FEATURES OBSERVATIONS EXAMPLES GENRE CHARACTERISTICS
INDIE ROCK, INSTRUMENTS, ALTERNATIVE, DEFINITELY NOT POP. GUITARS, DRUMS, MICROPHONES, AMPS, COLOUR SCHEME OF BLACK, RED AND WHITE, NO EXTRAVAGENT COLOURS. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS?
THE SONG IS CALLED MINUTE MILE INSUNIATING THAT TIME WILL BE INVOLVED. AT THE START OF THE SONG THERE IS A COUNTDOWN TILL ALL THE INSTRUMENTS KICK IN. SOME OF THE LYRICS ALSO COME UP ON THE SCREEN. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS?
CUT TO THE BEAT. THE ENTIRE MUSIC KICKS IN WHEN THE COUNTDOWN STOPS, WHEN SOME LYRICS ARE SAID THEY COME UP ON THE SCREEN. ARE THERE CLOSE- UPS OF THE ARTIST AND STAR IMAGE MOTIFS? THERE ARE MANY CLOSE UPS OF THE LEAD SINGER THROUGHOUT THE SONG; EACH MEMBER ALSO HAS THEIR OWN SHOT AT SOME POINTS. THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF THE VIDEO EACH MEMBER HAS THEIR OWN SHOT SEVERAL TIMES, SHOWING THEM OFF AS A BAND AND NOT JUST HAVING THE FOCUS FULLY ON ONE PERSON. IS THERE REFERENCE TO THE NOTION OF LOOKING?
ARE THERE INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES?
IS THE VIDEO CATEGORY ILLUSTRATION, DISJUNCTURE OR AMPLIFICATION? HOW MUCH OF EACH? AMPLIFICATION AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE VIDEO HAS NOT JUST PUT ALL THE FOCUS ON THE LEAD SINGER THE 3 COLOURS ALSO SHOW THE VIDEO IS INDIE ROCK. THE COLOUR SCHEME OF THE VIDEO IS BLACK, RED AND WHITE THIS CONNOTES THAT THE VIDEO IS INDIE/ROCK AND NOT POP AS POP VIDEOS ARE NORMALLY VERY COLOURFUL. NAME OF TRACK: MINUTE MILE
ARTIST: THE RIFLES
1 TASK 3 TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS
FEATURES OBSERVATIONS EXAMPLES GENRE CHARACTERISTICS
ALTERNATIVE ROCK, NOT MAINSTREAM GEEZER DONT HEAR MAINSTREAM ARTISTS SAY THIS. GUITAR, DRUMS, AMPS, CRODSURFING, ALCOHOL EXC.. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS?
THE SONG IS CALLED LIKE A DANCER, THIS CONNOTES THAT PEOPLE IN THE VIDEO WILL PROBABLY BE DANCING. IN THE VIDEO PEOPLE ARE DANCING AND HAVING A GOOD TIME, CROWDSURFING EXC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS?
AT THE START OF THE VIDEO THE VIDEO IS CUT TO THE BEAT OF THE MUSIC. WHEN THE DRUM INTRO STARTS, THE CUTS CHANGE WHICH THE BEAT. THIS ALSO HAPPENS SERVERAL TIMES THROUGHOUT THE VIDEO. ARE THERE CLOSE- UPS OF THE ARTIST AND STAR IMAGE MOTIFS? THERE ARE CLOSE UPS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIREITY OF THE VIEDEO. THERE ARE CLOSE UPS OF THE LEAD SINGER, TOM CLARKE, THROUGHOUT THE VIDEO. THIS IS EITHER BACK STAGE OR SINGING. THERE ARE ALSO CLOSE UPS OF THE THER MEMBERS OF THE BAND AND THE FOCUS ISNT ALL ON THE LEAD SINGER, TOM. IS THERE REFERENCE TO THE NOTION OF LOOKING?
ARE THERE INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES?
IS THE VIDEO CATEGORY ILLUSTRATION, DISJUNCTURE OR AMPLIFICATION? HOW MUCH OF EACH? AMPLIFICATION AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE VIDEO HAS NOT JUST PUT ALL THE FOCUS ON THE LEAD SINGER I WOULD PUT IT IN AMPLIFIVATION, AND BY A LOT. THERE ARE PEOPLE CROWDSURFING, INCLUDING THE BAND AND I FEEL THAT THIS SHOWS THIS EXC NAME OF TRACK: LIKE A DANCER
ARTIST: THE ENEMY
2 TASK 3 TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS
FEATURES OBSERVATIONS EXAMPLES GENRE CHARACTERISTICS
INDIE ROCK BAND, INSTRUMENTS GUITARS (INCLUDING BASS), AMPS, MICROPHONE. ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE WITH AN INDIE ROCK BAND. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS?
