Research and Planning - Detailed Analysis of Music Videos

As part of my research for music videos, I am going to do a detailed analysis of four music videos which i find interesting. Overall this will help me with ideas for the music video that I will be making later in the year.

The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl

I find this video unusual and interesting as it is not a typical rock/indie music video, due to the fact that it doesn't feature any of the main artists or the band in general, only animated lego, this creates an entropic effect to the video as it is not what would be expected from a music video. Another aspect of the video that creates an entropic effect is that there is no specific relevence to the lyrics which creates a disjunctive effect, as the vieo is random, however the music does go with the image which connotes an amplifying effect, this could link in with Goodwin's theory that there is some relation between the music and the image.
However, though the video could be seen as entropic, some audiences could see aspects of it being redundant; as the lego characters are shown playing instruments and there are several close-ups of the handmade artists, and this is what would have been expected in a rock/indie music video.
This music video is made and also directed by Micheal Gondry, who i have previously looked into. After researching him, it is clear that this video has his auteur signature, as rather than it being full of special effects and mainstream ideas, the video is full of unexpected and random images as well as it having no special effects as it is handmade, this creates a simplistic effect to it. As you can tell that this video in particular has had a of post production editing, and this was done with the training that Gondry had with Graphic Skills. Other aspects of the video which show Gondry's auteur signature is the fast pased, continuous and amplified editing , the quirkiness and also home video style that is shown at the beginning of the video (the boy), this could also link in with the work of Spike Jonze.
Due to this music video having no relevence to lyrics as it is random and extremely entropic, it has no narrative structure and no ideological values. However due to the fact that it is made with lego which is classed as a classic childrens toy, it could possibly represent and suggest their immature and childlike side.

Vampire Weekend - A-Punk

Again i think this music video is interesting as it comes from a more entropic background; this is due to it being a creative yet simple music video, with no special effects, again similarly to The White Stripes music video as the different effects are handmade into the video itself; for example they use gloves as effects and also simple lighting, which creates an unusual and uncommon effect. Another thing that creates an entropic effect is that there is no glamourisation nor is there any voyeurism, which would be found in a conventional music video.
Though the music video could be seen as entropic, it also has aspects which creates a redundant effect; this is due to the focus being on the band and mostly the main singer, every shot has them in and this is what you would expect of a music video. Also the mise en scene connotes traditionalism as they are wearing typical indie clothing which is simple, and could also be seen as an "old english" style which again fits in with the independant style. As well as this the band are shown playing instruments and they also have many outfit changes, this is again expected of a music video.
Some audiences would see that this music video features similar aspects to Micheal Gondry's auteur signature. Like a majority of Gondry's work, the music video is one continuous shot, which gives off a quirky and home video style effect. The video is random, however it has no special effects apart from the fact that is is sped up, which creates a stop motion effect. This is unlike Gondrys work as he tends to use quite a lot of graphical and post production editing, which leads the video to seem similar to Spike Jonze's work as well.
Again, similarly to The White Stripes video, this has no narrative structure, therefore leading it to have no stereotypes nor ideology, again leaning toward a more entropic style.
I feel that this music video in particular is more creative and cleverly shown as it features a synesthesic effect in some parts of it, this means that the lyrics or the sound of the music creates an image in your head, and the director of this music video plays on that effect. Throughout the video there are a couple of moments where the music style changes and at one point it sounds like both a christmas song, where they then wear hats and scarves and it features fake snow falling, and in another point it sounds as if it is underwater, where the lighting then changes to a blue colour, there are bubbles and the band are wearing gloves with fishes on the end. This could also be linked in with Goodwins theory, as the lyrics say "...and the other half is at the bottom of the sea" which is when the underwater theme links in, this could be seen as a relationship between the visusals and the lyrics as well as there being a relationship between the music and the image. Another think that links the music video to Goodwins theory is the fact that is a performance genre music video, not only this but it has been edited to amplify the music as it is sped up to the pace of the music.

The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be

The Kooks - Always Where I Need to Be - Watch more Funny Videos
This music video could be seen as slightly entropic as there is no voyeurism nor narrative, creating a disjuntive effect. However a majority of it could be seen as redundant; as it is a performance video, there is a main focus on the band, especially the singer who has many close-ups and costume changes. It is also an amplified video, and the band are shown wearing typical indie clothes and props; guitars, and there are intertextual references between the video and the huge band The Beatles; which some audiences would identify with, when the band are shown crossing the road, this could also be seen as aspects of Goodwins theory. However there is no relationship betwee the visuals and music or the visuals and the lyrics, which go against Goodwins theory.
This video again contains aspects of Gondrys autuer style and signature; the simplistic effects; stop motion and black and white, as well as the homevideo style which creates a classical, traditional and authentic feel to the music video.
As well as this the video contains a synesthesic effect as to me the music itself sounds like Britpop and reminds me of Britain, and the music video feature a lot of British landscapes and famous places, which is what it reminds me of.
The video also reinforces the ideological stereotype of young people, this showing them to be careless, rebellious and immature, this can be seen in the mise-en-scene as the locations are at fairgrounds, and the gambling places, they are also shown loitering and messing around throughout the video. The stereotype is also reinforced through the chopping editing, the focus changes, and the usage of a handheld camera, which create a careless and unprofessional look to the video. There is also usage of montage editing which creates an effect of memories which could again be linked to an immature and childlike sense.

Jamie T - Sticks and Stones

Jamie T - Sticks 'N' Stones - Official Video
Uploaded by rogojin. - Explore more music videos.
Again i find this video interesting as i think it paints a clear picture of the music and its lyrics. This video in particular could be seen as entropic as it contains simplistic effects, there are no intstuments featured, no narrative structure, a random clown which has no relevence to the music video, and there is no voyeurism contained, this isnt what you would expect in your typical music video, and it connotes indiviuality and creativity. However, the video could also be seen as redundant as it features a lot of close-ups of the main singer, as well as several outfit changes. This could also be linked in with Goodwins theory; as there is a focus on the main singer, and the video is amplified to match the tempo of the song. There are also intertextual references; the main singer "Jamie-T" is shown in clothing that is extremely similar to the megastar "James Dean" and there are also serveral brands shown; Mcdonalds cup and also a New York Yankees cap, and some audiences would recognise this as they are major brands and are also linked in with their target audience, therefore showing a genre related style and iconography. Another thing that links with Goodwins theory is the relationship between lyrics and visuals; this can be found several times throughout the music video, the lyrics say; "stuck in Hampton Wick" and there is then a sign shown saying "Hampton Wick" and the main singer is shown running through a trainstation when it is mentioned in the lyrics, this creates an illustrative effect.
This music video could also be linked in with Gondry's autuer signature as aspects of it carry a home video style video with simple editing; which throughout the video is sped up creating a stop motion effect.
However unlike the previous music videos, this one carries and reinforces an ideological stereotype of teenagers and young people, which shows them to be youths, careless, rebellious and also troublemakers, this can be shown within the mise-en-scene, in which all of the performers/characters in the video are dressed commonly, with caps, baggy t-shirts which could be described as a "chav" style, they are also shown within urban and unflattering locations such as; back gardens and surrounded by block buildings. They are also shown vandalising, binge drinking, smoking, and loitering. Another thing that reinforces the stereotype are the relationship to the lyrics in which say "Lets go out and find some trouble".