Music Video analysis - Bruno Mars (Lazy song)

Bruno Mars - Lazy Song

This song is from the pop genre and has received over 178 million views on YouTube.
The song 'Lazy song' by Bruno mars is a catchy and upbeat tune, with lyrics we can all relate to, about the lazy days when all we wanna do is lay in bed! This video is mainly concept/narrative based with an element of performance.

The artist is a massive worldwide hit and has released some glamorous and interesting videos in the past, so at first i was very surprised at the amateur style that was adopted for this particular video. But after watching it again I understand and agree with the strategy used.

The video stars Bruno himself, and 5 men dressed as monkeys. It is a viral style video that uses a camera in a fixed position and shows a full length shot. The artists mimes the lyrics and him and the monkeys move and dance in sync. The movement is very upbeat and suits the mood of the song.

The movements and actions closely match the lyrics of the song. For example the lyric ' Don't feel like picking up the phone' is matched with the action of all 6 actor making the phone action with their hands. Here is a TubeChop of that example: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/200528

This is very much the same with the relationship between the music and and the visuals. For example during the chorus they all nod to the beat of the song and at the end of each chorus there is a whistling tune. All the actors move their heads with this. Here is a TubeChop example: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/200532
Also linking the music with the visuals is when Bruno Mars starts to play his guitar nearer the end, all this shows that it is not a short film to music.

A music video is traditionally used as a marketing tool to advertise an artist and their song. For this to be effective, it needs to feature many close ups of the artists. This is very much present in this video, as we see the artist, Bruno Mars, all throughout apart from 10 Seconds. This is particularly  important for this video as it has been sent out as almost a viral on YouTube. For it to be famous and talked about it, the successful, worldwide artist, would have to play a big part in it. The cast move around the performance space to ensure that the artist is the focus.

The only intertexuality that i can recognise is in the song and doesn't feature as a narrative in the video, but he says MTV. This makes it almost an advert for the TV channel, and when it is shown on other music video channels, it is censored out. Bruno mars was also nominated for 4 MTV music awards, coincidence?

Overall I think it is a unique music video and has many qualities that I have been inspired to think about when planning my Music Video.

These are things like the style of the Viral video. This is becoming a big thing all around the world and supports the theory of WEB 2.0, where we create the media. YouTube gives us this platform and it would be interesting to look at the benefits of using this as a promotional tool for a music artist.

I also like how simple it is. Dressing 5 actors up as monkeys are asking them to perform a song in a performance space is very effective in this video, and is very simple. it suits the meaning and mood behind the song.

As a whole campaign, here are the promotional materials used. This is an insight of how i will need to link the video with my digi pack when it come to creating the products.

Music Video Analysis - Example (Kickstarts)

Example Kickstarts

He can't decide whether hes a singer in the pop scene or a underground rapper, so example has decided to put them both together with this song, Kickstarts, his first massive hit that has received millions of views on Youtube.  

It follows the narrative of the song about the on and of relationship that every couple faces and has been cleverly directed and edited to show this. 

The lyrics and visuals are consistent throughout and the video has a good mix of literally showing the lyrics and the narrative and subtle hints about what they are talking about, here are some of my favorite examples:

The lyric "Go to talk then we choke it's like our necks in a noose"

Spaghetti is usually connected with love and a couple on a date, but here it is used in a twist. It has been shaped into a noose, suggesting that that is where their love is heading.  I like this because it has taken something quite cliched, and turned into something relevant and visually interesting. 

The Lyric, "Start to think it could be fizzling out"

This is not a lyric that has been forced in front of your eyes and has been shown literally. Its a suggestion at the lyric, Fizzling. Like their love is fizzling out, so is the Drink, Its fizzling up.  

 

The Lyric, "You get bored and I get cold feet"

This is maybe a bit more of a literal lyric and visual connection but just as interesting. Its obvious that bare feet on tiles will give you cold feet, but it is used a metaphor. 

From this i have learnt that there are many ways you can make a connection between lyrics and visuals.

The next  Section i am going to address is the relationship between the music and visuals. As this video is more concept and narrative based, we don't see things that we do in a performance based video, like Instruments. The artist does mime the lyrics throughout which i will go into more deatail  about when talking about the close up of the artist. 

The links i can see between the music and visuals are show in my TubeChop example below. 

Here we see that the artist is tapping his foot in time with the beat and this is then added to by other actors, getting more and more as the beat gets faster and hits its climax.

Throughout the video there is close ups of the artist and it has been cleverly edited to show Example in as many shots as possible. The way this has been done is very good because when watching it a few times you don't realise he is in every shot, but you still feel the desired affect that this is his promotional video, to his song, off his album. What is also clear and an occurring theme in Example's music videos, since launching his pop career, is that he is the actor playing the part in the main narration. This then enforces how the video is showing the story of the song.

Here we also see another promotional plug for the artist as his logo has been added to fit in with the video in the first few seconds.

The genre of the song is pop and i think that the video reflects this perfectly. Its colorful and full follows a narrative which is more likely to be seen in Pop videos as appose to rock and  Hip-hop.

Overall this is one of my favorite music videos as it is visually enjoyable to watch. I also think is shows many elements of Goodwin's theory of music video analysis.

They way this video has been directed and edited is something that i will take as inspiration when it comes to creating my own music video.

 I like the way they have used many images in the split screen mode that shows that it can be related to many people. I also like the way they have used the split screen to show the artist miming while telling the story of the lyrics on the other side of the screen.

Looking at the whole media campaign of this single, there is a link in style in the video, album cover an promotional poster.

Love is fun and games

Love is fun and games

Love is fun and games.

