Alternative music video analysis

At this point in my pre production I would like to write down all my ideas for my music video and ideas I have gathered from my deconstructions. From this, I will then be able to see what more I need to do and then be able to progress in terms of what my future deconstrutions and research needs to focus on.
In terms of my music choice I have decided to represent the alternative group Alt - J's Breezeblocks. (An interesting song that has many dark interperations.)

The song's main theme is on controlling love.

Here are the lyrics of the song and below are some interperatations from other people.

"Breezeblocks"

She may contain the urge to run away
But hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks
Cetirizine your fever's grip me again
Never kisses, all do you ever send are full stops, la, la, la

Do you know where the wilds things go?
They go along to take your honey, la, la, la
Break down now, weep, build up breakfast now
Let's eat my love, my love, love, love, la, la, la

Muscle to muscle and toe to toe
The fear has gripped me but here I go
My heart sinks as I jump up
Your hand grips hand as my eyes shut

Do you know where the wild things go?
They go along to take your honey, la, la, la
Break down let's sleep build up breakfast now
Let's eat my love my love, love, love, la, la, la

She bruises, coughs, she splutters pistol shots
But hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks
She's morphine, queen of my vaccine
My love, my love, love, love, la, la, la

Muscle to muscle and toe to toe
The fear has gripped me but here I go
My heart sinks as I jump up
Your hand grips hand as my eyes shut

She may contain the urge to run away
But hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks
Germolene, disinfect the scene my love, my love, love, love
But please don't go, I love you so, my lovely

Please don't go, please don't go
I love you so, I love you so
Please don't go, please don't go
I love you so, I love you so
Please break my heart, hey

Please don't go, please don't go
I love you so, I love you so
Please don't go, please don't go
I love you so, I love you so
Please break my heart

Please don't go, I'll eat you whole
I love you so, I love you so, I love you so
Please don't go I'll eat you whole
I love you so, I love you so, I love you so, I love you so

I'll eat you whole
I love you so, I love you so
I'll eat you whole
I love you so, I love you so

I'll eat you whole
I love you so, I love you so
Please don't go, I'll eat you whole
I love you so, I love you so, I love you so
Please don't go, I'll eat you whole
I love you so, I love you so, I love you so

Some people's interperatation of the song:

- I believe that this song has literally nothing to do with the physical form of murder. Or cannibalism??  I think it's about someone who would do anything to keep his\her love from getting away. However, this person seems to think that it's bad. Like he/she is murdering (not physically.. obviously) the partner by trapping him/her with love. The only murder going on is murder of someone's spirit over time, so to say.     

- She may contain the urge to run away
but hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks
(This could be two things. He either pins her down/ rapes her or it's just describing how she wants to leave but he won't let her.)

Citrezine, your fever's gripped me again,
never kisses, all you ever send are full stops
(He's addicted to her sexually, but she won't do anything.)

Do you know where the wild things go?
They go along to take your honey
(Basically, he went over the edge when he caught her with someone else.)
Break down, now weep
Build up breakfast, now let's eat
My love, my love, love, love...
(She's basically in captivity. He's forcing her to go through everyday things, trying to continue everyday life in his mind. "My love, my love" is just showing his obsessive love.)

Muscle to muscle and toe to toe
The fear is gripping me, but here I go
My heart stops as I jump up
Your hand grips hand as my eyes shut
(I suspect this is either the murder or a rape...I wouldn't be surprised)

Break down, now weep,
Build up breakfast, now let's eat,
my love, my love, love, love
She's morphine, queen of my vaccine,
my love, my love, love, love
(Same continuation of normalcy, in his mind anyway. He loves her, is addicted to her, and she takes his pain away.)

(Hook again)

She may contain the urge to run away,
but hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks
Germalene, disinfect the scene,
my love, my love, love, love..
(He kills her.)

Please don't go, I love you so..
My lovely
(No translation needed.)

Please don't go, please don't go, I love you so, I love you so
Please break my heart
(Maybe this is some small voice in his head begging her to leave before he falls any deeper.)

Please don't go, I'll eat you whole, I love you so
(He would rather kill her and keep her with him than let her go.)     

