This is my completed animatric of my music promo video. The animatric is a rough design of how my video will hopefully look once filmed. This has been such a strong learning curve for me basically because of the idea of continuity not making any sense, it's taught me what i need to be aware of when I'm putting my clips together on the editing suite and also how i want my character to act. It's taught me how difficult editing can actually be, and giving me a rough idea of how sharp and precise i would like my editing to be. I didn't use colour within my animatricunfortunately however, i certainly do know where i want to leave the clips in colour and edit other clips into Black and White tone.
Creating a story board allowed me to create a shooting schedule, prop and cast list as it made me realise what i need to create my promo music video a success. It also made me think what shots will suggest emotions and feelings to the audience, such as planning where to use High Angle shots and long shots, and also the mise-en-scene such as the surroundings and the costume. It allowed me to think about the cuts, dissolves and fades from shots to shots. It was a very good idea in terms of planning as well as developing the story and the character further, I then remembered the entire concept of a music promo video was to advertise the track and promote the singer, therefore i feel i need some advertisement for Damien Rice as an artist, as in my video the main character is female therefore it's not as if the audience can suggest that Damien Rice is playing that part. Also, i don't have much mickey miming from characters within my music promo video therefore it's not as if i could place 'Damien Rice' in the scene, mickey miming and performing his song with an instrument therefore the idea of him being Damien Rice is suggested to the audience: therefore failing to promote the artist is breaking the basic concept for creating a music promo artist. However, artists such as David Gray has been able to do this, by using a well known artist to mickey mime and act in his music promo video as his iconic voice creates the audience to identify the artist who's the song is.
I have created an idea in which i feel is suitable to be used as my promo music video to Damien Rice - Eskimo.
My idea surrounds a female character 'searching' for someone or something. I want to remain the mystery in which Damien Rice has included in the lyrics therefore I don't wish for the audience to see what she is searching for. Throughout the verse, this character will be looking for something/ some one, however i want the mise-en-scene to be mainly nature, i love the idea of her not being satisfied by nature, not being fulfilled by the cleanliness and freedom of nature. I feel this gives the character more depth and creates the audience to have a more curiosity emotion surrounding the character. I also want her searching through college social areas, the house and again, through nature.
Throughout the chorus i have picked a mixture of male and female to hold up a large A3 card, which has a written 'secret' printed with bold permanent marker. I want them to hold this sign towards the camera in a medium close up as they Mikey mime the chorus 'I look to my Eskimo friend...' In terms of mise-en-scene i want some sort of bars behind the characters to suggest intrapment, i wanted them originally behind the bars, however that would be a big problem due to the audience actually reading the signs with large metal bars in front of the statement. The secrets will come from the book 'Post-secret' which was created by an artist called Frank Warren, in which was an idea in which the American population would send in their anonymous secrets on a postcard in which could be designed and entail the language at their own choice. Some secrets within this book are dark, others are funny and others are very emotional however i feel by having a mixture of these emotions being shown on an A3 large piece of card, this creates some humour in the video as well as reflects the idea that even funny secrets can still trap people in a place in which they don't want to be in. However the secrets link in the with the idea of the main character searching for her Eskimo friend, or 'help' in my interpretation of the song, and with other characters explaining why they feel trapped, it creates the idea that really, she isn't alone, and everyone needs someone or something to confide in. A secret which you cannot tell can sometimes literally destroy you inside, it's the worst pain I've personally ever felt therefore this is why this idea means so much to me as I've felt like the main character does within my idea.
What i really like about this song is the idea it has an operatic / climax ending. The Finnish opera really creates the song to have a 'wow' factor in it. There for i want to place a 'wow' factor within my music promo video. I have the idea of during the first tenth of seconds within the operatic section within the song i want the character to look at camera to suggest the idea of she's realised how to finish 'her' story, how to not feel lost anymore basically she's realised where her Eskimo / what her goal to find was. I then want to reverse and rewind the whole promo video, to the beginning where she was sleeping. As the operatic middle section within the song comes into full swing and delivers the climax of the song, i want to show her meeting / seeing her goal, her higher power, i want the audience to see her happy. To really create that 'wow' factor which is heard in the climax of the song, i have the idea of decorating my whole garden with tea lights, and hanging tea lights in Dolmio pasta sauce jars from our Japanese tree. I'm trying the suggest the image of heaven, to her personally, as the song is entirely subjective and therefore i would like the video to also be subjective. Therefore the idea of the candles represent the idea of calming and comforting therefore suggests that she's finally found what she was searching for all along. When this song finally comes to a close with the three repetitive lyrics 'when I'm down...' i want to fade back to the character sleeping and slowly zooming out from a close up, as the song fades out. I feel this creates such strong ambiguity as the zoom out, could suggest the soul leaving her body, it could suggest that in fact all of this was a dream therefore we, as an audience are leaving her to dream as she's realised she's only happy in another world. It could suggest the idea of her dying naturally, or the idea of her just commit suicide.
