Music Video analysis

Music Video 1 Best Day Of my Life by American authors

This music video uses a combination of narrative and performance based
video to convey the meaning of the video to the audience
Instantly in the beginning of the video, there is a slow motion effect used
and a layer of fogginess put on the first scene as a long shot shows
figures of some characters this is foreshadowing the events in the music
video, possibly hinting to the audience it is all a dream.


It then cuts to a mid-shot man drinking alone in a bar, the lighting of
the image is very low key, the scene appears rather depressing and
completely contrasts the upbeat nature of the song which we can start hearing to kick in.The words of the song then begin, the
beginning of the song is accompanied by a cut to a close up of a man singing in to a mic, he is different to the man in the bar. This is
very generic in music videos as the singer of the band is normally different to the actors who convey the meaning of the song. Close
ups are used commonly as they show the expression of the singer. The low key lighting can be seen aswell in this shot and this is also
very common in music videos.



The camera then cuts to a mid shot of the man sat at the bar, the camera then pans to the right reaveling a very strange looking
thing next to the man, it stands out completely as it looks like some sort of monster. Crosscutting between two different locations is
very common within music videos one segment will be of the sctors performing and the other will be the band lip syncing, sometimes
the two interlink and they are in the same location.He then touches drink with the monster, this action by the actors conveys to the
audience that they are friends but the surprised look In the mans expression means he has never seen this thing before. The monsters
meaning is polysemic it could be one of two things, it could represent part of the man that is scared of doing things like going out
and having a good time, or it could represent a random person who appears scary to the man because he doesnt know him, but he
breaks out of his habits this time and has a good time with him.
It then cuts to a two shot of the two both having good time, the expression in
the actors face on the right tells the audience this. The next scene is similar to
the first scene; there are 4 members of a band walking in slow motion. We can
only see the back of them, but we assume that these 4 are the band because of
the props they are holding props, which are instruments. This is very common
in music videos and it looks to the audience they are playing live. The foggy
mask over the first scene is now lifted and we can see them clearly, this could
signify that the actor has now entered a dream and none of the events are real.
The audience then definitely knows these members are of a band because the
camera shows us the front of him and he makes direct address to the audience which is extremely common in music videos and then
begins singing towards them. The mise en scene of the characters makes them look very much like a band because of their costume.
The image on the right shows the monster & the man getting kicked out of the bar, the lyrics relate to this scene as the man sings
Well dance with monsters through the night referring to the thing the man is with. A long shot is used to show the two.

The camera then jump cuts to them playing basketball, the mise en scene of the image is very fun. Jump cuts are used very commonly
in music videos as they allow the director to only show the audience what they want them to see, in this video particular it is the man
having fun, they didnt want us to see them walk from the bar to that location.This is generic in music videos as the mood changes
drastically all the time in them and this video is no exception. The mood changes very suddenly from the gloomy bar to a very sunny
outside where the two appear to be having lots of fun. It then cuts to the two at some sort of strip club, throwing money at the
woman as if it is meaningless, nothing. Some sort of sexualisation is very common in music videos, and this is evidence of it in this
one.

In this image, a montage (which is very common in music videos as it shows a sequence of events quickly) and editing is used to show
the two having lots of fun in a photo booth, a collection of videos shows this and editing effects such as a flash show them taking
pictures, allowing the audience to realise where they are. The band singer is then walking down the street as a close up is used on
him to show his expression, this is extremely common in music videos so I am not surprised to see this element of cinematography.

In the next shot, the two are seen having fun drinking. The monsters mise en scene has changed, he now looks like he is having fun
and smiling. The long shot of the two show their surroundings, they have now taken to the streets. The constant change in
environment is very effective in making the music video more fun for the audience. It makes it more watchable as we are going to
different locations.




















