RS - Analysis of the Class Vodcasts

The idea of the comparison between two music videos and then creating a vodcast was to get a wider range of understanding from totally different genres, for example. A heavy metal track with a dance track. They are both very different and use different codes and conventions, however some may have similarities, such as having performance footage. From those two contrasting genre tracks we chose, we then identified key parts/scenes etc from the music video and then discussed them with our partners. We talked about mise en scene, location, shot types etc and compared how the different videos went their different ways because of the genre.

Sam Pollock - The Prodigy - Firestarter
Ben Hudson - Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug

Firestarter

• Very fast paced editing
• High controversy when it was released (can be good as people want to see why it is controversial)
• Underground, dark location
• Black and white effect
• Scary for younger audience
• Strobe Lighting
• Performance/concept based
• Lip Syncing
• Some tv channels refused to show the song until after the watershed
• Older audience due to the scary aspects

The Perfect Drug

• Obvious inspiration from Tim Burton films
• Blue tint
• Concept and performance
• Gothic feel to it
• Dark location
• Inspired by Gustof Kilmet
• Intertextual reference to Lost Highway
• 15-24 audience
• Made in 1997
• £1m budget

Harry Knight - Martin Solveig - Hello
Kyle Meeson - Avenged Sevenfold - Afterlife

Hello

• There is an extended version which lasts 8 mins
• Extended version has a "short film" effect to it with the protagonist and his trainer talking
• Lots of shot variation
• Titles + Company Idents (both typical of a film opening NOT a music video)
• Diagetic sound in the video but not in the actual song
• Repeated shots
• Takes C+C from film
• Male stereotypes
• Antagonist - facial hair = bad guy
• Concept video

Afterlife

• Narrative Enigma (music videos can be non-linear so it leaves it polysemic and for the audience to work out what happens)
• Focus on frontman (typical of the genre)
• Performance and concept
• Made in 2006
• SFX - goes from white location to black every so often
• Leaves the audience working out what happens due to narrative enigma
• Dark clothing
• Band instruments change colours when they swap from the white location to the other
• White dove with dark location 
• Cut shots to tarantula and dove on multiple occasions
• Cut shots to band member dancing
• Cut shots to person running

Mel Abraham - Beyonce - Single Ladies
Will Spivey - Snow Patrol - Take Back the City

Single Ladies

• The whole video is one continous shot however broken up into parts
• 15-24 audience with female the main target however secondary audience is male because of the male gaze aspect to it
• Concept and performance
• Beyonce could be seen as a sex symbol to the male audience
• Black and White effect 
• Lots of shot variation

Take Back the City

• Released in 2008
• Reached number 6 in the UK
• 18-35 audience
• Male + female audience
• Concept
• Stop motion shots used in the video
• Very unusual for a music video
• Performance aspects too
• They held a competition allowing fans to appear in the music video (use of new media!)

Ellie Fry - Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
Gina Maunsell - Madonna - Material Girl
Jess Thorne -Rihanna - Umbrella

Bad Romance

• Released 2009
• The video contains elements of sex and not being in control of yourself
• Anti-feminist way towards women
• White clothing and big "dog" eyes to show her as innocent
• Narrative of her being bid on by men and then bought later (shows women as being bought just like toys/objects)
• Ends with Gaga getting revenge on the man that bought her by killing him
• The end shows her in black clothing and next to a skeleton (going against the C+C of a pop genre video)
• Intertextual Reference to Madonna with the iconic bra

Material Girl

• Released 1985
• 15-24 audience but both male and female
• Young actors in the video
• Male Gaze because of what the females are wearing
• Blonde, red lips + pretty attracts the males (male gaze)
• Female are attracted to it too because they want to aspire to be like her
• Narrative video
• Madonna compared to Marilyn Monro

Umbrella

• Jay-Z is in the music video therefore attracts his fans to this video because of him being it it
• Lyrics based on the weather in Britain
• Stayed in the charts for 7 weeks
• Risky clothing
• Only wearing Silver paint + tight leather clothing therefore attracting the male audience through male gaze
• SFX used in the video such as faked rain falling
• Background dancers
• High budget