diversity of music videos

Diversity of music videos

Chris Cunningham and Michael Gondry are both directors, which produce diverse types of music videos, which often go against the conventions of a stereotypical music video. Most of the time the music videos, which they produce, do not conform to the stereotypical characteristics of typical music videos.  Reasons why they may do this is to make their music videos look different this could mean that people that watch the video is likely to remember it.

    The first music video, which I wanted to analyse, was ‘Frozen’ by Madonna; this song was made, directed and produced by Chris Cunningham.

1.      Typically Madonna is a pop artist, some of the stereotypical conventions of a pop artist is to have bright colourful videos, and might have woman in revealing clothing, close ups of the artist to portray innocence. They are usually quite fun and light hearted, thus meaning that the music could then appeal to a much younger audience, Often the artist is featured in the music video, this is usually done to help build a fan base for their music, and this is sometime accompanied by for form of a dance routine somewhere in the song. Most of the locations, which are used, are mostly quite fun and bright locations for example the beach or a friends house. In order to help the song relate to their audience a little bit more it is common to have teenage scenarios for example having a crush, which usually is in relation to the song so that then the lyrics and the visuals match up. I think that a good few example of where this has been used is in the video by Taylor Swift ‘Never Gunna Get Back Together’ this uses most of these conventions throughout the music video. Other artist which have also conformed to this have been Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera these artist have all conformed to these conventions at some point.

    But Madonna has not conformed to these stereotypical conventions of a pop music video. The typical conventions of a pop artist are not represented through the video. Compared to having a pop music video Madonna has chosen to go against the typical conventions of the pop video. One of the ways this is shown is through the tribute to a tribe which she has on her arm; this is shown throughout the music giving this a type of intertexture reference to it, as it is shown so many times which further suggests that this is a tribute as she has various close ups of this which suggest that she wants people to see this, and almost want her fans to wonder what it is. instead of this video having a fun, bright theme to it is comes across to be a lot more gothic, and dark; but I think that in this case the visuals do match the lyrics of the song and the beat of the music as it is quite slow. But this is still major change to the typical type of videos which Madonna does usually produce. I think that there is only one relation to the pop genre in this music video but I think that it has a much different meaning than what the meaning would be in a pop video. This is the use of the close-ups throughout the music video; this is off Madonna’s face, and other parts of her body such as her hands and arms.

 But in the pop genre this usually makes the artist look quite innocent and convey how harmless they are, but I think that the reasons of the close ups in this video is a lot different as it is much more dark, almost evil look on her face, as throughout the video most of the time when Madonna face is shown through a close up it is emotionless. I think that this could then be seen as taking the fun out of the video, as when a close up is used it shows some kind of emotion but this is not the case here as, as the close up just shows Madonna to be very pale, this is further enhanced through the use of the dark hair as well which then make her look even more pale, I think that this almost gives her this type of witch look about her, as she also has the patterns on her arms as well which could also make her look like a witch.          

2.      I also think that Goodwin’s theory is evident throughout the video, I think that not all but some of the features are the relationship between the visuals and the music, the close ups which are used to express the artists and star image motifs, in the video Frozen.

    I think that the relationship between the music and the visuals are evident throughout the song, as the editing matched the visuals of the song as when the song picks up more of a stronger beat, so does the action of the visuals as it also speeds up. One example of where this has been used is during some of the cape scenes, where Madonna has this big black cape and she is letting it wave around everywhere this matches the editing, as the gets faster the song, the cape also picks up speed as well so that it all matches and graphically looks really good. The speeding up of the song as well as the speeding up of the cape I think makes the audience thinks that something fast is going to happen, as this is a way of building suspense through the video, as the cape changes it start to turn into different things some of which being a black dog which is formed from the cape. Another example of where this has been used is when Madonna says ‘give yourself to me’ this is a close up but then moves out to a mid shot and then a long shot of Madonna but as the camera zooms out there’s another two Madonna’s I think that this links together well as it is like saying there ‘give yourself to me’ and she has started with herself and all of her different sides of her have come out. I also think that this is a way of showing how she is different. I also think that the use of having her there three times also shows that she has a range of different sides to her for example the conventional pop music video side to her, this new gothic side to her, and then another side to her, this could be a more flirty side to her, I think that this has been conveyed a little bit through her choice of clothing as her has got a low cut dress on, and I think that this could have some sexual connotations, and then the close ups would then show the more pop side to her.

