Analysis of existing music videos

In order for us to produce our own promo music video we will look at exisiting music videos by various artists- girlbands, boybands and mixed gender bands in particular, as we have decided between us that we want our promo music video to feature a band rather than a solo artist. We will analyse each video, taking into consideration the important factors that help create them such as:

- camera angles/shots/movement and size
- set and location
- costume and character (relating to the genre)


The first band we have chosen to analyse is Girlband 'The Pussycat Dolls'



For this analysis we have chosen to analyse one of the Pussycat Dolls' latest releases- 'Hush Hush'.
The video begins with an establishing shot- introducing the lead singer 'Nicole Scherzinger'. This has been very effectively done, as it straight away shows the audience who the lead singer of the band is. However this is not the only time we come across this emphasis as 'Nicole' is mostly always at the front of any group sections. The narrative is clearly put forward by this opening establishing shot because of the intense, depressing atmosphere that is automatically created. We see examples of this narrative idea as movements from the band occassionally link to the lyrics in the song- e.g. when the girls bring their index finger to their mouths to sing the lyrics 'Hush Hush'.

As the video develops the narrative becomes less important and there is more focus on the performance elements such as the dance routines and camera performances. The dance routines are a major factor in the video, mainly because music videos are performance-based videos and the 'Pussycat Dolls' are initially a dance group. It also helps the band to represent who they are and what they love to do- which is a girlband who like to put on a perfomance for their audience.
It is difficult to analyse each individual camera shot as the majority of the shots tend to change really quickly, but interestingly all shots go symetrically in time to the beat of the song. One of the noticable camera movements in the video though would be the effect of the hand held camera in order to create the nightclub atmosphere- making the theme more enjoyable and real for the audience.
The editing in the video is just as effective, as it has been very cleverly done. For example, the scene where the girls are either upside down or sideways on the stairs- which the director has purposely used for creativity and originality and to engage the audience.
The mise en scene objects also link into the representation of the band- e.g. the floral laptop in the nightclub scene which connotes that the members of the band are very girly and sexy.

The style of the band is a very important concept as it is stronly represented throughout the duration of the video. At the beginning of the video, the style represented is seductive and suggestive (Nicole getting out of the bath naked) which is used to attract the male audience, whilst the style represented in rest of the video is stylish and glamourous (the clothes worn by the band members) which is comparatively used to attract the female audience.
Paying more attention to their outfits we can see that they have been carefully chosen for this particular video. Each member is wearing heels to illustrate femininity and seduction and each piece of clothing is sequined and sassy to relate to the disco/nightclub theme.

For the set and location of the video, the director has chosen for the girlband to be in a 'secret location', alone and as far away from reality as possible. This is portrayed by the long shot of the house, where all that the audience can see are bright colours and flashing lights. This does not only create effect for the eye, but intrigues the audience because they will want to be with the girls having fun too.

This particular music video has two dominant genres within it- R&B and disco. By doing this, the director is appealing to more than one type of audience which in the long run will increase sales.
The typical R&B genre convetions are as follows:
- the opening scene with the lead singer in the bath
- the sexy dance moves throughout the course of the song (especially the staircase scene)
- the style of the song is very similar to other R&B releases
And the typical disco genre conventions are as follows:
- the sequined clothing
- the nightclub interior
- the disco dancing
- Nicole's afro hairstyle from the 70's

To conclude, we think that this music video is more or less an all-round success.


The second band we have chosen to analyse is Boyband 'FallOut Boy'.



For this analysis we have chosen to analyse Fallout Boy's 'Sugar We're Going Down'.
The opening 15 seconds of the music video begins with two different establishing shots of the countryside to emphasise the fact that the video is set in a remote countryside village. The countryside is focused on throughout the duration of the video- hence the reoccurring use of objects such as trees and leaves.

The video has an interesting and an engaging narrative, which uses humour and sensitivity. The mise en scene expresses a 'father' portrayed as a lumberjack, who wears a large coat and hat and it also expresses various tools and weapons are used by the characters such as crossbows and saws.
The conventions in the video consist of the instruments used by the band whilst performing- which is continually shown every few seconds or so and as the video progresses we are introduced to a 'reindeer' theme which is also a vital convention for the narrative as it represents vulnerability for each character. There is even a road sign displaying the image of a deer which is classed as an important shot and helps add to the audience impact.

The cuts and different shots are relevant to the tempo and rhythm of the song. During the narrative, it concludes when the music calms down. The upbeat tune that Fallout Boy use in many songs of theirs, links with the heart-warming story. Where the music is slower the footage focuses on the narrative and where the song speeds up, the video shows the band performing. In the chorus the song becomes more lively.
The original idea of the them, narrative and setting means there is a lack of intertextuality in the video.

Costuming in this video is clearly not an important feature like it can be in other music videos (particularly girlbands) as the band members are just dressed casually- most probably in their day to day clothes. This suggests one of too things; 1) they are a typical boys so anything goes or 2) they want to maintain their individuality and do not want to dress up just because they are on camera.

The specific genre here is Indie/Rock and we can identify this by their style of dress- whether it may be for a purpose or not, it still reflects them as individuals, by the instruments used and by the tone/sound of the vocals created.

To conclude, the video is not as successful as the previous one we analysed by the Pussycat Dolls because there is not as many noticeable features to analyse. However this is just our preference and it may be biasedly judged simply on the fact that we are female.


The third band we have chosen to analyse is Mixed Band 'Paramore'



For this analysis we have chosen to analyse Paramore's latest single 'Ignorance'. The video features the band performing in a small, dark room- lit by a light bulb, then in a larger performance area and then lead singer Hayley Williams performs in a box room of mirrors where her hair is tied back, she is dressed in white clothes and she is restricted by duct tape.

The song and video clearly displays the band’s progression over the years and how Hayley Williams (the female vocalist) is stealing the limelight. This is represented in the video by the 'light bulb'- an important object within the mise en scene. Hayley is holding the light bulb, and throughout the video the light only shines on her. She tries to point the light at the other band members but the cord is too short and they all ignore her- which relates to the title of the song 'Ignorance', leaving them in the dark while Hayley gets all of the attention. This is further expressed by the regular use of camera shots of Hayley in the 'light' and close ups of the light bulb.

Lighting effects are important for the narrative of the video. The video mostly takes place in the dark and uses light in an unconventional way, with the light bulb being the key light and the key light being in front of the camera. Slightly more conventional lighting is used where Hayley is in the mirrored room, with back lighting occasionally used to show Hayley’s position in the limelight.

In the video a fast cutting rate is used between the scenes of Hayley in the mirrored room as she attempts to escape the light which gives a sense unease and disorientation. A time-lapse effect is also used towards the end of the video where the male band members who are still in the dark tie up Hayley using the light’s cable. The video ends with Hayley letting go of the light bulb and the light going out, as if to say without her the spotlight will not be able to shine on any of the other band members.

The band members are all dressed similarly in the colour black throughout most of the video- which corresponds to the black walls and the darkness of the room. The only time we see a change in outfit is when Hayley Williams is dressed in white in the mirrored box room- the colour white used quite simply to contrast with the colour black.

The genre of the song/video falls into Pop Punk, which combines Punk Rock and Pop styles. This is obvious from the instruments, vocals and lyrics used aswell as the band's style, fashion and choice of location.

To conclude, the video is successful in portraying what the band aim to portray but it is unfortunately not at all alike anything we wish to produce.