Textual Analysis'

I have chosen to analyse two videos by the same artist for my textual analysis because although the videos are both from the same genre of music they are very different with one having a purely performance based narrative structure and the other taking a form similar to The Hollywood structure put forward by Pam Cook. Another reason I chose these songs these are that both music videos from artists who fit into the genre of indie-rock/pop which is also the genre of the song I have chosen to create a music video for is also from this genre of music therefore it will allow me to become more familiar with the conventions of videos within this genre of music and also the forms they take.

1.) "I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor" - Arctic Monkeys

As mentioned in my post titled "Conventions of Form and Genre", a popular convention of music videos in this genre of music is showing the band doing a live performance because artists of this genre like to focus more on the music rather than making extravagant music videos which is much more popular in the pop and rap genre. The reason that this kind of music video is successful and popular within this genre of music is that the target audience of artists, such as Arctic Monkeys, are the kind of people who enjoy going out and socialising at gigs and other events therefore they enjoy the concept of actually watching a band play their music on stage and so by watching a music video that is based entirely on a live performance, perhaps the audience can feel like they are at one of their gigs. Furthermore this is the chance for fans of their music that are perhaps younger and/or cannot afford to be able to go and see them live; music videos like this are good opportunity for them to experience what it would be like so that they at least have some idea.

Another factor of the music video that contributes to the performance being a believable interpretation of one of their gigs is the diegetic sound of Alex Turner speaking in order to introduce the song and finishes the sentence with “don’t believe the hype”. By doing this the band create a sense of realism and verisimilitude which, again, makes the video an accurate representation of a live gig as this is the sort of thing the audience would expect to see. In order to ensure that the video is still interesting for the audience to watch, the changes between each shot is quite fast pace, especially when the tempo of the song increases, and because the editing is fast pace it means that there are lots of different shot types being used. The different shot types include:

- close up

- medium close up

- long shot

- pan

- high angle

- low angle

- extreme close up

- zoom in

- zoom out

- focusing shot

The shots create effect in the music video, for example as mentioned previously the editing is more fast pace when the tempo of the song increases, the camera also focuses more on the instruments themselves when there is no singing however the camera shifts back to focus on Alex Turner when the singing starts again.

The camera and it's movements could perhaps reflect the crowd as it is constantly moving and focusing on different parts of the stage and different members of the band, the movement of the camera also imitates the crown dancing as nobody would go to a gig and watch it from one still angle. In a way, the audience almost get a better experience watching the band play live from this video as the camera angles allow them to see things they might not have seen before if they were actually in the crowd however others may argue that being there gives a better experience because of the atmosphere that surrounds you when listening to live music and this is something that cannot be represented through a video that is watched on a computer for example.

An explanation as to why this video follows no narrative structure in that there is no main protagonist and antagonist that are involved in a disruption which concludes in a resolution is that the lyrics are quite self-explanatory and therefore there may be no reason for the audience to seek a deeper meaning to the lyrics and perhaps one does not exist.

2.) "When The Sun Goes Down" - Arctic Monkeys

In contrast to the other music video I analysed by Arctic Monkeys, the structure of this video is heavily based on narrative. The purpose of having a music video that has a main protagonist, antagonist, a disruption and a resolution is that it gives meaning to the lyrics. If the audience cannot personally connect to a song it enables them to link the lyrics of the song to a scenario so that they are able at least sypathise with the meaning of the song. Videos like this one are also good for their audience members who understand the song as it enables to see the song visually and is also a chance for them to develop a deeper understanding of the sing because if they engage with the music they are more likely to want to consume the music. This links to Richard Dyer' Star Theory that suggests that stars must have two paradox's one of which is 'ordinary' and this is the side that the audience must be able to relate to in order to for the artist to be successful.

The reason that the music video for this song is heavily based on narrative is because the song has a much deeper meaning to it than what initially comes across. The theme behind the song is prostitution and so in the video the main protagonist is the prostitute and the antagonist is the pimp, the song is all about sympathising with the prostitute and showing her as the victim and criticising the pimp whose lifestyle is centered around mis-treating young, vulnerable women.