Throughout the video, i wish to use Black and white and colour when necessary to connote separate things. The idea behind black and white i feel is to suggest realism, therefore when she's searching a feels 'lost' i would like this edited in black and white, also when she is sleeping i would like it edited in white. I want to use colour only to suggest fantasy world, the same connotations where used in the film The Wizard Of Oz, however they used sepia tone instead of black and white however, it was still for the same effect. I want to use colour, during the time she's found her heaven and is finally free and happy. However, as the video comes to the close i want to revert back to her sleeping in black and white once again for the same reasons of realism and the idea of the place where she's gone, she's finally free and happy.
These are the lyrics for the song Eskimo which was written and performed by the acoustic artist Damien rice. Rice has said him self that this song was written when he was suffering 'strong writers block' and needed his 'friend' for some inspiration to write a good song. Songs can have different meanings for a different type of audience which creates music so popular amongst such a mass audience. This song to me, personally suggests the idea someone is lost and is looking for help / someone to look up to for help which to be honest is the same idea Rice had in mind whilst writing this song as he was 'searching for inspiration from a friend' whom was not there. Im going to analyse the lyrics to create evidence for Damien Rice's reason to write the song.
Tiredness fuels empty thoughts I find myself disposed The lyrics above state how tired from writing a song, makes 'writers block' worse, the second line creates the idea that he's lost all inspiration and therefore feels like a 'rubbish' and 'used up' artist in whom needs to be disposed. Through a wider lens, this could suggest the idea someone is suffering to get through 'everyday life' therefore finds themselves feeling like they have no positive input in society, have no positive impact within other peoples lives in fact, therefore 'disposed' and 'pointless' Brightness fills empty space In search of inspiration The two lines above, i feel Rice is trying to put across how empty his mind is whilst suffering from 'writers block' and he basically puts this point across by then singing 'In search of inspiration.' Again, for my video promo i feel i need to create more of an interesting story line than a writer suffering from writers block, therefore these two lyrics could suggest the idea of someone who is depressed within themselves and needing inspiration for somewhere, from someone to change their perceptions on themselves/ society. Harder now with higher speed Washing in on top of me The two lines above i feel are explaining the idea of him circling lots of ideas in his head, all being thought of at once however there's no time to write them all down, which is common with writers block. There would be a long state of mind in which you can't literally think of any ideas to write about, then suddenly lots of ideas come into your head at once, the second line could suggest how he's out of his depth with writing this song, thus the idea of being drowned in either false hope of lots of rubbish ideas. So I look to my Eskimo friend I look to my Eskimo friend I look to my Eskimo friend When I'm down, down, down. The following lyrics above are pretty much easy to understand, as Rice is writing this song he's longing for his friend, who perhaps is away in Finland, to give him some inspiration for song writing. 'When I'm down, down down' reinstate the idea of him being 'out of his depth' and 'drowning' with the weight of this song which he possibly didn't understand would be as much hard work as its proved to be. These lyrics could connect and develop my story for my promo video due the idea of this character being 'lost' and 'confused,' she needs someone or something to look up to, either for advice or help she needs her 'Eskimo friend' just like Rice needs at this moment in time.
Rain it wets muddy roads I find myself exposed The lyrics above i believe are basically explaining the 'pointless' and 'rubbish' ideas in which are circling around Rice's head as he's suffering from writers block. He could possibly be looking out of the window to be viewing the rain wetting muddy roads, with the second line realising how exposed Rice is at this point, as with writers block, he will be understandably be noting down every emotion and idea for a song on paper / computer therefore, his feelings and mind will be completely exposed. This could connect with my story for, as this character is feeling more increasingly lost and vulnerable as she explains her emotions and feelings to the audience, she finds herself 'exposed' and open. Also rain connotes the idea of cleansing, purity and once again being exposed to the audience. Tapping doors, but irritate In search of destination The following lyrics above i feel Rice is trying to explain how he needs this song to 'go somewhere' hence 'destination.' The first line of lyric i feel explains the idea of how easy it is to fall into a 'trap door' with a 'rubbish idea' for a song with his emotion for this frustrating act is explained as 'irritating.' The above lyrics could connect with my promo video story with the idea of the character finally thinking they have a way out of feeling lost and confused however it's a 'trap,' in fact they still haven't found the way out. Also the second like 'In search of destination' could suggest the idea that the character trying to find 'a place' or 'the place' in which she feels most content and happy, as the place she is at now isn't the place she wants / needs to be. Harder now with higher speed Washing in on top of me So I look to my Eskimo friend I look to my Eskimo friend I look to my Eskimo friend When I'm down, down, down.
