1. {
ANALYSING 6 MUSIC VIDEOS
BY CAITLIN MACDONALD

2. Genre: Alternative
Director: Naor Aloni

3. I think this video is illustrate, the meaning of the video links to the songs.
Through the video there are many hidden meanings to being hurt and loosing this
thing, linking to the song
For example the bullet in the
floor, this is a connotation of
being hurt by someone else.
The bullet is a video motif , its
a symbol that adds to the
story
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUAL
In this scene these people look
like there looking for
something, this links in with the
lyric ‘the things we lost’
The man is standing with his
hands up and behind there are
small flashing light this gives the
impression to us of being shot
as his arms are poised in the
police style again linking in with
the lyrics
In this scene the lyrics say
‘the futures in our hands’
the words are matching the
action by the artist having
an effect on the audience,
we think that there future
are in there hands having a
deeper meaning on us.

4. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS
This scene is before any music has started because of the setting and the
fact there I no music it sets the scene for us it makes it very eyrie
Throughout the video the cuts between the scene cut when there's a
powerful drum during the song. By linking these two together it has
a powerful effect on the audience
At the beginning of the song the beat the slow the scene match this. This
helps the audience keep up with the pace of the song

5. GENRE CHARACTERISTICS
The genre of the band is alternative , from an
alternative song you expect it to be quite
different to mainstream music for example
pop. In this video its very dark and moody
compared to pop song which would be bright
and colourful. This also links in with the theme
on the song of heartbreak
It is typical for a music video to show the band, however
them being alternative they haven't gone for every band
member in every scene. The band only fully get
together during one scene and through out the rest they
have just used one guy, the main singer
The mise en scene of the video fits the genre
there is no dancing round, something you would
typically find in a pop music video

6. Through out the video there are many close up of
the main singer of the band however there is none
where he makes direct eye contact with the camera
this creates a distance from the artist and the
audience, making us feel like we are watching him
and our story instead of us feeling like he id singing
to us.
Eye contact is something you would typically find in
pop music video however because this song is
alternative they haven't stuck to the convention .
Bastille are signed to virgin records, the company
knows that the music is different and will appeal to a
certain type of people as the genre is alternative,
this video fits this and so do many others of
bastille's music videos

7. Through out the video the band never give
eye contact to the camera because of this it
gives a sense of voyeurism however its not
over sexualised by dancing or outfits
compared to other videos for example the
genre pop.
The video tells a story about the song
however there is no Intertextuality
reference. There is both narrative and
concept through out

8. Lighting
Throughout the music video there is a lot of dark lighting, I think
this reflects on the genre of the band and song. The genre is
alternative and conventionally low lighting is used in this genre
and I think they have followed this to show to the audience the
genre. The dark lighting also helps create an atmosphere and
this fits in not with the genre but the storyline of the music video

9. Location
Conventionally in a music video there are many different locations throughout this video has stuck to
this as I think it is an important part of a music video as it keeps it interesting
There are many different
locations throughout
however in many of them
there is one thing that links
them all together. In this
case it the car, this helps the
audience associate between
them all and also fits with
the music video storyline

10. Editing
At the begging when the song is starting and is slow the
editing reflects this, the cuts are slow and fit in with the song.
This is a very common convention to all genre in music video
and following it make the music video very effective
in the song at this point there is a drum that hits, the cut
between the next scene cuts at the same time. This makes
both the song and the editing cut more powerful and effective
Throughout the music video the cuts between scenes are slow
and stay slow throughout. It is common to see slow cuts at the
start but normally when the song picks up pace so does the
editing, they haven't followed this convention however I don’t
think it takes away from the video

11. JAY Z FT JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE – HOLY GRAIL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AIdXisPqHc
Genre: pop/rap
Director: Anthony Mandler

