GP: Class Music Video Discussion Feedback

In class we analysed different music videos:

Little Comets - Isles (2011)

• This video has a deeper meaning than just a montage of shots as the lyrics are amplified (due to the location being in Britain & the union jack flag at the beginning & the end)
• The establishing shot kicks the whole video off with a clear statement showing that patriotism is present in Britain & makes the audience realise the location of the following clips (Britain)
• I thought the whole montage effect was very effective as it was cut on the beat (which highlights the loud beat & rhythm of the drum; the grittiness was highlighted also) and related to the British Isles but not necessarily the most glamorous version that some people picture it as; there are images of people with tattoos, trailer parks & urban/rough lifestyle
• The final shot with the ripped union jack flag was very interesting as it is in contrast to the establishing shot of the clean/ untouched union jack flag; the final shot comes after the less 'cheery' images of dead squids on the beach and melted ice cream; it is almost depressing and makes the audience think of why it is depressing; the previous images before it stay with you (thought provoking).
• The colours are quite grey throughout apart from the union jack; this brings a quite sad mood in comparison to a typical patriotic image of the British Isles filled with colour & happiness
• I actually really liked the song as well

Torgny - The Only Game (2010)

• I liked the use of slow-motion in this as the song itself wasn't really upbeat &it looked effective as it emphasised the 'normal' characters
• Visually, these people were 'normal' and their lifestyle wasn't particularly glamourised whilst they were all really happy; there is something very down-to-earth and simple about this music video
• There was no performance & the video narrative didn't seem relevant as I believe this video could be made for many songs, not just this one
• This music video does not illustrate the lyrics but I did notice at 0:48 the lyrics "the weight of everything" could have been amplified as it showed a guy drinking alcohol; this whole scenario could be a form of escapism for all of these people
• However, there was a sense of star quality in the fact that these people seemed very rebellious due to their drinking and car activity. Additionally, youth is a star quality and they are all gathered at night and the majority seem like they are in their 20s; this creates a sense of youth with the stereotypical drinking of alcohol as well.

Massive Attack - Live With Me (2010)

• I found the use of camera very effective in this music video as handicam creates quite a frantic atmosphere & the more drunken the woman got, the more shaky the handicam got which made the audience be positioned with the woman
• The lyrics are amplified in this music video as "gonna survive" relates to her wanting to 'survive' by 'coping' with her issue through the use of her self-medication, alcohol. Also, "I've been thinkin' about you, baby" could mean that her reason for drinking is because she has been heart-broken
• The cutting rate increased when the song picked up it's pace; this highlighted the instrumental and singing

A music videos I find interesting:

Mikky Ekko - Pull Me Down (2013)

• I think this music video really creates an emotive mood with the visuals of the broken furniture which reflects how Mikky Ekko is feeling through the use of a simple medium; this anchors the low-key lighting and dark colours
• There is a lot of slow-motion which smoothly fits the song perfectly as the song itself is slow
• This music video appears simplistic, which it is to an extent, but the 'disapeering' of Mikky Ekko and the girl is really effective as I believe this represents his memory of him and the girl fading
• This video doesn't have a clear illustration & could be seen as disjunctive
• I think the production is incredibly effective as they have the slow-motion effect where Mikky Ekko had to lip-sync with the instrumental on a x2 speed and then they time-stretched x2 in post-production; this adds to the slowness of the song
• The meat/ close-ups convey Mikky's emotion of sadness which anchors the eery alternative instrumental

I See MONSTAS - Circles (2014)

• This music video is very much a narrative video with hints of performance; the video is long to fit in the whole narrative
• There is amplification as the lyrics include "everyone in life has their share of ups & downs" & the narrative has it's fair share of 'downs' most of the time 
• During the upbeat parts of the song there is a lot of action happening at a much higher cutting rate than when the song slows down. For example, when there is a build-up to the first chorus there is a fight in the club between the main character and another man which highlights the song pace & in turn, the song intensifies the scenario
• The use of flashbacks is incredibly effective and creates a lot of emotion within the narrative as the lyric "circles" is amplified as good and bad times are being shown and compared. Especially at 3:40-4:45 as there are flashbacks on the main character and the wife who 'shooed' him off at the beginning of the video lying in a field experiencing a 'good' time which then flicks back to a close-up shot of the main character crying; their is association & links between visuals. These particular shots are in slow-motion; this reflects the slow pace of the song.
• As the pace of the song builds-up and speeds up, the anger in the main character increases which is represented through his angry non-verbal language