Music videos represent a crucial part of the music industry. Artists such as Oasis and the Libertines can show their true charisma and attitude towards their fans through music television. This means that artists are given more than one option to impress their fans, and not just with their voices. In the 60's and 70's music video's/MTV was usually quite uncommon and not overly important to music fans. This suggests to me that representation on e.g. genre and true narrative structure, was not that necessary 30 or so years ago.
In today's society, music videos are among the most important item in a musicians career they get to experience. Example's of this are that artists needs to learn different dance rhythms/ styles before the making of the video, suitable garments (for the type of sub culture your music is aimed at)and many others, depending on the ype of genre.
After rummaging through a variety of different music videos on the Internet, I feel i have found quite a large range of redundant and entropic video's which I would like to comment on.
Kanye West, Pharrell Williams & Lupe Fiasco- 'Us Placers'
In this global 'hip-hop' video, It shows three young males prentending to be Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and Lupe Fiasco. I feel that this video is mainly entropic but also illistrative due to the fact that it is uncommon to have such a comedic, but at the same time unique style of video, with such a mainstream sound. We appear to see the comedic side of the video when the first young male appears with a mid close up shot, whilst he is lip syncing the verse and dressed in an unusual manner, for a child his age. Carrying on with the garments that the boys are wearing, I feel because the fact that they are all of the 'exoctic' brand logo's - Billianaire Boys Club (Pharrell's brand)this makes it gives it a unique side.This suggest's to me that a lot of time, effort and money was put into this video as many things could go wrong, for example lip snyching.
The mise en scene of the video also expresses the importance of the boys, and how they are the main focus. The fact that there is just a bright white background, makes the clothing and overall attitude of the actors stand out even further. Sometimes the mise en scene and lighting changes for a seccond. this carries on throughout the video, where it is almost seen as a flashback. With heavy graffiti and dark lighting expressed with a low mid close up, this suggest's to me that if a neutralist's would have been watching at that particular point, they would suggest immediately that the classic 'gangs, guns and violence' hip-hop side of music would be still the main focus.
Katy Perry- I kissed a girl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLt5n0auPwM&ob=av2e
In this mainstream 'pop' video, the entropy levels involved throughout the song, appear to be quite high, uncommon, illustrative and strange for such a mainstream artist. The video starts off with a variety of different 'sexually processed' women, lay about on the floor after a drink fuelled party, who are dressed in various sexual garments. This suggest's to me that the video is aimed at a male or lesbian perspective, due to the song name 'I kissed a girl and I liked it'. I feel that the director of this video is very clever, as he/she uses the unique process of portraying both male and female perspective's in order to sell the record. The camera then switches to a mid close up, whilst low rising up Katy Perry's body. This could also suggest the perspective view of a male or a lesbian when seeing a pretty girl. I feel that this is a common and redundant process in today's mainstream music, for example Ne-yo- 5.0 where this technique is similar. Both of these video's are produced by Dr. Luke which could suggest that this camera shot is used regularly by him in his videos.
Katy B- On a mission
After watching this particular tradtional semi grime/club genre style of music, I feel it is mainly a redundant format of video, although there are some stages where I feel it has high level of entropy. The video is first opened with a dark and almost frightening long shot of the millenium dome and then quickly approaches and glances over a dj set. After viewing many different 'British style' video's, it has come to my attention particulary around the grime scene genre, that it is common for using natural light sources and in this case, the video has been filmed at dusk. One of the ways how I feel that the video uses a high level of entropy, is the way that the woman (Katy B) is portrayed. For example when you think of images of street life, gangs, violence and grime you tend to think of a male generated/ perspective. I also feel it is slightly entropic because of the fact that it is uncommon for a woman to be so 'respected' in the grime scene and find it is quite unique that she has somewhat 'more power' than the rest of the male persona in the crammed nightclub. I also feel it is quite unique the way the camera is hand-held through the majority of the video. I believe it gives the video an overall feel of a busy and frantic atmosphere, particularly as the lighting inside the club portrays a exiting and adrenaline fuelled feel to it. In the video there are also many cases of hand-held over the shoulder shots, which suggest's to me that the director of the video wants to give the audience a point of view shot of the club and what it would feel like to be there at that specific time.
You are beginning to make use of technical terms, but compared to your analyses of TV drama last year, there are very few terms. Also there are some statements which are quite confusing. For example, "This suggests to me that representation on e.g. genre and true narrative structure, was not that necessary 30 or so years ago." I don't really understand what this means. I strongly suggest that you consider writing everything in Word first, proof reading it and then posting into your blog.
ReplyDelete