Red Hot Chili Peppers - 'Can't Stop' (Mark Romanek, 2006)
How might this video be consumed?
This song reached number 22 on the UK singles chart, so chances are that the video for it would be consumed on television channels such as MTV or 4Music. Now, however, it is likely to be consumed on Web 2.0 and social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and MySpace as it is readily available on these sites and is no longer shown any where near as often on television channels. The fact that it is a much more mainstream and popular song than some other genres means that it will be much more readily available for viewing.
Considering the genre and artist, what role would the record label play in creating these promotional texts?
The genre is alternative rock and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have had numerous hits - and their albums have been successful - so the record label which owns their music is likely to have a very strong influence on the features of the video, as they are likely to know what they are doing in terms of the way they represent the artist. They would convey the artist in a different way to an artist of another genre, for example pop. This would mean that the video and other media surrounding the artist, such as print media, all collaboratively constructs the star image in order to make it appeal to the consumer much more.
Genre & Narrative
LMFAO - 'Party Rock Anthem'
What are the forms and conventions evident in the video?
Genre characteristics:
The video could be seen as a parody. Initially we are shown a title screen which reads '28 Days Later' so they are intending to represent this popular zombie film in some way. The video leads on to illustrate a form of zombie narrative but in a somewhat humourous tone. The genre is Electro House so the video features a lot of dance, as this is what is unsurprisingly associated with the "dancey" style music.
The relationship between the music and the visuals:
The dance is very prominent in the video and when the music builds up they start dancing a lot more. This shows that the music is closely tied in with the visuals so that each of them successfully document each other. The fact that the video is in some ways synonymous with the music makes them compliment each other and therefore make them more appealing as a whole. A lot of the video is performance based, but it is also largely narrative based since it is a parody of "28 Days Later".
The relationship between the lyrics and the visuals:
The lyric "everyday I'm shuffling" is very prominent and is very related to the video. Since it is in reference to the zombie film '28 Days Later', the narrative is that these 'shuffling' zombies are invading and the only way to prevent infection is to wear some headphones (which in this case is the in-ear Beats by Dr Dre, a very clever use of product placement) and pretend to do the shuffle dance themselves so that the zombies do not know they remain uninfected. Also, when the lyric "everyday I'm shuffling" plays on the song, the video closely follows it and the actors in the video start doing the shuffle dance, so the lyrics are closely related. Also, one of the band members says "tight jeans, tattoo, cause I'm rock and roll" as he points to his jeans and tattoo in the video, so this again directly relates the video and the lyrics. This contributes to the idea of the 'star image' because the consumer can see that the two forms of media are inter-related and both of them make the star image conform to Dyer's two paradoxes (that they are both ordinary and extraordinary, and present and absent)
Close-ups of the artist and visual motifs:
There are many close ups of the artist from low angles which represents them in a way that they are powerful or superior in some way. There are a few 'meat' shots (close-ups of the singers mouths) and their costume has been chosen carefully - with one of their t-shirts stating the lyric "everyday i'm shuffling".
References to the notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, mirrors, etc.):
For much of the duration of the video, there is a first-person mode of address from the artists. There is very minimal use - if any - of reflections, mirrors, screens within screens etc. However the first person mode of address is always important in a music video so it has been used.
Intertextual references:
The whole video itself is an intertextual reference to the film '28 Days Later' which is a zombie film, and the video is a parody and an attempt to mock the original to some extent. This adds to the humourous and light-hearted tone of the video which most of the fans of this type of genre enjoy.
Is this video an example of illustration, amplification or disjuncture?
This video is mostly an illustration of the song, since the majority of the video is of the actors doing the 'shuffle' dance, and the most prominent lyrics in the song are 'everyday I'm shuffling'. It is also amplification because it is twisting the meaning to some extent, because in the lyrics they don't refer to the film '28 Days Later' or the fact that these zombies are now making them shuffle, but in the video they twist the meaning of the lyrics by illustrating it as a reference to the film.
Could this video be considered art?
I think that, to some extent, this video could be considered an art form because it is a very playful representation of both the lyrics and the film '28 Days Later'. However most music videos are used purely for promotional means, so it is likely this music video was made with the end consumer in mind, and what would appeal to them most, rather than what would appeal to the artists and the way they would like to be represented.
Media Language
Ellie Goulding - 'Starry Eyed' (US Version)
What is the 'message' or purpose of the video?
The purpose of this video is to illustrate the lyrics "everybody's starry eyed".
As Ellie Goulding herself stated in an interview, "It's about letting go. As opposed to all the sad and depressing things I write about, I decided to write something about the joining together of people in some kind of euphoric state - be it at a festival, at a show or in a club. I wanted a song that would reach out to people of every background and every enjoyment, whether you enjoy a natural high, taking drugs, drinking or whatever. Because I'm essentially a pop artist I wanted to write a song that everyone can relate to."
The video is to represent this, and most people are able to relate to this video because it has a very open meaning.
In general, however, the purpose of a music video is largely promotional - they are intended to contribute to the star image and they are used to compliment the music so that the consumer enjoys a much more all-round experience and they can immerse themselves in the stars work using more than one of their senses (visuals as well as sound).
What visual techniques are used to do this and why?
There is a lot of special effects used to create the animation of the stars in the sky, as well as all of the other animations we see in the video. Special effects features extensively in this video as it is much more about concept than narrative or performance, so it seems a suitable choice. The heavy use of special effects helps to stun and captivate the audience - the concept on its own could seem slightly bland or boring, so the effects make up for this.
Is there any intertextuality or references to popular culture? How does this create meaning for the audience?
This video features no direct references to intertextuality, but the general feeling of this video is that the couple are in love and they are having a good time together. This creates meaning for the audience because it is likely that they can relate to it in some form or other.
Representation
Professor Green - 'Jungle' Feat. Maverick Sabre
How is the band represented?
Professor Green is represented to be someone who lives in Hackney, a borough of London which is deprived and is home to a lot of violence. He is seen to be part of a gang which carries out regular acts of violence and the lyric "it's wild round here, you don't wanna spend a night round here" suggests that Professor Green is recommending to the general public that they don't visit the area due to all of the violence which it is unfortunately home to. Lots of low angles convey him among gang members in a powerful and authoritative manner.
Dyer's paradoxes come into play here, with Professor Green and Maverick Sabre seeming to be present by using a first-person mode of address but also appearing as absent because they are suggesting, with the lyric "you don't wanna spend a night round here" that they should not be visited and you should stay away from them.
This all fits in with the meta-narrative of the artists. They are part of the hip-hop genre, and most of the consumers who enjoy listening to this genre of music are generally associated with the urban or wild side of things. Therefore the video is constructed as such in order to maximise the appeal generated in this type of person.
How are different social groups represented in the video?
The video shows a very strong representation of the general public in Hackney. It features a lot of violence through the use of baseball bats, blood, physical aggression, guns, alcohol, balaclavas etc. They are seen to be very aggressive people who are not very accepting of others, and they would do a lot just for a little bit of money.
Semiotics
Music videos - and most visual media forms - contain several signs. These signs all collaboratively make up sign systems. These sign systems are generally used to contribute to the star image in a somewhat materialistic manner. For example, the hoodies in this music video are symbolic signs and have cultural significance of violence - and the genre of the music conforms with this to some extent. Another sign could be the tattoo on the man's lip at 2:55, which is a visual signifier. These collaboratively generate the sign system which makes up the star image.
ADD MORE EXAMPLES OF SIGNS ETC
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