*Analysis into existing music videos:
- first some research into some famous videos to gain an understanding of key parts of successful videos
- then analysis of music videos in similar genre to my song
* Analysis of Andrew Goodwin's 5 features of a music video.
* Steve Archer's 8 elements of a music video
* research into the encoding/decoding model by Stuart Hall.
* The use of semiotics.
Chosen song
Track: Hot Air Balloon
Artist: Owl City
Record label: Universal Republic Records
Genre: Electropop
Andrew Goodwin's features of a music video
To get a higher understanding of the main elements of music videos I looked into research by Andrew Goodwin who designed 6 main points in analysing music videos which are found in his book Dancing in the Distraction Factory, these points identified the following features of music videos:
1.Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for pop genre).
2.There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either: illustrative, amplifying or contradicting).
3.There is a relationship between music and visuals (either: illustrative, amplifying or contradicting).
4.The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style). For example Michael Jackson with his white socks or Dappy from Ndubs with his bobble hats.
5.There is frequently reference to the notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and even more so if the person is unaware of being watched. There is particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body in the majority of music videos. This is extremely common in R n B videos.
6.There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos, etc). Hall Such as Geri Hallowell’s, it’s raining men video with intertextual references to Fame and Flashdance.
After looking at these points I have gained a greater understanding of analysing music videos and will take these points into consideration when I begin planning and developing my own music video.
Understanding Semiotics
Useful vocab:
Semiotics: The study of Signs
Sign: A sign is anything that conveys meaning. A sign is made up of two parts; the signifier and the signified.
Signifier: Is the sign itself. A picture, words, music whatever.
Signified: Is the meaning taken from the sign.
Denotation: Is the first order meaning – the obvious meaning of the sign.
Connotation: Is a deeper less obvious meaning – often implied through convention.
Intertextuality: Refers to the relationship between texts, where texts reference one another. For example all texts from one particular genre are intertextually linked. A Music Magazine will be intertextually linked to a song that the magazine reviews/features.
Polysemic: Literally means many meanings. All signs have multiple meanings. This might refer more to connotative meaning more than denotative meaning. The meaning we take from a sign might be influenced by our, age, gender, ethnicity or the context of viewing amongst other things.
Didactic: Didactic texts are more likely to have denotative obvious meaning and are less open to interpretation.
Syntagmatic: Syntagmatic connotation refers to the meaning signs make when they work together. For example a caption under a photograph.
Anchorage: Media Producers use anchorage to prevent signs from being polysemic. They anchor the meaning of a text by using a supporting to sign. There fore signs work together syntagmatically to anchor the meaning and prevent polysemic readings.
There are three main types of signs:
*Iconic signs: The signifier is connected to the signified through the principle of resemblance. Iconic signs are obviously important for images, since many images resemble what they refer to – but not always. such as the image on a male/female toilet.
*Indexical signs: The signifier makes you think of the signified because the two are frequently physically connected in the real world (the principle of contiguity). Cause-and-effect links are good examples of indexical signs: smoke is caused by fire and contiguous with it, and therefore the smell of smoke (signifier) makes you think of fire (signified).
*Symbolic signs: [purely artificial] the signifier is linked to the signified only by an arbitrary, human-imposed convention. There is no physical connection or natural resemblance between the English word “dog” and the concept *dog*.
Steve Archer's key elements of music videos
In addition to looking at Andrew Goodwin’s key elements of music videos I looked at Steve Archer in Media Magazine 8 has drawn attention to the key elements of music videos:
•Lyrics
Lyrics are one of the most important elements of a music video they are used to create a feeling, mood or portray a subject matter rather than offering an obvious meaning. It is rare in a music video that the lyrics will be simply illustrated however key lines may be shown through visuals associated with the song.
•Music music video’s use the music for a number of things; They can use the tempo of the song to lead the editing, They can lengthen or shorten clips to fit with the music and create a mood or they may emphasis certain sounds in the song by using performance of instrumental solo’s such as guitar, piano or drum.
