Evaluation of music video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aog3GTtbKsg

Evaluating in relation to Goodwin's Theory

There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

As planned, we tried to pick out the lyrics of which were achievable to connect to a visual image. This wasn't too difficult as the lyrics made frequent references to nature. These aspects were fairly simple to find, for example, the sun, and shoot them to fit the song. As the lyrics are sung so does the image, establishing a strong relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

'Birds in the sky' These lyrics are sung in conjuction with an image of birds flying in the sky, this emphasises the lyrics. It is a short shot and is the esatblishing shot of the music video, after the image a transition is used to fade into the next scene. We used a low angle shot by manipulating the tilt of the camera, given the impression of looking upwards into the sky.                   

'Breeze drifting on by' Here we had an image of a huge tree drifting in the breeze whilst the lyrics were sung. Luckily it was quite a windy day when we shot this so the tree swayed heavily side to side, portraying the 'breeze'. A slight low angle shot is also used here by tilting the camera to give the impression of looking upwards at the tree.

'River running free' here, we went on a boat ride and shot the river flowing quite fast, relating directly to the lyrics. The boat was going quite quickly therefore the film of the river does look quite fast paced, which possibly would have looked better if it was slightly slower due to the pace of the song. A medium shot is used here with a slight tilt downwards to the camera to give the impression it is close by. 

'This old world is a new world..' the singer sings these lyrics whilst opening a window and looking outside of it to represent the new world she is about to venture out into. A medium shot is used here and the camera also tracks alongside the singer, moving with the singer.

 'Stars in the sky' Here, unfortunately it was difficult to get a shot of stars at night as it would not come up clear enough on camera, however we used a shot of the street lighting at night which I feel also created a good affect, as the blurred street lighting gives the impression of 'stars in the sky.'

'Freedom is mine' When the singer sung these lyrics, she opened her front door and ventured out, emphasisinng the freedom she now has into the new world. The camera shoots at a medium shot which then switches to a medium close up and then follows the singer as she walks outside the door.

'Feeling Good' The singer writes 'Feeling Good' in the mirror with lip stick whilst these lyrics are sung. The camera shoots at a medium close up, almost an over the shoulder shot, mainly focusing on the writing.

There is a relationship between the music and the visuals

The music is quite slow and has a relaxed pace which connects to Goodwin's theory of the relationship between the music and the visuals as the pace of the film is also slow. The singer starts off looking quite shy, making little eye contact with the camera, frequently looking down and to the side. She wears a bath robe, covering most of her body, emphasing her shyness. Then as the song progressess she becomes more confident, looking directly at the camera and changing into a more revealing dress. To add to the slow paced song there is a lot of fading used in the editing to emphasise the slow music.

Looking down, shy at first

There will be a demand on part of the record comapny for a lot of close ups of the main singer or vocalist

This theory is also portrayed through this music video. Throughout the video the main focus is on the singer, with various close ups also shown. We used a range of shots within the framework in order to fully explore this theory. Some shots switch from close ups to medium shots, souly focused on the main singer.

There is likely to be reference to voyeurism, particularly in treatment of females

The main singer in our video is a girl and there are shots towards the end of the video walking down the starirs where the camera is moved from her head to her toes. This is also wear the singer is wearing a short dress with extremely high heels. There is also a shot of her taking off her bath robe, where her bare shoulder is shown, then the robe is dropped and the camera drops to her feet then fades out into a different shot.

I have learnt a number of things in the planning and production of thi music video. Firstly, directly within the music video I have learnt it is important to take special attention to the mise en scene within the framework of shots. There are some shots in the beginning where there is Vaseline bottle in the background of the shot. You can also see the top of my laptop screen where I was reading my lyrics from. I also think it is very important to fully use every shot possibly within the music video, we did utilise many however I think the video could be improved by using a wider variety.

Furthermore I also learnt that it was quite hard to find the right time to use the location we needed, and how to get everyone in the group there. As the camera could not be taken outside of school hours, therefore we had to use our own camera and only tow of us could be there for the filming.