12. GENRE CHARACTERISTICS
Stereotypically with a rap video they do a
lot of showing off. At the start of the video
with jay z rapping he fits in with this
characteristic. He’s wearing a big
expensive gold chain and gold watch.
This fits in with john Stewarts theory how
mise en scene can create an aspirational
lifestyle.
There is a short scene featuring guns
being shot. This links to the genre of
rap and typically peoples views on rap
can relate to crime.
This short clip shows us a huge pile of
money and what could be drugs on the
table. This supports some peoples
views on rap and how people who listen
to it are in gangs. The cash also links in
with john Stewarts theory of a
aspirational lifestyle.
For both artist there is a lot of mid
shots and close up shots, this is an
example of john Stewarts theory of
making sure the focus is on them
Here jay z is swearing this also
fits in with certain peoples views
on wrap and how sometimes it
can be very rude and offensive

13. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUAL
When the artist is standing here there are flashing lights, camera
sound effects and many light around this appears while he is saying
‘caught up in theses lights and cameras’ this helps the audience
create a link between the two.
His rap mentions ‘tyson’ and in the video jay z is watching a mike tyson
boxing match. The match has a meaning to the song, the lyrics are about ups
and downs of loving someone and a match fits in with this.
Through out the section with Justin Timberlake the setting looks like a
church, linking in with the name of ‘holy grail’ in this scene it looks like we
are looking through a confession box they have in certain churches this
gives the feeling of us spying on them or listening to their confessions
I think this video is illustrated as there is a theme that runs
through however its not amplified to the viewer

14. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUAL
During the rap scenes the cuts are very quick this fits in with the
genre of the music, rap as normally its is very quick. By this
happening it adds more to the video as it adds a pace to the
scenes
Through out Justin Timberlake part there is a lot of high lighting
and low angles like is the screen shot, this creates a power and
gives the ‘godly’ impression linking to the title of the song, ‘holy
grail’
During the pop section the beat is far slower than the rap section and
the cuts between scenes are much slower keeping the audience up
with the beat

15. There are a lot of close up and mid shots of both artists putting the main focus of them two. There
is no eye contact from both artist disconnecting them and the artists, this gives a sense of
voyeurism however it is not over sexualized by there costumes or dancing, I think this is because
they are both males. I would say that the video is mostly concept and narrative based
Both artists are signed to different record labels, Justin Timberlake is signed tot jive and jay z has
his own record label, roc nation. The two are very big stars so the label what to create a lot of
excitement for the record
Particularly jay z his videos are also very similar with the constant link to the lyrics and visuals and
low lighting. Justin Timberlake has had many video and some do have similar features in

16. INTERTEXTUALITY Through out the video there is a clear theme, which is god or Jesus. This theme relates to the title. There
is a constant reference to the last dinner of Jesus.
This looks similar to the confession box
in some churches
This looks like the table in the last dinner
chapter in the bible
This is a reference to the red wine at the last
dinner however it looks a lot like blood
The setting looks like a church and the high
lighting and low angles help make him look very
powerful

17. Lighting
There is many scenes with low lighting however there
is always one bright light that contracts this and
shines through and you can see the light rays. I think
that these rays has some meaning to the song. The
song Is called ‘Holy Grail’ and through out the video
that are many references to god and I think the light
rays is another Intertextuality to the reference of
religion

18. Location
In this music video they have followed conventions in varying the locations making it interesting for
the audience of the video however they haven't made it much different, all the locations are inside
and look very similar making them look like they are in the same place

19. Editing
The editing near the begging varies and sometimes goes
from slow to fast depending on the part of the song. When
the artist says ‘cameras’ there is flashing lights, the editing
cuts very fast between this section making the audience
feel like there is camera taking pictures
There are many slow motion parts in the song and
when this happens the editing reflects this and slows
right down. This is a very common convention that
happens in music video and it make the song and the
effect on the audience more powerful

20. Muse – Supremacy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avM_UsVo0IA
Genre: rock

21. GENRE CHARACTERISTICS
It is very typical of a rock music video to have the band on display
and play through most of the video and in this video they have
followed this convention, it gives a sense of performance and makes
the audience feel like there watching them
Typically in a rock video there is low lighting making it dark creating an
atmosphere this happens only at the start of the music video
However through out the rest of the music video there is high lighting
they have gone against the typical convention, however it think the high
lighting is there because of their setting

