Music Videos Flashcards

1
Q

define music video

A
  • music video = a video that integrates a song /album with imagery that is produced for promotional or artistic purposes
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2
Q

list the 5 types of music videos

A
  • performance
  • narrative
  • concept
  • lyric
  • animated
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3
Q

outline performance MVs

A
  • feature the artist / band whilst performing
  • focus is on the artist(s); includes singing, dancing and playing instruments
  • this typology is relevant for rock, alternative or indie and is used to showcase their talents
  • is the oldest + most used + lowest budget
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4
Q

outline narrative MVs

A
  • the artists are trying to tell a story
  • is a short film based on the song with a structure of beginning, middle and end
  • may have actresses/ actors or feature the artists’ themselves
  • strong examples of this typology are Katy Perry and Taylor Swift
  • 3 distinct techniques for narrative: illustration (narrative based directly on lyrics), amplification (lyrics closely connected to MV) or disjuncture (narrative is detached from song meaning)
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5
Q

outline concept MVs

A
  • MVs without a storyline + have no relevance to song lyrics
  • based on the artist’s vision - a way to expand it
  • MVs are based around one concept to open the audiences imagination to more philosophical ideas linked to the artist’s values
  • may include narrative or performance but it lacks structure
    there are thematic (based on a theme - setting, colour) and symbolic (different frames that build meaning with each other) types of concept MVs
  • e.g. Elastic Heart by Sia
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6
Q

outline lyric MVs

A
  • focus on the lyrics - main part of the video is text
  • words may be animated in different ways
  • were very popular in the early days of YT, but were usually uploaded by third party sources who didn’t have the rights
  • the font + colour scheme can be matched to the theme/ genre of the song
  • is more practical as its cheaper, easier to make
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7
Q

outline animated MVs

A
  • either are MVs with drawn animations, cartoon clips, or TV shows and movies
  • dont require live action recording
  • can be anthing from stop motion to CGI
  • e.g. Gorillaz
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8
Q

define intertexuality

A
  • references to other media products in which the audience is expected to recognise
  • e.g. Madonna’s Material Girl (1984) featuring Marilyn Monroe’s Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend (1953) mise en scene
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9
Q

outline the history of the first MV

A
  • 1975, with Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody
  • Bruce Gowers was employed to make a promotional video for their song for the BBC music series ‘Top of the Pops’
  • the MV is described as ‘its (the MV) influence cannot be overstated, practically inventing the music video 7 years before MTV went on air’
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10
Q

outline the history of Michael Jackson’s Thriller MV

A
  • 1983: one of the most successful, influential and iconic MVs of all time
  • the nearly 14 minute MV, directed by John Landis set new production standards
  • cost $800,000 to make
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11
Q

outline the launch of YouTube and its impact on MVs

A
  • 2005: launch of YT - made viewing of online videos much easier
  • some musicians began to see success because of just their online viewership
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12
Q

outline the censorship of MVs

A
  • what may be considered offensive will differ between countries due to censorship laws + local customs/ ethics
  • they can then be edited and released accordingly, but in some cases, the video may be completely banned
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13
Q

name an example of MV censorship each decade from 1990-2020

A
  • 1980s: Olivia Newton-John’s Physical; homo erotic undertones
  • 1990s: Madonna’s (a widely censored artist) Like a Virgin
  • 2000s: Robbie William’s Rock DJ; graphic + violent imagery
  • 2010s: Rihanna’s S&M; themes of BDSM, a lesbian kiss
  • 2020s: Lil Nas X’s Montero (Call Me By Your Name); provocative scenes, ‘mocking of religion’ - gives Satan a lap dance
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14
Q

list Goodwin’s 6 music conventions in his MV theory

A

1) demonstrating the genre
2) association between the lyrics of the song + the visuals
3) relationship between the music + the visuals
4) intertextual references
5) focus on the ‘star’ of the MV
6) voyeuristic images are featured

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15
Q

outline Goodwins convention;
1) demonstrating the genre

A

1) demonstrating the genre:
- refers to the conventions associated with a music genre to give the MV its genre
- e.g. traditional conventions of rock music; dark, gothic colour and lighting

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16
Q

outline Goodwins convention;
2) association between the lyrics of the song + the visuals

A

2) association between the lyrics of the song + the visuals:
- refers to the relationship between the lyrics of the song and the visual video whether its contradicting or direct
- e.g. Jessie J’s Price Tag; contradicts lyrics + visuals

17
Q

outline Goodwins convention;
3) relationship between the music + the visuals

A

3) relationship between the music + the visuals:
- if the pace of the editing and pictures that we see in the MV relate to the song’s pace
- an up-tempo song will have faster editing cuts than a ballad MV
- e.g. Arctic Monkey’s Do I Wanna Know amplifies the songs beats with the visuals

18
Q

outline Goodwins convention;
4) intertextual references

A

4) intertextual references
- MVs can have intertextual references to other media texts like TV, video games, films etc
- e.g. in Iggy Azalea’s Fancy, she wears a yellow outfit infamously worn in the film Clueless
- this is done to convey who her target audience is and who her music is aimed at