Kosketaminua - Touch me Äläkäsilläsi - Not with your hands Vaanniinettätunnensinut - But so that I feel you The lyrics above are sang in operatic in the language of Finnish. The lyrics have been translated (to the right) in English therefore we know what Rice has written, the idea of the lyric stating 'touch me, not with your hands, but so i can feel you' is the idea of perhaps this 'friend' could be something on a spiritual level rather then physically there, it creates a sense of magic and enchantment from where he craves inspiration from. I could use this same idea within my music promo video, the idea for the character to be needing some inspiration or help from perhaps a spiritual level such as they feel lost and helpless as a family member has passed away, or a basic idea of her needing to find god once again due to a streak of weakness in which she lost her view, and lost god.
Halaaminua - Hug me Äläkäsilläsi - Not with your hands Muttasielussasi - But within your soul
Minäkaipaaneskimo-ystävääni - I miss my Eskimo friend This is reinstating the idea that he longs for his friend, whether they were actually in Finland whilst Rice wrote this song, he stresses the fact of him needing this 'friend' to which who/ what it is, is unclear to the audience however the comforting fact is the idea not actually knowing this. It leaves an element of mystery and enchantment which is nice to see in a song, this is also reflected within the fact of this being sung in Finnish as the English audience wont necessarily know what is being such as Finnish is not a largely spoken language to most of England. This could also be reflected in my promo video as the character who is searching for something could be searching for her friend as she misses her Eskimo friend. She could be searching out of an act of desperation for she could have many problems and she just needs that special thing or person to comfort her through this obviously hard time in her life.
When I'm down, down, down. When I'm down, down, down. When I'm down, down, down. This is the ending of the song which is repeated using the 'rule of 3.' This creates closure to the song and reflects for the final time to the audience why he needs his 'friend' at this time in his life, as he's writing this song. The song finished with these sentences as well as Rice's voice being faded out, not knowing what or who Eskimo friend is i feel, creates the element of mystery, comfort and enchantment. Within my music promo i feel i could fade out with the music to leave the same closure as it's a lot more pleasant on the eye and ears for something to fade out to a finish, rather then just suddenly cut to a finish, especially when the songs as gentle as Rice's is.
Over all i feel this song is a very calming, comforting and pleasent piece of music in which keeps the mystery of what the friend is / who the friend is throughout the song. I feel a mass audience can connect with the song as i feel the mass audience can connect with the idea of the song in many different ways depending on their personal experiences. I feel very positively about my chosen song, and i feel the intelligent, artistic lyrics will be reflicted in my artistic idea for a storyline as well as cinematography, mise-en-scene and editing.
I created a questionnaire to help me create more ideas for my music video, I feel these questions we help me establish my target audience as well as create an original and interesting idea for my music video. I've purposely placed in open questions within my questionnaire as this allows the audience to expand on their answers and tell me as a researcher what they personally like if the answer is not on the list.
These are the questions in which i asked:
What genre of music do you like the most? (tick)
Pop [] RnB [] Rock [] Dance [] Gospel [] Soul [] Heavy Rock [] Indie Rock [] Rock [] Other (Please State) [] ……………….
How often would you say you watched music videos? (tick)
Never [] Sometimes, when bored [] Occasionally [] Quite often [] A lot of the time [] They’re all I watch []
What music channel is you’re favourite? (tick)
MTV [] MTV 2 [] The Box [] Smash Hits [] Kiss [] Magic [] Q [] 4 Music [] NME TV [] VIVA [] Other (Please State) [] ………………
What most appealing to you in a music video? (tick)
The Music [] Choreography [] Story line [] (Please continue with stating the genre of Story) - Comedy [] - Horror [] - Drama [] Artists / Dancers with sex appeal [] A video which is controversial [] The Costume [] Other (Please State) [] ………………….
Which artist / band do you personally find, brings out the most interesting music videos?
Artist/ Band ………………………............................................................. Why? ……………………………..................................................................
What is your favourite music video and why?
Artist / Band ……………………................................................................. Why? ………………………….......................................................................
I will give out 10 questionnaires, 5 to females and 5 to males as i think it would generate a more interesting and exciting response hearing from both genders. I aim to have my questionnaire completed by 16 - 18 year olds as that's who I'm aiming my music video at, as an audience. I'm going to make graphs on Microsoft Excell to show my results as i feel it's easier to recognise data that way and also take note on the open questions as i feel there also very important.