22. Relationship between lyric and visual
The first lyric in the song is ‘wake to see’ at the
start there is a pan shot of the setting and you
can see the sun rising there is a clear link
between the two.
As this clip shows the lyrics says ‘ fantasy’ while
the shot is underwater with the sunlight shinning
down it gives a sense of a fantasy or a dream
There is much lyric to visual link as there is a message in the video that doesn't have that much of a link to the song

23. The relationship between music and visual
At the start there isn’t music playing there is just a few Foley sounds such as the
sea. The silence helps the build up of the song, it creates an atmosphere and
once the beat kicks in its more powerful
As the drummer hits the drums there is also flashing that’s that are timed
perfectly to when he hits they flash, this makes the sound more powerful as the
audience have a visual as well
There are many scenes throughout where there is a instrumental part in the
song, as this part of the song plays there are shots of the band playing, this
give a sense of the band performing as if we are watching them

24. Near the start the scenes have been slowed down and the cuts between shots
are very slow. All this fits in with the beat and pace of the song at the time
As the video carries on and the beat of the song is very strong and fats the cuts
begin to change they start to become more quick fitting in with the song

25. Close ups and moifs
There is a few shots of the band together but there only flashes they
don’t stay on our screens however this could be that because they are a
big well known band that don’t
Many scenes in the video there are close ups to the
viewer information for example like this shot is shows the
face paint off to the audience
Many of muse’s videos are similar with the storyline and the video also featuring the band. The band or the others aren't
sexualised in anyway this is because stereotypically that’s not what this genre is about its more about the performance, the
clothes are all ‘normal’ and aren’t putting them on display and there is no dancing just acting

26. Intertextuality
One of the members of muse said that the music video has links with the environment, we see scenes of
mankind loosing there supremacy over the earth and they show this through shots like this of massive waves
crashing and they say they added this because of the issue of rising sea levels. Due to this it makes the music
video narrative based.

27. Lighting
At the start of the music video the lighting starts out low
which is stereotypical for a rock genre, them following
the conventions of their genre at the beginning lets the
audience know what the genre is
After the dark there is high lighting this isn't a convention
for a rock genre however their music video carries a
strong message and story and the lighting plays a key role
in this

28. Location
the location for this music video is very important as they have a very strong storyline about the
environment so shot of the location in key. The music video is mainly filmed in one location
however there still is many different shots of different parts of the same location, keeping it
interesting for the audience

29. Editing
There are multiple slow motion parts in the filming of the
music video and the pace of the editing matches this as it
slows down as well
The editing of the video is very clever when there is a
instrumental part of the song the editing matches and also
the hand banging from the band members

30. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8
Miley Cyrus – Wrecking ball
Genre: Pop/Charted
Director: Terry Richardson

31. Relationship with visual and lyrics
When you see the walls falling and breaking
the lyrics goes ‘ All I wanted was to break
your walls’ this amplifies the meaning of the
song
As this plays the lyrics matching by saying ‘wrecking ball’ this is
another example of the video amplifying the meaning of the
song and it continues with this link many times through out the
song
The lyric that is sang when this visual is showing is
‘I’ve never hit so hard’ this again amplifies the
meaning and help the audience make the link

32. Relationship with music and visual
The start of the song is very slow and the visuals and
the pace of the editing fits this, helping the flow of the
video
As the chorus beat hits it cuts in time to the other shot
making the hit more powerful
After the chorus the beat goes slow again and the speed of
the scene is slow too

33. Close ups of artist and star image motifs
The record label is trying to sell sex, this video is very sexy with a purpose the video is meant to
controversial because of recent event surrounding the artist such as her VMA performance and
the move from an Disney star as previously her videos have been miles from what they are now,
it was made to make people talk about it.

