Music Video Examples/Analysis
Vance Joy - 'Riptide' Official Video
Thought Beats
The music video uses matching imagery with the lyrics, allowing my inner interpretation to be at the forefront of the visuals. For example, when the song repeats the word "Riptide" I think of a water tide/body of water and the video compliments that by actually showing a water tide in synch with the lyric. This is showcased throughout the music video as each line has been given a visual equivalent sometimes with what you expect but as the video goes on the visual elements become more surprising.
In the beginning, the lyrics are showcased with flat simple imagery but the later imagery is more horror related as they use the genre's conventions like low key lighting with use semi-violent imagery for example the line "left-hand man" in the later sections becomes represented by a knife going into someone's left hand and a gun in someone's left hand, while the beginning it was represented by someone holding a microphone in their left hand.
Narrative and Performace
The music videos narrative use doesn't simply follow the linear interpretation of the lyrics which seems to be about a man being in love with a woman as he wants to be her "left-hand man" most likely meaning he wants to marry her and how he is worried about her accepting the proposal as he is afraid of her "singing the words wrong". But the music video uses imagery to tell its narrative which in my first viewing I thought was a much darker narrative, as the imagery becomes sinister as seems that the man has kidnapped the woman he is in love with or is at the very least abusing her. This is due to the images of the singer whose makeup is slowly being scruffed and eventually appears to start bleeding.
The narrative also has overall intertextuality to American New Wave cinema as the aesthetic of the video visually looks and feels like an American movie from the '70s while the lyrics and the imagery match films of this period, the most notable reference example being Midnight Cowboy the lyrics and imagery of a man moving to new york and them being a "cowboy running from himself" perfectly summarises the film. Overall the narrative in this music video seems more interpretative and up to the viewer as you can see it as a man's sinister obsession with a woman or simply a love story.
Overall the music video is more experimental as it doesn't follow normal performance conventions as the band is not shown with instrumentals as this music video doesn't follow the genres of stadium/live performance, however, the female singer does mime the lyrics but rather than creating the energy of the band performing live that you would normally get from this technique it creates a sense of dread which built into my first dark impression of the video.
The Star Image
The music video lacks the normal notifiers of star iconography, as the video does not include them performing the song nor does it further to my knowledge any furthering of the artists brand. However, the artist Vance Joy does make an appearance within it as the director of a movie filming a woman on the beach, this can be interpreted as meta-text this being his vision that he has created as the auteur of the song.
Overall I think the music video captures the indie music style the artist Vance Joy represents by using mise en scene and the aesthetic of American New Wave Cinema to create that indie none industry feeling that those films evoked to represent their style of indie more retro music.
Relationship between Visuals and the Music
The music video uses the rhythm/beat of the music along with matching each line of the lyrics to the imagery on screen, this creates a clear and engaging visual narrative for the viewer to engage with. The tone of the images also works well with the music as the song itself is upbeat and the use of high key lit imagery as we see the natural beauty of various settings in golden sunlight such as deserts and beaches, however, the visuals also match the darker tine and feeling the lyrics evoke as we see these pieces of high key imagery slowly declines inconsistency in exchange of low key horror movie style imagery I have already talked about.
I would argue that the lyrics themselves evoke more of a feeling of heartbreak and a longing for love, which I feel is only partially achieved in the music video as we see consistent imagery of the same blonde woman being elusive towards the camera/the audience as she keeps running away from the camera, but it eventually abandons this character to focus on visuals rather than completing the narrative of this woman that is seen through the video.
Technical Aspects of a Music Video
The video successfully evokes the 70's that it is trying to replicate as the use of mise en scene reminds you of films like Easy Rider (1969) and Midnight Cowboy (1969), with the use of brown goldern colours to the retro props/costumes like the cowboy outfit and the passport despite being filmed far after this era of cinema. The use of setting also achieves this as it uses open naturally lit areas, which represents the low budget indie filmmaking that was coming out of the American new wave of the '70s as they used more of a gorilla film making style as they moved away from filming on sets to real/existing spaces. The use of cinematography perfectly demonstrates a link to the lyrics as closeups are used to showcase visual representations like "all my friends are turning green" being visualised by an extreme closeup on a dollar bill.
