My chosen music videos
Katy Perry - Thinking of you (Narrative)
I chose this video for it's narrative settings seen throughout the music video. With the help of the director, the music video was created as a flashback of a women who loses her lover in World War II which was inspired by her ex boyfriend.
Camera Work
The video itself starts off with a close up of her shoes which creates a 1900's emotion due to the style of the shoes. Katy walks in heading straight for her dresser which helps identify the pace that the song will be in as most narrative music videos synchronize with the beats. As she sings her first verse, a close up shot is taken as the camera undissolves to view the artists set emotions which establishes the fact this will not be a happy song with any funky beats. We already see that the opening scenes are not the usual type we would find as we do not see an establishing shot which helps to defy conventions. She reaches out towards her drawer and she removes pictures of close ups of her lover who appears to wear military clothes. This is symbolic as it represents how hes gone to the army which symbolized the era in and that she may be religious due to the cross. Katy Perry stares into the mirror with a full face of make-up which could mean that we arn't seeing the full story, only a cover up or a second part of it as the first part is hidden away. The audience as a result connects with Katy better and they create more empathy for her and her emotions which could increase her overall promotional factor leading to more of her records sold. Soon after, a pan movement is in put as we see her lover asleep. This is done to show how she is looking at him as the camera moves to his face and his built body. To females, this would sexually appeal as it implies the two slept together the night before which means he belongs to her now. A new established shot showed how her life was before her lover went to the war as the lighting became brighter and there was a more romantic setting which took place as she spent time with her lover during sun set while sitting in a field or just being with him happy. Katy and her lover mimic a happy ending found it most romantic movies as we see them running off into the sunset but it isn't the end as we see shadowed silhouettes of the trees foreshadow.There is a tracking show when we can see the soldiers fighting as a man slides along the floor on his front which suggests there is need to hide as there is danger ahead. In the last scene, she sings ''And bust in the door'' which is sang as she closes the door which amplify the tragic nature of the music video implying shes wishing for her lover to return home. A long shot was taken as we see Katy walking away on the same road her lover walked in which could mean that the guy she was in bed with was temporally as her lover will always be in her heart no matter where she goes, but the only place shes going right now is to attend his funeral.
The video itself starts off with a close up of her shoes which creates a 1900's emotion due to the style of the shoes. Katy walks in heading straight for her dresser which helps identify the pace that the song will be in as most narrative music videos synchronize with the beats. As she sings her first verse, a close up shot is taken as the camera undissolves to view the artists set emotions which establishes the fact this will not be a happy song with any funky beats. We already see that the opening scenes are not the usual type we would find as we do not see an establishing shot which helps to defy conventions. She reaches out towards her drawer and she removes pictures of close ups of her lover who appears to wear military clothes. This is symbolic as it represents how hes gone to the army which symbolized the era in and that she may be religious due to the cross. Katy Perry stares into the mirror with a full face of make-up which could mean that we arn't seeing the full story, only a cover up or a second part of it as the first part is hidden away. The audience as a result connects with Katy better and they create more empathy for her and her emotions which could increase her overall promotional factor leading to more of her records sold. Soon after, a pan movement is in put as we see her lover asleep. This is done to show how she is looking at him as the camera moves to his face and his built body. To females, this would sexually appeal as it implies the two slept together the night before which means he belongs to her now. A new established shot showed how her life was before her lover went to the war as the lighting became brighter and there was a more romantic setting which took place as she spent time with her lover during sun set while sitting in a field or just being with him happy. Katy and her lover mimic a happy ending found it most romantic movies as we see them running off into the sunset but it isn't the end as we see shadowed silhouettes of the trees foreshadow.There is a tracking show when we can see the soldiers fighting as a man slides along the floor on his front which suggests there is need to hide as there is danger ahead. In the last scene, she sings ''And bust in the door'' which is sang as she closes the door which amplify the tragic nature of the music video implying shes wishing for her lover to return home. A long shot was taken as we see Katy walking away on the same road her lover walked in which could mean that the guy she was in bed with was temporally as her lover will always be in her heart no matter where she goes, but the only place shes going right now is to attend his funeral.
Editing and Sound
In the fighting scene, we see her lover get shot down to the ground. Video editing cuts to a panning shot to Katy Perry and her new lover lying down as she sings ''I guess the second best is all I will know'' which implies its temporal love as she tried to replace him but the looks on her face show she knows its not true and it wont last as its not possible to replace her past love. In the fight seen, there is no color besides black and white which enhances the World War II theme the director was going for. This sets the mood of the audience as well as it shows they have no color in their lives as they don't have each other which is why in the scenes where they are together, you see a range of bright colors used. Culturally, this is a pop video due to the many jump cuts and straight cuts used. Non-Diegetic sound is used throughout as we see her lip-syncing throughout the song which helps tell the story more clearly through the relationship between the lyrics and visuals.