•Genre
Some songs may fit easily into one genre or they may fall in too many different categories which makes it hard to document their common forms and conventions. The majority of music channels concentrate on particular music genres such as ‘Kiss’ focuses on mainly Hip-hop, R n B and Chart hits whereas Skuzz plays Rock, Metal and Indie music. If you watch these channels over and over you will start to see common characteristics of different genres. These common conventions may be within mise-en-scene, themes, performance, editing styles, camera angles etc.
•Camerawork
The use of camera within moving image text is very important, as how the camera is used and how images are sequenced has a dramatic impact on the meaning. Camera movement, angle and shot distance all need to be analysed. The movement of the camera can be used to link with the movement of the performers such as when they are dancing or walking but it can also be used to create a dynamic feel to a video by for example circling the band as they perform on stage. Close up shots are used a lot to create an intimacy for the viewer. The use of camera angles can also be used to create the idea of representation.
•Editing
The most common form of editing used in music videos is fast-cut montage which normally shows no clip longer than 3 seconds. This type of editing means many of the images are impossible to grasp on the first viewing, this is a clever tool by the encoder as this means that multiple viewings will be needed therefore making their audience want to see the video again and again. However some videos use slow pace editing with gentler transitions to create a certain mood, this type of editing is used in many female solo artists videos. Often accompanying editing techniques are digital effects such as split screens, blurred images, enhancing brightness and contrast and CGI special effects; these are all used to create a visual spectacle for the audience.
•Intertextuality
Intertextuality is where a media text references another text within it. This is commonly used in music videos as if the audience spot the reference they receive a great pleasure and feel flattered by this. However if the audience doesn’t spot the references there will be no detraction from their pleasure in the text. Audiences also may feel more engaged with the product, which is important in this competitive industry. A good example of intertextuality would be in the music video ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers which has references to the film The Moulin Rouge or Geri Hallowell’s ‘Raining men’ video which used classic scenes from the films Flashdance and Fame. Music videos don’t just reference films; they can reference TV programmes, current events, people or even other music videos.
•Narrative and Performance
Narrative in songs, as in poetry, is rarely complete and often fragmentary. This is the in music promos, which tend to suggest story-lines or offer complex fragments in non-linear order, leaving the viewer with the desire to see them again.
The Video allows the audience more varied access to the performer than a stage performance can. the close-up, allowing eye contact and close observation or facial gestures, and role play, within a narrative framework, present the artist in a number or ways not possible in a live concert; This creates more of a visual spectacle which is more entertaining for the viewer.
This key elements are important in music videos to make them entertaining for the audience. These elements will help me with my own music video and I will refer back to them to make sure that I take them into account
Stuart Hall's Encoder/Decoder model
1. Media Studies tends to focus on one of three key areas.
1.Institution
This is who produces the text and why, these people are the encoders. Factors contributing to the encoder’s product are social factors such as religion or race and also their available budget; these will all have an effect of the finished media product.
2.Content
This is where we study the Media Text itself. We can explore different areas of the text such as Genre forms and conventions, representation or narrative.
3.Audience
This is where we look at who the audience are, these are the decoder’s; we look at the impact the text has on them and their taken meaning from the text.
2 All those who make media texts can be referred to as encoders. Encoders create meaning. When they produce a media text, they do this with an assumption of how the text will be understood by the audience.
3 The audience all take meaning out of a text. When we watch a film or listen to music we decode the meaning. We try and understand what the encoder is trying to communicate. We can therefore refer to the audience as decoders.
4 signs are polysemic, which in turn means all media texts are polysemic. We are all individuals and have different life experiences so we must therefore decode media texts in different ways. Stuart hall suggests there are 4 ways in which Media Texts are decoded by audiences. We can say that the audience can decode a text in one of the following ways.
4 Decoding readings:•Dominant reading: the decoder fully shares the text’s meaning and accepts and reproduces the preferred reading.
•Negotiated reading: the decoder partly shares the text’s meaning and broadly accepts the dominant reading, but sometimes resists and modifies it in a way that reflects their own position, experiences, and interests.
