Narrative Analysis of example Music Video

 

Doing this allowed me to understand the different narrative theories more and use them in my own work. I feel that I have expanded my knowledge on how the different theories are represented throughout music videos and how more than one actually applies to them.

Initial ideas in relation to narrative of video

Idea 1

Narrative:

• An element of performance
• Abstract
• Story

This idea has all three elements of the narrative ideas as visually it is abstract and visually it gives off certain moods and feelings however, there is a story and it links with the lyrics and the meaning of the song therefore it cannot only be abstract. It also has elements of performance included.

Cast:

• Girl

I think that having just one person as the cast represents what the song stands for which is a lonely girl 'waiting for nothing and wasting away'.

Conventions:

• Cinematography- I will use varied shots, especially long shots to show the loneliness of her and how there is nothing to wait for to emphasise the lyrics.
• Editing- I will use a black and white edit all the way through becuase many pop-punk music videos have a black and white edit therefore it will link to the genre of the song to make it stand out as a pop-punk music video.
• mise en scene- location- field, empty room, lighting- dark with spotlight on her to represent her loneliness, strobe lights as that is a convention of pop-punk music videos, clothing- mainly black to represent her feelings of been left in the dark, also denim as many pop-punk icons wear denim, makeup- dark, winged eyeliner.

Idea 2

Narrative:

• Story

The story will be about a girl who is going through a break up with her boyfriend and the 'waiting for nothing' will be about her hoping that her boyfriend will come back but she knows he won't.

Cast:

• Girl
• Boy
• Friend 1 (boys friend)
• Friend 2 (boys friend)

I have decided the boy will have 2 friends to emphasise the girls loneliness and how he is left in the better position than her.

Conventions:

• Cinematography- varied shots to show her feelings.
• Editing- fast to show how her thinking and feelings are mixed up and to show how she wants something so badly but can't have it.
• Mise en scene- location- busy streets, bedroom, college- these are all everyday things but emphasis will be put on how alone she is compared to him.

Idea 3

Narrative:

• Story
• Performance

The performance element will be of a girl and her band playing at a gig as she is trying to prove to her ex-boyfriend that she is fine without him so it will be in front of a big crowd. The story aspect will be the background of how and when their relationship ended and her writing the song about it.

Cast:

• Girl
• Band
• Boy
• Crowd

I decided that I wouldn't have many characters because emphasis is going to be put on how the girl is now independent and doesn't need the boy, also the band will be included in the performance and the crowd will be watching and cheering. The boy will be the girls ex-boyfriend and he will be at the gig watching and wanting her back.

Conventions:

• Locations- gig, her bedroom, street- these are all relevant to help explain the story
• Clothing- black to relate to genre
• Editing- fast to show change in feelings and to go with the beat of the song, black and white to link to the genre of the song.

I have chosen to go with idea 1 as I feel it is more creative than the rest as the abstract element will make it more aesthetically pleasing than the others. I didn't choose idea 2 because I thought that it is very common in videos and I wanted to do something a bit different but something that also links to the genre. I also didn't choose idea 3 because I thought it would be hard to get all of the cast needed to create the desired effect.

Lyrics Analysis

(Put 12 images going with the lyrics here)

Timings of Lyrics

(0:00) – (0:03) And so the sky becomes a dream,

(0:03) – (0:06) I never dreamt because I'm just too busy

(0:06) – (0:12) waiting for nothing and wasting away

(0:12) – (0:25) Instrumental

(0:25) – (0:31) Don't tell me it's too hard, you were never there from the start

(0:31) – (0:39) I'm not about to give this up, giving up was never enough (no)

(0:39) – (0:42) And so the sky becomes a dream,

(0:42) – (0:46) I never dreamt because I'm just too busy

(0:46) – (0:51) waiting for nothing and wasting away

(0:51) – (0:54) And so the sky it watched my dreams,

(0:54) – (0:58) fall to pieces right in front of me

(0:58) – (1:03) Coz I'm just too busy waiting for nothing

(1:03) – (1:06) and wasting away

(1:06) – (1:11) and I never wished for anything more, than to find what I've been looking for

(1:11) – (1:17) and I swore to myself I wouldn't lie to myself, how could I let this happen?

