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Critical Analysis of Music Videos
Coldplay - The Scientist (Narrative)
I am analysing the music video of ‘The Scientist’ by Coldplay, from the album ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’ released in 2002. The song is about heartbreak and wishing to go back in time to before the heartbreak occurs. The music video was directed by Jamie Thraves. The plot of the video involves Chris Martin going back in time before a fatal car crash in which his (implied) girlfriend was killed. There are also aspects of performance in this video as Chris Martin lip syncs as he is moving backwards. The connection between the lyrics and the visuals is the concept that the artist wants to go back in time to stop an event from happening. The lyrics suggest that this is to do with a relationship; however the video uses the event of a fatal car accident to get this message to the audience.
Editing is used in this music video to convey the theme of time reversing. The entire video has been structured to give the story of a reversed narrative with Chris Martin lip syncing throughout. At the start of the video,the camera looks down on Martin with a close up shot at a then unknown location, creating an initial confusion and disorientation for the audience. The only sound in the music video is that of the song, which is accompanied by Chris Martin lip syncing to add a performance aspect to the video.
The primary intention of this music video is to entertain the target audience, and allow fans that do not have the chance to see the band perform live to actually see the people who create the music they enjoy. Another intention is that the group are trying to get across a message that is all about “going back to the start” and rectifying past mistakes.
Todorov’s narrative theory is partially present in this music video. As the video itself is in reverse order, this also means Todorov’s five stages of narrative are also in reverse. We are first shown the new equilibrium which is Chris Martin laying on a mattress in the street. The repair stage would be him walking through the city gathering his thoughts again, and the recognition stage would be the immediate aftermath of the crash where his girlfriend has been killed. The stage of disruption is the car crash itself, with the original equilibrium being the end of the music video, where Chris Martin and his girlfriend are driving along a quiet road.
Another interpretation could be that the events of the video never happened, and what the viewer sees are Chris Martins inner thoughts. He could be foreshadowing what could happen if he doesn’t make changes in his relationship, so uses these thoughts as a prompt to change the way he approaches life.
Coldplay is a well-known rock band with music aimed at a target audience of teenagers and young adults. I think this reflects the theme of the song and the visuals of the music video, as during this age range people can be reckless with love and relationships. The movements made by Chris Martin throughout this video appear to be relaxed and casual which contradicts the narrative, but also aimed at a younger audience. Also, as he moves through the city, Chris Martin moves through the more ‘urban’ areas watching people play basketball in public areas which is most common with younger people who have much less responsibility. The use of a narrative in this music video gives a personal feel to the audience as they feel like they are looking into the life of a celebrity and in turn are more engaged.
For the majority of the music video, the camera mostly focuses on Chris Martin as he is the vocalist and lead of Coldplay. There are cameos of other people within the city setting to give it a realistic world view. At the end of the video we are introduced to the girlfriend as a secondary character as her role carries a significant amount of importance. The atmosphere of this video is almost euphoric. This is created by the sensation that time is moving backwards and in slowed time. It can also be viewed as confusing at first when the audience are unsure of the narrative, but depressing later on when they realise what has happened.
Beyoncé - Love on Top (Performance)
I am analysing the music video for ‘Love on Top’ by Beyoncé, from the #1 multi-platinum selling album ‘4’ which was released in 2011. The music video was directed by Ed Burke, as well as Beyoncé herself. The song is about a relationship, and how the man Beyoncé loves now puts her first whereas this may not have previously been the case. ‘Love on Top’ is a performance based music video, with Beyoncé and her backing dancers simply lip syncing and dancing to the song in a dance studio. There is no distinct connection between the lyrics of the song and the visuals of the music video.
The primary target audience for this music video would be fans of Beyoncé and her music, including those that cannot see the singer live in concert. This music video gives them the opportunity to see Beyoncé perform in front of the camera and visualise the artist that creates the music that they are interested in. The camera is focused on Beyoncé at almost all times, with her dancers in the background. This shows that the artist is the centre of attention as this is who the audience want to see.
The fast paced dancing generates excitement in the viewer which in turn creates a positive atmosphere which puts the audience in an energetic mood. The clever use of camera shots and angles consistently but Beyoncé in the centre of the frame, and throughout the video there are many close up shots of her face and body in order to maintain her star image. Sound and editing techniques are also used to cooperate in time with the visuals so that the shot or dance routine move in time with the beat. This comes across to the audience as very slick and professional which further builds on the artists’ star image.
The intention of this music video is to showcase Beyoncé’s skills as a performer to an audience who may not see her otherwise. Another intention is to look into the mind of Beyoncé, as it is revealed at the end that all the different outfits and lightning effects were just a part of her imagination. This allows the audience to feel more connected to an A List star.
The final outfit change shows the dancers in black tuxedos and top hats showing the highest level of extravagance. However, whilst still dressed similarly, Beyoncé is wearing a much more revealing outfit which coincides with Laura Mulveys ‘male gaze’ theory. This theory states that the camera will often focus on the curves of the female body rather than her face, which happens increasingly as the outfit changes commence and become more sexualised with each transition. There are also moving spotlights at this stage which are an upgrade from the static white lights in the previous scene.
Mise-en-scene is very significant in this music video. Beyoncé and her backing dancers begin wearing casual clothing as they would for a rehearsal before a live performance. However, as the music picks up and the vocals become more powerful, Beyoncé and her dancers appear wearing gold tuxedos and the visuals appear to have a sepia tone, implying a 70’s Motown vibe. Beyoncé is also wearing sparkling earrings to portray the glamorous lifestyle that she lives. With the next outfit change, they are wearing white tuxedos with white spotlights in the background of the scene. This gives a more luxurious angelic theme than before, which coincides with the vocals and dance moves getting increasingly powerful and dramatic respectively. Beyoncé now also has gold earrings which are an upgrade from her outfit before.
Daft Punk - Around The World
To create a mood among the audience, certain sounds and instruments are used to bring out emotion and in the case of ‘Around the World’, fast uplifting sounds give the audience a warmer feel to the song resulting in a better mood. The target audience for this music video would be anybody that enjoys ‘House’ music, although there is additional focus on the young adult age bracket. The choice of bright coloured lights and extra-terrestrial costumes implies a Sci-Fi theme.
I am analysing the music video for ‘Around the World’ by Daft Punk, from the album ‘Homework’ released in January 1997. The music video was directed by Michel Gondry. As the track is of the ‘House’ genre, so rather than conveying a message through lyrics, the aim is to create a specific mood among the audience. ‘Around the World’ has a conceptual music video, and because of this the visuals are metaphorical and not considered a representation of the real world. The video consists of a number of dancers in obscure costumes dancing on a stage. As the music builds and more sounds are added to the track, more people appear on screen dancing in sync with one another. The video ends with some of the dancers moving off the stage to make it less crowded before the screen fades to black.
This is also backed up by the dancers’ robotic movements, including the fact that they all move in time with each other, aswell as to the beat of the music. Unusually, the music video does not focus on the lead artist, but rather a selection of dancers taking up different character roles. This means there is no main focus for the audience to look at so the video needs to be watched several times to take everything in. At one point of the video, a group of dancers walk around the perimeter of the stage, which could be in reference to the track title.
The master shot for this music video is focused on the entire stage where the viewer can see everything going on in the scene. This camera angle is used multiple times to show how the number of dancers increases as the video progresses. Tracking shots are also used when more characters enter the stage so the audience can see this happening. There are also close up and midshots to show each group of dancers individually and what they’re contributing to the performance. The pace of shots varies and always cut to a beat of the song to enrich the overall quality of the sound and visuals accompanying eachother.
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