I'm now going to write an analysis on Chris Browns music promo video, 'I can transform ya' which was released November 2009. This song belongs into the R'n'B/soul genre which is branched off from the original genre of 'Soul.' The conventions of R'n'B music has more comparisons with the conventions of Pop music rather then Rock music, however some characteristics in R'n'B include: The music isn't anything 'too' romantic or about 'love,' the songs (especially from the male artists) surround more about the subject of sex and lust for the opposite sex, the sounds is described as more edge, street sound which makes it popular amongst a working class audience, it's created with a hard repetitive beat which for some audience may not find it as easy to listen to as much pop music. Also the lyrics tend to be more similar to pop music in terms of songs about clubs and dancing, the artists (especially males, once again) seem to image themselves as being big womanizers who own a lot of glamorous things such as cars, big houses etc. One big convention in which this video has is the idea of choreography, Chris Brown choreograph reflects the edge street sound, as it's not conventional routine dancing it's cleaver, sharp and fresh in which makes the video a lot more interesting to watch. Another convention is the idea of the song being more buying someones affection through the lyrics, other conventions which are seen in this video include the idea of the song including the subject of sex surrounding women, however the main artist Chris, interestingly isn't surrounded by women and singing what can be interpreted as inappropriate lyrics about sex and seeing women as more of an object. There is a stronger relationship between the lyrics and the visuals in this video, especially used from the special effects. The idea of the video seems to be surrounding the main title of the music video being 'I Can Transform Ya' and basically stating the idea of Chris Brown is so wealthy and good looking he 'can transform ya' into anything you'd like. As the lyric 'Like 'em like a fire truck' is performed 3 men including Chris are seen transforming into an actual fire truck (Image to the left.) It reinstates the convention of the idea of these artists being amazing and so rich they can literally do anything they want, even impossible things by transforming. Another example of this is when the lyric 'Then my car transforms to a charter, And we can fly to wherever you ever thought of' and thus a car transforms into a helipcopter. All of this is pointing out the convention of this artists being so powerful, wealthy and out of this world they can transform items into completely other things to seduce women, it's an idea of sex appeal especially when he's stating these lyrics to an attractive female dancer/ model.
There is a strong relationship between the music and the video however, the editing doesn't seem to 'cut' as quick between shots as the other videos did. It seems to show longer shots sometimes up to 8 beats long before an edit to show the choreography in full rather then edit to other scenarios which is what both the other videos which i analysed did, they edits, especially in the chorus, sometimes experienced a 'cut' ever beat to the song. However as the song gets into the second verse the edits speed up, which obviously creates excitement and energy into the video and into the song. There are no solo instrumental bits within the song, however 'Lil' Wayne' is seen with a guitar during the intro of the song, this could suggest that he is the producer of the music as well as featuring in the track. It suggests to the audience that the idea of R'n'B being all computerised music rather then Slipknot who do create all their own music is not true, it presents the idea of the producers still having to play raw materials to achieve this type of music.
It seems like the record company are attempting to see this track though the terms of narcissism, fetishism and Scopophilia elements. The narcissim is aroused in terms of Chris Brown being an ultimate being, he's got a tones physique, he's an amazing dancer, he's claimed in his lyrics he's got a lot of money and claims he gets women through all of these factors which he has. The idea of the male audience wishing to be Chris, it's easy to see why they would fantasise about being like him or seeing him as an idol, the girls in which surround Chris and 'Lil Wayne are also very tall, very thin, very beautiful features and are able to surround people like Chris Brown therefore the female audience could have the idea of wishing they where them female dancers / models within the music promo video. The idea of fetishism within the video is the exampled of when Chris Brown first opens his music video in his very expensive looking suite, worn with also, very expensive looking sunglasses. The items in which he has included in his video such as: Chris Brown actually drives onto the set before the music actually starts and the car he drives onto the scene in looks like a very expensive sports car, the video also includes a various amount of very expensive looking bikes. This is great for attracting a male audience, through the use of fetishism, as the stereotypical male craves items just as what is featured within this video. Finally the idea of Scopophilia is used to sell this track, this is used through the terms of naked bodies and choreography. This is an important element in which i feel attracts most of a female audience especially with the male artists: Chris Brown and 'Lil Wayne are all seen topless within this video and they all have a 'toned' body, a lot of the female audience will receive in pleasure from looking at these bodies therefore gaining pleasure from listening to the song in general. This also can be achieved from using outstanding choreography, in which Chris Brown also uses, this is pleasurable to watch by both male and female viewers and also gives him much more sex appeal as a product and an object.