The use of camera movement provides an engaging experience, the use of hidden cuts in panning shots most notable to link the lyrics like "I swear she is destined for the screen" being linked by two whip pans as they showcase an actress being filmed by a film crew.
While the video does lack editing other than the use of match cuts to link the lyrics I feel that this adds to the tone/aesthetic of the video as it feels very tactile like the films of the '70s rather than the digital Imax feeling most modern films suffer from.
Overall, the music video shows a great use of techniques for mise en scene, cinematography as well as editing. It creates engagement with the audience by using these methods to create an intriguing visual narrative that evokes the feelings the song represents. I feel it could have attempted to use more creativity in its editing and in the types of shots it uses as it often repeats, which is common in a music video but it achieved its goal of creating a video that not only makes me want to keep watching and listening.
Evaluation
The music video for Riptide demonstrates the troupes of music videos and uses them effectively to captivate the audience. The use of editing to the beat and visual and lyrical matching with each cut makes it engaging and easy to follow, the use of this repeated imagery does make the video slightly repetitive but the use of varied and detailed prop design and cinematography makes the video engaging. I would say that it does successfully achieve its goal of attracting and holding the attention of the viewers while also creating a sequence that matches the feel and aesthetic the song evokes in the listener.
It could be better improved by completing the narrative it starts with the blonde woman, as I feel that would better engagement by having a linear character-based narrative rather than just a visual one, but as a music video, it is completely acceptable to have these gaps as they can sometimes encourage more viewership as the audience theories the incomplete answers.
Fatboy Slim - Weapon Of Choice [Official Video]
Thought Beats
My thought/interpretation of the music does not match the video as the performance of Christopher Walken dancing around an empty hotel, however, my initial interpretation of the music video that was infused by the casting of the then 58-year-old Christopher Walkin was an older man showing how he has still got it. As initially, the music video starts off with him slumped depressingly in a chair and when the song turns on the radio which springs him to life. The lyrics repeating the phrase "Break, eject" could be seen as a man going against the expectations of older adults to be serious rather than being silly and childish and Walken clearly breaks and ejects himself from those ideas as we see him dance like a man half his age.
But with the end of the video being him sitting back in the chair, my unfortunate depressing first viewing analysis of the video in my opinion demonstrates the inevitability of ageing as despite dancing around this hotel happy as a clown clearly enjoying himself he can't do it forever eventually like we all will in life, he will have to sit down and take a break, as we cannot be young forever.
Overall, I think this video demonstrates a great example of using star imagery to create an engaging experimental music video that rather than giving any meaning or answers simply asks you to enjoy the ride and take whatever meaning you see fit.
Narrative and Performace
The performance of the artist themselves is non-existent with Fatboy Slim never making an appearance, however, this is not uncommon with his music as Fatboy Slim for the majority of his music videos is absent and relies on more artist conceptual/experimental music videos to demonstrate his music and narrative like the use of puppetry and green screen in his song "Right Here, Right Now" and "Praise You" which uses real-life footage of a dance troupe dancing in a crowded street as onlookers go about there day.
But the music video does leave room for interpretation by the viewer as we see the bizarre imagery of Christopher Walken dancing around the hotel lobby, however, as I have already stated I believe this to be highly dependent on the viewers own interpretation which is common with music videos as conventional stories/narratives are disregards in favour of better-fitting imagery to the rhythm and tone of the music.
In my opinion, the lack of artist performance and linear narrative structure creates a video that perfectly follows the visual, style over substance techniques music videos employ with the use of active cinematography and the acting performance of Christopher Walken create an energized engaging music video that perfectly fits with the catchy song by Fatboy Slim.
The Star Image
Other than the overall style of the music video matching the brand created by the experimental music videos of Fatboy Slims other work the star imagery is focused instead on Christopher Walken, as the video disregards/flips the typical idea of star imagery in a music video by focusing on the actor performing within it rather than the artist themselves. This can be seen in other artists work like Sia who used Shia LaBeouf in the music video to attract his following from his infamous breakdown and career as an actor. Christopher Walken is known to dance within the majority of films he is a trained tap dancer and his roles from Pulp Fiction (1994) to Catch Me if You Can (2002) have made him a household name in the homes of many filmgoers, his vast fanbase from his esteemed filmography creates increased engagement and viewership by fans of his films.
