Independent AnalysisThe aim of pop music videos is to promote the artist by selling an image of them that the the audience looks up to.
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Analysis of the video for Just A Friend by Biz MarkieThe video was shot in multiple places in accordance to the song's narrative: outside a concert, in a college, on a park bench. These mundane settings will most likely be familiar to the audience making the video relatable.
For the chorus it cuts to a shot of Biz Markie playing a piano in a faux-eighteenth-century room with cobwebs, a candelabra and the rapper in a Mozart-style powdered wig (the joke being that he's aggressively playing a very simple tune and occasionally making mistakes). This presents the image to the audience that Biz Markie is a comedic rapper who doesn't take himself too seriously and isn't afraid to make a fool of himself. The video subverts the way most rappers are portrayed in their music videos as strong and powerful by making fun of Biz Markie through its use visual gags and in this way it does not entirely fit with the usual tough and boastful clichés of a hip-hop video. The costuming varies in how it presents the artist to the audeince; switching between traditional rapper garb (Nike jumper and gold chain to show off his wealth) and the Mozart-esque outfit which, again, presents him as a comedic character to entertain the audience.
Biz Markie addresses the camera head-on, breaking the fourth wall, as this is him telling a story from his life directly to the audience, which is common in music videos. It is intended to make the viewer empathise with him and make him seem approachable, as if they are having a conversation. The cinematography throughout is always focused on the artist, through the use of close-ups and by placing him in the majority of the shots. This makes him the centre of attention. |
Analysis of the video for Once In A Lifetime by Talking HeadsThe video tells a surreal narrative about a man having a mid-life crisis.
The singer, David Byrne is dressed in a traditional suit and tie, looking like an every-man father in a 1950s sitcom, this makes the character empathetic whilst also being anachronistic. The whole video is shot in front of a green screen which allows its surreal and striking visuals to be created. The video still has a clear narrative without simply showing the story being told as in the Biz Markie video above it instead focuses on the feelings of Bryne's character as he has a breakdown; we don't see his 'beautiful house' or 'beautiful wife' because we can imagine them. |
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Group analysis
David Bowie – Life on Mars
It’s David Bowie singing; he is the focus showing off his persona and image. David Bowie changed his image regularly, inventing new personae – new videos had to focus on his image as it changed. He is in frame throughout the video as he is the artist and main focus. The fact that he is the only one in the music video shows a lot about his current persona. The video is set against a white background. The make-up that is clearly evident on Bowie’s face helps to reflect the title of the song which is ‘Life on Mars’. The make-up is strange and alien like looking which helps get across the message he is trying to display. There are a lot of close-ups to emphasize his heavy makeup and longer shots to show his eccentric clothing and style. The video tells us that Bowie is different and making a statement by how he presents himself. |
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50 Cent – In Da Club
The focus of the video is 50 Cent in a lab “Somewhere…” where scientists are training him to become superhuman. 50 Cent is regularly seen rapping to the camera shirtless to show his impressive physique. There are also shots of him partying with women dancing. There are close-ups showing his body as he trains and he addresses the camera head-on, directly to the viewers. The video fits the genre as it has a superhuman portrayal of the artist which fans engage with and will aspire to become. |
History of the music video.
Dickson Experimental Sound Film (1895)
Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles (1967)
OK Go - Here It Goes Again (2006)
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19th Century
The first known example of film with music is the Dickson Experimental Sound Film which was developed in 1895. The film combined a video recording of William Dickson playing the violin, the audio recorded by his invention, the Kinetophone (it sounds terrible). 20th Century In the 1960s & '70s promotional films were made for the music of a mostly forgotten Liverpudlian band known as "The Beatles" as well as The Kinks and the Beach Boys. The Beatles' promotional films were usually lifted from their films (Hard Day's Night, Help! and Yellow Submarine) In August 1981, MTV launched. It was dedicated to airing music videos. 21st Century The advent of video sharing sites (i.e. YouTube) changed how music videos were shared allowing smaller artists to have mainstream success. A famous example of this is OK Go whose video for 'Here It Goes Again' went viral. Some of the most popular videos on YouTube are music videos (PSY's Gangnam Style was the first video to reach 1 billion views on the platform). The opening 4 hours of MTV's first broadcast. (1981)
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- Abby Ohlheiser. (2016). After 10 years of viral videos, what OK Go has learned about the Internet. Available: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/12/13/after-10-years-of-viral-videos-heres-what-ok-go-has-learned-about-the-internet/?utm_term=.fd5d67d0ff5f. Last accessed 10th Jan 2017.
- Cameron K. (2015). A Short History of the Music Video (1894-1979). Available: http://zani.co.uk/zani-music/item/2554-a-short-history-of-the-music-video-1894-1979. Last accessed 9th Jan 2017.
- Christian Cawley. (2015). From MTV to YouTube: A Brief History of Music Videos. Available: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/mtv-youtube-brief-history-music-videos/. Last accessed 9th Jan 2017.
- History.com Staff. (2011). The Music Video, Before Music Television. Available: http://www.history.com/news/the-music-video-before-music-television. Last accessed 9th Jan 2017.
Primary Research: Survey
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- The majority of people thought the target audience for pop/hip-hop videos were people between 16 and 34 years old. 75 percent of the participants said the videos do not appeal to a particular gender, appealing to both equally.
- The majority of the participants said they would watch music videos on YouTube so we will be planning around our decision to have it shown here rather, for example on TV.
- Some of the participants said we should include dancing in the video so we will make sure to.
The video will appeal to the target audience by using the same tropes and conventions of other videos in the genre. Such as using bright colours and a lot of jump cuts.
Planning
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