Intertextual References

Three Lions - Lightning Seeds

This video by The Lightning Seeds is a clear example of how intertextual references are used in music videos. Although this song is a football song about the 1998 World Cup, the music video still has many intertextual references, which are there to make the audience feel nostalgic about past England football matches. The music video also references the Euro '96 song by the same band, as it has a very similar music video and the same tune, just with different lyrics. There are similar shots in each video, as in both there is the themes of the band watching the England team and the band re-enacting the matches.

The video itself starts by showing some of the band members watching the Euro '96 football match on TV, where England lose and are eliminated. They then start to sing about England and how there is still hope for them in this World Cup.


The video is intercut with real clips of
England matches

Throughout the video there are references to the previous England defeats, with the band watching previous clips on TV in the coach to France. The lyrics amplify what is being shown on screen:

"Ince ready for war, Gazza good as before, Shearer certain to score, and Psycho screaming"

The music video also shows various famous English stars (including Robbie Williams and Sir Geoff Hurst) at a football match between the English and German fans.

There are appearances from famous English people
such as Sir Geoff Hurst and Robbie Williams

At the end of the game, Skinner lifts a makeshift World Cup as the rest of the crowd cheer.

At the end, Baddiel and Skinner lift a makeshift
World Cup and celebrate

Masculine Identities in Music Videos



This still is from Forget You by CeeLo Green. It shows how the male in the video has gone from wanting to get the girl to not really caring as he is now rich and famous and the girl is a cleaner in a diner. This masculine identity shows how he is now a famous ladies man, having started out as a poor little boy.

  

This still is from I Just Had Sex by The Lonely Island. It shows how the male in the video is trying to be 'one of the lads' and is bragging about the fact he has 'just had sex'. The whole video is along this theme, which shows the identity of the men in the video as being typical young adult males and acting as role models for the audience



This still is from Love The Way You Lie by Eminem and Rihanna. This shot shows how the woman is fighting back against the man who is being unfaithful to her in the relationship. It shows how the male is now the weaker one in the relationship as he has cheated on the woman and it portrays the male as an anti-role model for the audience.

This still is from Mockingbird which is also by Eminem. It shows the male in the video watching the old recordings of him being a father to his kids. Although in the video the man leaves his wife and children, it shows him to still want to be a good father. This goes against audience expectations and shows him to be a good role model for the audience.

Music Video Final Idea

After shortlisting tracks and meeting as a group, and with our teachers, we have decided on our final idea for our music video. The song we have chosen is Goin' Down - The Pretty Reckless:



Lyrics:

Hey there Father, I don't wanna bother you
But I've got a sin to confess
I'm just sixteen if you know what I mean
Do you mind if I take off my dress?
Don't know where to start, let me get to the good parts
Might wanna cross up your legs
I've got envy, I've got greed, anything that you need
And I'm not above having to beg

There was this boy who
Tore my heart in two
I had to lay him
Eight feet underground

I need someone to save me
'Cause I am goin' down
And what I need is someone to save me
'Cause I am goin' down
All the way down

Well hey there Father, there is just one other thing
I have a simple request
I hear you know God, could you give him a nod
In my direction, I'd be in your debt
Perhaps there is something that we could work out
I notice your breathing is starting to change
We could go in the back behind all these shacks
And these bibles and get out of this cage

There was this boy who
Tore my heart in two
I had to lay him
Eight feet underground

I need someone to save me
'Cause I am goin' down
And what I need is someone to save me
'Cause I am goin' down
All the way down

I didn't wanna do it Father
But I caught him with another woman
In the bed I made
And so I put him in a grave
And now there's no one left around
To get me off when I wanted to drag
The next day on the television
They identified him by the circumcision
That I made and now I'm on the run but wait
Why did I have to go and kill him
When he was the best I ever had?

All I need is someone to save me
'Cause I am goin' down
What I need is something to save me
'Cause God I'm goin' down
All the way down

I'm going down
All the way down

Initial Idea
The idea for our music video is that the artist is performing the song in a black room, with different lights on different objects. Along with the performance, there is also the narrative of a flashback of the story being told by the artist which is edited in.