In the image on the left above, the main character is running in slow motion with the monster, this is an effect added in
editing. Slow motion editing effects are very common within music videos as it makes moments last much longer. It makes the
scene last much longer and appears as if the man is having so much fun he wants to stay here for as long as possible, slowing
down time.
The scene is constantly crosscutting to the singer of the band, who is in a completely different setting, it is daytime & high key
lighting instead of night but the setting is exactly the same, both of them are going across the bridge. Crosscutting is
commonly seen in music videos as one section of video acts out the song whilst the other lip syncs to it.
In the image on the left, there is a close up of one of the band members playing an instrument. This is extremely typical in a
music video; it shows them playing the song it timing to the audio non-diegetic sound which has been previously recorded by
the band. Long low angle shot of the band reveals that theyre now performing at a venue, This shot give s them dominance
over the scene, almost as if they are the main attraction of the room, everyone is looking at them as they overpower the room
with their music.
The image on the left is a mid-shot of the two characters, the audience can see they are about to enter a building and we can
guess that theyre about to meet the band. The image on the right shows the singer of the band in a big close up directly
singing to the camera making direct address with the audience. This is extremely common in music videos and one would not
be complete without this aspect.
The In the next shot, both the band and the main actors are together, having fun. The long shot of the venue shows the amount of people there and everyone
dancing, this shot has an extremely happy mood which directly relates to the lyrics of the song. After a couple of shots of the band performing and the actors
having lots of fun, the camera cuts to the man still sat where he originally was at the beginning of the video. The music promptly ends as we cut to this shot,
as it is almost as if the man is back in reality. The props such h as the empty glasses of beer and his glasses on the table tell the audience that he hasnt
moved at all and has just passed out drunk.
In the image on the left, a long shot of the man shows him getting up and the character moves away from the bar whilst diegetically saying sorry. The
woman is seen giving the man a dirty look because of the expression on her face. The lighting appears very bright, like we are waking up in a drunken daze.
In the image on the right, the camera focuses on the photographs of the man and the monster taken last night, a close up of them reveals them to the
audience and the woman takes particular interest in them, picking them up and then giving the man an even dirtier look as if he has been in the bar all night
and it never happened, making her wonder how he got them. This conveys to the audience that maybe the events werent a dream. They may in fact be real.
This is one of the most important codes & conventions in music videos, the meaning has to be rather blurry & hard to understand, so that the audience keeps
re-watching.


Music Video 2 Arctic Monkeys Florescent Adolescent
This music video uses just pure performance in which to convey the narrative & meaning to the audience. The music video begins with a non-diegetic
sound effect which sounds oddly like a movie reel playing. The shot used for the first part of the video is a POV shot; it seems as if we are tailing a car
in front. The POV theme continues as we stop in the car and appear to get out. As the character exits the car, the non-diegetic music begins to play.










The music video continues in POV as the music continues to play we see the man run up to join other people who are running very strangely.
They are all dressed in bright colours and appear to look like clowns which are a very strange outfit to be wearing. The camera then cuts from a
POV to a long shot showing the mass of the battle, all of the clown characters are running into a group of men in black outfits. The location of
the fight appears to be some sort of warehouse in the middle of nowhere.
The editing in this section in extremely fast cuts between clowns and men fighting show the scale of the battle and each scene only lasts for 2-3
seconds which conveys to the audience its all happening extremely fast. The fight continues, we see an over the shoulder shot of a clown as he
stares at one of the men in suits. Lots of different angles in cinematography is very typical within music videos to keep it exciting for the
audience.
The man takes off his mask and the clowns expression on his face looks as if they both know each other, the clown then head-butts the man
though, showing that even if they know each other, the fight must continue. The quick cuts continue and the men even start to use props to
attack each other, one man uses a car door to smack another mans head in. The meaning of this fight has not yet been revealed, but the scale of
it would suggest its something important and the way the men are dressed would also suggest its very shady.
More shots of the men fighting are used, in the shot on the left a man has someone on the ground, and continues to punch him as he lies
there. The expression on the mans face makes him looks extremely angry as he continues to punch the man. The clowns then gather and
run after one man, the camera tracks them. The man appears to be very powerful as he fights off all of them, kicking them away and using
props to fight them.










The camera then cuts to a slow motion effect which has been edited in by the creator to emphasise the prop of the chair being broken as it
slowly tracks to the right away from the two men fighting. In the next cut, the camera tracks a man in black running away very quickly
with an important prop; it looks as if it is very important because of how the camera focuses on the suitcase which could be very
important.
After this an older men gets out of the car, a low angle shot shows his power as he swings a chain around. He then brings the chain down
and smacks it on the car window repeatedly until it smashes. The main clown then gets one men to the edge of the land and dangles him
over whilst repeatedly punching him.
As the mans on the floor he looks up at the clown and an editing effect shows the man blur out and go back into focus, this shows he has
been hurt quite a bit. The clown then looks at the man and a superimpose on the screen reads How could it have come to this? After this
an editing effect makes the present day fade out and the audience can now see how they used to be, we can tell it is the two men because
the clown is still wearing a clown costume and the man is still wearing what he is today. The lighting of this flashback shows a lot more
sun, which is extremely different to where the men are today, which is a very grainy grey is looking location. A collage of images is then
shown onscreen of the men growing up throughout time.
Flashbacks are used a lot in music videos as it gives the audience context to the environment. It then flashes back to present day, the clown
fights off all of the men and then grabs the bag seen from before. This makes this bag look even more significant, it could be the reason
why the massive fight has actually occurred. The man then joins back into the massive fight and there are lots of slow motion effects,
adding to the effect of props breaking on peoples heads, the camera uses long shots & close ups to show the individual fights and people
being eliminated.

