 - This song is about an obsessive love. About a relationship where someone would kill or even eat the other to make them stay. It references to the children's' book 'Where the Wild Things Are'     

 - I love the line 'she may contain the urge to run away / but hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks' since the double meaning of breezeblocks. On one hand being the brick-like wapon, on the otherside a breezeblock as in an air refresher, contradicting extremely poetically with 'soggy'. Great line of poetry.     

 - I thought that an interpretation was (infact) just as individual as every single one of us. You just never know how things look through other peoples eyes...ehy?

From my point of view, based on my personal experience and imagination.

This song is about what addiction and drugs can do with your life. The addiction sneaks up on you. somewhere between fun and fatal it wil get to you. At some point you'll end up as a captive, it's no longer just up to you.Soon the drug-lifestyle got you on a short leash influencing what ever you might do.
This is hardcore love/hate like any other obsession, it enjoy eating you slowly.

My interperatation of the song and what i would like to include in my music video story line:

Girlfriend tries to leave boyfriend (main character) although in the heat of the argument the woman is killed by the boyfriend. Exploration into the possible theme of obsessive love as the man then continues to live out his life with his girlfriend who is a puppet/ doll.

Alt - J and success
Whilst only getting to number 75 in the UK charts, Breeze blocks got to number 6 in the UK indie charts.

Music video deconstruction: Imagine dragons - Demons (Alternative Indie Rock)

Music video deconstruction: Imagine dragons - Demons (Alternative Indie Rock)

The structure of this music videos consists of different sections within the music video. The first section being a scene of the band playing at a gig that then zooms into one audience member and tells a story of their life and their struggles in life (section two), before flashing back to the gig (section 1) and then into another section with a different persons story. The effect of this music video structure is unusual as having visuals of the band playing at a gig, isn’t a normal convention of an alternative music video, however the use of the mutual interest (the band) reinforces the songs message and narrative:  We all have struggles and troubles and although people try to hide these feelings, your eyes never lie. There is also a united cry for help or for some sort of relief as humanity to say that life will be ok and that everyone has troubles – don’t try to hide them.

The united cry for freedom from this form is represented by the up build and crescendo of the chorus.

The music video opens with the first section of the band playing at a gig. The lighting is dark and the mise-en-scene has instruments and a shillouette of the main singer to create a realistic look of a band gig. The shot is a long shot to show that the audience is amoungst a big audience however the fact that an extreme long shot hasn’t been used means that as aundience members we already feel a connection to the established main character (lead singer), the lead singers importance in this video is also highlighted by the spot lights.  There are close ups of the singers face when he starts to sing showing that the songs lyrics have importance and the main focus of the audience is kept on this lead singer. The blue lighting also connotes the feeling of sadness and sympathy.

This medium close up shot has been chosen to portray this characters story across to the audience without too much explanation. The fact that she is loosing away from the camera so that we can easily see what the song is about and her story without forgetting our new main character.

The use of close ups in this scene focus the audiences attention on her story and the strength of the song.

The lyrics to Imagine Dragons – Demons

When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are all made of gold

When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
And the blood’s run stale

I wanna hide the truth
I wanna shelter you
But with the beast inside
There’s nowhere we can hide

No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide

Curtain’s call
Is the last of all
When the lights fade out
All the sinners crawl

So they dug your grave
And the masquerade
Will come calling out
At the mess you've made

Don't wanna let you down
But I am hell bound
Though this is all for you
Don't wanna hide the truth

No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide

They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go

Your eyes, they shine so bright
I wanna save that light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide

There is another link to the music and the lyrics and the drop beat of the chorus starts when a bottle is smashed against a wall behind the son’s head in the abuse scene.

Alternative genre deconstruction: Artic monkeys - When the sun goes down

This is my deconstruction for the Artic monkey's track - When the sun goes down. The genre of the song is alternative/ alternative rock.

In this first medium close up shot we are introduced to the main charater as this girl is in the foreground of the shot. This type of shot was used to introduce the main character. From her facial expressions, her raggedy clothing, dreary desaturated colour shceme and the councils flats show that hte piece will be about someone who is living in a rough area with not much to her life. The mood of the song is set as an unhappy song that suits this genre.

