Video is described as the recording, reproaching or broadcasting of moving visual images which is filmed with a video recorder. Videos are a powerful way of presenting an opinion or idea as it can be manipulated in many ways such as colour, movement and lighting to name a few, it is able to create many different portrayals of a certain situation.
Key features
- Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics through mediums such as stage performance and dance routines.
- There is a strong relationship between lyrics and visuals that either illustrate amplify or contradict the two.
- The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist which may develop into motifs which would be a signature to their work and visual style.
- There is often intertextual reference to films, tv and other music videos sometimes creating synergy.
- The video is is either performance, narrative or concept based
Visuals
Music videos can use a set of images to illustrate the meaning of lyrics and genre it also sets the context of the song. Sometimes the meaning of the song is completely ignored, this is disjuncture as what is show on screen and the audio is asynchronous to each other. Lastly the images could amplify the meaning making it more powerful and personal to the audience.
The Making Process
Jamie Thraves
Jamie made short films at university and began by shooting three low budget music videos with an averaging cost of aroung £5,000 each. As for many other directors his livelihood and business is completely dependent of each commission that he is granted to work on. Jamie Thraves in particular submitted two treatments for his two best known videos and both were accepted. These are Radiohead - Just which is budgeted at £100,000 and shot in three days and Coldplay - The Scientist which is budgeted at £200,000 and also shot in three days. He has used music videos go get into the film business and so far he has show three features in The Low Down, The Cry of the Owl and Treacle Jr. His tips for creating a music video is to use the lyrics yet don't take them too literally but most importantly go with the emotion that the song gives naturally.
Emil Nava
Emil began as a runner for film production companies and used to work for Blink Productions, he now freelances for OB management. He has begun to make adverts which are on the higher budget and production values although this gives him a lot less creative freedom. At his peak of his career he made 24 music videos in the space of one year. When he began shooting videos for independent labels the budget at this time would be around £5,000 to £10,000. His most expensive video to date was for Jessie J and the budget was £160,000.
Both of these directors demonstrate the varies in the cost and time scale that independent and major companies expect from directors with videos being filmed and edited and completed in under a week.
Emil Nava
Emil began as a runner for film production companies and used to work for Blink Productions, he now freelances for OB management. He has begun to make adverts which are on the higher budget and production values although this gives him a lot less creative freedom. At his peak of his career he made 24 music videos in the space of one year. When he began shooting videos for independent labels the budget at this time would be around £5,000 to £10,000. His most expensive video to date was for Jessie J and the budget was £160,000.
Both of these directors demonstrate the varies in the cost and time scale that independent and major companies expect from directors with videos being filmed and edited and completed in under a week.
Indie Rock Videos
The 1975 - Chocolate
Chocolate by the 1975 clearly resembles what we expect from a typical indie rock music video. Throughout the music video we are constantly being taken back to the band driving in a car, at night in the rain. This use of the weather and time of day gives a dark and gloomy feel to the music video which in contradictory to the vibe that the song is giving off yet connects with the lyrics themselves. The weather is also a strong indicator to the tone of the song and what it is all about as rain is usually related to sad songs. The relationship between the lyrics and visuals illustrate each other giving an understanding of how they may be feeling. The use of the band in a car rather than in their studio singing connects well with the audience as it is something that they are able to relate to making the artist more down to earth.
We are also shown the main singer of the band solitary singing whilst smoking. This activity can be seen as fashionable within the social group that this is aimed at giving more connections to the audience. There is also the sense of escapism coming from the artist and his life. The audience may also be watching the video for escapism of the daily tasks they have to go through giving a stronger connection between what would first appear as two completely different lives.
The next image is showing the band in a dim light, revealing unclear silhouettes. This gives a dramatic effect and it is ambiguous as the faces aren't clear keeping the audience wondering what is going on and if it is even them at all.
They have experimented with the angles of the different members. This shows variety and a point of perspective from the artists point of view. It also shows the singer as being alone, this brings the artist and the audience together showing that no matter who you are and what life experiences you've come from everyone has these feelings and do experience them at some point.
The narrative is not shown as much in this music video compared to others by the 1975 yet it is still major part. It is played by a band member and a woman which is unusual as the narrative is normally played by unknown actors to create a separation between the band and the story of the song. This shows the individuality of the indie rock genre as they haven't got a strict set of codes and conventions to stick by making their music videos more flexible and original.
The indie rock genre is shown in the video with the use of effects such as the typical black and white feature. I will be using this along with the separation of the music and narrative clips merged together in my music video to keep to the codes and convention of this genre.
Arctic Monkeys - Arabella
The narrative of this video is immediately introduced with the culture of the audience being shown. This helps the audience connect with the band as they are highly popular and can seem to be on another level compared to the general public. This brings them down to life along making them more relatable. This also gives the audience something to base their actions in life on as it shows you what people of this music genre do and act making it highly influential.
There are multiple close up shots of faces and in particular the instruments being used. This gives the video an authentic look of a live performance which is known to be a conventional feature of an indie rock music video.
Radiohead
There is only one location in this music video of the band performing. Although this is a convention of an indie rock video it is unusual for it not to be given a narrative especially for such an emotive song. This represents the individuality of the genre making up the rules as they go as to their own free will.
The regular close ups of the performers and their instuments occur. Although they are placed higher than us and the live audience watching them we are reminded that they are still not too dissimilar with the use of costume as everything is kept basic and bland. The expression on the artists same is also conventionally emotionless keeping the focus onto the music.
Like the 1975 music video this one also used silhouettes. Although this is not seen to be a conventional feature we can assume that it is used to convey the individuality and mysterious side of the indie rock genre as there is no set rules there is no way of knowing what direction it is going to go in next.
The over exposure of the picture with the use of stage lights give this a more personal feel as it has clearly not been tweaked and perfected with the use of editing. This raw look to the video keeps the focus on the music rather then fancy effects making the artist the main attraction.
Unusually this music video is not in black and white. This represents the unruly side of this genre making it unconventional. This paired with the neglect of using a narrative portray this band as trying to break the codes and conventions of their own genre.
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