34. Reference to the notion of looking
Through out the music video Miley is on sexual display, the outfits reflect this, they are either
minimal or non at all, linking with the male gaze theory as we see her is they eye of a
heterosexual male which we aren't use to from her previous music videos

35. Lighting
The lighting throughout the music video is very much the same and doesn’t change throughout, this is
the same with her outfit, make up and hair. This isn't a convention of her genre of ‘pop’ as normally
there are many costumes however by doing this it put the artist as the main attraction

36. Location
Conventionally in the genre of ‘pop’ there are
many different locations that the artist appears in.
however in this music video this doesn’t happen,
she doesn't have different settings but they are
still fairly similar. The artist ‘Miley Cyrus’ is know
recently for breaking rules and being somewhat of
a rebel I think her video not following these
conventions fits with her current behavior

37. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KCg_QEHtkY&list=ALHT
d1VmZQRNqphtUf7gZEFu6zUS6wzWeN
Mumford and sons – winter winds
Genre: Folk/Alternative

38. Relationship with visual and lyric
The lyric says ‘we’ll be washed...’ and then follow the
scene of rain.
In the scene where the feather are blowing t the band
this link with the lyrics as they are talking about a
struggle in love and there showing a physical struggle
allowing the audience to make the link
Because the genre is alternative/folk this means the video doesn’t follow certain conventions
of a music video meaning in this video they are not amplifying the meaning of the song
meaning there aren't many examples.

39. Relationship with music and visuals
Here one of the band members is holding a guitar this
is very stereotypical of a folk music video, sticking to
conventions, helping the viewer identify the genre of
the song.
The band is all singing at the same time but in the song
its only the main guy( man on right) that actually sings
this shows us that there a band.
During instrumental bits of the song it shows them
playing their instruments, this gives it a personal feel as
we get to see how they perform and it also follows the
conventions of folk music

40. Close ups of the artist and star image motifs
The band is not sexualized at all that wouldn’t fit in with the conventions of the genre, the music
video isn't amplifying the meaning making the audience think, as the genre is alternative so is the
music video

41. Reference to the notion
There outfits do reflect their genre of folk, its what you would stereotypically think of when you
think of the genre, the costumes look a lot like there own clothing, something they would wear,
compared to other music videos by other artists

42. Lighting
The lighting in the same throughout and it is fairly high lighting. I have followed a convention
where normally a music video will only have I certain type of lighting and stick with it
throughout, however the genre of the band and song is alternative, I would of thought that the
lighting would have been low however I do think it reflects the song well

43. Location
There are many shot of the band in a field and there
is a lot of low shot slow the wheat , grass and plants
in the fields, this relates back to the bands genre of
alternative/folk music and follows a stereotype of the
genre

44. Editing
The pace of the editing and the cuts between scene stays the same throughout the music video
which normally isn’t a convention as when the song speeds up so does the editing however they
editing they have used fits in with the song and therefore making it more powerful.

45. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9QGpHScGug
Afterglow - Wilkinson
Genre: Drum and Bass
Director: Rémy Cayuela

46. Relationship with visual and lyrics
The music video has no relevance to the song, this follows the convention of the genre
because its drum base and it appeals to a certain type of audience they can add certain
risky things in

47. Relationship with music and visuals
The introduction to the music video there is slow music
and the pace is slow helping the audience focus on the
video and grab the attention.
When there are shots of the gun are fired it is timed
perfectly with drums in the background making the
meaning more powerful
When the beat kicks in the become fastest the fast
pace dancing scene appear, fitting in with the song

48. Close ups of the artist and star image motifs
In the music video you do not see the artist, these are models, this disconnects the audience
from the artist and just focus their attention the song and the video, amplifying the meaning. With
the two models you don’t get the sense of sexualisation or a theory like male gaze because they
are in a relationship

49. Lighting
The lighting throughout the music video changes, and fits with certain parts of the song. By the
lighting constantly changing to fit in with the setting helps tell the story to the audience, for
example the screen shot in the middle wouldn’t be the same if it was high lighting as they are
meant to be a concert, it makes it more realistic and their for the audience can connect with the
story better

50. Location
Conventionally in music videos you see a
few location changes however there are
loads in this music video which isn’t a
convention however it is a key part of the
narrative. All of the locations and Mise en
scene are very realistic, this helps the
audience connect and believe in the story
that the music video is showing

51. Editing
The pace of the music video starts out slow at the
beginning fitting with the pace of the song
The rest of the song the editing pace stays the same
and steady throughout, this also fits in with the song
as it is upbeat throughout