•Oppositional reading: the decoder is in a social situation that places him or her in direct opposition to the dominant meaning. The reader understands the dominant reading but does not share the text’s meaning and rejects the reading.
•Aberrant reading: the reader is unable to take the meaning that the encoder put into the text. There is a dissonance between the cultural assumptions of the encoder and the cultural context of the decoder. Meaning that the decoder just doesn’t get it.
5 Media Producers (encoders) will often want their audience to take the dominant reading. To ensure a text is less polysemic and less open to multiple meanings they may try and anchor meaning.
6 Encoders need to talk to their audience in the appropriate way. This is the Mode of Address. Generally encoders will make assumptions about the decoders’ knowledge, interests and understanding of the world and encode their texts accordingly. Those assumptions are cultural and can have an impact upon the audience. For example a young girl’s magazine may be written by men, who don’t know what young girls want so they try to empathise with them, but the encoder is giving the decoder what they think they want, without actually knowing.
7 The assumed language and points of reference an encoder uses to connect with an assumed target audience is known as the ‘Public Idiom.’
Post Modernism
Post Modernism in terms of music videos basically shows the rejection of reality and a basic narrative and in its place has a mixture of different elements and ideas from other sources.
There are 4 main elements to Postmodernism which we have tried to incorporate into our music video:
Rejection of a linear narrative:
Linear narrative is where there is an obvious storyline from start to finish, for example: girl is alone, girl meets boy, and they fall in love, the end. In music videos encoders will try to reject this linear narrative to create a more engaging, interesting and creative production for the decoder. Our music video gives an ‘anti-narrative’ approach as it doesn’t have a solid storyline which is followed from start to finish. However we do create a story, well more of a fairytale where toys come alive by themselves, so we are presenting a story just not in a conventional way. Our video begins with a finger pressing an ‘on’ button then lights and toys come on by themselves presenting the idea of magic, we then follow this idea through to the end where the lights begin to turn off and the power is switched off. This creates an engaging production for our audience and fits well with the upbeat music and childlike lyrics. It also doesn’t present an obvious understanding from the audience, this means our audience will be more intrigued by this as they will try and figure out the meaning of using the toys therefore will have to watch it more than once which is what media encoders try to do.
Visual spectacle:
We have defiantly created a visual spectacle for our audience. As our video has no human characters apart from seeing someone’s finger at the start, this provides a fresh idea rarely used in music videos of a video entirely made up of toys. By the toys and lights appearing to come alive and turn on by themselves creates an interesting scene and gives a sense of magic, this will engage our audience as our target audience are mainly the younger generation providing a feeling of youth. We have also tried to make some interesting cuts for example, zooming into a toy which then blurs and from that zooming out to see an untuned T.V. By creating interesting cuts and angles we are making our music video look much more exciting and creative, therefore engaging our audience. We have also used fast-cut montage editing in our music video, this is a common convention of most music videos and we have used this to make the images appear so quickly that the decoder wants to watch it again so they understand the whole meaning.
Ambiguity:
There is much ambiguity in the song, after researching peoples interpretations of the meaning of the song, I found a lot of different viewpoints, from someone thinking the song meant the low points in a relationship and another saying that it was about playing pretend when you are a kid. Due to vast interpretations of this song, it gave us an opportunity to be really creative and to not stick to conventional guidelines of a story. After going through the lyrics we found that they were extremely childlike and innocent, which is matched by the upbeat and simplistic sound to the music, childlike innocence in our video. We then decided to show toys coming to life, representing the innocent and childlike lyrics. We found this appropriate as we interpreted the lyrics as reminiscing on memories as a child. I took the lyrics ‘in a cold, hot air balloon’ as looking over his memories as a child, and cold meaning that the memories are just memories. I think that people will get lots of different meanings from the lyrics and our interpretation which I feel makes for a more interesting video as it isn’t a coherent meaning which makes it more interesting to watch.
