GP: Music Video Theory

“Music videos are simply a tool for promoting an artist”. With reference to a promotional campaign, how far do you agree with this statement?

Noah and the Whale is an English indie-folk band which have a conventional ‘indie’ brand which is cohesive throughout their campaigns, songs, album covers & fashion sense. Their brand is clear due to many mediums, such as colours, which enhances their ‘indie’ image. The audience expectation is then almost consistent due to the lack of major ‘image’ & style changes. Their music video for L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N can be positioned in Matt Hanson’s ‘debate, commercial, art or porn?’ as Matt Hanson considered music videos to be an art form, for example, he stated that music videos are like mini movies which involve a narrative or simply visual art. Music videos can be seen as a tool and overlooked in terms of expression & how important a visual expression is as well as the sound. For example, the song ‘Same Love’ by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis is just as powerful as the video as the narrative illustrates the song so much & a music video can be just as important for the ‘star’s’ image & brand.

In terms of the ‘indie’ genre, just like Noah and the Whale, indie bands tend to emphasise live performance with instruments; the ‘indie’ generalisation of ‘real’ music is music with ‘real’ (guitar, ukulele) instruments & talent. Goodwin states that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics & this music video is conventional of it’s genre in this aspect due to live performance being involved in the music video. In terms of the visuals illustrating the lyrics, this music video does that to a certain extent (for example, Charlie Fink sings “last night on earth” & the music video is set during the evening with low-key lighting, also the song is about a girl & the visuals show shots of a girl). The music video is conventional & not conventional in terms of Goodwin’s theory about voyeuristic treatment of the female body as the men (Noah and the Whale) are all ‘covered-up’ whilst the female is in a red dress (typically associated with sexual connotations), but the body language is not too provocative, but there is still more for the male gaze. In terms of synaesthesia, as Archer would suggest, takes place in L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N due to the beat of the song & rhythm not being too fast; the music video is in a calm setting (a town hall) with calm & sometimes slow-motion body movements. The camera movement is either neutral or tracking slowly back; this & the slow cutting-rate add to the slow rhythm or the song. The time stretch means slow-motion occurs; makes you focus on the woman’s dancing more; the meta-narrative is enhanced & so is the illustration. The narrative is not necessarily clear as many shots of the band, the woman, other characters & town hall performance are shown & it is not a story which progresses with a storyline. However, the illustration & the presence of Noah and the Whale there suggest a link between the woman & them. There is character exposition for the man (positioned in the centre in the screen where the woman also is positioned) in the video (in the box behind where Noah and the Whale are sitting) due to the association that the audience makes between the shots of a man writing, the lyrics which ‘mirror’ the mise-en-scene & the coffee. The out of focus effect with the camera during this montage establishes the distinction between the male character in the boxes’ story & the band being separate. However, Noah and the Whale, especially Charlie Fink, is often shown following these montages which suggests, along with the lyrics, that the band is talking about their own experiences (within the narrative) & suggesting the actor is ‘playing them’. The narrative suggests that this music video is a visual art which anchors the song; ‘completes’ their ‘image’ more. The non-verbal language & cuts fit with the beat & instrumental of the music, for example, Charlie Fink (the frontman) moves the microphone towards him when more vocals are present.

Noah and the Whale are quite a young band so, in terms of age, would be representing the youth. The location of the streets at night (with low-key lighting) on the album cover relates to a dominant ideology about the youth spending nights out of home which is not necessarily progressive but not regressive as no disregard for social values is being suggested or shown. Also, there is a similar colour tone on the album cover between the night-time street location & the band as there are is colour edited into their photo as well & the photos overlap; there is association which further reinforces the conveyance of youth. Myths about ‘indie’ music are fulfilled in the sense that the location on the album (in the street at night) is relatable (it’s not a private jet) & conforms to the ‘anti-materialistic’ dominant image of ‘indie’ music.

Myths about ‘indie’ music is further confirmed by the use of the ‘grainy’ picture which is not commercially HD; this suggests a vintage style which is iconic of indie music (seen as rare; audience is enticed) & possibly nostalgic. Vintage is associated with old music which stereotypically had ‘real’ instruments & authenticity; the vintage editing culturally marks the band as authentic. Charlie Fink, on the album cover & advert, holds an extra-diagetic gaze which is directed towards the audience; it draws consumers of the album & Q magazine to his face which means we are more likely to look at the advert & album for longer & possibly continue our ‘reading path’ which will lead us to the album title on the album & the details about the album on the advert. The writing on the album is placed on the bottom-left; this interferes with the reading path of the consumer due to the white space above; the eyes look at the picture first; this means all of the album will be seen; this stands out to the consumer. The low-key lighting & location setting on the album anchor the title; the consumer makes a link & audience expectation about the songs is made.

Noah and the Whale are not branded as sexual & for the female gaze; in true conventional ‘indie’ style their brand is seen as authentic & rare; anti-mainstream to a certain extent. The purpose of Dyer’s theory is to define what ‘star quality’ is & what it consists of. In terms of star quality, Noah and the Whale have some of the values listed by Dyer but not all. For example, their album cover & Q magazine advert suggests youthfulness (along with their trendy haircuts which lots of young people have) whilst in contrast with the vintage & town hall setting (associated with older people). The most relevant of values to Noah and the Whale is most probably that they are creative & talented due to their unique vintage & ‘indie’ style. Also, performance is emphasised; their talent is highlighted further. Dyer also suggests anger, rebellion & an anti-authoritarian attitude contributes to star quality. However, simply having an ‘indie’ brand makes you anti-authoritarian to mainstream music which creates another star quality, originality. Conspicuous consumption with material goods & drugs is not shown in either the music video or the album which also is not, in terms of Dyer, conventional of the values needed for star quality.

Noah and the Whale are not in subsidiary media in terms of their ‘celebrity lifestyle’ which is seen as more traditional & authentic which is consistent with their brand; this is in contrast with Dyer’s theory that states that newspaper articles help construct an image; Noah and the Whale haven’t needed ‘celebrity culture’ to construct their image. This also means that Noah and the Whale seem more relatable to an audience; they are seen as more ‘real’. Paradox 1 is seen in the video where the town hall is ordinary but them performing is extraordinary, but it is still ordinary as the stage is not massive so Paradox 1 is not completely fulfilled.

To conclude, even without the typical ‘star quality’ values Dyer proposed were needed, Noah and the Whale still manage to have it. Noah and the Whale’s brand is consistent (right up to their fashion sense of wearing suits & buttoned-up shirt) a long all forms of media (music videos, albums & magazine adverts) & conforms to their genre a lot. Their representation is not negative & they have a clean-cut image without the ‘star quality’ label. The fact that they do not fit all of these theories could be to do with, mostly, the fact that they are an ‘indie’ brand which can contribute to the authenticity. Music videos are not just a tool & contribute to the image as illustrating a song through many mediums enhances the listening & the narrative. An ‘indie’ brand expresses themselves visually whilst making the ‘real’ music & all-about-the-music aspect important. However, music videos shouldn’t be needed as it is called the music industry, not the music & music video industry; visuals & sound are separate. Noah and the Whale have proven that a music career can ‘start’ with a ‘real’ person & remain a ‘real’ person; they have stayed with their foundation.