Director/Producer Study - Sammy Paul

Music Video Analysis: Kodaline - 'Ready'

Kodaline - Ready

Genre: Alternative Rock

Origin: Ireland

Abteen Bagheri's music video for Kodaline's song 'Ready' opens with an establishing/long shot of a man in a wheelchair, played by American actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Kick-Ass, Superbad). The use of Mintz-Plasse in this video suggests that the target demographic of the video would recognise him as an actor (often in 15-rated/R-rated films), making them generally between 16 and 25 years old, which is also a key age demographic for the Alternative Rock genre, giving the music video more potential as a promotional product.

As is common with modern Alternative Rock music videos, 'Ready' embodies a narrative structure, one of the three sub-genres identified by Joan Lynch, with this video not featuring any 'performance' or 'concept' elements. As a result of this, it falls into the music video category of 'the anti-performance piece' (Jon Gow), as well as demonstrating Steve Archer's theory of 'thought beats'.

Archer's theory states that whilst the lyrics of the song must not be the focus of the video, the ideas or themes portrayed should reflect them. Over the course of the song, the lyrics "I'm ready, I'm ready for it" are repeated many times, which is reflected through the main character's desire to return to horse racing after an inferred accident resulted in him having to use a wheelchair; this is echoed through shots of him exercising and watching horse races. This also demonstrates Goodwin's theory of music videos illustrating the music and lyrics. 

The opening shots, seen above, match the common narrative convention of orientating the reader at the start of the narrative; we're introduced to the lead character, with a close-up shot of a wheelchair foregrounding the fact that he is disabled. The iconography of Alternative Rock music videos is also continued here through the use of a natural aesthetic created through the use of an outdoor setting, with a mountain visible in the back of the first shot. This aesthetic is also created through the use of film being used, as opposed to digital cameras (although this may have been shot on digital cameras with effects used to create this look). When combined with naturalistic lighting throughout (aided by a particularly green colour palette), the result is a more intimate-feeling style for the music video, which is effective when used in combination with the 'narrative' style of the video.

Much of the video uses long and generally static shots, often slowly zooming in on the subject of the shot, which may be related to the struggles of Mintz-Plasse's character, with these shots allowing more raw human emotion to be seen. This effect is also created through the use of a shot/reverse shot and an eye-line match (seen above) in which we see the protagonist looking longingly at a horse, making use of Barthes' 'enigma' code, due to the fact that the audience does not yet know the reason for his link to the horse. 

The use of long takes does not distract from the music due to the use of cuts in places which keep in line with the rhythm of the song, highlighting the song, rather than eclipsing it. On the opposite end of the scale, as the song begins to 'pick up' we see more high-energy moments, such as the main character racing down a road in his wheelchair. Both of these instances demonstrate Steve Archer's 'thought beats' theory once again, with the pace of the video revolving around the music itself.

Further on in the music video, we see Mintz-Plasse's character sitting on his own behind his family, watching an old clip of him as a horse jockey; through Levi-Strauss' theory of Binary Opposition, this creates a contrast between both versions of the character, due to the fact that the version of him in the past is standing, whilst the other is restricted to a wheelchair, highlighting the fact that he is not currently able to live his passion.

Goodwin's theory of voyeurism being a convention of music videos is also demonstrated here through the use of seeing the clip playing on a television through the perspective of the main character. In this instance, voyeurism is used to allow audiences to identify with the character and understand what he is thinking/feeling - he wants to be a jockey once more.

This sequence is also a key point in the video's narrative, which is a fragmented version of Todorov's 'equilibrium' narrative theory, with this sequence working as the 'recognition' section, but with the 'original state of equilibrium' and 'disruption' sections also being introduced here. The 'original state of equilibrium' is actually seen through the television, where we see the character as a famous jockey, whilst the 'disruption' element is then inferred due to the 'binary opposition' (Levi Strauss) created between the two versions of the character - we know that some sort of incident has occurred, resulting in him having to use a wheelchair. The 'attempt to repair the damage' then takes up most of the remaining section of the video, as we see him exercising and watching horse races, which is used as a shorthand (Barthes 'Action' code), with a new equilibrium being created at the end of the video as we see him riding a horse once more.