In order to represent this there are several references to prostitution, some examples of which include:

The very first shot that audience see when they watch the video is a screen which says "Right beside us are the ones hidden by the night." This is something that is exclusive to the audience that watch the music video because as it is a visual element of the video it obviously cannot be seen to those who only listen to the song. This immediately reinforces my point that suggests that the reason people watch music videos is in order to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning behind the song and this music video immediately gives this to the audience.

In terms of non-diegetic sound, the lyrics of the song refer heavily to prostitution however this may not be something the audience picks up on initially and so the lyrics, when combined with the video, allow this to become clearer to the audience. The line "And I've seen him with girls of the night" has connotations of prostitution as prostitutes are often referred to as 'ladies of the night'. Additionally, the line "And he told Roxanne to put on her red light" has references to a song called 'Roxanne' by another band called 'The Police' which is written from the point of view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute, therefore both songs follow the same theme however the song by Arctic Monkeys is from the point of view of an outsider who can see what is going on but is in no way involved and the audience can interpret this from the opening line of the song "I said "Who's that girl over there?", I wonder what wrong so that she had to roam the streets?" as the continuous questions suggests a sense of innocence and that this person is seeking answers to gage what is going on in this situation. This also suggests concern for the girl and therefore frames her as the victim and later on the lyrics "he'll rob you if he can" and "what a scummy man" suggests that the man is broke and only lives off the misfortune of the young girls and the word "scummy" reflects the negative attitude that the person, who's point of view the song is sung from, has on the pimp.

The mise-en-scene (costume) element of the video helps the audience to make assumptions on the characters based on social stereotypes. An example of this is the main, female protagonist who, throughout the video, is seen wearing a tracksuit, no make-up on and very harshly plucked eyebrows resulting in a look that is more masculine than feminine and as a result of this the audience stereotype her as a chav’. A contributing factor to her being labelled as a chav is the fact that she is seen in locations where it looks very rough and because of the effects of iconography the audience may assume that it is a place that is related touch things like violence and perhaps even prostitution.

The audience can also make assumptions on the male antagonist as a result of his appearance and what he is wearing. The man in the video has a broad build and would be quite intimidating to vulnerable young women like the one that is portrayed in the video. His long, smart, structured jacket makes him appear like the dominating character out of the two and his mannerisms clearly show that his grooming and taking advantage of the female character thus criticising him and framing her as the victim. 

Initial Ideas

1. Whilst watching music videos as part of my music videos I came across a style that I found really effective and kept me. as the audience, interested in the narrative throughout the duration of the video. The style was one that showed the video in rewind which meant the conclusion of the narrative was at the beginning of the video so as an audience you had to wait until the end of the video to see the introduction of the video to enable the narrative to make sense which sounds confusing but I actually found it to be really good because it kept me interested throughout and also looked really good, visually. The videos that inspired me are:

Breezeblocks - Alt-J:



I Wasn't Expecting That - Jamie Lawson



(Although this video does not look like it is being played in rewind, it still starts with the end of the narrative at the beginning and the beginning of the narrative at the end.)

Scientist - Coldplay



Each of these videos is from a different genre of music therefore it is theme that can be applied to most songs however I do think that it helps if the song has a deeper meaning behind it as, in my opinion, the narrative needs to be quite dramatic in order for it to have the full desired effect on the audience, therefore I am aware that I must come up with a good narrative (plot, disruption, resolution = equilibrium) and I am also aware that, in order for my video to be near the standard of the above examples, my editing and cinematography will have to be very carefully planned and to a very high standard.

2. Another idea of mine sticks to the idea of representing the element of time but in a way that follows a main protagonist through their life from them being young to them in their old age and following them through major life events. In order for this to be successful i must cast carefully and ensure that when the narrative moves from one life stage to another, it is believable to the audience that they are still following the same character. I'd represent the protagonist going from age to another in a way similar to the way that it is done in the 'I Wasn't Expecting That' video by Jamie Lawson where an object blocks the camera and then when it is removed the change has taken place. I think this is really effective as it allows the video to flow properly and the changes do no interrupt the narrative in any way.