By having him dance in the video it shows his commitment to dancing in the majority of his staring films and without his involvement in the video, it wouldn't be half as iconic as it is today.
The music video overall furthers the brand of Fatboy Slims music videos as experimental and each being unique from the other and by using the brand and fame of Hollywood's greatest talents creates an iconic music video that is remembered for both its catchy music but also its killer dance moves.
Relationship between Visuals and the Music
The visuals of the music video sync with the song on almost every level, the use of props like the bell that Walken rings during the being of the video and the match cutting together of his dance moves throughout the video from his various dives off-camera syncing to the dropping of the song create an engaging edit that follows the tone of the song and the rhythm of its energy as the movement of walking slows down and speeds up with the majority of the music.
Despite the visual not exactly lining up exactly with the imagery on screen, for example, the lyrics "Weapon of choice" are never shown with imagery of Walken choosing an actual weapon or anything else like that. But the imagery matches the speed/pace and of the song with both its camera movements and the dancing of Walken. However, there are examples of the lyrics being matched with imagery as near the end of the music video during the lyrics "take flight" Christopher Walken literally begins to fly around the lobby of the hotel.
Overall the music video focuses on matching the feeling of the music rather than the exact imagery purposed by the lyrics following its experimental music video genre methods to their non-narrative meaning.
Technical Aspects of a Music Video
The use of mise en scene throughout the music video demonstrates a clear use of music video conventions as the use of a constantly moving/energy-filled cinematography with its consistent use of tracking shots of the performance of Walken as it repeats these quick pans and throughout the video, this use of repeating technique over and over again in a music video is a troupe as it provides an engaging visual an audience can engage with easier as it acts as a narrative as the viewer begins to see the repeating pattern throughout the video. The use of closeups on Christopher Walken also highlights the clear use of celebrity culture as they use him as a main selling tool for the music video, much like how artists highlight themselves in their music videos. The use of setting in the video is also an example of a common trope in music videos of filming in deserted areas most recently seen in Billie Eilish music video for "Therefore I Am" where she films in an abandoned mall. In conclusion, I think the video heavily demonstrates a clear use of genre conventions for music videos as it uses purposely chosen technical aspects to make the video as engaging and pleasant for the music video to watch as possible by creating a rhythm performance heavy video.
Evaluation
The video creates an engaging visual style with its use of experimental genre with the music video conventions of lyric match editing which are heavily based on the rhythm and pace of the song rather than a narrative. The use of these methods does lack any sense of narrative for the audience to expect and does not appear to have any meaning other than one that can be decided by the viewer themselves, but that is to be expected with the experimental genre. The lack of focus on the artist themselves also creates viewership from the fanbase of Walken and overall I think the video is one of the best examples of music videos as it leaves so much for the audience to decide (which can be a letdown for some viewers who want the structure of a linear style narrative), the video showcases the lack of continuity or meaning in music videos and how it can still engage from the pure use of rhythm and pace making sure that you cannot forget the song or the video however hard you try.
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Have You Ever Seen The Rain (Official)
Thought Beats
My first thoughts and interpretations of the music video fits the lyrics of the music as I see a woman looking back on the memories she made with two friends as she moves away.
The lyrics "been that way for all my time" in my opinion indicate how this place she has most likely lived in all her life due to the appearing closeness she has to her friends but despite this being that way all her life she now has to move on as we see her looking at the photograph as she packs her belongings into boxes.
The music video in my opinion represents the girl growing up moving away from her home town to somewhere else as we see her regrets, hat she wished she said to her friends with her longing looks at a man she never had the guts to admit her feeling for and possible vice versa s they both give longing looks at one another. The fact that this song is from the 1970s and the music video is quite recent (being released on youtube in 2018), the music itself holds a nostalgic feeling for many listeners of when they were young and listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The music video clearly displays a narrative of memories of youth of the things we wished we could have said and provides a nostalgic feeling to the audience of simpler times of youth.