Initial Ideas and planning for music video

Initial Ideas

Once we absorbed the Goodwin theory we were ready to create our own music video, relating to his theory. We went intor groups of three and were chosen a song by our teacher. We were given the song, Feeling Good by Nina Simone.

Firstlty I thought it was a good idea to do some research on the artist to get some background knowledge. Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music. Her musical path changed direction after she was denied entry by the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, despite a well-received audition. Simone was later told by someone working at Curtis that she was rejected because she was black.

"Feeling Good" is a song written by English singer-songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd. Nina Simone's version appeared on her 1965 album I Put a Spell on You. "Feeling Good" was released as the lead single from Michael Buble's It's Time. The single was released on April 19, 2005.

Planning

We decided to take a 'heartbreak' approach to the song, meaning the main singer would be waking up after a bad break-up with a boyfriend. And as the song progresses she forgets about him, whilst getting ready. She later hits the town, literally 'feeling good'.

I took into account the concepts of Goodwin's theory in order to plan for the music video:

There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

'Sun in the sky'- For theses lyrics we could have a shot of the sun rising, we would have to wake up significantly early one morning and find a good location to shoot this from, but it would create a good effect as the opening of the song too.
'Birds in the sky' we could shoot a crowd of birds flying through the sky to amplify these lyrics.
'River running free' we could shoot a downstream of river flowing freely to emphasise the lyrics being sung here.
'This old world is a new world..' to emphasise these lyrics we could have the singer opening curtains or a window to portray the 'new world'.
'Stars in the sky' For these lyrics it would be a good idea to have a shot of the nights sky, representing these lyrics.
'Freedom is mine' When the singer is singing these lyrics we could have her opeing her front door, running out, symbolising the freedom she has acquired.

There is a relationship between the music and the visuals

The music in the song is quite slow but very powerful, therefore will establish a connection between the slow music and the visuals by having slow paced shots, with the singer moving slowly in a relaxed pace. The transitions could also be slow moving, possibly using fading in and out techniques. As the song progresses the music gets more intense, we could relate this to the visuals by letting the singer grow throughout the video too. For example, she could start off quite reserved and camera shy, then throughout the song, slowly get more confident and by the end of the song she is moving a fraction faster, looking at the camera with confidence. This could also be reflected in her clothes, at the beginning of the song shes could be covered up in her pyjamas or a robe, and then slowly take it off and wear something more revealing like a dress.

There will be a demand on part of the record company of a lot of close up of the main artist or vocalist

 

Using this theory we could have the singer as a main focus of the music video, utilising fully a range of shots of the singer throughout the video, especially when she is singing, close up shots should be taken.

 

There is likely to be reference to voyeurism, particualry in the treatment of females

 

To relay this theory into our music video we could use medium shots of the singer, where her body could be in focus, slowly moveing the camera from her face to her feet. The singer could be wearing something revealing, like a short dress to make a reference to vouyeurism. It may also be a good idea to have a shot of the singer taking off her pyjamas or robe, with them falling to the floor, but not directly showing any part of the body by adding in a quick fading transition.

 

We will also have to take into account the mise en scene of the music video. Within the framework of the shots we could have girly objects, such as flowers and hearts and pink objects to emphasise the role of the female singer and how powerful and confident she becomes by the end of the song. We could also use things like photographs- ones of a couple, exemplifing the singers story.

 

The location of the video will also play an important roll in the production of the music video. It would have to take place in a house. Particularly in a bedroom, where the singer would be upset at first, then getting ready to go out. Stairs would need to be used, as well as a front door. To portray the singer going for a night out we could shoot her in a club singing, this may prove difficult, therefore we woul have to find a stage, possibly use the school assembly stage to shoot this.

 

The last thing to think about are the technical aspects of the music video. This would include lip syncing, which may be a challenge, however one that could easily be overcome with a bit of practice. In the editing we would have to match up the lip syncing with the music. Also in the editing we will use smooth transitions, inclding fading in and out to emphasise the slow moving song.

Goodwin's Theory

Goodwin’s theory.