In the fighting scene, we see her lover get shot down to the ground. Video editing cuts to a panning shot to Katy Perry and her new lover lying down as she sings ''I guess the second best is all I will know'' which implies its temporal love as she tried to replace him but the looks on her face show she knows its not true and it wont last as its not possible to replace her past love. In the fight seen, there is no color besides black and white which enhances the World War II theme the director was going for. This sets the mood of the audience as well as it shows they have no color in their lives as they don't have each other which is why in the scenes where they are together, you see a range of bright colors used. Culturally, this is a pop video due to the many jump cuts and straight cuts used. Non-Diegetic sound is used throughout as we see her lip-syncing throughout the song which helps tell the story more clearly through the relationship between the lyrics and visuals.
Mise en Scene
(Costume) Throughout the song, The men are dressed to masculine standards as we see the first man dressed in a rugged sort of way to show of his muscles while the second man wearing army uniform which helps the symbolize power and strength. As for Katy, she is portrayed to wear quite provocative clothing which is quite flattering and revealing so her audience senses the vibes which makes the video more appealing as it gets people talking which would lead to the snowball effect.
(Lighting) During flash back scenes, bright high key lighting is used to symbolize the happier periods. The director pays a lot of attention to lighting as made sure the lighting reflects the lyrics as all she longs for is to be with her first lover which is shown 1 min 44 seconds we see her new lover kiss her but hes in the shadow which shows us unlike her first lover, he doesn't make her as happy as shes covered by the shadow.
(Actors) The main narrative role is played by Katy in order to promote her music which automatically makes her the main focus of the video. This is beneficial as her audience would look up to her multi-talented self as she is portrayed to sing and act which could attract attention from other future films increasing her chances to make profit and her fan base.
(Make Up) Sometimes she wears more makeup with her new lover than when she was with her old lover. This could symbolize how shes self conscious of herself with her new lover as she cant show her true self to anybody else because the person she wanted to impress the most left her life.
(Props) Props are used throughout to help tell the story better while also attracting audience which may be interested in her music video. When we see the cross, we associates this with someone who is religious and into their religion which may refer to how shes become more religious which is because her lover died. This is followed by another example of a prop used would be the bike and the reference to 'the notebook' it has a picture of her first love which helps amplify the story line.
(Setting) The overall settings assist the enhancing of the romantic and tragic story line as we see they use romantic location for the house, summer setting in the fields when they are in love showing us you don't need a lot to be happy in life. When its more tragic, we see that people are shouting, falling down, everything becomes black and white which shows us her true happiness has gone. In conclusion, this make the lyrics of the song stand out more as it explains to us her pain and his irreplaceablity.
(Costume) Throughout the song, The men are dressed to masculine standards as we see the first man dressed in a rugged sort of way to show of his muscles while the second man wearing army uniform which helps the symbolize power and strength. As for Katy, she is portrayed to wear quite provocative clothing which is quite flattering and revealing so her audience senses the vibes which makes the video more appealing as it gets people talking which would lead to the snowball effect.
(Lighting) During flash back scenes, bright high key lighting is used to symbolize the happier periods. The director pays a lot of attention to lighting as made sure the lighting reflects the lyrics as all she longs for is to be with her first lover which is shown 1 min 44 seconds we see her new lover kiss her but hes in the shadow which shows us unlike her first lover, he doesn't make her as happy as shes covered by the shadow.
(Actors) The main narrative role is played by Katy in order to promote her music which automatically makes her the main focus of the video. This is beneficial as her audience would look up to her multi-talented self as she is portrayed to sing and act which could attract attention from other future films increasing her chances to make profit and her fan base.
(Make Up) Sometimes she wears more makeup with her new lover than when she was with her old lover. This could symbolize how shes self conscious of herself with her new lover as she cant show her true self to anybody else because the person she wanted to impress the most left her life.
(Props) Props are used throughout to help tell the story better while also attracting audience which may be interested in her music video. When we see the cross, we associates this with someone who is religious and into their religion which may refer to how shes become more religious which is because her lover died. This is followed by another example of a prop used would be the bike and the reference to 'the notebook' it has a picture of her first love which helps amplify the story line.