For the performance, we will have the band members performing to the camera in a dark room, which will have lit candles to give the idea of a church / religious place. Throughout the song the performance aspect of the video will show all of the band members in typical 'rockband' poses playing their instruments. At the end of the song, the camera will zoom away from the lead singer to show the dark room with the candles, except only the lead singer will be lit, so it shows her to be alone in the semi-darkness.
The narrative will be intercut throughout the video. The video will be in the style of a flashback, which will start with the female character in a wood next to a shallow grave. This will then move on to the girl getting angry and destructive and smashing objects / burning photos of the her and the boy together.
During the bridge "I didn't want to do it....Best I ever had?" we will have a short, animation-style narrative which shows the girl with the boy having a good time (our original plan is for them to be at a fairground, but this may not be very practical nearer the time) and then cuts to the girl finding the boy with another girl.
Finally, after the short pause before the finale there will be more smashing and destruction before the song ends and she leaves the grave in the wood.

Influences

• Kill Bill Woman
• It's My Life (Music Video) - No Doubt
• Paramore, although we want to be less Pop-y
• Pretty Reckless

Carol Vernallis - Music Video Analysis

Carol Vernallis' theory about music videos is based on 4 key concepts which relate to the actual construction of music videos. These 4 concepts are:
1. Narrative
2. Editing
3. Camera movement and framing
4. Diegesis

I have tried to apply this theory to one of my favourite music videos - Coffee and TV



Narrative:
The music video's narratvie is based around a concept - A milk carton goes to the city in search of a lost son. At the start of the video, the carton is on the table of the son's family. After trying to cheer them up by dancing around, he realises they are sad because their son is missing. He then sets out on a journey to find the son, asking people along the way for help. As he wanders through the city, he sees a 'female' milk carton on the other side of the road and falls in love with it. Unfortunately, his joy is short-lived as the 'female' carton gets trodden on by a pedestrian and squashed. It then shows the carton walking down an alleyway at night time. The milk carton is scared as he sees broken cans (which are made to look like faces) and glowing red eyes from the dustbins. He backs into a corner, which has a small window. He looks through the window and sees the missing son, playing as a member of Blur. The carton falls through the window and the son sees his 'missing' photo on the side. After realising how worried his family must be about his whereabouts, he runs off and catches the bus home. As he enters the house, he drinks the milk from the carton and drops it into the bin. The final part of the song shows the now empty carton waving to the camera with a fulfilled look on his face. After the song has finished, there is a bit of comedy as it shows an 'angel carton' with wings flying up into the clouds where he meets the 'female' carton from earlier in the video.

Editing:
The video is edited to show the milk carton as the main character, as it follows it around on its journey. There isn't much editing to the music, showing how the video amplifies the song, rather than being illustrative. The editing is more revealing of what the carton may be looking at and draws the audiences attention to important events surrounding the milk carton. The shots are relatively long for a music video, which reflects the slower tempo and the 'sad' feel to the song.

Camera:
The camera follows the main character, the milk carton, throughout the video and gives the audience the idea that they are looking at the world through it's eyes. During its journey, the carton encounters numerous 'perils' such as a motorbike and broken cans on the street. To most humans these 'perils' are actually just things we encounter everyday, but to the milk carton they are shown to be quite frightening through the Low Angled camera framing.

Diegesis:
The song for the music video is non-diegetic for the majority of the video, and it isn't until towards the end of the song that we see the band performing. This makes the audience focus on the journey of the milk carton and not get distracted by the performing of the band, which would ruin the reveal that the missing son is actually Blur's guitarist. The lyrics match up with the visuals a few times during the song e.g. "There's people there who will hurt you, Because of who you are". This line is sung as the video shows the milk carton watching a pedestrian drink milk from an almost identical carton before throwing it away.

Website Research

www.onedirectionmusic.com

The website for One Direction is very interactive. As you can see from the images above, the welcome page for the website shows the debut video which fills the entire screen. Across the top of the page is the One Direction banner and in the top corner is the logo for the band, which enforces the artist identity. Along the bottom banner there are 3 links to iTunes, HMV and Amazon, where you can purchase the song. These links persuade the audience to spend their money on the band before they have even entered the website.

Upon entering the website, you go onto the home page where you instantly see a large image of the band in the campervan which features in their debut video. Further down the homepage are the main articles, which the audience can view, 'like' and share with their friends on Facebook, increasing the audience interactivity of the site.

The audience interactivity is also shown in the Gallery and Videos pages. The Gallery has lots of photos of the band, the individual members and behind the scene shots. It also has audience uploaded 'Fan Art'. All of the photos can be commented on and shared via social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

The Videos page is similarly interactive, with their debut video being central on the site. However, it is part of a playlist, so there are more videos for the audience to watch whilst enojoying the website.

Finally, there is the 1D Shop. This site is similar in style to the main website (as you can see from the main photo of the band). This is a god way of getting the audience to spend money, as by advertising the merchandise on the website they know they are directly appealing to the correct target audience. There are a whole range of products, from t-shirts to pendants to calendars featuring the band.