Conventions of Form and Genre

In terms of film trailers, the form of them remain the same and conventions of form include things such as the film title, short clips of the beginning, middle and end of the film to allow the audience to gain a small understanding of the narrative of the film, they will introduce the main protagonists of the film, the logo of the film producer (e.g Universal, Disney, Warner Bros.). Music is always a key convention of a film trailer, they are usually between 2-3 minutes long, the released date of the film is, more often than not, shown at the end, and the age certification is included somewhere in the trailer so that an audience whether or not it is appropriate for them or not.
Genre, however, is ever-changing and depends on the film. Types of genre include action, crime, horror, musical, western, romance and the conventions within each of the genres is different as well. For example all movie trailers will include the conventions of form mentioned above however the conventions of genre will change depending on the genre of the film. The genre conventions of a horror film include music which builds tension where appropriate, disruption of normality, an isolated, dark location which suggests that somewhere is haunted or that something bad is going to happen and dramatic camera angles and fast editing which helps to build tension alongside the music.
In contrast, the genre conventions of a rom-com include a normal setting such as a neighborhood, school or work place for example, a preview of the 'most-famous' actors that are in the film, the main protagonists - the damsel in distress and the hero who always end up together at the end of the film.

The same applies to music videos - the form of a music remains the same and there are conventions which will be the same no matter what genre of music the video is for however the there are many different genres and each one has different conventions that they will bring to a music video.
The song I have chosen to use for my music video is by Tom Odell who is most linked with the hybrid genre indie-pop. The conventions of a music video for this genre of music are low budget location/setting as the producers want the main focus to be on the artist/band which leads well onto the next convention, they usually have a performance element to them, although they usually show the band doing a live performance (or making it look that way) it has recently become more common for music videos in the indie genre to have a narrative which includes a protagonist and antagonist and disruption which is resolved in the end, the narrative usually links in well with the lyrics of the song and this enables the audience to have a better understanding of the lyrics of the song.

Profile of Institutions

Although music is a part of our everyday lives on many media platforms including TV, film and advertising, the most common platform used for listening to music is Radio. There are thousands of radio stations all over the world, each playing different genres of music and targeting demographics through the content that is aired on their station.

Radio 1 
The purpose of Radio 1 is not only to entertain a young audience but also to engage with them as well through the use of contemporary music. The content of their shows reflect the lives of their target demographic (15 - 29 year olds) by engaging in topics that appeal to them through their news, documentaries and advice campaigns which cover areas that are relevant to young adults.
Another thing Radio 1 aim to do is to support young, emerging artists from the UK, and provide them with a platform to perform on by allowing them to perform at some of the biggest music festivals in the summer whilst also playing their music on the radio to ensure that it reaches a wider audience.

Capital FM
Although capital FM is a local radio station it is available to listen to in 10 areas of the UK and the regular news and travel updates are specific to each of those areas.
Capital FM's main purpose is to provide their listeners with the most up to date celebrity gossip so that their listeners are the first among their friends to be 'in the know'. Their purpose is reflected in the content of the show - they focus on playing popular music that is in the charts at that moment in time, as a result of this their target audience is 15-34 year olds and this age category make up 58% of their total listeners and 57% of these listeners are female which is no surprise as females are more likely to be interested interested in celebrity gossip than males.

Classic FM
Classic FM's has identified two different main target groups that they call the 'discoverers' and the 'enthusiasts'. The 'discoverers' are aged 35 - 50 years old and they listen to the radio station primarily to listen to music. The 'enthusiasts' are 50+ years old, career focused and upmarket who tune in to the station for inspiration.
70% of all Classic FM's listeners in the demographic groups A, B, and C1, meaning they range from upper class to lower middle class. they say that they are interested in the finer things in life and are constantly seeking out aspirational lifestyles  and new experiences.
More people turn to Classic FM to listen to music of a classical genre every week than through any other broadcast medium.

Research on Different Audience Types

Demographics relate to the statistical data of a population and takes into account average age, income, education, sub-cultures, sexuality, geographic location. Each demographic group is represented in the table below:

It is important to understand demographics because it helps an institution aim their products at a target market more accurately because they know exactly which demographic group they are trying to sell to so they will include things in the product that they know that group will like and want to consume.