(Setting) The overall settings assist the enhancing of the romantic and tragic story line as we see they use romantic location for the house, summer setting in the fields when they are in love showing us you don't need a lot to be happy in life. When its more tragic, we see that people are shouting, falling down, everything becomes black and white which shows us her true happiness has gone. In conclusion, this make the lyrics of the song stand out more as it explains to us her pain and his irreplaceablity.
queen - bohemian rhapsody (performance)
I chose this video for it's performance elements which you could spot out throughout the music video. With the help of the director, the music video was created with the same darkness which matches the meaning behind the song. It's about a young man who has accidentally killed someone and sold his soul to the devil.
Camera Work
In the beginning of the music video, we get a glance of the full band with a medium-full shot in pure darkness with only a vertical light slightly showing their faces just enough so you know who everyone is in a mysterious and gloomy way. The video becomes completely dark and a close up shot is taken to show Freddie Mercury which is a great method to keep your audience entertained while still including elements of the same mystery used in the beginning. As a result, this helps identify the lead singer for the song therefore, more attention would be directed towards him.
In the beginning of the music video, we get a glance of the full band with a medium-full shot in pure darkness with only a vertical light slightly showing their faces just enough so you know who everyone is in a mysterious and gloomy way. The video becomes completely dark and a close up shot is taken to show Freddie Mercury which is a great method to keep your audience entertained while still including elements of the same mystery used in the beginning. As a result, this helps identify the lead singer for the song therefore, more attention would be directed towards him.
Mise en Scene
(Costume) Throughout the song, you see the band members firstly dressed in black which symbolize power and strength alongside with the darkness behind the songs actual meaning. This however then changes to more of masculine standards as we see the first man dressed fully with silk which shows wealth and makes them more attractive towards females which means they would get more views.
(Lighting) In the start of the video, bright high key lighting is used to symbolize the happier periods. The director pays a lot of attention to lighting as made sure the lighting reflects towards their face
(Actors) The performance role is played by the entire band in order to promote her music which automatically makes them the centre of attraction in the video. This is beneficial as back in the day, this was one of the first performance based videos so people automatically would look up to them with amazement and classify them to be multi-talented.
(Make Up) Just like other rock bands, they wear makeup as a way to mask themselves from the world. By doing this, they create their own unique identity. Back in the 1900's, makeup on males wasn't as popular as it is these days so creating an identity out of makeup was very unusual which made more people interested in their fashion taste along with their makeup.
(Props) The main props used in this performance-based music video would be the individual band members instruments. This is a key feature we see through this performance video as all individual band members have a chance to showcase their talents through the use of props.
(Setting) The overall settings assist the enhancing of the romantic and tragic storyline as we see they use romantic location for the house, summer setting in the fields when they are in love showing us you don't need a lot to be happy in life. When it's more tragic, we see that people are shouting, falling down, everything becomes black and white which shows us her true happiness has gone. In conclusion, this make the lyrics of the song stand out more as it explains to us her pain and his irreplaceability.
(Costume) Throughout the song, you see the band members firstly dressed in black which symbolize power and strength alongside with the darkness behind the songs actual meaning. This however then changes to more of masculine standards as we see the first man dressed fully with silk which shows wealth and makes them more attractive towards females which means they would get more views.
(Lighting) In the start of the video, bright high key lighting is used to symbolize the happier periods. The director pays a lot of attention to lighting as made sure the lighting reflects towards their face
(Actors) The performance role is played by the entire band in order to promote her music which automatically makes them the centre of attraction in the video. This is beneficial as back in the day, this was one of the first performance based videos so people automatically would look up to them with amazement and classify them to be multi-talented.
(Make Up) Just like other rock bands, they wear makeup as a way to mask themselves from the world. By doing this, they create their own unique identity. Back in the 1900's, makeup on males wasn't as popular as it is these days so creating an identity out of makeup was very unusual which made more people interested in their fashion taste along with their makeup.
(Props) The main props used in this performance-based music video would be the individual band members instruments. This is a key feature we see through this performance video as all individual band members have a chance to showcase their talents through the use of props.
(Setting) The overall settings assist the enhancing of the romantic and tragic storyline as we see they use romantic location for the house, summer setting in the fields when they are in love showing us you don't need a lot to be happy in life. When it's more tragic, we see that people are shouting, falling down, everything becomes black and white which shows us her true happiness has gone. In conclusion, this make the lyrics of the song stand out more as it explains to us her pain and his irreplaceability.
Radiohead - no surprises (Concept)
I chose this video due to its concept settings through this music video. With the help of the director, this music video was created purposely without the intentions to tell us what it is trying to show. Its about the archetype of the hero (The human begin) fighting with the proofs of life. His main goal is surviving.