Here are three pictures that i think like the campaign together.

Music Video Analysis - Ed Sheeran (You need me, I don't need you)

Ed Sheeran -You need me, I don't need you

Ed Sheeran has been catapulted into the world of pop after working hard for years as an unsigned artist, doing small gigs here and there and building a gathering of fans. He was signed early this year and brought out his First single The A Team. The video was a massive success and followed a complicated narrative.

This song is the 2nd release and The video has been again very popular but is very simple, and almost has nothing to it.

Thinking about it in detail it does have a concept behind it. I think it's about how he has grown into an artist and how its not just being the great brand and face, you need to be a good songwriter and musician too. The way I interpret this has been shown, is the man in the spotlight is the man with no musical or song writing talent but he can look good and move to make the song look good.

The link between the lyrics and visuals is very subtle at times, but at others, flashing shots of objects make the song and the video connect and have relevance. For example here is a TubeChop that shows how the director has incorporated flashes of items that are relevant to the lyrics. It also shows the actor's hand movements and how he uses them to support the lyrics. http://www.tubechop.com/watch/201472

We see the artist Playing his guitar at beginning and at parts throughout the video but we don't see a massive amount of links between the music of the song and the visuals shown in the video. This is different considering it is mainly a performance based video. Although the actor that shows the narrative throughout the song is almost using sign language to get the best and rythem of the sing across to the audience as well as showing the message behind the lyrics. Here is my TubeChop example: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/201477

The song is of a hip-hop/pop genre and the video shows many elements that make it specific to its target audience. For example, its simply set in a dark studio with flashing lights. This may seem like a small element, but the environment has shown how it has mixed hip hop with pop. The stereotypical Hip-hop Setting would be in an empty dark space with not much character, whereas a pop video, would be all glamorous and set in luxury enviroments that make the artist and their company look big and rich. I think they have managed to balanced the 2 genres well.
The artist appeals to mainly young people, so by using a young actor, and a funky new twist, it has made it young and exciting. therefore it appeals to its target audience.

Ed has only just recently signed and this is only his second single, so I am surprised by the lack of close-ups of the artists that feature in this music video, which is used as promotional material to promote the song and the artist. On the other side of this, The label and artist would argue that he has for many years worked hard to build up his massive fan base that sent his début single to number 1. The way that I have interpreted the narrative, it wouldn't work and would contradict the song. We do see the artist and his ginger locks Twice, at the beginning and the end. We also see the artists signature guitar, that I recognised by fans due to the distinctive Paw Print Logo on it.

Overall I think this is a very good music video and doesn't necessarily follow the recognisable codes and conventions of this type of media.
I am particularly interested in the mise en scene and lighting. They have used a dark set with very strong Flashing lights that create the mood and set the style of the pop and hip-hop style they are going for. I also like how they have used significant objects and put the spot light on them when the lyrics are appropriate to that item.

Music Video Analysis- Kid British (Our House Is Dadless)

Kid British - Our House Is Dadless

This 2009 track from Manchester, Modern SKA/Pop band, Kid British, received 527,856 Views on YouTube.

The band members grew up on council estates in Manchester and were keen to let everyone know this with there first single, Our house is Dadless, which samples the famous Madness track, Our House.

The video is mainly concept based and follows the life of how it is to grow up in these areas. They have used many different shots to show this. In my opinion i think that the most effective are the first establishing, aerial shots. They show that the song applies to many people, all over. It also introduces the story of their chaotic houses on these massive estates.

The lyrics suit the visuals in the video and tell the story well. An example of this is the lyrics 'I can smell that bacon cooking, And mum's downstairs doing that weekly washing, Singing along she's got that Motown rocking. And i'm shouting out ‘mum turn it down', Cos i'm tryna sleep right now, Argh forget it I was getting up anyway, Man I can't get a lie in any day.'

Here is a TubeChop clip to show how the narrative and visuals in the video, represent those of the lyrics. http://www.tubechop.com/watch/200602

The beginning of the video shows a relationship between the music and the visuals, when one of the band members, turns the radio off that is playing part of the sampling track 'Our House'. Here is the clip that explains this, http://www.tubechop.com/watch/200604 

The video is almost very genre specific. It adopts the style of some madness videos, mixing the narrative and performance very well. The genre of SKA is all about being real and looking about the real society. This video is very much about that. Its not about showing the glamorous pop-star life, its about showing things like the social-economic conditions and making them acceptable. 

Kid British show the good and bad parts of living on a council estate in Manchester in the modern era, so i think that they have managed to create a Genre Specific Video.

There is not a lot of intertexuality to analyse apart from the obvious sampling and the adopted style of film, following from the madness style. 

We are invited into a world that some people don't understand, or who cannot relate to. 

Overall i would like to use some ideas from this and use it in my music video. I think the way that they take a midshot of each character after their particular scene is a good technique to focus on the detail of all the different characters. 

Preliminary Task

Before Starting to plan and create our own music videos, we were given the task to put together a music video, using the song by Annie Lennox, A Whiter shade of Pale.


We were given the lyrics and The song and then we had to plan the narration and shots. looking at the lyrics i thought of modernizing the downbeat song with a twist. We thought of the idea of a prostitute that has nothing else but  making money through having sex with strangers. We then thought of ideas of how to portray this in a music video using Goodwin's theory, before constructing a storyboard of all the different shots.

the storyboard looked like this...


We then made a plan of how we were going to get these shots, organising actors, props, costumes, location and equipment.

Here is our plan of these things:

After getting all of the shots we needed, we used final cut express on the Mac, to edit the footage and this is our final product:

Goodwin's Music Video analysis