The camera tracks another man from the men in black suites, he is running out of the chaos and it looks as if he is heading towards a yellow
car. The main clown follows him and is seen throwing away the suitcase prop, we know whatever is in it is important but it seems as if it is not
worth it anymore, so he throws it and now its personal. Props are used frequently in music videos as it allows the audience to understand the
situation better.
The man gets in the car and begins to accelerate, a close up on the main clown shows he knows he is about to get run over, the car goes
straight for him but the clown gets away just in time by climbing a fence. A close up of the car leaking petrol, the audience now knows that the
clown has an idea of how to get rid of this man.
The clown drops a lighter, it trails to the car and the man is blown up very quickly, a long shot shows the scale of the destruction. An over the
shoulder shot shows the man witnessing what he has done; the non-diegetic song comes to an end abruptly as if it is all over. There is certain
sympathy for this man; its almost as if he didnt want this to happen.
The camera cuts to a blurry masked video of the two dancing as children, they look extremely happy and the camera angle is a low angle which
could signify this shouldve been whats most important, the two of them friends. The camera then cuts to the clowns face, a close up shows
instant regret of his actions, but it has already been done. The camera then rotates around the man until we see what is in his vision, which is
the wrecked car.
Music Video 3 - Bastille Things We Lost In The Fire
This music video uses a combination of narrative & performance to convey the meaning of the song to the audience. The video begins
with an establishing shot of a very cold environment; there is a ship which can be seen to the left of the screen. The main meaning of
this song according to the lyrics seems like a classic breakup about one of the singers exs, the cold environment could signify how the
singer is feeling right now. Diegetic sounds of the wind can be heard. The camera cuts to what seem as many men walking hopelessly
in one direction. The camera then cuts to an extreme long shot of wolves running towards the camera in slow motion, this is an
editing effect.

The camera cuts back to the men walking, they are now in slow motion
walking directly from right to left of the camera, one man stops and picks up a golden bullet, the camera focuses on it and a close up
of the mans face shows his expression, this is commonly used in music videos. The camera then cuts to a slow pan of a wolf on a car.
The song already seems to be favouring this animal.





The singer then appears in the music video. In an extremely dark atmosphere it shows him holding the golden bullet. Lots of men in
dark dressed cloaks run past him in slow motion. This is an editing effect.


The music video then cuts to a close up of one man lip syncing; both of these elements are very common within music videos. A close
up of the bullet is then onscreen, this golden bullet could relate to the lyrics of the song. The song generally seems to be about a
breakup and this bullet could signify the one thing that broke the two up, the golden bullet which brought them apart.







The camera then zooms past the man and the setting slowly evolves in to a bar, all of the men in the bar are starring at this one
blonde haired woman, the men have their hands raised whilst looking at the women, it is almost as if they are completely submitting
to her beauty. A sort of effect emits off of her, it looks like an aura, circled around the woman and spiralling out. The camera follows
the woman until she turns around and the whole settings vanish. This is a very significant moment, it looks as if the whole world has
disappeared and all the men who are following this woman mean nothing because she wants him.

The singer then is alone with the woman in the darkness lip
syncing, the editing in this section is very slow, the woman they begins dancing in slow motion almost as if the man is savouring this
moment of her. It is almost sexual & seductive. Sexualisation is extremely common within music videos A car then appears in the
middle of the darkness, the singer enters and it transitions into a real place. It seems like a memory because of the way he just
entered it; the expression on his face makes him look very happy.



The singer is then passed a gun by his laughing friends in the car, and then they leave him alone in the darkness. This video is
starting to look more like a dream with tattered pieces of a storyline as if the man is dreaming about his breakup. The gun could
signify the fact that it was the mans friends that driven him and his girlfriend apart. Crosscuts between the singer and his girlfriend
and a car skidding in slow motion shows how they both once caressed each other but a long shot shows her running away and how
distant she now is.





The
video then cuts to the wolves from the begging, much closer now, they are still running towards us in slow motion. The cloaked men
are then seen running even further away. A cut to the singer lip syncing then a car is seen with blood running from it; this could
signify how their relationship is now dead. The singer then drops all of the bullets & the gun onto the floor. The singer then slowly
walks to the left of the screen, the snow signifies how cold he now is, he appears alone and there is no light in his life. The meaning
of this music video is very polysemic, its hard to pin in down to one thing, that is very common in music videos as it keeps the
audience watching over and over in attempt to discover the meaning.