'No Radios' he panics and does not get on the bus. Although the video has many potential interpretations and possible representations such as alienation, city life, isolation, the band have  stated that there is no message behind the story. 
Da Funk is a dance track and because it has no lyrics it may be hard for the audience to create an image of the music and therefore cannot connect with it, however Jonze has created meaning for the audience through the use of dialogue and narrative in the music video. The video is very unique as we rarely see a human dog used as the protagonist of any media text and because of this the audience is likely to remember the band/song. Therefore Jonze has successfully done his job of promoting the band. 

Jonze also uses a lot of intertextuality in his work, for example Buddy Holly by Weezer and Sabotage by Beastie Boys. Although narrative is a major element of his work, he sometimes challenges conventions of genre through postmodernism and parody. For example in Flashing Lights by Kanye West although there is the use of voyeurism with the half naked women, she is not objectified and she holds the real power and dominance in this video as she opens the boot of a car to reveal Kanye tied up who she then kills. Similarly in Drop by The Parcyde, the video appears to be going forward when actually is it going backwards. This rejection of meta-narrative and rejection to follow a normal pattern shows Spike Jonze's videos are postmodern and have conventions of their own. 

Jonze's work is inspirational to me as it is creative and daring, and often the main premises of his videos are very simple but made/performed with unique style and individuality. He also displays that a massive budget and a conventional narrative is not necessarily required to make an interesting piece that promotes and sells the artist.

Album Artwork Analysis

Placebo - 'This Picture' - Goodwin Analysis

'This Picture' by Placebo was released in 2003 and its music video director was Howard Greenhalgh. Howard Greenhalgh has directed numerous videos from a variety of artists and genres, such as Iron Maiden, The Pet Shop Boys, The Sugababes, Puff Daddy and the Spice Girls, as well as Placebo. Placebo's genre is alternative rock/pop punk, their music is not particularly happy or upbeat and consequently their music videos tend to be quite dark and gloomy. Placebo have the image of being fiesty and provocative, especially the lead vocalist and guitarist Brain Molko who is known for his androgynous appearance.

The lyrics of the song is about a relationship involving sadomasochism but it is the female who is abusive and dominant. The "Ashtray Girl" is used to refer to a woman who uses men as "emotional ashtrays". The visuals amplify the lyrics as the audiences sees there is a story about the girl in the picture however it is not explicitly exactly what the narrative is.

The video is in timing with the beat of the music. For example this clip from the beginning of the video shows how the editing cuts on every beat of the drum cymbal:

The videos pace is relatively smooth throughout and doesn't fluctuate a lot throughout the video, however in the middle of the song the timing gets faster which means that the editing gets faster. This clip shows that the camera movement gets fast in the performance part to match the fast pace of the music:

Close ups of the artist creates intimacy between the video and the audience. It also verifies recognition of the star image. The audience is clearly shown Brian Molko's style when we see close ups of his eye makeup and this is recognisable to Placebo's fans as they are already aware of his bisexuality and interest in cross-dressing, and for those who do not know Placebo already, this will grab their attention as it is something different to what they might expect and they then on have this image of the band in their memories.

The camerawork and editing focuses a lot on the band itself, ensuring many close ups of them playing their instruments and performing as this presents them as a talented band. This clips displays this: 

Voyeurism is used to an extent in this video as we see the girl being portrayed as a sexualised object due to her almost being naked and connotations of bondage.

However this has a more sinister impact rather than 'sexy'. Placebo's music videos tend to be quite disturbing and dark and again this motif if shown in this video. Voyeurism is used in a more artistic and symbolic way rather than trying to establish a 'sexy' music video. Additionally, we only see short shots of the girl which doesn't allow the audience enough time to see the woman in full. This teases the audience in a sense and engages them with the video as they want to get another look at this mysterious character. We only eventually see a close up of her face at the very end of the video.

This video is a combination of performance and narrative based. The narrative is fragmented and there is no clear storyline however the audience does realise that the song is about this unhappy woman in the video. The use of performance promotes the band as talented musicians as we see they all can play their instruments.

Intertextuality and Voyeurism

Intertextuality
Is when music videos draw upon exsisting media texts in order to spark recognition in the audience.
Intertextuality is all about visual reference and this can come from a number of sources: -Cinema
-Fashion
-Art/Photography

 "Incorporating, raiding and reconstructing" is essentially the essence of intertextuality. Intertextuality is most explicitly evident in music videos. However intertextuality is subjective to the audience, meaning that each viewer might have a slightly different association with the video, and some viewers may not recognise the references at all!

 Here are some examples of music videos that use intertextuality:

The Red Hot Chili Peppers use the form of a video game in their music video for their song 'Californication'. This specific use of a video game format could be to appeal to their archetypal fan base (Young males and females).

Another example of intertextuality in a music video is A-Ha!'s 'Take On Me'.

A-Ha! Take on a comic book style video to display the narrative of the love story that is taking place in the video. The ending scene is based on 1980's movie 'Altered States'. This means that the band have referenced 2 types of media text in their video, making this a good example of intertextuality.

Here is another example of a music video that fully incorporates intertextuality:

The song itself is named 'Buddy Holly' therefore the 1950's style of the music video related to the context of the song. The video is an imitation of famous American 1970's show Happy Days which is set in the 1950's-60's. However the only lyrics that is linked to the visuals is the repeated line 'I look like Buddy Holly' whereas the rest of the video is not particularly related to the song. Perhaps the band used intertextuality of Happy Days in the hopes that the audience will associate the popularity of that Sit-com with their song and makes the audience feel as though they are watching an actual episode of the programme. The references to 'Happy Days' and the 50's is shown by the use of location (typical 50's diner) the costumes and mise-en-scene, the use of choreography and the cameo appearance from Happy Days cast member Al Molinaro as well as the use of film of the character 'The Fonz' entering the diner to dance. The video also follows the conventions of a 50's music video in that is it performance based and is very successful as it sparks recognition to its audience.


Voyeurism
Is the pleasure of watching the star of the video. Voyeurism is also known as scopophillia. Goodwin states that female performers are sexually objectified by camera work and editing with fragmented body shots emphasising a sexualised image of the performer. The goal of voyeurism is to help sell the product and the star, and create interest in the audience.

Here are some examples of music videos that use voyeurism:

Britney Spears - 'Slave 4 U'. Spears is known for her sexualised image and therefore provocative music videos. Artists similar to Britney Spears use voyeurism in their videos in order to create interest for the viewers and because their images are risqué they need to live up to this expectation in their videos. 

Another example is Christina Aquilera - 'Dirty'

Again, Christina Aquilera is another performer who's image is based on being revealing and provocative, therefore she needs to deliver this in her music videos. Videos such as these are aimed to appeal to both males and females. Males because they will find the star attractive and will gain pleasure from looking at their bodies. Females may feel envious of their bodies and therefore take inspiration from the way these female artists look. 


An example of a music video that uses both Intertextuality and Voyeurism is Pink's 'Trouble' Music Video

The narrative of this music video is based on American Western-style movies, as Pink portrays a fugitive galloping on a horse into a small town. We can tell the music video genre is western due to the mis-en-scene. We see the saloon bar, and horses as transport, also the character of the sheriff indicates the western theme. Voyeurism is introduced through Pink's revealing costume and her burlesque dance routine as surrounded by other revealing women. Close up shots are used at the beginning to draw attention to her red lips and dark eyes. Additionally, the flirtatious communication between Pink and the sheriff adds to the videos' provocative nature.