The lyrics: "So who's that girl there? What went wrong so she had to roam the streets?" ,is an example of Goodwin's theory as the visuals and audio match up. This also confirms my preconceptions and jugement of what i expected the music video to be about (written above).

 

The worm's eye view shot is interesting as its quite an abstract shot type that is rarely used. The angle of this shot gives the notion of looking (Goodwin's theory) plus the spiral staircase is a symbol of her struggles in life as it spirals out of control. There are no lyrics here so no lip syncing is required.

 

This two shot then itroduces the other main character in this music video - The girls boyfriend/ husband. Goodwin's Theory is introduced again here as the lyrics are:
"And what a scummy man,
Just give him half a chance
I bet he'll rob you if he can
Can see it in his eyes, yeah
That he's got a driving ban
Amongst some other offences."
The atmosphere created after hearing these lyrics and seeing the relationship between this couple gives the audience a negative vibe of the male character - Later more developed in the song lyrics:
"They say he changes when the sun goes down..."

Up to now the editing and cuts between each shots have been simple and slow. This is because the pace of the music up to this point is slow and calm.
A drum beat then kicks in and the music starts going wild. This is where the rock element to this song kicks in as the visuals go all blurred as a firt person view. This is where the song starts to get angrey.

Mixed in with the manic storyline and visuals - there are shots like this one (Below) of the main singer who is dressed as a magician with a hand, wand and shots of cards and toy rabbit. In my opinion the visuals here dont make alot of scene and Goodwin's theory isnt represented in this section of the music video as there is no indication of a magician or and references to anything that could be symbolised in the lyrics. The fact that in this shot is to create a more vibrant abstract feel to the piece as there is mystery and excitement.

 Overall this music video has taught me the in the alternative genre the songs are most often dark and sad but put to upbeat alternative music. The editing is usually simple as the focus of alternative music videos are on the talent of the artists and the story lines of the song. Very few special effects are used in alternative music videos and the bugdets are usually quite low. Apart from the magician reference at the end i have found from this music video that the visuals are based solely on lyrics and are very narrative.
I would like to take these ideas and conventions through and concider them when i am making my music video.

Music video deconstruction - Gregory Porter - Be good (the lion song)

Music video deconstruction - Gregory Porter - Be good (the lion's song) Jazz/ Soul

Usually in jazz and soul music videos the conventions are:
- Bright happy colorful costume and set.
- Dancing
- Bright lights and often big posh performances with a full orchestra.
- Costumes include suits for the men and sophisticated dresses for women as well as bright makeup.
- Props include old fashioned microphones.
- Jazz music videos portray sophistication and elegance.

Close up shot of a homemade cello with bright light colours to show the jazz genre. The trumpet and cello noise in the background follow Goodwin's theory as there is a relationship between the visuals on screen and the audio.

Here is where the narrative of the music video starts as we see the story that goes with the music video. The jazz convention of the bright coloured costume continues as seen in the girls costume.
The shot changes are simple cut shots to show the simplicity and naturalness of the music video and the jazz genre. In this song Gregory Portor uses the metaphor of the lion and its mane to describe how a man tries to tame his wild nature for the woman he loves.

The transition into the next shot shows how this music video follows jazz conventions as it uses a simple cut into the next shot where the artist Gregory Porter is dressed smartly in a bow tie, ruffled shirt and jacket that are all brightly coloured.
The mise-en-scene is simple and fairly bare that leads the viewers attention to the artist in the foreground and the content of the song.

 The music video then cuts back to the storyline of the music video where through this shot we can see the tense relationship between this man and his presumed daughter as there is a fairly big proximity and the father always seems to leave his daughter behind.

Here the storyline continues as the girl tries to make the man happy by showing him a smiling face.
This storyline doesn't really follow the conventions of jazz music videos or Goodwin's theory as there isn't a clear relevance between the song and the visuals.

The music video then follows the conventions of jazz music videos as there is a dancing lady (the lady that is being talked about in the song) The dancing girl in the foreground is wearing smart sophisticated clothing and is wearing a bright coloured flower in her hair.

The use of the simple camera angles and editing means that there is more focus on the story and  rather than diverting their attention. It also makes the story and song more believable as the visuals are naturalistic.