Andrew Goodwin wrote a book, 'Rise of MTV, Dancing in the Distraction Factory' 1992. Within his book he identifies a number of key features which distinguish the music video as a form.

1.  There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals
2. There is a relationship between the music and the visuals
3. Particular genres have their own music video style and iconography
4. There will be a demand on the part of the record company for a lot of close ups o the main artist of vocalist
5. There is likely to be reference to voyeurism, particualry in the treatment of females
6. There are likely to be intertextual references, either to other music videos or films and TV texts

I have chosen three music videos and evaluated how the link to Goodwin's theory.

Snow Patrol- Run

Andrew Goodwin has a clear theory which identifies a number of key features which distinguish a music video as a form.

The video ‘Run’ by Snow Patrol follows these theories. As Goodwin’s theory states, there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. In the chorus of the song the lyrics ‘Light up’ amplify the visuals of a lighted torch held up by the main singer motioned around him. This repeats itself in the next chorus when the man who was sitting behind the singer is standing behind the singer and swings the lighted torch around. Shortly after this, the lyrics ‘I’ll be right beside you dear’ are sung whilst another man is sitting behind the singer, also holding a lighted torch. The singer in the video looks quite sad and upset relating to the lyrics of the song.

Another theory from Goodwin is that there is a relationship between the music and the visuals. The particular music that Snow Patrol generally make, especially the song ‘Run’ is quite sad and has a darker tone, this corresponds with the music video as it is set in a very dark forest, hardly any colour is shown, even when the torches are in focus they are of a dark orange colour. The singer generally looks quite sad, emotionally, relating to the song. 

Lastly, Goodwin’s theory that there will be a demand on the part of the record company for a lot of close ups of the main artist also comes into play with this video. Throughout the video there are close ups of the main singer, it is mainly focused on him throughout the whole duration of the song.

Chuckie & LMFAO- I’m in Miami girl

There is a very apparent relationship between the lyrics and the visuals in this video, as Goodwin’s theory states. The lyrics of the chorus of the song ‘I’m in Miami’ are illustrated in the video through the words written on screen in front of us when they are being sung. The lyrics ‘drink all day, play all night’ reoccur and at these points everyone in the scene are either drinking or dancing.

There is also a relationship between the music and the visuals in this music video, emphasising Goodwin’s theory. The music Chuckie & LMFAO are known for are quite upbeat and usually popular dance tunes, the actors in the video are all dancing to the beat of the song, wearing bright clothes sipping cocktails as if they were ‘in Miami’. The beat of the music mirrors the way each shot is cut and linked together.

This can also link to Goodwin’s theory of the type of genres having their own music video style and iconography. All the actors in the video are attractive, wearing minimum clothing, dancing and having fun.

In the video there is a major reference to voyeurism, also linking to Goodwin’s theory. Throughout the whole video there are many close up shot of the female actors dancing in very little clothing. However, instead of us seeing them without them seeing us, it is almost as if they are dancing for us and for our entertainment.

Mike Posner- Cooler Than Me

In this music video there is a strong relationship between the lyrics and the visuals throughout the video. Near the beginning of the song, the lyrics ‘designer shades to hide your face’ are sung with the artist waving his hand over his face, meanwhile the camera focuses on all the actors wearing sunglasses.

The relationship between the music and the visuals is first shown in the chorus when the main beat starts and everyone starts dancing to it. Within this the camera also moves around to the beat of the chorus. This particular song is quite upbeat which corresponds to the actors dancing and drinking in run down clubs, having a good time.

This particular type of music is quite upbeat; therefore various iconographic images of people dancing are presented. The video is set in a club- a typical scene this genre of music would be played in. People drinking are presented throughout the music video. The actors are also quite attractive, also representing the image the record company want to portray.

Goodwin’s theory is also portrayed as there are many close up shots of the main artist, this is a demand on the part of the record company in order to represent an image of a ‘cool’ singer dancing and drinking in a club.

There is also a major reference to voyeurism in this music video, relating to Goodwin’s theory. There are many close up shots of attractive men and women dancing. The women are wearing little clothing, which relates to the modern attitude of sex selling.