19
Q

outline Goodwins convention;
5) focus on the ‘star’ of the MV

A

5) focus on the ‘star’ of the MV:
- music genres have their own style + iconography to make the ‘star’ of the MV recognisable due to their unique style
- they will be the main focus of the MV through close up shots
- e.g. Lady Gaga has created an identifiable brand for her wacky and wonderful fashion sense and hairstyles. her videos are instantly recognisable

20
Q

outline Goodwins convention;
6) voyeuristic images are featured

A

6) voyeuristic images are featured:
- there is likely to be voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women and of the main artist
- this aims to display their attractive elements, such as their body
- e.g. Rihanna, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus all use provocative angles and close ups of their bodies in a voyeuristic way to build heir brand image and promote sales

21
Q

outline context of Heaven by Emile Sande

A
  • the debut single from Sande
  • released onto YT in July 2011
  • video was filmed in Bethnal Green, London
  • throughout the video, Sande is shown in several locations in London and there is repeated religious imagery
22
Q

how is Sande’s Heaven MV structured

A
  • doesn’t have a clear narrative structure
  • opens with a montage of ‘characters’ - some reoccurring
  • throughout, Sande is in a range of different locations shot in a range of camera angles - e.g. low, close up
  • the video is centred in a gritty urban setting (imagery of buses, subway, streets)
23
Q

outline use of CGI in Heaven by Emile Sande

A
  • its use can be considered in relation to how developing tech affects media language
  • the footage had been touched/ edited to look the certain way - with imperfections/ over-exposure/ washed out
  • does this ‘vintage’ editing style have purpose - link with the lyrics “lasts too long”
24
Q

define iconography

A
  • iconography = the pattern of signs we associate with a particular genre
25
Q

outline the religious iconography in Heaven by Emile Sande

A
  • Christian symbolism; e.g. imagery of shots of the cathedral, crucifix, Mary, angel, rosary, wings
  • ‘fear is your only god’ written on a window
  • celestial imagery; repeated shots of the sky, lens flare/ sunlight,
  • repeated lyrics of “heaven”
26
Q

what are the genre codes + conventions of Heaven by Emile Sande

A
  • MV shows link between the video + the lyrics (e.g. Sande leaving the shot when she sings “then I’m gone”)
  • the video has aspects of a conceptual and performance MV - shots of Sande singing among others
  • depiction of characters reinforces stereotypes: a white F is sad, children dancing/ playing/ walking - creates conventional structure which doesn’t challenge audiences expectation
27
Q

outline intertextuality in Heaven by Emile Sande

A
  • Sande’s St Christopher’s necklace + bright lights whilst dressed in black suggests an angelic representation/ being a ‘fallen angel’
  • the woman in the red dress is an archetype of sensuality
  • the urban environment could be intertextual with film/ TV programmes
28
Q

outline the representation in Heaven by Emile Sande

A
  • representation of Bethnal Green; its dangerous, poor, undesirable
  • ’’ of female characters; woman in red dress, W with angel wings, Sande herself
  • ’’ of male characters; man with headscarf, elderly M in extreme close up, M with tattooed wings
  • ’’ of isolation in public spheres; many characters appear alone even in the crowded urban environment
29
Q

what does the MV of Heaven by Emile Sande represent

A
  • Sande’s aim to ‘capture a real British vibe’
  • the experience of ethnic minorities in 21st century Britain
  • a journey
30
Q

outline context of Burn the Witch by Radiohead

A
  • released in 2016
  • by the English rock band Radiohead
  • uses stop motion in the style of a children TV programme (the Trumptonshire trilogy)
  • follows the narrative of an inspector in an unfamiliar odd town where he witnesses sacrifices/ overall unsettling sights
  • the MV can be interpreted as a criticism of authority and ‘herd thinking’
31
Q

outline the MV structure of Burn the Witch by Radiohead

A
  • follows linear narrative structure
  • starts + ends with birds singing
  • elliptical structure with fades of black guiding the passage of time
  • the juxtaposition of the childish simplistic colourful design and the dark content themes
32
Q

outline the ideological values presented in Burn the Witch by Radiohead

A
  • distribution of jobs conform to essentialist gender roles
  • traditional band, maypole, festivities connote values of rural Britishness
33
Q

how does the codes and conventions of BtW by Radiohead fit into its genre (animated + narrative)

A
  • is an animated narrative MV, but visuals dont exactly match to the lyrics
  • the narrative and lyrics are thematically linked
  • the band is absent - no performance aspect
34
Q

where does the animation of the Burn the Witch MV come from

A
  • The Wicker Man; a stop motion animation
  • the Trumptonshire + Camberwick Green series; a children’s animation series
35
Q

outline the representation of the society in Burn the Witch

A
  • monocultural
  • traditional hierarchal roles
  • an early time period
  • all of these contrast to the world in which this song was written in (liberal, anti-authority)