Music video deconstruction: Final decision for my music genre

I have decided for my music video that i do a indie/ alternative rock music video. I have decided this as i would like to experiment with this genre as it is one of my favorite genres because i find it the most interesting as the songs are not focused around Love / Love loss.
I have also chosen to represent this genre because their music videos are usually low budget, (and therefore my music video will be able to follow this genre's conventions) as oppose to pop music videos of very famous mainstream artists who are in the limelight.

Conventions of indie alternative rock music videos:
Low budget visuals. Normally the profession/ interesting indie look is normally achieved in post production.
This is also due to the fact that the music genre itself was never about making a success or fame but more about making the music and the artists uncut rough real talent.

 Now the genre has become more popular the music videos conventions have changed as the music industry has so in the past the main focus was on the artists talents - now the modern twist is that there is a narrative in-between the music video to break up the video in order to make the music video more of a story. These stories make the music video interesting (and is the reason why i would like to represent the indie alternative rock genre as the stories (narrative) are normally about dark twisted interesting subjects rather than about love or heart break that are 99% of what mainstream pop songs are about.  This use of narrative means that music videos of the indie alternative rock genre are very creative.

Due to the usual low budget of the videos, artists and the band often feature as the main character rather than hiring a cast. Their costume is normally plain and simple meaning that the main focus is on the artist and their talent. The sound is unique and unlike many mainstream the indie rock genre isn't auto tuned showing the talent of the artists.

Camera work in indie/ alternative rock music video's are used to emphasize the artist and bands talent.
The use of camera also means that the audience can see clearly the mood of the song and the artists facial expression. Like the costume and set the camera angles used in indie/ alternative rock music videos are simple and the cuts and editing is simple too to show that the artists and industry isn't about snappy editing and expensive sets, the use of a simple pan shot means that there is variety in the shot patterns. The main focus is on the story/ message of the song and the talent of the artist and talent of the industry.

Stop frame animation and other forms of animation are mostly used in this industry as a way of getting the unique indie/ rock music video feel.

Stereotypes in music videos:
Within the music video stereotypes are used within the mainstream famous music videos and genres making the genre of  indie alternative more interesting as stereotypes are not used within this genre.
This is the main reason that i did not want to make a rap/ hip hop music video - the industry that has the most stereotypes of having the artist in the foreground surrounded by props that symbolizes wealth and power. The stereotypical derogatory use of women are also used to create the feeling of power.
Stereotypes are also the reason why i am not going to make a pop music video as i find the content of the more modern pop songs boring and unoriginal - always being about love or love lost.
Also the pop industry is less about the talent of the artist and more about fame as many songs have been auto tuned.
The indie alternative rock genre means that i can have more creativity and more freedom to express the song meaning and talent of the artists.

Please note:
 Alt-J is an alternative indie rock band however each  song has a slightly different genre. Therefore when i am talking about Alt-J as a band i will refer to them as alternative band to cover all the genres that they represent.

Music video pre production:

Sound within music videos:
The use of diegetic and non diegetic sounds mean that there is a link between the visuals and audio. This is a rule of Goodwin's Theory.

Music video deconstruction: Country music genre and music video deconstruction

Music video deconstruction: Country music genre and music video deconstruction

Country music is one of the oldest genres of music. Originating in 1920s in Southern parts America,  country music is the most popular genre throughout the United States - more popular than other 'mainstream' genres. The defining characteristic of country music is an acoustic guitar, with just the vocals of the singer to accompany it. Country music has changed over the years, adopting a more modern style, mixing with other genres in order to attract a larger and more diverse audience.

Conventions of country music videos
- Tend to have a strong narrative aspect
- Set in very stereotypical locations, such as rural areas
- Mise-en-scen tends to be very traditional or set in an elder generation, e.g. Victorian
(The use of costume, props and set establishes this convention at the start of the music video)
- The artist usually features within the video mainly in the foreground while the use of lighting highlights the focus on the main artist more

(Carrie Underwood - Cowboy Casanova)



Taylor Swift has taken a modern day twist on her country style in order to keep it relevant and popular in the charts by adding the unconventional genres of pop and country together. This music video follows many conventions of country music whilst also following many upbeat conventions of the pop genre.