 

    The other feature of Goodwin’s theory which I think is evident through this music video is the close up used to express the artists and star image motifs. I don’t think that this has been used loads but where it has been used it is quite obvious. The first being the tattoos which are on Madonna’s arms and hands, as she make a point of showing these throughout the whole music video, this could be new style which she has decided to adopt and is something which she wants people to see. She may think that the main way for her to be able to get this out to her fan and get people to see this new style might be through one of her music videos and that the repetitiveness of the hands throughout the music video is likely to get people to notice them. I also think that this could also link in with the idea that Madonna’s star image has also changed over time and this is one of the changes which she has had to make in order for her to keep up with the ever changing demand of the music industry. She may have also chosen to adopt this style to get her music noticed a little bit more and get people talking about her music and encourage them to listen to her music because it have changed so much.

I think that this could also then link in with the idea that Madonna is helping to change the music industry a little bit as she is an established artist she will already have fans who will still be listening to her music therefore she would be able to experiment which all different types of music as she knows she still has fans. I also think that another reason why she may have done this is because she may have wanted to diversify into a new music market and she may have believed that this is the market to get into. I think that this could then encourage people to want to listen to her music and make her music video stand out as people would have seen it and then it may stay in their minds and make them want to watch the video again, I also think that through the use of dynamic effects this could get people talking about her music and could therefore maybe encourage them to want to listen to her music as well.     

 

3.      The style of this music video is very much a performance based video this is because Madonna is singing to the camera and is very much aware that the camera is there and that she is performing deliberately in front of the camera. I think that there are also some concept based elements in this video as well some of which being the use of the dog and the birds at the start and near the end of the video. I think that this is performance based because Madonna keeps into the camera making the audience watching aware that she is looking into the camera. I think that she has picked a way which doesn’t conform to the stereotypical way of having a performance based video; I think that this is due to her choice of location, the way that she is dressed and the way in which she portrays herself. I think that this would then mean that people are more likely to remember the music video because it doesn’t conform to the conventions and would therefore stay in the audiences mind a lot more. I also think by having a performance based video Madonna is able to show her passion for the song and convey her emotions and the message for the songs and how it connects to her on a more personal level compared to in a narrative, where this is done through a more visual way. As through the use of the performance based videos the audience is able to see what Madonna is feeling when she sings each individual word of the song. Madonna also doesn’t do much during this video as she spends most of her time just swaying and moving to the beat of the song to match the flow for the humming which she is creating. I think that this also has a connation of itself as well, for example the use of the humming and the swaying with the lyrics of the song, can almost make is seem like Madonna is mediating, and trying to connect with herself a little bit deeper. This could also be seen as she has been lost in the music and the fame, and now she just wants to reconnect with the person she use to be.

    Birds juxtapose what is going on, she is saying come to be, and the birds are flying away this could show that there may be a reason why people don’t want to go to her. But then it’s the cape which transforms into the birds which was Madonna to start for with this could then means that she is the birds which are flying away. There were also a lot of birds, what looks like more than ten, this could then have connotations that she has meant different sides to her, and each bird is a different side to Madonna, and different personalities, this could then link in with the change in the genre which this song has to it. As it is not part of the stereotypical conventions which she usually conforms to, being a pop artist. I think that there are also other connotations to use of the birds as well as they are ravens, these are birds with are known for stealing, thus acting as an oxymoron in the song as Madonna is talking about ‘coming to her’, so the use of the bird and them flying away might be that they have flown to her, but have taken parts of her, thus transforming into her. So instead of staying with her, they have flown off, and this could be one way of illustrating why she wants the people to go to her, so that they get to know her more and understand her more.

    I also think that the use of the tattoos on her hands and arms also suggest that she wants the people which go to her to become part of whatever it is that she has joined, hence her saying ‘come to me, come into my arms’ as the print is on her hands and arms, so she could metaphorically be transferring the same believes onto that person. I think that this is further enhance through the video where there are a Varity of close up shots of Madonna and her hands, suggesting that the pattern on her hands means something and that she want the audience to understand this as well.    

 

4.      I think that Madonna has presented herself in a very different light to which she is usually in. This may be because Madonna is an established artist and therefore has loyal fans, this could then able her to experiment with her style more. She may have also wanted to standout from all of the competition which may have been in the market at the time, this would then attracted more attention to her, so that even people who aren’t her fans will want to see how she has changed her style, and what it has now become. In this video she is shown to be very stripped back, in terms of appearance, as she is not wearing any makeup and her hair hasn’t really been styled that much for this video and her clothing is very dull. I think that this then shows her style to be very different I think that she has done this to stand out more. I also think that Madonna is represented as being a different person and making herself look different and make herself stand out.  

    The second music video, which I choose to analyse, was ‘Come Into My World’ by Madonna; this song was made, directed and produced by Gondry.