The image of the artist is an edgy, sexy male. You can see he has tattoos which creates this idea of him being a 'bad boy' and rebellion as an individual which can create a narcisstistic view on his strength and passion from being a rebel within the music industry and in society. He's under dressed to show off his 'toned' body in which society is seen as 'sexy' and 'appealing,' and his dancing makes him seem edgy and creative, this also adds to the idea of 'sex appeal.' This image Chris has created for obviously his new album, isn't how he used to image himself, he used to be seen as the 'cute' and 'good looking' eighteen year old, however as he's become older and received a lot of negative media with accusations against him, this was a very cleaver image transformation as he's become a lot more sexual and edgy to try and gain fans back in which he would have lost during his media downfall.
This video doesn't relate much in terms as narrative to any of his other videos, however in a lot of his music promo videos and performances he includes choreography, for example his music promo videos such as: Run it, Forever and his new single Crawl: He dances even in his songs which are more ballads then up-beat which some artists and dancers may find it hard to do if they are not experienced as a dancer. There are close ups on the artist mickey miming to the song, i feel this is basically due to the idea of performing to the audience and the audience feeling special and personally singled out. It also allows the audience to come 'face to face' with the artist Chris Brown which they wouldn't able to do on a daily basis, even if they went to see him on tour.
There is very strong notion of looking within this video, as both the artists Chris Brown and Lil Wayne are both topless and showing off their 'toned' physique. The women who are featured within this video are not as naked as the artists are, however they are wearing quite revealing tight Lycraa costumes. Chris brown can be seen in a low angle singing to the camera, this gives the audience, specifically the female audience, some dominance over him which can be seen as quite a sexy element, the idea you're above him. It's also rather flattering the way the cinematography has been created and also allows the audience to believe the illusion that Chris Brown is performing, personally to you. The choreography is also sexual as well, with Chris Brown grabbing his crotch, this is seen as a tease, once again specifically towards the female audience. Other choreography sees him touching his own body in a sexual way as well as dancing in the colour black, which is seen as a very seductive colour.
The only inter textual reference in which is seen from this video is the idea of the choreography, especially when he performs the 'crotch move' is specially like the iconic Michael Jackson dance move, and with Chris Brown confirming what a large fan he is of Michael Jackson it perhaps has been performed in memory of. Even if that idea is the case, he seems to have updated it for a modern, edge audience.
The music video is very much performance based, with little narrative. I believe this music is once again a strong concept and performance based music video created to sell the record and to allow the audience closer then you would normally be allowed to the artist. The choreography and special effects create strong entertainment value within the music video, which encourages the audience to watch the full video and eventually purchase the single, once the song has officially 'grown' on the audience.
In conclusion i feel this has also been a very good music video to analyse specifically in how the record company market male artists supplying music to the mainstream audience. There are also strong comparisons and contrasts between both pop music genre and the rock music genre one comparison between them all is they all include mickey miming in the music videos. Britney Spears also included choreography within her music promo video as well as strong notion of looking which is what Chris Brown also includes strongly in his. There isn't a strong contrast between them, and by analysing more music promo videos from different genres i find it increasingly hard to point out the contrasting differences basically they're all using the main conventions for music videos, there doesn't seem to be anything original or different however by creating something completely original perhaps takes the entire concept away and instead of a band promoting a song, it could turn into a 5 minute film instead. These analysis' have helped me decide and think of more ideas I could put within my music promo video, however i also feel i need to put some more ideas which will advertise and promote the artist, which is, like i said before is the concept of the whole idea behind the music video.
For my second video analysis i wished to analyse a music promo video which is strongly contrasted to the Pop genre, the artists are Slipknot and the song is called 'Before I Forget.' It was released 2004 which the album 'Vol 3' soon followed.
The song and band strongly seem to follow the conventions of Rock Music in which, Slipknot are creating music for that certain genre. One first key convention in which they strongly use is the idea of guitar dominating the song to create a catchy and memorable tune. A convention of rock music is also the guitar usually being played through an amplifier which can alternatively completely change the sound of the guitar in this case resulting in the heaving guitar sounding very dark, loud, dominating and creating a lot of energy and excitement for the song. Another convention is the idea of Rock musicians like to be seen with 'their' band, performing in music promo videos or in live performances, other artists such as Marilyn Manson and System Of The Down also comply with this convention of the idea of the group being a 'band.' Another convention in which is very popular is the idea of the music and the artists image being very controversial. Historically, Bob Dylan was the first rock artist to break out in America in the 50s, he broke the rules from singing hopelessly about love and romance, to singing his views on the country and what was going on within the world at that present time, the controversial image he created himself as an artist created a lot of bitter talk, however people eventually did admire him, therefore start doing the same: breaking the rules, deifying to conform and sing about their personal views of the world, and how they are personally feeling. The bands image is also a strong convention of a Rock group, their image always seems to be controversial, shocking and sometimes slightly horrific for the audience to see, it's redefine the audience about the idea of how they're rebelling against society about how society wish for that band to conform, they're rebelling against that, which is basically what Bob Dylan first became famous for.