Rock Album Cover Research

This is the album cover for Misery Business by Paramore. As you can see from this cover, the artwork is quite rough and scribbly. On the front cover there is the central picture of the band, who are mainly looking directly at the camera. The font of the album name matches the style of the cover, whereas the band name is in a formal, sans serif font.
For our album cover, I think we should go for similar features. I think our front cover should have a main photo of the band, in their own unique poses. I also think the album font should be quite scribbly so it fits in with the 'Rock' style. The back cover will also fit in with this style, although I think the back cover should have more imagery, as I don't think the blank back works in Paramore's cover.

Here is the front cover for another 'Rock' album cover from the band Garbage. As you can see, this album is a bit more obscure and just shows parts of the human body around the red background. Again, the band name and the album name are very clear, in order to sell the artist.

Although I think this style is eye-catching and can be effective, I still prefer the covers with the artist pictures, as I believe it sells the band more effectively and builds a better sense of band identity.

Album Cover Research



A range of album covers, which differ depending on
genre and target audience

 After researching different album covers, I have noticed that they all have similar features. These are:

• Images (either of the artist/band or something more symbolic)
• Band name
• Album name
• A unique element which differs them from the rest
• Institutional information, track names etc.

However, I have also realised that the album covers differ depending on the target audience for the band or the genre of music. Here are some examples:

Example 1: Barry Manilow - The Greatest Songs of the Seventies

Primary Target Audience: Middle-aged females
Genre: Classic Pop/Rock

Example 2: Glee Cast - Songs of Glee Volume 1

Primary Target Audience: Young females / males who watch the show
Genre: Pop

Example 3: Westlife - Back Home

Primary Target Audience: Young adult females
Genre: Boyband

As you can see, these three album covers have the same conventions, but are all different in their style. For example, the Glee album has very bright colours and shows all of the cast members as they would in the show. This appeals to the target audience as fans of the show can see that the album is directly related to the programme and they will buy it.
The Barry Manilow album, however, is more bland and the colours are duller. The font is more formal and easy to read, as it is aimed at an older audience. The central focus is the artist, unlike with the Glee album where the central focus is the TV programme.
Similarly, the Westlife album is also centred on the band. However, as the genre is different to that of Barry Manilow, the pictures are different. The artist and album names are central and the band are in a conventional 'boyband' pose.

Critical Response Analysis

OK Go - Here It Goes Again (2005)



What works? What, in your opinion, is effective about this music video?

• Dance is choreographed on treadmills
• Band members are all wearing bright colours
• The entire video is one wide shot of the 8 treadmills
• The setting is very simple, which draws the audiences attention to the band and the choreography in the foreground

What doesn't work? What, in your opinion, could be improved / done differently?

• As the whole video is a single wide shot, there is no feeling of being with the band as there are no close up shots
• It isn't obvious at the start who the singer is, as there are no close ups so you cannot instantly tell who is singing
• No performance shots of the band, so it almost seems like a dance video rather than a music video

Track Research

My confirmed group for this project is myself, Olivia Cole and Frank Tan. Preliminarily we were put together as a group so we started to shortlist some ideas for our band identity and for songs to make a music video for.

Almost straight away Olivia came up with our main band identity for the video, which was a rebellious girl rock band. Frank and I both agreed that this would be a good idea to do, as there is a large gap in the modern market for girl rock bands. We also decided that as our genre was female rock, our primary target audience would be teenage girls who liked the genre of rock music, and that our secondary audience would be teenage males who also interested in that genre.

Once we had our band identity and target audience in mind, we started to shortlist some possible tracks for our video. Here are some of our ideas:

Track 1: Goin' Down - The Pretty Reckless


Positives:

• Fast-paced guitar and drum solos, which mean there are lots of good opportunities for whole band performance shots as well as individual ones.
• There is a pause in the song before a 'drop' where the guitars and chorus come back in, which would be good for our rebellious 'destruction' idea as we could possibly have an effect on the smashing which kicks in along with the music

Negatives:

• There are references to the Catholic Church during the song's verses, which could be problematic as they may be seen as offensive. However, we are bearing that in mind with our video plan and are trying to find a way around the references with the visuals

Track 2: Dull Life - Yeah Yeah Yeahs


Positives:

• Starts of slowly and then builds up, which will give us the opportunity to build up the tension and shots in our video
• The irony of the lyrics talking about how dull life is etc. would be so massive with our video idea of the band being rebels and destructive.