1.       Kylie Minogue is a conventional pop artist, even this song is a pop song, and this is evident through the beat of the song. Kylie herself also has all of the typical conventions of a pop artist in terms of her style and the way she portrays herself as an artist. But the nature of this video, is not a conventional pop music video, this is shown by what she is wearing, and what is happening in the music video. Some of the conventions of a pop music video, some of the conventions of a music video are; to be very colourful and bright. They are also spouse to be quite fun and light hearted, there’s spouse t be close ups of the artists face, they are usually in a good mood, this is usually reflected through the locations, they usually appeal to a teenage audience. These are the main conventions of a pop music video, some of the artist which usually shows this in their music video is, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Christina Aguilera, and Lady Gaga. These are all artists which has a series of different videos which conveys them conforming to conventions. I think that a good example of where this has been used in a music video is in Lady Gaga’s ‘Just Dance’ where there are a lot of close ups and a whole range of different colour used throughout. I think that in this music video that there are not those main conventions which have been conformed to in this music video. This is evident through the fact that most of the music video is filmed in long shots of Kylie, walking. I think one conventions which may be seen as similar to the pop genre would be the use of the continuity editing. This happens from the start to the finish of the song where the camera just follows Kylie throughout the whole video. This could then be seen as similar to the pop genre as they too usually follow the artist throughout the music video.

       This is why I think that in this sense that this could be seen as a characteristic of the pop genre which is featured in this music video. I think that it is clear from the choice of location that Kylie has chosen for this music video that it doesn’t conform to the pop genre, as the setting of a pop video is usually very bright, and a fun place to be like at a friend’s house, at a party and so on. but instead the setting which has been chosen can be seen as interesting but, it is quite boring and I would almost say negative, as some of the narratives which are going on in the background are a couple who are arguing, and the woman in the couple is through the males clothes out of the window, there’s commotion being caused, when one man causes one of the motor bikes to fall over then they all fall over, these are a few examples of some of the negative incidents which happen during this music video. I think that this can connect to the lyrics of the song more, and play a little more to the narrative instead. This then helps to link the lyrics to the visuals to the song and shows the audience Kylie’s world. I think that this could almost be a way of Kylie conveying to the audience the life style which Kylie may have come from before she became famous and her life changed. Thus conveying how she uses to just live a normal life as well and she wasn’t some big celebrity. This is conveyed the most where she hasn’t got paparazzi following her around, and no one has noticed her at all while she is just walking through the streets and no one has stopped her. I think that there is something which stands out even more than that which shows that she is not famous and that is that Kylie is holding her own dry cleaning and has gone and picked it up herself. I think that this is just a few aspects which Kylies has used to try and show that she is the same person as she was before the fame and that she would go and pick up her own dry cleaning. I think that this portrays the fact that she still sees herself as being the same person as she was before, and that she has no intension of changing the person she is.

       But I also think that this is a good way of Kylie illustrating that she has always had this voice, even before she became famous, and that it is just part of who she is. I think that this could thus portray that this is the tool which has made she famous, and is one of the reasons why she has managed to get to where she is today. But I think that the main message is that she has always had this, I think that this is shown through the in the video where she is just wearing normal clothing, conveying that she is still lives her life the same way. Just like there is the repetition in the music video there is also repetition in her life, this could be like the routine in her life, I also think that this also show that she also has a routine and structure to her life just like everyone else and I think that one way of showing this would be through the use of performing normal jobs which other people have to do. I also think that through the use of her singing shows that she has always had this voice and that through singing.  

2.      I think that Goodwin’s theory is evident through this music video, I think that there is a mixture of them, but there’re not all of the theories there. these are; the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, intertextual references, and the notion of looking.

    The relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This is because the Kylie is talking about people coming into her world, I think that one of the main messages which she is talking about its having a male come into her life, and making sure of her as a person, so someone to use her lip and someone to use her heart. But the way she is saying it, is like she wants someone to come and change her life, and make her feel different, and make a change to the routine to the life that she is living. I think that by the use of the setting kylie is showing the audience just how boring her life currently is and how she just wants someone to come along and change that for her and make her life more interesting, and break the routine which she is living. I think that this is conveyed the most every time she walks past the dry cleaner and another Kylie is generated, I think that this could show that she has a lot on her mind, but every time another Kylie it is like she is coming up with another thought with is on her mind about someone new coming into her life and making a difference, in the video come into my world.      

    I think that there is also an intertexual reference in this video as well, I think that this it Kylie showing that beneath everything she is a normal girl. Conveying that she is just like another one else. I also think that this video could be like a way of showing that everyone has a talent of their own, and it’s not all about being glamorous and having loads of money. I think that this is a way of showing that everyone could have a talent about them and that you don’t have to be glamorous to show this.