(1:17) – (1:24) so I pull myself aside, take the time to tell myself it's alright,

(1:24) – (1:28) coz you weren't there to dry my eyes

(1:28) – (1:31) And so the sky becomes a dream,

(1:31) – (1:34) I never dreamt because I'm just too busy

(1:34) – (1:40) waiting for nothing and wasting away

(1:40) – (1:43) And so the sky it watched my dreams,

(1:43) – (1:46) fall to pieces right in front of me

(1:46) – (1:52) Coz I'm just too busy waiting for nothing

(1:52) – (1:55) and wasting away

(1:55) – (2:04) Instrumental

(2:04) – (2:07) And so the sky becomes a dream,

(2:07) – (2:11) I never dreamt because I'm just too busy

(2:11) – (2:17) waiting for nothing and wasting away

(2:18) – (2:21) And so the sky becomes a dream,

(2:21) – (2:25) I never dreamt because I'm just too busy

(2:25) – (2:30) waiting for nothing and wasting away

(2:30) – (2:33) And so the sky it watched my dreams,

(2:33) – (2:37) fall to pieces right in front of me

(2:37) – (2:42) Coz I'm just too busy waiting for nothing

(2:42) – (2:49) and wasting away

The timings of lyrics is important as it will make my editing more precise therefore ensuring that the shots are in time with the song, creating the desired effect.

Choosing the Song

The first thing I did once I had chosen that my genre is pop-punk was search 'pop-punk bands' on Google. This search gave me the most frequently mentioned pop-punk bands on the web.

I did this as it allowed me to gain an idea on what bands will produce the best songs to make a music video to as I thought that one of the reasons they will be the most mentioned is because of the music videos and people watching them online due to free streaming on website's like YouTube.

I then narrowed my ideas to 3 well known pop-punk bands which were Paramore, Tonight Alive and Green Day. I thought these artists were good because they are well known, which although is not relevant to making a music video, is helpful with the research and getting ideas on what to include in my own music video.

I then searched what songs they have written and produced and listened to them to get an idea on what they sound like and whether or not I could come up with ideas for music videos for them.

In the end I chose wasting away as I feel that I could include an abstract element of performance whilst still linking the lyrics and music video. I also feel that the beat of the song is faster than the others therefore I can make my editing fast which will make my music video more aesthetically pleasing.

Analysis of Album artwork of the genre I have chosen

When analysing Pop-punk album artwork I thought it would be a good idea to see what the most popular albums are on the web. I searched 'pop-punk albums' and the most frequently mentioned are what I found.

Once I had taken a look at the albums a collection I realised that the majority of them don't have the actual band on the artwork, and that a lot of them are cartoons.

I then picked 3 random album covers to analyse. These are:

Blink 182- Enema of the State

 

Fall Out Boy- Take This To Your Grave

Good Charlotte- The Young and The Hopeless

 

Analysis of magazine adverts of the genre I have chosen

In order to make an appropriate magazine advert for my artist, the first thing I did was use google to search 'pop punk magazine'. This was helpful as it came up with many music magazines that feature pop punk, however I chose to research the top three which are alternative press, Infectious magazine and Kerrang!





ALT PRESS

The first issue of Alternative Press was simply a photocopied fanzine, distributed at concerts in Cleveland, Ohio beginning in June 1985 by AP's founder, Mike Shea. He disliked the music that was then being broadcast on radio stations and believed that bands playing underground music should be given more media coverage "all in the same spot", he said.

Here is the front page of Alt press's website which gives me an idea of whether or not many pop punk are featured on the main page. The photo of the day is features All Time Low which is a popular pop punk band, therefore my advert would have a good chance of making it onto the home page of Alt Press's website, therefore into an issue of a magazine as well.

This was the issue that Alt press where selling on January 5th 2015. This also shows whether or not many pop punk bands/artists get featured on the front page of the magazine which is helpful as it means they have a main feature in the magazine, therefore they are very likely to have the chance to advertise their new album/single.

This is where alt press is sold. If I wanted my artist to go global (which I do as it means she will be successful) then this is where what shops she will be seen in.