A - Upper Middle Class
People of this social demographic are likely to listen to a classical genre of music from composers such as Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Mozart. They may also listen to opera singers such as Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli. Songs from this genre of music rarely have music videos to go with them  which could be because they do not have a meaning or narrative and the reason people listen to this music is more to appreciate the musical skill that these musicians have and this music is also good for portraying emotions rather than an actual story. Another reason is that the occupation that you would link
to this genre of music to entrepreneurs who are self-made therefore you would assume that they are very busy people and do not have the time to sit and watch music videos.

B - Middle Class
I think this social group are likely to listen to classical/jazz music from an artist such as Frank Sinatra.
This is because his style of music is sophisticated, mature and classy, both of which are characteristics you would expect of a middle class citizen.
Another reason I made a connection between this social class and this genre of music is because it is easy to imagine upper class people going to one of Frank Sinatra's concerts because they would have been held at grand venues rather than the huge stadiums where pop concerts are held and those who attend would be surrounded by like-minded people and people whom are equally as successful as each other.
Frank Sinatra was an exceptional musician and was a very influential figure therefore he would be well-respected by this audience. The occupation that is linked closest to this demographic would be people who have set up in business as they have a managerial role within the work place, Frank Sinatra set up his own record label, 'Reprise records', another reason why this demographic would choose to consume his music - they feel that they can relate to him in some way (links to Dyer's Star Theory).

C1 - Lower Middle Class

In my opinion, people of this social demographic might listen to rock music such as The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. The reason for this is because that you would expect these bands to have been at the peak of their popularity when people in this demographic were growing up. Another reason I think that lower middle class people would listen to this genre of music is because the bands will perform at big venues surrounded by people have gone with the intention to have a good time with friends in comparison to concerts for opera music where it would be taken much more seriously. Prices for tickets wouldn't have been cheap they would definitely cost as much as they would for the classical genre that is associated with the upper class demographic, however this social group still have enough disposable income from their job to be able to afford to go to these concerts. 

C2 - Skilled Working Class

I think 'Skilled Working Class' people would listen to RnB music because of artists like Beyonce, Whitney Houston and Mary J. Blige who are desirable and inspiring women who this demographic of people would look up to and be inspired by. I would say that these artists are seen as 'real women' and therefore sing about topics who 'normal people' can relate to making them successful. This demographic also consume this type of music because it is popular in the charts and so it is played regularly on the radio so they will hear it in day-to-day life such as driving to work because these people still work hard and so may not have time to sit and watch the music videos even though they are available on YouTube however this is for the younger audience they also apply to such as teenagers and also helps them to get into the charts because streams off the internet now count towards the charts. 

D - Working Class

Pop music is the genre that would be most appealing to this demographic because it is popular chart music because it is easily consumable on many media platforms such as YouTube, Spotify and TV as programmes like The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent often have guests on and they are usually, if not, artists from this genre. This demographic will include young people because they are likely to have part time jobs in, high-street shops, restaurants, cafe's which is classed as unskilled, manual work and stereotypically this age-group consume music by girl-bands such as Little Mix, boy-bands such as One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer and artists such as Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. These artists appeal to this demographic and teenagers by singing about things that they can relate such as young love, heartbreak and parties and their music videos include bright colours, performance but not so much narrative as this might not be appreciated by a younger audience.

E - Casual/Lower Skilled Workers

Similar to the demographic above (D), this social class also applies to younger people who only have a part-time job and I think the genre of music that they would listen to is music from the rap genre from artists such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar. The reason for this is because stereotypically people would say that lower-class people are 'chavs' who live on council estates and the main theme of songs is growing up in rough parts of america where crime is a part of everyday life and so in a way their target audience might be able to relate to what they are rapping about and being relate to the music is a main reason as to what influences peoples choices of the music they want to consume.
This demographic also applies to pensioners however I thin k they are likely to listen to artists from the jazz/swing genre as this is the music that would have been popular when they were young and they may not be as up to date with the more current artists or genres of music.

