Music Video Analysis
The
music video genre that I’m interested in is Electropop which combines
electronic music and pop music. Since the 1980's the genre has become more and
more popular. Music videos in this genre are often similar in style and tell a
story through the use of camera, editing and lighting techniques. They’re often
very colourful with colour sometimes being the main aspect of the video. I
really like this idea and want to use some of the elements as inspiration for
my own production. Two music videos that I particularly like in this genre are:
- · Youth – Troye Sivan (2016)
- · Primadonna – Marina and the Diamonds (2012)
Youth – Troye Sivan
Andrew
Goodwin’s theory states that particular music genres have their own style and iconography.
A key convention of the electropop genre within music videos is the use of
bright lighting and colours creating a relaxed and light hearted atmosphere. The
music video begins with a close-up of the artist bathed in soft artificial blue
and purple lighting which immediately addresses the electropop music genre
conventions. The colour purple also has connotations of mystery, independence
and romance which is one of the themes explored throughout the narrative. The
image then becomes blurred as the title of the song and artist name fade onto
screen. The text is slightly transparent creating a soft, dreamy feel without
harsh lines or colour. Throughout this we hear the diegetic sound of people
talking in the background informing the audience of the presence of other
people around him. The use of close-ups of the main artist is one of the
typical conventions of a music video by demand of the record company to ‘sell’
the image of the artist.
It then
cuts to a long shot of Troye sitting on a sofa in a room with old-fashioned
furniture establishing the scene and location and immediately orientating the
audience within the world. On the tables a number of plastic cups and beer
bottles are visible representing the youth and nature of the party. The
protagonist is looking directly into the lens establishing a connection with
the audience. His curly hair and soft features represent him in a feminine
fashion and challenge the male stereotype which is reinforced by the white sateen
bomber jacket he’s wearing which is actually a uniform from the 80's. The sateen
material is more often worn by women for clothing such as dresses. The hazy,
neon-washed lighting is significant throughout the entirety of the video as
well as expressionistic lighting creating complex patterns and colour palettes
within the scenes. The soft colourful lighting used can also manipulate the
audience’s attitude towards the people and make them look beautiful and more
likeable.
Next, the camera tracks forward before cutting at 0.17 to a
long shot of the artist in a hallway framed by multi-coloured fairy lights and
back-lighting which shadow him, making his body blend into the background. The
lighting then gets brighter making him more visible which links to the lyrics
‘what if we’re hard to find’ because at first he is within the frame.
Throughout the video it continuously cuts back and forth between this location
e.g. at 0.25 the camera tracks backwards while he moves further away. The
lighting behind him is slowly flashing which links to the lyrics ‘when the
lights start flashing like a photo booth’ amplifying the music and creating a
relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (Goodwin). There’s also a
relationship between the music and the visuals as many of his hand gestures and
movements are in time with the beat. In addition, the use of fairy lights along
the walls creates a depth of field within the frame and draws the eye through
the image towards the performer at the end of the hallway signifying his
importance.
At 0.55
the shot fades to white before cutting to a two-shot which is used to establish
some sort of relationship between the characters. The fact that the artist is
gay himself is clearly portrayed within his videos e.g. in many shots he is
seen laying and dancing with a male character. There’s also shots of two female
characters acting intimately as though they are a couple which portrays a
positive representation of sexuality and gender and raises LGBT+ visibility
from the video. It also portrays a gay artist living a happy, successful and
healthy life which sends out a positive message. Being gay is a part of Troye’s
star iconography and star image; he won an award from the Teen Choice Awards in
the ‘choice web collaboration’ category for his video ‘The Boyfriend Tag’ with
fellow youtuber Tyler Oakley. He came out as gay on YouTube in 2013, with the
video gaining over 7 million views. The fact that his lyrics describe being in
a relationship with a boy would only be clear to a loyal audience who most
likely watches his videos due to the fact that they would realise this as
oppose to someone who only listens to his music. From this the audience gains a
sense of satisfaction.
Women
are often portrayed as objects and accessories to men. In this video women are
represented positively and not exploited for voyeurism which Andrew Goodwin’s
theory depicts as one of the key conventions of many music videos. Also, actress
and YouTube personality Lia Marie Johnson stars in the video as well as American
actress Amandla Stenberg who is best known for her role of Rue in The Hunger
Games.
The use of fast montage editing brings all the scenes together
to create meaning. Troye said that “Youth is about the joy in naivety and being
lost, it’s about dropping everything, running away, making mistakes, and loving
too hard, and how that’s okay.” This editing technique is another convention of
the electropop genre.
Reference
to intertextuality is highlighted at 1.14 by the ‘Make America Gay Again’ hat someone
is wearing. The hat stands for equality and acceptance and is in association
with the Human Rights Act and the Make America Gay Again campaign in NYC. The
accessory make fun of Donald Trump’s slogan ‘Make America Great Again’ and is
inspired by Trump’s red ‘Make America Great Again’ cap. He’s also seen holding and
being surrounded by Care Bear toys in a blanket fort which portrays a sense of
youth. The bear that he’s holding in the image above is called Bedtime Bear
which is supposed to help people get a good night’s sleep and have sweet
dreams. The props and high camera angles in this scene represent a young and vulnerable
side to the artist.