Narrative and Performace
The narrative is a flashback of a woman remembering the day of a photo she and her friends took as she packs her things to move somewhere else. Although the music video demonstrates a clear genre of narrative and uses amplification of the lyrics and the music with it a raw feeling of looking back on the past with lyrics like "someone told me long ago" which create a nostalgic feeling of the past as the visuals of the video represent a bight dream-like colour palate with its use of high key lighting. The video also doesn't use the artist's performance and instead focuses on the characters within the narrative as we watch the actors perform as childhood friends, this creates a realistic and relatable feeling to the video as we relate to the feeling of the characters. The unrequited love and the sadness of having to leave an old part of your life behind as you grow up, as the video feels like a memory rather than a performance.
Overall the music video creates an engaging narrative that focuses on actors performances rather than artist branding and makes the audience personify themselves as these people as we relate to their struggles and feelings.
The Star Image
This music video completely disregards star imagery as it focuses on the music itself, this is partly due to the music video being a tribute to the bands 50th anniversary. Maybe the star imagery is the artists accepting themselves as a nostalgic memory of the past like the photograph the woman is looking at, as the band has become a part of music history as more modern and recent artists take the mantle.
This is further proven by the use of two upcoming young actors that have become popular in the popular tv show The Boys (2019–Present) Erin Moriarty and Jack Quaid as they are the face of a new generation of film and television.
Overall, I think the video lacks any common example of star iconography as it focuses on telling a narrative rather than furthering the brand of the artist who symbolically has become a memory just like a photograph.
Relationship between Visuals the Music
The music video uses its visuals to present the nostalgic feeling of the song as it disregards the visual representation of the lyrics like that seen in Vance Joy's "Riptide" as despite it being the songs name as well as repeated lyrics "Have you ever seen the rain" the song does not see rain in its imagery and instead chooses to amplify it as the video use cinematic techniques to make the viewer feel like they are in memory. The video chooses to follow its own story and narrative, this contradicting story means the song has entirely no impact on the narrative other than emotionally as the song creates a happy joyful feeling to these friends having a great day together.
The song creates an emotional relationship with the music but is completely disregarded from the visual choices of the video as its narrative creates engagement rather than from its creative use of match editing lyrics to visuals.
Technical Aspects of a Music Video
The video showcases a wide range of technical aspects of music videos with the use of lighting with natural and high key lighting techniques to create a dream-like feeling to the imagery to represent the memory the girl has of the photograph which is further emphasized by the use of lens flairs on the camera and the use of P.O.V as they create a personal real feeling to the imagery like it forms the perspective of the woman remembering this day. The performances throughout the video are also greatly used to convey the closeness of these characters as they make you believe them to be close friends, the retro use of costumes like the man's denim jacket makes the video feel like it is from the past as the characters lack any garments of current modern fashion trends like t-shirts, etc.
The video uses cinematic techniques like mise en scene to make the video feel like a memory as creates a nostalgic narrative and characters as the woman remembers the photograph.
Evaluation
The music video creates a straightforward narrative that chooses to amplify the feeling of the music rather than following its lyrics visually like some videos like to do. Its disregard for the lyrics in favour of this creates an emotionally moving video that engages the audience as they relate to the characters and what they are going through. This video despite following the conventional match editing style makes creates a video that disregards the celebrity culture of music videos as it represents the nostalgic feeling the band now represents in culture and how those who were young and listening to them look back on the song now like the woman in the photograph.
Overall, effective use of emotional storytelling with simple and natural technical methods of lighting and cinematography.
How will this Affect my Final Music Video?
The music videos I have examined here have shown me two ways to treat narrative in my music video, to disregard it in favour of my own story and use the emotion of the song to match it with the tone I want to represent. Or to use the narrative to create a visual matching editing style that acts on the beat and rhythm of the song.
I will try and use narrative in both methods, as I think for a truly effective video I want to create a narrative that emotionally connects to the song as well as visually. The use of actors and talent rather than the artist themselves performing in these videos also makes me want to include actors/talent in my own video to emotionally engage with the audience, the use of Walken in the Fatboy Slim video has shown me the benefits and engagement a simple dance performance can have on a music video and makes me want to include that in my performance due to its easy execution and its clear effect on engagement. My video will also be aiming to create a more comedic feeling so having a goofy dance performance akin to Walken will ensure this is achieved in the final product.