     There are also certain aspects of the notion of looking though the video as well, this is evident where Kylie is walking through the street and she is just singing. I think this is the main point where the notion of looking takes place, as no one in the music video is looking at the camera and everyone was doing their own this. Examples of where this was used was where the men are carrying the table into somewhere and there’s a man just putting displays up on the walls, he actually puts something on the wall it says ‘Ensembles’ this means a groups of different people, different groups of people which do different things all come together to make something good. I think that that’s the case here that Kylie is trying to show that a whole range of different people have come together to make something, in this case it has been to help make the song but I think that this has connotations of its own which could mean that a whole range of different people could have come into Kylies life which has made this whole prospect of her life a lot more fun. I think that she is also trying to say that if people come into her life that she will be able to create something better than before when she was on her own.

3.      The style of this music video is both concept and performance based videos. I think that the performance aspects come into this where Kylie starts to acknowledge the cameras and starts to sing into them. I think that this could have connotations to it as it could show that as she has become more famous she has started to notice the camera more in her life, and she has noticed that the more famous that she is getting the more people want to see her and the more the camera are coming into her life. I think that can also be linked to the multiplication of the number of Kylies as it could show how she is juggling her life, and how she has to make a whole range of sides to her to accommodate this live which she now lives where there’s cameras everywhere and somewhere where it’s important to have a whole range of different sides for where she is in the spotlight, when she is at home, and when she may be with her family, for each side she may need a new side to her and I think that’s portrayed well through the use of the performance part of the video, where at least one of her is looking at the camera at one time and shows how she has to be paying attention to it at some point, I think that, that camera which she is paying attention to could be seen as the one which could connote her life in the spot light. There are also some stages of the song where the all of the Kylies are staring into the camera I think that this could then show that’s the more famous she is getting the more time she is spending in front of the camera and being in the public eye. I think that the concept based part of this music video is also very obvious as this is where          the same bit of action is being repeated over and over again. As I think that this makes it more obvious to the audience what is going on and understand why this part of the music video continues to be repeated. This is used to convey the constant routine in her life and how much she wants someone to come into her life and make a change, to change some of her life and how she’s wants for tit to be changed and she wants for someone to come into her life and excite her and make her happy.

4.      In this music video Kylie is not being represented as the artist who she is known for being in all of her other songs and her other albums. Instead of making herself look interesting and fun. She has deliberately made herself look boring. But I think that at the stage which this song came out that Kylie was able to experiment more with the type of music videos which she is producing that is why I think that she may have done this. I also think that this also makes her look like a boring artist in terms of her style and her image. But then on the other hand I also think that this could almost be like a way of Kylie saying that it’s not all about how people look, it’s more about the skill and the talent which a person has. So I think it’s almost she’s stripping herself back of all the glamour and showing that she is just a normal person just like anyone else and that it all about her voice not about what she is wearing or what she looks like.

I think just like any music video there are going to be good aspect and back aspect bout the video and I think that this is the case here. Due to the diversity of music videos they tend to stand out more compared to other music videos which are also in the market. I have discussed two artists above where I have spoken about two famous directors to see how they have put their spins on music videos in order to make them different. I think that this then makes it obvious that there are some advantages and some disadvantages to this, some of which being;

    Some of the advantages of having a more diverse music video could be; the first that it then makes that artist music video more memorable and stand out more against the other music videos.  thus encouraging people to want to watch the music video again to see more of the video, as the viewer usually doesn’t get the concept of the music video the first time, this then encourages them to watch it again which then leads to them liking the song more. Another advantage would be due to the song being stuck in one persons head from watching the video then they may recommend it on to someone else to watch. I think that another advantage would be that this is the type of music video which is going to get people talking, and spreads the word about the music video again this will make people want to watch the music video even more. I think that there is also another main advantage here and that would be that when an artist changes their style slightly that they are then opening themselves up to target new markets. I think that this could be a potential effect on the artist this could then be better for them as then more people would want to listen to them, they would then have a larger audience, and that could create loyalty between the fans and the artist. I think that these are the main benefits which come with having a diverse music video.

    By their also some disadvantages to having a diverse music video and some of these are; the first one being that some people may find the nature of the music video boring or if some people find the music video too disturbing to watch therefore they may not watch it, this could then spread a bad word about the music video and people may not want to watch the video. thus leading the song not to do very well, this could also then lead to the artist damaging their own reputation as well in the process. I think that there is also another main disadvantage which is if people don’t want to watch the music video then that would have been a waste of money for the record label, as well as being something which could potentially damage the reputation of the artist as well as if they get tarnish for having a bad music video then that will stay with them. They could also lose fans because of this as well this would also be bad for the artist, as then people may not want to listen to the music as a consequence of this.

I think that for the chosen genre which I have chosen to base my music video on, which is dance that I might be able to use a few of  the elements which have been used in the music videos which have been produced by Cunningham, and Gondry. But I did find that I didn’t really

like the Diversity of music videos used in the music videos above. As I am aiming to conform to the codes conventions of dance e.g bright colours, and club settings I don't think that I will be creating a diverse music video.