Theorist
Joan Lynch stated that there are three basic video structures that music videos
will include at least one aspect of – performance, narrative and concept. Many
music videos combine two or three of these. Throughout this music video there
are aspects of performance through lip-syncing (Gow) which is common in
mainstream media and is conventional of the genre. However, it’s also narrative
as it tells a story in close relation to the lyrics. The lyrics describe how he
wants to take risks and peruse a relationship with the one he loves while he’s
young and in the video the protagonist is at a house party dancing and having
fun with his love interest as well as his friends. One of the girls is also
seen piercing her tongue which represents a certain recklessness.
Carol
Vernallis’ suggests that music videos don’t embody complete narratives or
convey finely wrought stories, they tend to be considerate of the topic which
in this video is love. Music videos gain from holding back information. I think
this music video conforms to this idea as there is a limited amount of time to
tell the complete story; however meaning is produced through signs and
semiotics (Barthes) and the audience can depict a narrative from that.
Primadonna – Marina and the Diamonds
‘Primadonna’ is a song by Welsh singer and songwriter Marina
and the Diamonds from her second album ‘Electra Heart’ (2012). The music video
was released in March 2012 directed by Casper Balslev as part of her Electra
Heart series on YouTube featuring 10 other music videos for her album.
The music video opens with a projection of the artist name and song onto a purple screen with an old movie projector sound effect. The high contrast against the typography draws the audience to the name making it more memorable and the use of the projector creates a vintage film look which is carried on throughout the video. It then cuts to a close up of Marina in the studio which builds an immediate connection to the audience by the positioning of the camera. Here she is lip-syncing the words “primadonna girl” which suggests that the song is about herself. The same vintage retro filter is used here and the use of handheld camera gives the effect of an old film where they might not have had the filming equipment to keep the camera stable. It could symbolise her unstable and temperamental nature. The colours in this shot are mostly flesh tones and whites, making her red lipstick stand out. Red connotes strength and power as well as passion, love and romance. The idea of dominance and power is emphasised by the slightly low camera angle as we are looking up at her; this has a slightly intimidating effect on the audience. The high angle also suggests that the audience should aim to be like her in terms of her glamorous lifestyle and that she is above everyone else in terms of class.
It then cuts to a mid shot of the performer in bed which symbolises sex and portrays her as a sexual object as she looks like she’s waiting for someone which is emphasised by the low camera angle representing her as small and vulnerable. Throughout the music video she is continuously represented in a sexual manner e.g. when she winks at the camera and looks up in a seductive fashion with wind blowing her hair back which could be argued as being slightly voyeuristic and conforms to the male gaze. The high key bright lighting gives the effect that she's glowing, creating an unnatural and somewhat dream-like scene emphasised by the vignette effect which draws attention to the centre of the frame.
The protagonist
is wearing bright pink and red lipstick as well as false lower lashes which
represents her as fun and unique. Part of Marina’s star iconography is the
drawn on heart she has on her cheek which she has also worn outside of her
videos. As part of the album ‘Electra Heart’ she likes to explore different
character archetypes such as Teen Idle and Homewrecker. Her character Electra wears a heart on her
cheek so she doesn’t get hurt by love. “Rule number three, wear a heart on your
cheek. Never on your sleeve, unless you want to taste defeat” – ‘How to be a
Heartbreaker’. Andrew Goodwin highlighted that one of the key conventions of a
music video is the representation of the artist’s star iconography, which over
time becomes part of their star image which is true for this music video. The clothing
she wears throughout the video suggests that she is fashionable and wealthy.
The colours are mostly pastel blues and pinks; the colour pink has connotations
of love, romance and playfulness. It’s also associated with femininity. The
style of clothing is fairly revealing and figure-hugging, accentuating the female form and creating a sexual appeal.
Throughout the video there are shots of a German Shepherd such as at 3:27. The German Shepherd is a breed often used for police and military roles and are associated with fearlessness, strength, loyalty and courage.
The
rainbow filter gives the effect of another world and a dream like feel which relates to the lyrics "living life like I'm in a dream'. Also, there is a relationship between the music and the visuals (Goodwin) as the editing speeds up as the music does which amplifies the music and create a sense of excitement within the audience. The use
of fast montage editing and whip-pans also reflect her dramatic
lifestyle. The video structure for this video is performance (Gow) as the
artist is lip-syncing however there is no complex narrative which conforms to
Carol Vernallis' idea that music videos don't convey finely wrought stories. It's also a fragmented narrative as it cuts between different locations and times which is one of the key elements to postmodernism.
Jameson stated that some of the key concepts
surrounding postmodernism are pastiche, intertextual referencing, nostalgia and
self-reflexivity. There is intertextuality in this video through the shot of Marina reading the book 'Secrets of an Accidental Duchess' which is a story about a young independent girl who falls in love with a wealthy Duke. The target audience for this music video is most likely young teenage girls of a similar age to Marina who enjoy fantasising about living a glamorous lifestyle.
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