Intertextuality:
When I started to think of Intertextuality within our music video I was kind of stumped as I couldn’t think of anything that we made reference to, however when I started to think about it more I felt that our music video provided the same sort of scenario as Disney’s ‘Toy Story’, about toys that come alive when no one is around. We were also influenced by children’s story books that create the impression that the children’s toy’s come alive when they leave the room.
Case Studies
I analyzed 3 famous music videos to understand more about common conventions and what had worked in the past, to learn more about the music video industry to help with my own media product.
Case Study Geri Halliwell Its Raining Men
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Case Study The Killers Mr Brightside
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People's interpretations - Fireflies - Owl City
We put together a focus group in order to understand different peoples interpretations of the already released song and its lyrics. Here is some of the feedback we got:
"I think this song is about the growing up and letting go of childhood, while still embracing our dreams and acting upon a few of them ("I saved a few and kept them in a jar"), with the fireflies representing those dreams." - Jake
"It's rare that music is this purely happy and good. It makes me feel like everything is going to be okay." - Bonnie
"I like to think of this as a song about childhood too - maybe it's specifically more about a child's summer. Not wanting to end the day. Trying to stay awake so as not to miss any of the excitement going on. Staying up till you're too tired to sleep and falling asleep dreaming of fireflies. Knowing that eventually summer will end and trying to squeeze the last little piece of enjoyment out of the day." - Lizzie
"I feel like this may also have a sadder mood to it. like how he keeps saying "please take me away from here"
and also
"Its hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems"
to me he is kinda saying something is going wrong for him, and he cant sleep because he is so tired of it, but he would rather be asleep when he is awake." - James
"This song to me is about your inner child and being happy and making memories. It does have a hint of sadness in it which I think is because all good things come to an end and you will find yourself missing that time of simple fun." - Paddy
People's interpretations - Hot Air Balloon - Owl City
We gave the lyrics and played our chosen song to the same focus group, and asked them what they thought this song meant so that we could see if there were any simlarities between the two songs. This was to see if we could put together any conventions in the style and message of the two songs.
"I think it has to do with ignoring your preconceptions and just doing something fun. especially the lines "i'll be out of my mind/and you'll be out of ideas pretty soon" remind me of someone who is making excuses to not do something they really want to." - Paddy
"This song is so catchy. The first time I listened to it, it kind of annoyed me.
but it's so cheery and bouncy. I can't stop listening to it.
I guess it's just about having an adventure,and procrastination of serious things in life." - Lizzie
"I feel that there is such a sad undertone to a lot of the songs owl city put out but all with such an upbeat sound it is distracting many from his lyrics. ..."spend the afternoon in a COLD hot air balloon....I can't wait to kiss the ground wherever we touch back down."
The lyrics are very sarcastic. To me this song is about a relationship having a not so great moment. Whatever it is he is using an interesting visual with the Cold Hot wording and he wants out of the "balloon" or maybe situation and can't wait. Of course the interpretation will be different for everyone, as it always it, but I just have to point out that this song never sounded happy to me, just the beat is fun." - James
"This song actually makes me think of playing pretend with kids. You know how they can imagine so much? That's why the cold hot air balloon thing could make sense, because you're not actually flying, you're just pretending." - Bonnie
"I think this song's beat is somehow misleading because it can really be a sad song if you'll listen to it closely and pay attention to the lyrics more." - Jake
Electropop Genre Background
Electropop is a form of electronic music which is made with synthesizers. It first came in to mainstream popularity in 1978. Electropop created the basis for many chart oriented pop and dance music songs. Electropop is characterized by an electronic sound normally described as robotic and consists of minimal arrangements. Electropop songs are pop songs at heart. They contain simple, catchy hooks and dance music. Most electropop songs have a futuristic sci-fi edge in terms of both lyrics and beats.
We found out that Owl City was an electropop artist by firstly researching on the internet to see what people said about the genre, we then looked at Owl City’s official website which also made reference to the electropop genre and for final information we went onto iTunes to see what they had categorized Owl City’s genre as. All of this plus listening to the track and what type of genre we felt the music was helped us come to the conclusion that Owl City was as electropop as you could get.
