Music video analysis helps us break up music videos up in order to gain more understanding of them and what the artist and director/producers are trying to portray. It is very important in order to understand how a music video appeals to an audience in the music industry in order to gain sucess. Many music videos are unique in their own way however Andrew Goodwin's writing in 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' states 7 characteristics which he expects to be seen in successful music videos.
Andrew Goodwin's writing in 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' - 1992 Routledge.
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals.
4. The demands for the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist.
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking, particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There is often intertexual reference.
Goodwin also stated that we should take into consideration whether the music video is primarily performance based, narrative based, narrative based or concept based.
To back up these points I have chosen to analyse the music video 'We Found Love' - Rihanna. The music video is narrative based and falls into the dance/pop genre. Rihanna's target audience ranges from the ages of 13-24 of both genders. She is able to target both genders because of her image. She as an artist appeals to boys as they may find her attractive and girls as they may aspire to be like her. Although as an artist her target audience starts at the age of 13 upwards, it is evident in this music video that she and the directors are trying to target the older part of her audience which may range from 16-24, especially in recent years where she has become more edgy and rebellious. Camera shots within the music video which show sexual scenes, drugs, alcohol and relationships are what make this video appeal to 16-24 year old's as most of them understand the content of all these things.
The first point of Goodwin's theory is evident throughout the music video as it demonstrates a number of characteristics which follow the dance/pop genre. The video shows many jump shots of people partying in a film and also drugs such a pills which are related to the party scene. However the music video also goes against the genre characteristics as for some part of the video Rihanna and her partner are portrayed as unhappy and angry when mid shots show them arguing in their car. This relates to the audience as 16-24 year old's as partying is what most of them enjoy doing because they are young and also understand relationships.
The music video then relates to the second point of theory which states that the lyrics match visuals as they song is about hopeless love. 'Hopeless love' is demonstrated throughout the video with camera shots of Rihanna and her partner, being passionate with each other and lusting each other however in the next shot arguing and looking resentful to each other and then making up again. This contrasts their love and making it appeal to their audience because the audience will understand that relationships aren't always happy and they go through bad times as well.
Thirdly the music matches the visuals as when the beat kicks in and gets faster so do the visuals. Shots are shown of people dancing in a field and also Rihanna and her partner on a funfair ride spinning around in circles and also scenes fast forwarding getting faster in sync with the beat. The flashing lights are also in time with the beat. This helps the music video appeal to audience as they understand the party atmosphere and how fast paced it is.
Within the video there are lots of close-ups of Rihanna. This is because the directors want to promote Rihanna. They do this by representing the artist and showing the audience the emotions of the artist. By doing this the audience may be able to relate to the artist or understand the artist more.
Camera shots throughout the music video show close up of Rihanna's body features such as her legs, bum and boobs, this proves Goodwin's theory of voyeuristic treatment of the female body. Directors include shots like this to attract a male audience as boys generally do not listen to female artists. However when the female artist is portrayed as sexy, this appeals to the male audience as they become attracted to the female artist and want to keep watching her videos. These shots also help to represent Rihanna's image, Rihanna wants to appeal to her through being provoctive and sexy then thats what the director will aim to represent her as. However if Rihanna wanted to come across as an innocent and classy young adult these shots may not have been included within the music video. The final point is not followed within this music video. There are not much references to brands films or other songs within the video and most loactions are unknown not giving away any intertexual references. This may be because the directors wanted the music video to be based around the artist and narrative only without any distractions.
This post demonstrates a basic understanding of Goodwin's theory. You have made a start in analysing some of the theory points, but you need to ensure that you have analysed all the theory characteristics.
ReplyDeleteSome of the images that you have included, helps to show your understanding, but further discussion of the images is essential, by relating your points back to the theory.