With this promo video not displaying much information about the artist on a personal level, there is still some strong indication about their ideas and views of society in which again, is a convention. One connection between the visuals and the lyrics is the idea of the lyrics being strong and sounding angry in the first place, this is then sung in such a way, screaming in fact, that the audience are literally forced to listen to them. It also reinstates the original and conventional emotion in which Rock artist are conventionally supposed to feel and also connotes the emotion the band are feeling as they perform this song and sing word by word.
Another convention of Rock bands is obviously the idea of rebelling against society, Slipknot have also followed this convention by giving themselves a harsh and iconic image. Slipknot are more well known for their horrifying masks which cover their face thus hiding their identity, it gives the band strong media attention which results in their music becoming more well known globally and also gives the band that element of mystery, they tease their audience by not showing their identity and instead perform in horrifying masks. Members of slipknot also have long multi-coloured hair which again is rebelling against the stereotype of how 'men' should 'look' within society and also they have many tattoos which are shown in close-ups in the video 'Before I Forget' which are also seen as controversial and strong minded.
There isn't a strong relationship between the lyrics of the song and the visuals in which we see, the only strong link i could point out was when 'Stapled Shut' was sung, a close up of obviously the lead singers mask which has staples stapling the whole mask together all the way down the middle. There is also a strong contrast in what they are singing, and where the actual video is set. The lyrics state 'Claustrophobic, sealed in tight,' these lyrics are strongly contrasted as they are performing in a white building, in which, in interior design is supposed to make rooms look larger, and deceive the idea that areas are larger then they actually are and also, at the end of the video they all walk out of the area so they're not physically 'Sealed In Tight.' There seem to be no other imaging which represents with the lyrics they are stating.
This video does not have a narrative structure involved, it doesn't have a storyline at all with what they are singing. However i feel this is a strong way in getting your lyrics heard, as with pop music they usually hide the competent singers with image, choreography and upbeat happy tunes, and to be honest it's almost like the sales for records like that depend on such an amazing music video because there's no depth to the song, whereas Rock musicians use cleaver and ambiguous lyrics therefore there doesn't need to be as much covering the simple lyrics with choreography and for the video to include a narrative structure as much. The editing within the video seems to gain speed in between 'cuts' faster towards the end of the song, which is understandable as that is the last time you're going to impress the audience with that song, the last one minute or so, therefore by increasing the fast editing, it creates excitement and almost an adrenaline rush as the energy in the artists has been amplified for that last minute in which defines whether the audience will like that track. The chorus I've noticed cut edits every 1/2 beats of the song in the chorus whereas in the verse it's a steady 'every two beat cut' and within the last chorus the cuts speed up to a cut every beat within the song.
The record company seem to be selling this track by: the controversial and iconic image of Slipknot, and also the cleaver, ambiguous lyrics in which the artists are singing, and by their energetic, passionate performance. The image which is offered is the idea of rebelling against society and singing about how they personally feel and their personal ideas within society. However, a mass audience may be able to connect with their image as they may see it as 'the outsiders' 'the rebels' in society, are able to succeed in producing their own music, with no industry pushed image or industry pushed performing. Their image comes across as strong, energetic and passionate, and the idea of them playing as a bad creates the sense of friendship and also how they seem like ordinary people behind the horrifying masks by enjoying to perform with their 'band mates.' Also through product placement with 'Vans Slipons' the track could also create a wider target audience as if a member of the audience was a strong fan of 'Van Slipons' shoes (The left), just seeing that product within the promo video could strongly convince and convert that audience into buying that track. With product placement it could also work vice versa with that certain product wishing to be placed within that music promo video due to the idea that people will see that certain artist 'promoting' that product. Another example of product placement within a music promo video is 'Dr Dre Monster Beats' headphones which are used in Lady Ga Ga's music video 'Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say). This certain video actually is very original to other music promo videos in which Slipknot have done, usually the band perform with their 'masks' on, even in the music videos this is what makes their band so iconic. However, with creating a music promo video with their masks off it creates a sense of mystery and also a sense of controversy with the idea you can actually see parts of their faces in this video, of course they still include the masks due to the iconography in which they carry. One strong comparison in which is included in many others of their videos is the idea of 'performance.' In their other music promo videos such as 'duality' and 'wait and bleed' they are performing with all of their band as a group. Also a strong comparison is the idea they play their instruments their own instruments in a lot of their music videos such as 'duality' and 'wait and bleed.'The masks are the only motif which appear in video after video, after all it's their iconic horrifying masks in which people recognise them by.