Camera Work
The video starts off with what I would call a 'One shot wonder'. This is because through out the entire video, there has only been one camera shot which assists in drawing attention the the imagery found in the music video with a sense of continuity as there aren't any unnecessary camera cuts/movements of such. In this concept video, I would say the close up shot is rather effective as the director has allowed Thom Yorke, who is the artist to be not only the center of attention with his performance and emotion, but also it automatically forces the audience to recognize all the visual elements that took place. Naturally, Thom's facial and emotional expressions would be more focused due to the rather uncomfortable sensation associated with close up shots unlike long shots. Thom, who acts to be sad and distressed has created an uncomfortable tone and mood towards the music as it progresses. The more the water raises, the more discomfort is enforced as in the video, we see he has to hold his breath for a long time in order to capture the shot that hes looking to portray. Just like other music videos, close up shots are usual to represent the artists image to the audience increasing overall identity and brand image.
The video starts off with what I would call a 'One shot wonder'. This is because through out the entire video, there has only been one camera shot which assists in drawing attention the the imagery found in the music video with a sense of continuity as there aren't any unnecessary camera cuts/movements of such. In this concept video, I would say the close up shot is rather effective as the director has allowed Thom Yorke, who is the artist to be not only the center of attention with his performance and emotion, but also it automatically forces the audience to recognize all the visual elements that took place. Naturally, Thom's facial and emotional expressions would be more focused due to the rather uncomfortable sensation associated with close up shots unlike long shots. Thom, who acts to be sad and distressed has created an uncomfortable tone and mood towards the music as it progresses. The more the water raises, the more discomfort is enforced as in the video, we see he has to hold his breath for a long time in order to capture the shot that hes looking to portray. Just like other music videos, close up shots are usual to represent the artists image to the audience increasing overall identity and brand image.
Editing and Sound
Lip sync is used in part of the song as we see he drops in and out of the lip sync when the astronauts helmet fills up with water which stops when submerged creating the realism effect as there isn't as much movement. The sound is called non-diegetic as its not from a live performance without any trimming, its first been recorded then filmed. At the start of the video, we see how the lights correspond to the guitar which shows us how there is a link found which connects what the audience visually see and the music itself. As a result however, this gives us a sinister vibe which makes it worse due to how dark the video is with the disturbing lights which keep flickering. As the video progresses, the close up shot becomes more opaque which may be linked to how the music fades in and out.
Lip sync is used in part of the song as we see he drops in and out of the lip sync when the astronauts helmet fills up with water which stops when submerged creating the realism effect as there isn't as much movement. The sound is called non-diegetic as its not from a live performance without any trimming, its first been recorded then filmed. At the start of the video, we see how the lights correspond to the guitar which shows us how there is a link found which connects what the audience visually see and the music itself. As a result however, this gives us a sinister vibe which makes it worse due to how dark the video is with the disturbing lights which keep flickering. As the video progresses, the close up shot becomes more opaque which may be linked to how the music fades in and out.
Mise en Scene
(Costume) Throughout this entire music video, we see no traces of costumes to be seen as there was only one shot taken (close up) shot throughout the entire video which featured only himself and his uncomfortable facial expressions. I think he did this purposely so the attention would be more on the concept rather than other unnecessary attentions which would make his audience more curious on what message he is trying to get across as his lyrics did not match the visuals.
(Lighting) We first see this in the first few seconds as a range of neon lights light up and immediately place their reflection onto Thom which helps illuminate his facial expressions. In 0:33, we see intertextuality when a pale light showcases a very rich audiovisual universe when it comes to his music video. We also see what we call pattern repetition as theres a fight between light and darkness.
(Actors) The concept role is played by the artist himself, (Thom Yorke) which as a result, assists in his way to promote his music as he is the only person in this video. He does not have any other person acting with him which may have been done deliberately to come out with a beneficial for his audience as he has already labeled himself indirectly as the hero would look up to.
(Make Up) He doesn't wear any makeup. This is symbolic as he is the hero which makes him automatically the role model. He is showing to his audience how hes more focused on the things important to him than any makeup which would be taken off at the end of the video.
(Props) We see one individual prop used in this music video which would be the source of water. We see Thom forced to hold his breath which could symbolize how he has to hold in his emotions. When the water is released, you see him taking a gasp for air which shows the stability which is associated after those kind of negative feelings impact your life.