THE SONG NAME SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD BE A HAPPY SONG AS IT IS REMINICING THE GOOD TIMES HOWEVER IT COULD BE SAD AS IT IS REMINSICING. COULD BE MISSED? THE COLOUR CHANGES THAT HAPPEN THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF THE VIDEO SHOW THAT IT IS A HAPPY SONG. THE COLOURS ARE VERY BRIGHT, IF THEY WERE DULL IT WOULD CONNOTE A SAD SONG. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS?
AGAIN THIS MUSIC VIDEO IS CUT TO THE BEAT. THE MUSIC VIDEO IS CUT TO GUITAR AND DRUM CHANGES. ARE THERE CLOSE- UPS OF THE ARTIST AND STAR IMAGE MOTIFS? THERE IS A LOT OF FOCUS ON THE LEAD SINGER, LIAM FRAY, THROUGHOUT THE VIDEO. ESPECIALLY IN THE CHORUS. THERE IS ALSO CLOSE UP OF THE OTHER BAND MEMBERS. LOOK AT THE CHORUS, THERE IS ALWAYS EXAGGERATION ON LIAM AND NOT THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BAND. IS THERE REFERENCE TO THE NOTION OF LOOKING?
ARE THERE INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES?
IS THE VIDEO CATEGORY ILLUSTRATION, DISJUNCTURE OR AMPLIFICATION? HOW MUCH OF EACH? THE BRIGHT COLOURS IN THE MUSIC VIDEO SHOW THAT THE VIDEO IS ONE OF AMPLIFICATION.
NAME OF TRACK: HOW GOOD IT WAS
ARTIST: THE COURTEENERS
3 TASK 4 ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS BELOW THIS IS EXACTLY THE SORT OF THING YOULL NEED TO DO WHEN EVALUATING YOUR OWN COURSEWORK.
1. Why did you choose the text you are analysing? I chose these music videos as it is the type of music I am interested in the most and listen to, I also think that the videos are quite good, so this kind of helped me decide. 2. In what context did you encounter it? I watched these music videos on both my computer at home and on one of the iMac are which the college provided. 3. What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text? I think that it has had a good influence on me as I have been able to watch it on my own and takes notes rather that in a classroom on a projector for example. I have also been able to watch in in HD, this will have had a good influence as it made the viewing experience more enjoyable. 4. Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text? Through the music videos that I have watched I have seen that the bands are shown quite a lot, sometimes there are even shots of each member playing their instrument on their own. Another convention is that there is normally a lot of focus on the lead singer, in the chorus especially. All of these music videos also include the equipment used by the band in E.G guitars, drums, bass, amp exc 5. To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre? I dont believe that any of the music videos which I have analysed stretch the conventions of the Indie Rock/Alternative Rock genre. 6. Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre? In The Courteeners video for How Good It Was there is a lot of colour, I feel that this stretches the conventions for the genre which I am looking at. This band have always been one of indie rock but I feel that they are now becoming more pop/mainstream therefore this may be a reason for why the video has departed from the convention. 7. What sort of audience did you feel that the video was aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre/style of music)? I feel that these videos are aimed at teenagers/young adults. With the video for Like A Dancer by the Enemy I feel that it is aimed at mostly men, this is because there are a lot of men in the crowd and a sparse number of women. On the contrary I feel The Courteeners video is aimed at both men and women, as it doesnt include what I have just said and includes bright colours which can attract anyone.
4 8. What sort of person does it assume you are? I feel as if in the videos they assume that I am into guitar music and not mainstream music, they also feel that I go out a lot, this is done in the Like A Dancer video, as the video is actually filmed at a gig (at Glasgow Barrowlands). 9. What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity? The Like A dancer video makes the assumption that I am working class, male and the age range seems to specify to anyone who is a teenager to adult. I dont feel that the others really make assumptions. 10. What relevance does the text actually have for you? It has a lot of relevance as it is the music I like, and my music video will include some of the elements in these. 11. What knowledge does it take for granted? It doesnt really take anything for granted in my honest opinion. 12. To what extent do you resemble the 'ideal reader' that the video seeks to position you as? I feel as though I resemble a lot to the ideal reader. This is because I enjoy music like this and going out. 13. Are there any notable shifts in the video's style (and if so, what do they involve)? In the Like A Dancer video, there is a shift between the performance of the song, setting up, what happens backstage and the actual crowd. 14. What responses does the video seem to expect from you? I feel as if the videos either want you to feel as if that you are the people playing the music, or the people who are at the gig enjoying themselves and having a wild time. 15. How typical do you think this video is of Music Videos? In the terms of alternative music videos I think that it is very typical as they show the bands enjoying themselves and having a good time.. In terms of mainstream music videos I do not feel this is typical as they do not include supermodels, guns or other unrealistic things.