There doesn't seem to be much notion of looking within this video, however I'd defiantly say the video could dwell the audience to feel to narcissistic emotions towards the band, as they could be seen as amazing artists as they are strong minded with their image and lyrics and also they are very strong and passionate with the idea of rebelling against society, the lyrics state 'I'm caught up in the cattle' - Before I Forget, this could suggest the idea of how it frustrates them and makes them so angry, the idea of conformity within society. Also their Before I Forget promo video the lead singer is seen with dirty finger nails, multi-coloured hair and it's obvious they have strongly rebelled against the ideas and stereotypes in which society believes men should look and what type of music they should produce, and instead they are producing music which they want and also dressing themselves how they want. There is also an element of fetishism from this band, as they represent power and strength to the audience who also feel the same about conforming to society's wishes, as if Slipknot have become that successful without conforming and becoming an everyday 'sheep,' then why can't a member of the audience as well?
There is no narrative structure to this video, it is very much performance based. It's basically all performance, the band are playing their own instruments and the lead singer has as much time as any other band member. This represents the idea of friendship, teamwork and also passion.
In conclusion there is defiantly an aura or passion, mystery and strength in which surrounds Slipknot within their videos, i feel there is some definite contrasts in which how pop artists are marketed and how Rock bands are marketed. Some definite comparisons between them however, both include the idea of being controversial and crave media attention which is needed for records to sell, however Rock musicians like slipknot seem a lot more daring then pop musicians, Rock music isn't only controversial by their image, it's there performances, interviews, music promo videos, attitudes and they always seem to take their controversy to the maximum, there really seems to be no limit with rock musicians however pop musicians like Britney Spears will only take her controversy so far, perhaps it's because she attracts such a mainstream audience it's unhealthy for her career to pursue controversy as much as Slipknot, as slipknot do only attract such a niche market. Another definite contrast is choreography, with choreography being a strong convention within Pop music, Rock music hardly includes choreography within it's music promo videos, and instead what seems like 'live' performances by the Rock band, by playing their instruments. Both sets of music promo videos include mickey miming, however there seems to be something a lot more raw and 'live' about Slipknots music video whereas Britney Spears didn't seem as much. A comparison is the idea of both music promos being very much performance based, however Britney's had more concept based, with the idea of a song being called 'circus' and it actually being shot in a stereotypical circus. For a completely contrasted genre to Britney Spears, i was expecting more contrasting elements between both the music promos, however it's interesting how both music videos are pretty much the same recipe as one another, they are basically trying to sell the artists image and the artists song so very interestingly the same conventions for The Music Promo Video have been used.
The video i am going to analyse in Britney Spears' video - Circus. It's directed by Francis Lawrence who also directed a previous music video of hers: I'm a slave 4 u. The genre Britney Spears exceeds in is the Pop genre, in which she has created music for ever since her career took off in 1997. As i explained the characteristics of the pop genre in an earlier post, this video just from the beginning has some very broad characteristics in which you'd expect in a pop video, however this video seems to include them all. Strongly including: Very image driven, Commerically friendly, Very performance based and Marketable.
The video has strong links with the lyrics, one strong factor of this is the idea of the video being set in a stereotypical 1940s circus. We can draw this conclusion out from the mise-en-scene, mostly if we analyse the hairstyles and costumes of the dancers and artist. The lyrics state 'I'm like the ringleader' this is reflected in the costume in which Spears is dressed in, is indeed a stereotypical Ringmasters costume. This includes a whip, a long jacket, a top hat and big boots. Another example of the lyrics having strong relationship with the visuals is included within her dancing. There's a certain lyric which states: 'I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins' when she mickey mimes it, the choreography reflects a wave of energy running through her body, as well as the other dancers reflecting this lyric also. The lyric 'We can make a dance floor, just like a circus,' This lyric is also reflected in the visuals with her and the dancers actually dancing on the stage which is made of sand which is stereotypically what a circus looks like.
The relationship between the music and the video is also a strong, with editing such as 'cuts' which are to the beat of the song, especially in the chorus, which is where it conventionally needs to be as the verse and the pre-chorus are to build suspension for the chorus, and with the fast editing to the fast beats, it creates strong excitement. The choreography is also created to the music beat as well as the lyrics, with big choreography being done on big beats within the verse and chorus. During the chorus of the music video, there's a large number of dancers with Britney Spears being central focus to the audience in which is a convention as she's the artist and she's trying to promote her music. When the last chorus is performed the editing is a lot quicker and faster with a cut happening on average about ever 4 seconds. This creates excitement and hype towards the song which is reflected in the video by at the same time showing strong choreographic work with a lot of dancers. An example of creating the choreography to the beat of the music is, in the last chorus she's dancing with her whip and stomping it on the ground to the beat of the chorus.