Lyric Timings - Tom Odell - "Grow Old With Me"

(0:00 - 0:40 instrumental)

I can feel you breathing (0:40-0:42)
With your hair on my skin (0:43 - 0:46)
As we lie here within (0:46 - 0:48)
The night (0:48 - 0:49)

I'll pull the sheets (0:53 - 0:56)
When it's cold on your feet (0:56 - 0:59)
Cause you'll fall back to sleep (1:00 - 1:02)
Every time (1:03 - 1:04)

Grow old with me (1:06 - 1:08)

Let us share what we see (1:09 - 1:12)
And oh the best it could be (1:12 - 1:15)
Just you and I (1:15 - 1:16)

And our hands they might age (1:22 - 1:25)
And our bodies will change (1:25 - 1:28)
But we'll still be the same (1:29 - 1:31)
As we are (1:31 - 1:33)

We'll still sing our song (1:36 - 1:38)
When our hair ain't so blonde (1:39 - 1:41)
And our children have sung (1:42 - 1:45)
We were right (1:45 - 1:46)

They'll sing (1:49 - 1:49)
Grow old with me (1:49 - 1:51)
Let us share what we see (1:52 - 1:54)

And oh the best it could be (1:55 - 1:57)
Just you and I (1:58 - 1:59)

And the hairs they stand up (2:05 - 2:08)
And my feet start to thump (2:08 - 2:11)
Yer the feeling is dreaming (2:11 - 2:15)
Around (2:15 - 2:16)

You'll be the one (2:19 - 2:21)
Make me hurt, make me come (2:21 - 2:24)
Make me feel like I'm real (2:24 - 2:27
And alive (2:28 - 2:29)

Grow old with me (2:32 - 2:34)
Let us share what we see (2:34 - 2:37)
And oh the best it could be (2:37 - 2:40)
Just you and I (2:41 - 2:42)

Grow old with me (2:45 - 2:47)
Let us share what we see (2:48 - 2:50)
And oh the best it could be (2:50 - 2:53)
Just you and I (2:54 - 2:55)

(2:56 - 3:09 instrumental) 

Lyric Analysis - Tom Odell - "Grow Old With Me"

This song could be interpreted from either a male or female point of view however because the singer of the song is a male and the music video which accompanies the song is also shot from a male perspective where the man seems to be singing the song to the woman as though it was written for purposely for her.

I can feel you breathing
With your hair on my skin
As we lie here within
The night

I'll pull the sheets
When it's cold on your feet
Cause you'll fall back to sleep
Every time

The above two verses suggest that they are very content in each other's presence and that they appreciate one another's company. The imagery that these lyrics create is that they are simply laid together in a peaceful surrounding and are enjoying just being together rather than having to be surrounded by other people to have a good time. They appreciate the simple, little things that they do for one another and do not need anything extravagant to show the other that they love them or to feel that they loved by the other.

Grow old with me
Let us share what we see
And oh the best it could be
Just you and I

Here, in the chorus, he is asking the girl he is singing to, to spend the rest of her life with him and this shows the audience how much she means to him and how much he loves her. He is saying that he wants to share all of his life experiences with her and nobody else because with her they will be the best that they can be, and this reinforces the point above - that they are happy doing anything as long as they are doing it together.

And our hands they might age
And our bodies will change
But we'll still be the same
As we are

We'll still sing our song
When our hair ain't so blonde
And our children have sung
We were right

These two verses are about the couple recognising that their experiences in life will shape who they become and also accepting that their bodies will change over the years as they grow old, but they put this aside and promise each other that they will still always see the person that they fell in love at the start when they were young and will always be attracted to each other.  
The part about their children suggests that they will have brought their children up well and have acted like good role models throughout their lives because by singing the same song as their parents it suggests that they want to be like them in their older age as well.
They'll sing
Grow old with me
Let us share what we see
And oh the best it could be
Just you and I

(chorus)

And the hairs they stand up
And my feet start to thump
Yer the feeling is dreaming
Around

You'll be the one
Make me hurt, make me come
Make me feel like I'm real
And alive

The song, throughout, has a sense of innocence because it is sung from the perspective of a young person because they talk about becoming old in the future which suggests that they are still young, the video confirms this. 

However, the verses above are the only two verses that describe the physical side of their relationship as they have strong sexual connotations and they describe how they make one another feel but also showing that they are a mature couple who have respect for and are committed to each other.

Grow old with me
Let us share what we see
And oh the best it could be
Just you and I

Grow old with me
Let us share what we see
And oh the best it could be
Just you and I

(chorus x2)