Deaf Havana – The World Or Nothing

Analysis.

This video is almost completely live performance with no substantial linear storyline. Shots are rarely if ever still and lights, instruments and smoke are elements acting throughout the video.


Coinsiding with Goodwin's theory, the genre of the music video matches the mise en scene and the lead singers tattoos. They connote a rock style of rebelliousness and individuality. Also linking to goodwins theory are the close up shots of the lead vocalist/guitarist emphasising, in this case the bands live performance and identifying the faces that are the band.

The locations of the video change between recording studio shots, shots of the group together in a reminiscent manner and live performance/live crowds plus one or two shots of a member of the band on a train. The live performance shots are in colour and others are in black and white. I believe that this represents clearly past and present. The shot on the train representing progression in the sense of moving connoting moving on to new things. This has been very much the image of the band since one of their members left. Since then they have been exploiting this and making songs with the connotations of moving on etc. previously.

Where the song slows down, the video goes into slow motion as well. This adds a timeless sense which fits with the song as it looks back on what we percive to be the past.

The narrative structure of the video is linear being mostly performance with what appears to be brief flashbacks showing the band members. These flashbacks we assume are flashbacks because they are in black and white. Flashbacks include members playing their songs - recording them. ....

 The lighting of the video is very atmospheric using many colours representing the band as lively, diverse and exciting the smoke and panning shots of the crowd create a warming sense of relationship between the band and its fans. The video makes this link even stronger by cutting between shots of the band and its audience. A slightly closer shot of some members of the audience relates them to the band as a similarly close shot of the arm of the lead vocalist (and guitarist) is shortly followed. This to me creates a relationship. Black and white shots of the band in friendly situations enhance this more as the members casually wave at the camera. This informallity also creates a social appeal creating a sense of endearment. The lyrics of the track state a situation and the lyrics are descriptive and very personal, saying where he sleeps for example. This connects the audience further. This makes the audience feel privileged to be part of the style of the band, to buy their songs, watch their videos and go to their gigs. This creates a social security of the viewer and an opportunity for them to embrace this identity.

The 'tribe' of my target audience for my music chosen

You are a Mosher! To join this tribe is easy – it’s mainstream alternative. Pick up a long coat like the one from The Matrix, spike your hair up to one mohawk and add a snarl of misunderstanding. Music is your life – as long as it’s loud and as long as it rocks. Your iPod is permanently plugged into your ears, volume up to 11.

FindYourTribe

Apparently I am an 'Indie kid'...

You are an Indie Kid! There’s nothing like the twang of a guitar to get your Converse tapping. Indie Kids are part of a mass – whether that means swaying with their friends at a gig, commenting on Drowned in Sound’s message board or trawling through band profiles on MySpace for the next exciting sound. It’s amazing what can still be done with a guitar, you know.

What are the connotations and ideologies, meanings and target audienceof the Reading Festival?

The Reading festival website suggests stuff. The red and black colours have connotations of evil, passion, energy, danger and the connotation they need most - excitement. The header of the website has links to facebook and twitter, facebook linking in with a younger audience as well as a slightly older demographic (twitter). Because the festival is in a city which makes it have a very urban city image giving the festival a lower middle to middle class audience.
The spiked ring around the heading of the webpage has connotations of the history of the festival, it's roots in metal with studded wristbands etc. On the bar below the header title there is an option 'history'. Most festival sites don't have this which suggests that the history of this festival is important to it. As a reminiscent feature for all previously privileged to have gone before.

Treatment.

My video will re-enforce the genres conventions of live performance and extremes. The mise en scene will be the same throughout the video with clothing, instruments and hair matching that of the target demographic.

The camera faces the screen of another camera and zooms into the screen to show a high angle shot of the lead vocalist and guitarist. The bands equipment are in place, as if the video was the audiences very own private performance. The band are in a large open building with light filtering in through doorways. This is the only thing that disrupts the otherwise complete darkness. The song begins with the guitarist playing the introduction with low angle close ups and a low angle shot from behind him showing the dark expanse of the warehouse, the rest of the band enter during this shot, this you can only tell by their shadows. The pace of the song now picks up. The shots are faster and more frequently changing with more close ups, ECU's and birds eye shots of the drums. Stage/strobe lighting then lights up the currently quite dark shots and creates a surreal and energetic performance. When the song goes suddenly quiet. Here the lighting will all turn off apart from one light on the right side of the vocalist/guitarist lighting up one side of his face. When the song makes it's final shout at the end all of the lights turn on as the shot at the beginning of the performance is used again and then the camera zooms out of the same camera screen from the beginning.
The target audience for my music video will be for teenagers from 15 to people aged 20+. This is because the genre of music that I am making a video for is most popular in this age group. The music style is also very modern and the lyrics are relevant and almost futuristic. For a young generation.