The record company seem to be trying to sell this track through the idea of making it a pop dance track which is fun to dance and sing to. They are also relating it to how the media perceive and seem to treat Britney Spears. If we look into the social and historical context with this song, it was at the time in her career when she basically broke down. The lyrics seemed to reflect how the media was treating her and how they saw her 'All eyes on me in the centre of the ring, just like a circus.' I feel this also allowed Britney to become closer to her audience and make it seem more of a personal song as well as a great dance, club song. She's presenting a sexy and slightly controversial image. Her costume represents her as sexy for example her ringmaster costume consists of a corset, a long jacket, fishnet tights, big boots and a whip. This is a convention of pop music, it's a more image driven genre which i explained in the conventions and characteristics of pop music. The top hat is a strong reoccurring motif within the music video, in which she is either wearing or dancing with in the different scenes. This is a strong resemblance of the image she wishes to play within the circus which is also backed up with the lyric 'I'm like the ringleader.' Another reoccurring prop motif is the idea of the whip, a couple of her dancers are also dancing with the prop as well as her, however link this with her costume and her image is reinstated, as the ringmaster of the circus. The video is also dominated by shots of the star mickey miming in close up, this gives the audience the feeling she is performing to them personally and reinstating the idea of music promo videos are to let the audience watch the star in a performance you wouldn't normally be able to, even if you want to see her in concert. The direct mode of address when she is mickey miming in close up is singling out the spectator, thus making the audience feel special and one in a million. She's seen flirting with the camera at some points of the mickey miming in the video, this is flattering for the audience and for the spectator personally, for this world class star to be seen in close up 'winking' and 'smiling' at the audience is something you would only be able to receive within a music video thus making music promo music videos a lot more special then seeing a live performance. This video can be strongly interlinked with a lot of Britney Spears' previous videos, one strong point being the idea of choreography within her video, throughout her career she's always been a strong dancer and is always seen dancing in the up-tempo, fast songs. I feel this always captivates the audience into the song, and for children and teenagers they wish to learn the routines, and to learn the routines they have to download the song and study the music video therefore the artists and their music become more very well known. There is also strong directorial comparisons with her other music video for 'I'm A Slave 4 U' which was obviously directed by the same director, the comparisons include the intense, sweaty sexual choreography and closeness of the dancers to Britney Spears. Also the idea of being in a private area which the audience should never really be, in 'I'm a Slave 4 U' she's in a ladies bathroom and in Circus she's in a Ladies dressing room.
There is strong notion of looking within this video one key example is the way the male dancers are placing the main focus on Britney Spears with the choreography during the middle of the music video. There is also about seven male dancers surrounded Britney spears which seems to be demonstrating the idea of sex with a group, the lighting also helps develop this idea due to the main lighting from fire in the background which creates a intense, sexual atmosphere.
The costume with props including whips cracking the floor and the choreography of the female dancers tying the whip around their necks creates an atmosphere of sadomasochism within the video. This gives the idea a sense of eroticism which i feel would only be identified by the male 18+ audience. Adding factors like this i feel widens the target audience of who the companies are targeting the music at, it also creates an edge to the artists image and controversially to the media product. The costume also creates a sexy image for this artist, especially when she's dressed in a bikini top and a short skirt, also there's an idea surround fetishism within the video especially with costume and the idea of dressing up as a ringleader the audience could find this exceptionally appealing. The interesting cinematography i feel also creates strong voyeuristic pleasure for the audience, especially in the introduction of the song, the camera is positioned all surrounding Britney in her dressing room which could seem rather violating for anyone, however the idea of her not noticing the audience are viewing her creates this idea of voyeuristic pleasure in which the audience receive from this.
As noted before, this song was written at a very important stage in Britney Spears' life as she had just suffered a very public breakdown, the media were always surrounding her, she would be on magazine from covers week after week without a fail, be headlines on tabloid newspapers daily, she was really getting the wrong media attention. The opening line to the chorus 'All eyes on me, in the centre of a ring, just like a circus.' This hints at how she sees the press attention, like she's the main performer in a circus, it's that element of really wishing to see someone perform or act in the flesh however, there's always that craving, that wish for them to fall with no safety net in front of your eyes, people viewed her as entertainment, not a person and i feel this song really describes how she was feeling that moment in time.
The video is very much performance based, it has no narrative involved or no story. However, it is a pop song and another convention for this genre is the idea of there performances being image and choreographed dominated.
In conclusion i feel this was a very strong and worthwhile media text to analyse. I feel is fully uses the conventions of the pop genre however it also creates it's own subtle elements which make it original and more of a special and exciting promo video. I feel the video itself creates a lot of excitement surrounding the song and also around the artist creating some narcissistic feeling towards her being a ringmaster, dominant and female in charge.