Electropop timeline:
1978 – First flourished. Early electropop artists inspired by David Bowie’s albums’ heroes’ and ‘low’
1980-83 – The first bands named as the Electropop genre ‘The Human league’ and ‘Soft cell’
1989 – Electropop seen as unpopular in majority of North America and Europe, still popular in Asia
1999 – Electropop beginning to creep back into the music scene with female singers such as Kylie
2008 – Becomes mainstream and is evident in Christina Aguilera’s song ‘Keeps getting better’
2009-Present – Has become a major genre in the current music industry with Owl City, La Roux and 3oh3 as just some of the many Electropop artists to be in the charts at the moment
Music styles
The typical musical instruments used when creating an electropop song are mainly:
•Synthesizer
•Drum machine
•Tape loops (create musical patterns in the rhythm)
•Drums
•Guitar
•Sequencer (edits the music; speeds it up etc.)
•Keyboard
•Vocoder (generates synthesized speech)
Fashion
The style in clothing for the majority of Electropop artists is normally quite futuristic and unique (La roux, Lady GaGa for example) can also be regarded as an indie style of dressing, combing smart with casual and giving a quirky, individual style. Their style also appears very young; there isn’t much sense of adulthood in the way they dress.
Music target audience
The main target audience is 15 – late 20’s.
A few artists that epitomise this genre
Owl city, la roux, lights, Jupiter rising, swimming with dolphins, rocket to the moon, hello goodbye, ellie goulding
It has also influenced other artists such as Lady gaga, black eyed peas, Kylie minogue and kesha
Owl City's Record Label
Owl city is currently with the American label Universal Republic Records. Adam Young the creator of Owl City signed with them in early 2009 after he gained major success through facebook.
Universal Republic Records was founded in 1995, which saw the merge of two labels; Universal Motown and The Republic group, this is when they become one and changed the name to Universal Republic Records. Today the label is responsible for numerous breakthrough and mainstream chart topping artists, some of these include; Lil Jon, Jay Sean, Mika, Colbie Caillat and Florence and The Machine.
Target audience
Target audience is a major factor in encoder’s minds when creating a media text. You have to be sure of who you are aiming your product at before you begin so you can know exactly what they are likely to want. If you get knowledge of your target audience, your product will be more successful as you are providing what that target audience want, or at least what you think they want.
Although the Electropop genre first flourished in the 80’s, it had since gone out of style and only recently has it immerged into mainstream popularity. The majority of new electropop has a young fan base, normally between the ages of 14-25; Owl City is no different with its main target audience being mainly teenagers and young adults. I found this out through researching on the internet the target age of electropop and Owl City and also found this information on Adam Young’s (creator of Owl City) website. Although Owl City’s music is liked by both men and women I found that it has a main target audience of females, again through research on his website; this is obvious through his playful and innocent lyrics and also through his simple, stylish and more feminine CD covers, for example his ‘maybe I’m dreaming ‘CD cover has curved writing, providing a more female feel and baby pink and blue stars, giving a very feminine approach to his artwork. The ethnicity of Owl City’s target audience is predominantly White, European and American, Owl City has only recently found mainstream successful and hasn’t branched to other areas yet so his main target audience will be within Europe and American. I also found in an interview with Owl City him talking about his sound and he said that the majority of his fans are white Americans and Europeans. Researching into social classes I would say that Owl City’s target audience fell within the ABC1 category of social standing.
Throughout my planning and development of my music video and my ancillary texts I will constantly refer back to my target audience through my own thoughts of what the decoders may what seeing as I fall into Owl City’s target audience so I hope I will have a good sense of what they want and also through my focus groups to receive feedback from my target audience
Analysis of music videos in the Electropop genre
A Rocket To The Moon - Mr Right - Analysis
Rocket to the moon - Mr Right
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La Roux - Bulletproof - Analysis
La roux bullet proof
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Lights - February Air - Analysis
February Air - Lights
View more presentations from guest96de4d.
Owl City - Vanilla Twilight - Analysis
Owl City - Vanilla Twilight
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