Although the style of music differs from The Upgrades, this video uses very contrasting lighting. In my music video I will hope to be able to create a similar style of light and dark within my video. This can represent good and evil giving the lyrics even more meaning suggesting that there is good and evil always.

The Pretender

Lyrics for the song for my music video

B.N.R.F

New minds

new lives

new generations eye's

New sorrow to endure

new joys to prize

new lands

new battles

new resources to reap

innocents to kill

their fuels to keep

divide and conquer

destroy and deplete

conscriptions a bitch

lives are yours to delete

new hungers

new desires

new means to fulfil

new found green to spend

young blood to spill

new men

new guns

new naive minds a new world to take

new black gold to be mine

divide and conquer

destroy and deplete

conscriptions a bitch

lives are yours to delete

These lyrics are highly dystopic and seem relevant to the current climate and oil competition etc.  The lyrics throw the political and social climate.
This is partly the reason that I have chosen this track, the connotations of the lyrics push anger through the song and this adds appeal to my target audience who are also keen to take action and put things right as if they were part of a war or in their favourtie action film.

The Pretender (Foo Fighters) music video analysis

The Foo Fighters are a very conventional Rock band and image, They have been playing for years and have over 100 songs which has made them iconic as a band.  This is shown through conventions of this genre in the video in some respects because of the live performance element and large scale of what happens. The video begins with an almost CCTV high angle shot of a warehouse being lit from one end to the other to show the lights reflected of the floor (ice rink).  The song itself begins immediately and Dave Grohl walks to the center where the bands equipment is.  A red backdrop is at the end of the warehouse.  Dave (the lead vocalist and guitarist) is shown by a low angle shot from behind him showing him now with his guitar and the empty warehouse ahead. This is a very empowering shot because of the sense of energy and strength that comes from the low angle looking out on what the shot suggests is his. That is my favourite shot of the video. This shot empowers him as another shot shows him wrapping a bandage round his hand as if a fight were to commence.  This aggression is then transformed into music just after the rest of the band join the performance.  There are close ups of all of the members and their instruments.  These shots are quick, often moving, tracking or panning around the band with an almost constant low angle.  The live performance almost gains a story element within the performance as a police officer in riot gear stands on a line opposite Dave, facing him. This develops into a story as the lyrics seem to almost mock the officer “What if I say I will never surrender” “you’re the pretender”. The officer is then joined, emerging from the dark by a line of numbered riot suited officers where fitting in with the music timing, they charge towards the band. The emergence of the officers from the dark suggests that they are the antagonists ant the band on the white warehouse surface indicates that they are the protagonists almost which contradicts the conventional rock image of the band members being rebellious and out of control. Close ups show angry expressions and seconds later the red back drop appears to explode into a waterfall or red liquid which bursts out on both the band and the charging officers who are stopped and ‘defeated’ by it. The screen is filled with red representing power, passion and anger as the song draws to a close.

Coinsiding with Goodwins theory, the bands genre is demonstrated by the mise-en-scene of the large expansive hall and the big set up. Also, the visuals link in strongly with both the lyrics and the musics pace, tempo and tone. The quotes mentioned earlier are some of the matches between lyrics and visuals.

The band wear what i would consider standardly casual clothes but for the band members ages they are probably clothes that the majority of people their ages might not wear this puts the band in a closer relation to their fans styles and attributes.  The location of the empty warehouse ice rink is isolated which is a convention of rock/metal style music videos, the extraversion that separates this genre of music is shown through this. The hand bandaging at the beginning of the video linked the music style to the video. The band plays as if it were a live concert. Guitars, guitar leads, amps and mike stands are on the ice rink enhancing the live element.  This in its self is a huge influence towards persuading fans to pay to see them live. The video emphasises and replicates the energy that would be the most important part within a live performance.  The Red back drop is somewhat ambiguous throughout the song and when it bursts out the viewer is forced to ask questions, Why? How? etc. This encourages multiple viewing and intrigue for the video, giving it more popularity.

music video decisions..

Here are some of the songs I am choosing between for my music video.