(Setting) There is an event at 01:20 when we see a bigger neon light shine directly on Thomas right cheek which seems to symbolizes an attack. This could imply how the light in this music video could resemble an antagonist. Referring to the scene of the water, seeing how it relates to emotions might show gender stereotypes and mainly more typical for men as they are forced to hold in their emotions more than women.
(Costume) Throughout this entire music video, we see no traces of costumes to be seen as there was only one shot taken (close up) shot throughout the entire video which featured only himself and his uncomfortable facial expressions. I think he did this purposely so the attention would be more on the concept rather than other unnecessary attentions which would make his audience more curious on what message he is trying to get across as his lyrics did not match the visuals.
(Lighting) We first see this in the first few seconds as a range of neon lights light up and immediately place their reflection onto Thom which helps illuminate his facial expressions. In 0:33, we see intertextuality when a pale light showcases a very rich audiovisual universe when it comes to his music video. We also see what we call pattern repetition as theres a fight between light and darkness.
(Actors) The concept role is played by the artist himself, (Thom Yorke) which as a result, assists in his way to promote his music as he is the only person in this video. He does not have any other person acting with him which may have been done deliberately to come out with a beneficial for his audience as he has already labeled himself indirectly as the hero would look up to.
(Make Up) He doesn't wear any makeup. This is symbolic as he is the hero which makes him automatically the role model. He is showing to his audience how hes more focused on the things important to him than any makeup which would be taken off at the end of the video.
(Props) We see one individual prop used in this music video which would be the source of water. We see Thom forced to hold his breath which could symbolize how he has to hold in his emotions. When the water is released, you see him taking a gasp for air which shows the stability which is associated after those kind of negative feelings impact your life.
(Setting) There is an event at 01:20 when we see a bigger neon light shine directly on Thomas right cheek which seems to symbolizes an attack. This could imply how the light in this music video could resemble an antagonist. Referring to the scene of the water, seeing how it relates to emotions might show gender stereotypes and mainly more typical for men as they are forced to hold in their emotions more than women.
Main sites used for research:
https://www.slideshare.net/Pheebs023/a2-media-studies-music-video-analysis-29456382
https://www.slideshare.net/hollylaverick/thinking-of-you-katie-perry-a2-music-video-analysis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking_of_You_(Katy_Perry_song)
https://prezi.com/q3gti7b-1css/katy-perry-thinking-of-you-analysis/
https://www.slideshare.net/becausemegan/bohemian-rhapsody-analysis
https://simontaylora2media.weebly.com/music-video-critical-analysis.html
https://www.storyanddrama.com/radiohead-no-surprises-music-video-script-analysis/
https://www.slideshare.net/SamMcNamara1/music-video-analysis-for-a2-media-studies-radiohead-no-suprises
https://www.slideshare.net/w2peck/radiohead-no-surprises-2423072
https://www.slideshare.net/rosieburns/biffy-clyro-textual-analysis
https://www.slideshare.net/lucybillingtongroom/music-video-analysis-54260436
https://www.slideshare.net/Mediastudies95/biffy-clyro-analysis
https://www.slideshare.net/hollylaverick/thinking-of-you-katie-perry-a2-music-video-analysis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking_of_You_(Katy_Perry_song)
https://prezi.com/q3gti7b-1css/katy-perry-thinking-of-you-analysis/
https://www.slideshare.net/becausemegan/bohemian-rhapsody-analysis
https://simontaylora2media.weebly.com/music-video-critical-analysis.html
https://www.storyanddrama.com/radiohead-no-surprises-music-video-script-analysis/
https://www.slideshare.net/SamMcNamara1/music-video-analysis-for-a2-media-studies-radiohead-no-suprises
https://www.slideshare.net/w2peck/radiohead-no-surprises-2423072
https://www.slideshare.net/rosieburns/biffy-clyro-textual-analysis
https://www.slideshare.net/lucybillingtongroom/music-video-analysis-54260436
https://www.slideshare.net/Mediastudies95/biffy-clyro-analysis
https://www.slideshare.net/afiyae/music-video-analysis-46515915
https://www.slideshare.net/louisew96/conventions-of-a-music-video-27550105
https://www.slideshare.net/cherrycai11/music-video-narrative-analysis-26736929
https://news.avclub.com/taylor-swift-s-style-lyrics-and-music-video-analyzed-1798276845
https://www.slideshare.net/louisew96/conventions-of-a-music-video-27550105
https://www.slideshare.net/cherrycai11/music-video-narrative-analysis-26736929
https://news.avclub.com/taylor-swift-s-style-lyrics-and-music-video-analyzed-1798276845