Negatives:

• The song is a bit too long and repetitive to keep the audience focussed on the action which means we would need to do a lot of different set-ups and narrative-performance cutting. Although this could work, it may not be the best song to do practically

Track 3: My Medicine - The Pretty Reckless


Positives:

• The lyrics tie in well with our original idea of a rebellious girl at the aftermath of a party

Negatives:

• The song isn't fast paced enough for use to make a rebellious 'destruction' kind of music video. It also has a lack of guitar and drum solos where we can put in 'Rock Band' performance shots.

Semiotic Analysis

Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity (1996)

This video shows how the world is changing all around, but actually for the worse. This idea is shown through the visuals of death throughout the video, as well as the lyrics of the song.

"Thinking what a mess we're in, hard to know where to begin"

"Nothing's gonna change the way we live, 
Cause we always take but we never give"

There is imagery of death throughout the video. Firstly, there is a raven which is shown to fly away from the action, as if it were leaving. Ravens are symbols of death and English legend states that when the "Ravens leave the Tower [of London], the Kingdom will fall".

There is also the imagery of cockroaches in the room, which grow in number as the video progresses. Again this links to the more myths, as it is said that cockroaches are the only living thing that can survive a nuclear war. The growing number of cockroaches, contrasted with the fact that Jamiroquai is on his own for the majority of the video, shows the idea that the world is becoming more hostile.

Finally, there is the imagery of blood at the end of the song. This is a more literal representation of the death and bloodshed which will come to the world as it gets worse.

Music And Me

My Childhood Song

This song, Witch Doctor by Cartoons, was released when I was about 4 years old. It is probably the earliest song I can remember listening to as a child. I had the cassette of the song and during longer journeys on holiday we would play the song in the car and I would sing along. This was probably my favourite song as a young child, but as I grew older I didn't listen to it as much. It wasn't until more recently I remembered the song and I was amazed to discover I still knew all the words.

Early Teens


During my early teens, I listened to a lot of Rock/Pop such as Stereophonics and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Can't Stop was probably the first song I heard and it got me into the 'Rock' scene. I found the music video fascinating and entertaining as it was all based on artwork and used the human body in random ways. Another song I remember listening to during my early teenage years is Have a Nice Day - Stereophonics. This one of the more upbeat songs from Stereophonics and my brother used to listen to it all the time so I also started to like it.

The Present



More recently, I have started to listen to Pop artists such as Bruno Mars. This song was released during study leave for my AS exams, which was annoying as it is talking about doing nothing all day and just lazing about. Whenever I heard the song, I felt like he was mocking my friends and I. This song reminds me of studying for exams, although now when I hear it I can sing along knowing that I don't have to revise.

Mark Romanek: Music Video Director

Famous Videos:
Scream - Michael & Janet Jackson
99 Problems - Jay Z
Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Closer - Nine Inch Nails
Speed of Sound - Coldplay
Hurt - Johnny Cash
Rain - Madonna




MTV Music Video Awards:
Romanek's videos have won numerous MTV Music Video awards, and many more have been nominated e.g. in 1995 his video for Scream not only won Best Dance Video and Best Choreography, but it was nominated for 9 other awards including Video of the Year and Best Direction. His video for 99 Problems got 4 wins including Best Rap Video and Best Direction.

Visual Motifs:
The majority of Romanek's videos are performance based, but some are also conceptual. In his videos, he has recurring themes of the human body e.g. in Closer by Nine Inch Nails the visual images include a skull and a heart wired to a machine. Also in Can't Stop the random actions from the band members are all related to using the body to create art. In all his videos, there are cuts between the body shots and the band performing their song. Along with using the human body in his videos, Romanek also uses clothing to promote the band for their target audience i.e. the performance of the band in Can't Stop shows them dancing and performing topless, which appeals to the primary target audience of teenage girls.

Examples of how the body has been
used in Can't Stop

Examples of how the body has been
used in Closer

Some of his videos cleverly use lighting during the song. In Speed of Sound, the whole background is lit up behind the band, and changes with the music. In Can't Stop, the singer goes into a mirror room with orange torches in his hands and starts to dance around to create different effects. In Scream, at the start of the video the 'ship' is in darkness but then the lights come on brightly and the rest of the video is in bright white light.

Use of lighting in Can't Stop

Use of lighting in Speed of Sound

Inspiration

Mark Romanek has been inspirational for me in the planning of my music video as he uses lighting in different ways to promote the band and the song. In my own music video I also plan to use lighting during the song to promote the band. I also plan to use different costumes to appeal to the target audience and to help promote the band. I will do this by making each band member unique in their costumes i.e. have different colours for each member.