Analysis of music videos of the genre I have chosen

5 things I like:

• The theme of green to represent the band and how they're not controlled by the media.
• The performance element as it shows realsim as thats how I imagine them to perform live.
• The energy from the band members as it shows their passion for music.
• The background as it is relevant to the song, and then how it disappears because of the water washing it away which again shows how Green Day are not controlled by the media
• The use of water as it gives an affect that draws an audience in as it makes us think that Green Day are fun.

Conventions relevant to the genre:

• The use of black clothing and makeup.
• The energy.
• The use of flashing lights as they create a feel of what it would be like to be at a pop-punk gig.
• The fact that there is a performance element because pop-punk artists tend to do their own thing as they are in the buisness for the music therefore they want to be percieved as real.
• Fast editing to go with the beat of the music.
• The location as it appears to be in an abandoned place which we tend to see a lot in pop-punk music videos.

5 things I like:

• The use of camera angles as they seem more creative and go with the lyrics if the song.
• The big crowds everywhere as they give off a friendly feel and make you feel like you're at a gig.
• The editing as it makes you want to carry on watching as it includes so much stuff due to the speed of it.
• The fact that the performance is at a skate park as it not only relates to the genre but gives a creative aspect and makes you feel involved in the actual crowd because we're looking down on the band.
• The fact that the cast consists of a variety of people which may widen the audience because it is trying to include a lot of different stereotypes.

Conventions relevant to the genre:

• The clothing and makeup.
• The tattoos and piercings.
• The girls included in it.
• The location as skateboards are associated with pop-punk.
• The editing and camera angles as they make us feel like we are at a gig or there with them.
• The cars and bikes.
• The performance element.

5 things I like:

• The role reverse between the girl and boy as it shows her power and represents the lyrics well.
• The effects of the car driving in the desert and the dust coming off it as it makes the video interesting and aesthetically pleasing.
• The fact that it combines both performance and a story.
• The zoom on the instruments as it shows the fact that they're actually playing.
• The use of cinematography because it looks professional and well thought out.

Conventions relevant to the genre:

• The black clothes she wears when making him bury his grave.
• The performance element.
• The lip sync.
• The fact that it's night towards the end as the darkness could be linked to the genre.

Pointing out the things that I like about these music videos was helpful as it gave me creative ideas to include in my own work which will make people who listen to pop-punk want to watch my music video. Also pointing out the conventions relevant to the genre is helpful as it shows me ways in which I can make my music video look like it is a pop-punk music video.

Research on Genres

The first thing I did when deciding what genre to make my music video was decide what genres would be the best to create messages for the audience and what conventions would connote the appropriate messages of a song.

I thought that metalcore, indie rock, pop-punk, pop and R&B where all different genres of music that represent different values. I decided the best thing to do would be to note down the conventions of the different genres and then decide which would be most suited to me to end up with a creative final product.

POP

METALCORE

INDIE ROCK

POP-PUNK

R&B

The genre of music I am doing my music video on is POP-PUNK. I feel that the conventions are creative and they combine a lot of the conventions from many other genres.

Definition of Pop-punk
Pop punk (also known as punk-pop) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music to varying degrees. The music typically combines fast punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars with pop-influenced melodies and lyrical themes.

History of Pop-punk
Pop-influenced punk rock has been around since the mid to late 1970's. The groundwork of punk-pop was laid by the protopunk and and power pop bands of the late 1960's to the early 70's which emerged in 1974 with the Ramones. Pop punk was not considered until then as The Ramones sound differentiated from the bands in New York City's art rock scene.

Video techniques and Influences

Top music video directors according to Green Label

 

 

Top music video editors according to the VMA's

Ken Mowe:


Daniel Campos:

What makes a good product?

Form= structure/shape, conventions (cinematography, editing, sound, mise en scene), codes (e.g. red connotes passion), codes are the things we recognise as meaning, media communicates messages through the codes and conventions and represents messages and values (e.g. news programmes connote messages relevant to our country and reflects the ideology of the people that are part of that institution.)

Content= what is within the text itself.

Ideology= a set of ideas, messages and values.

The form of a music video can project which artists are the realist and whether they're doing what they do for the music or for fame.

Music video's are not to promote a song but to to promote an artist as they create a representation to an audience.

Conventions of a music video:
-editing to go with the beat of the song
-performance from the artist
-lip syncing
-main artist featured
-varied shots
-varied locations
-narrative/abstract based
-special effects
-mise en scene realting to the genre
-choreography included
-good use of lighting
-a lot of footage
-relatable feature to the target audience

In class we watched some music videos that previous students have created for their advanced portfolio. We then had to write why the products where unsuccessful.

Video 1 (Grade E)
Why it was unsuccessful: location, lighting and cinematography weren't relevant to the music, the editing didn't go with the beat of the music, you could tell that there was a lack of planning, it didn't reflect the genre of music, the sound didn't match, it didn't include much creativity, no direction.

Video 2 (Grade D)
Why it was unsuccessful: location, lighting and cinematography weren't relevant to the music, the editing didn't go with the beat of the music, poor performance from the cast, out of time with the music, bad use of green screen, bad framing, bad costume, not conventional.

Video 3 (Grade D)
Why it was unsuccessful: bad performance from the cast, lack of cinematography and variety of shots, poor costume, the effects used had no meaning.

As you can see these products have a lot in common which shows how they were all unsuccessful. The could've got better grades if they used conventions that linked well with their genre and used their creativity more.

We then watched a grade A music video and analysed why it was successful.

Video 1 (Grade A)
why it was successful: variety of shots, lip sync was in time, relevant costume, good performance from cast, a lot of editing was used and it went with the beat, good locations and background, it was interesting to watch, the editing matched the pace of the song, use of hard techniques.

Textual analysis of videos

Catfish and the Bottlemen- Kathleen
(LIIAR analysis)



Haim- The Wire
(LIIAR analysis)


You Me At Six- Save it for the bedroom
(LIIAR analysis)



Analysing these music videos was helpful towards my task as I chose 3 different genres which allowed me to gain an idea on the way in which artists want to appear to an audience and how narratives change depending on the song. I think that doing this has made my knowledge wider on how to appeal to my target audience which is important as it needs to make people want to watch it.

History of Medium

(Timeline on music videos and what we did in lessons, 5 analysis of music videos from different years)

History of Medium on Dipity.

Post-production

After seeing my final product I feel that there has been a significant improvement in my creativity, use of conventions, digital technology and research and planning. I think this is because my camera shots are more effective and the costume and makeup is more relevant to the genre. I feel they are some of the essential things that attract readers and crate a sense of realism.

I can see my development through the LIIAR analysis of my own magazines, these were very helpful in order for me to see every detail included in real magazines and to see whether I managed to transfer it into my own work.

Also, by looking at my planning you can see how I had many ideas therefore I had to make a lot of decisions in order to get the overall product that I was trying to make. You can see this throughout my contents page production as I had one idea and ended up developing it due to its lack of conventions.

Research and planning

My research and planning has developed throughout my foundation portfolio as I looked up different ways to do my models’ make up and clothes as I needed to create the look of a girl rock band. This allowed me to put a range of ideas into one and to keep my thoughts organised in order to get my product finished on time.

Here are a few of my photographic influences that went toward my planning which allowed me to come up with the outfit and make up choices that I did. I noticed that a lot of black was used and black is a convention of a rock music magazine therefore I felt it was necessary to transfer it into my own work.

I also wrote down the deadlines of my work which helped me keep on track with it all which allowed me to be organised and to tick things off my checklist ensuring that my product had as much as I could include on it.

Using conventions from real media texts

I have developed my knowledge on conventions of a magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread which I have then learnt to transfer into my own work e.g. the draft of my contents page for my college magazine compared to my music magazine contents page. I have done this by looking at real music magazines of my genre which then allowed me to understand how certain things are represented in the media and how I can put them in my own magazine.

In my evaluation for my foundation portfolio I said that my preliminary work looked boring and unrealistic which I feel is because of the lack of conventions and my LIIAR analysis of various pages of magazines helped me learn how I can adapt my own magazine to be like that.

In my evaluation for my foundation portfolio I said that my preliminary work looked boring and unrealistic which I feel is because of the lack of conventions and my LIIAR analysis of various pages of magazines helped me learn how I can adapt my own magazine to be like that.

I chose to do it on kerrang! because I felt that it represents my genre well and has an eye catching design without being too over the top therefore I can recreate and interpret the design more effectively.