Throughout the video, Mintz-Plasse's character is represented initially being depressed and helpless, with his wheelchair and lack of movement being used as a shorthand (Barthes), however, the video shows his journey as he becomes determined to return to his love of horse riding against the odds. The use of determination as a narrative device allows for a short and easy-to-follow narrative due to the fact that it is something that the audience can relate to so much, meaning that time does not have to be spent elaborating it, making it a good fit for a music video.

Points of Inspiration & Moodboard

A Ghost Story (2017) Dir. David Lowery

David Lowery's A Ghost Story is a key source of inspiration for my music video. When I watched this film in the cinema, I was instantly inspired by its suppressed and unique style, using a combination of long takes, slow movement and a 4:3 aspect ratio. It also uses a very muted and natural colour palette, which I believe results in a very grounded visual style.

Another aspect of the film which serves as a point of inspiration for my music video is the ghost character in the film; covered in a basic white sheet with just two black holes for eyes, any expression of emotion comes from the movement of the character. This creates a very eerie feel for the character, which I think would work well for the similar character which will appear in my video.

Music Video Analysis: Kings of Leon - 'Waste a Moment'

Kings of Leon - Waste a Moment

Genre: Alternative/Indie

Origin: USA

Dimitri Basil's music video for Kings of Leon's song "Waste a Moment" opens with a shot of three teenage girls sitting under a tree, all dressed in cheerleader outfits; the camera zooms in slowly on the middle girl who is staring intently at something off-camera. We then cut to a long-shot which shows two policemen who fall to the ground as soon as they make eye contact with her (achieved through an eye-level match). This, combined with the sexualised connotations of cheerleaders in popular culture, creates a representation of these girls as being mysterious and almost seductive, with this action also being comparable to the Medusa monster in Greek mythology.

As noted in my first analysis (Cathy Come Home), a common convention of alternative/independent music videos is that they are often set outdoors, creating a naturalistic and aesthetically pleasing effect; this is also seen here through this initial setting being a public park, however, this  naturalistic effect is slightly subverted due to the darker actions taking place in this particular segment.

 At 00:25, we cut to an establishing shot showing two men dressed in suits, with one pulling out some sort of weapon, connoting a representation of the men as violent gangsters or mobsters. This establishing shot is framed through the doorway of the next room, linking to Andrew Goodwin's theory of voyeurism (the pleasure of looking) being a common convention of music videos, placing the audience into the scene itself.

Tension is created between the two men through various techniques, such as the exposition of the shot showing a literal divide between them, as well as their facial expressions and body language (arms out slightly, as if they're about to fight). An eye-line match is also used to create this effect, as well as the "180-degree rule" to communicate to the audience that the men are making eye contact with each other.

Another of Andrew Goodwin's music video theories is used here, with a link being created between the lyrics of the music and the music video itself; the two men lip-sync to the music, with the lyrics becoming their conversation, rather than the men singing. Elements such as this are what allows audiences to distinguish that what they are watching is a promotional music video, rather than a short film, due to the foregrounding of the song itself. This also shows Jon Gow's theory of there being six central genres of music videos, with this video falling into the "enhanced performance" category due to its combination of performance elements with narrative elements.

This short sequence is repeated at the start of every chorus in the song, meaning that it also shows Carol Vernallis' theory of music videos following the structure of the music itself.

 After the chorus, we see several fragmented sequences, once again representing the three teenage girls from the start as being mysterious and seductive. This time it is achieved through framing, with the first shot showing one girl standing motionless, looking at a policeman intently. A later shot shows a blindfolded man stumbling with another girl looking mysterious in the foreground, creating an association between the two, implying that she is responsible. These actions subvert a common gender dynamic in the media, with women being active and men being passive, instead of the opposite.
The fragmented nature of this narrative shows another of Carol Vernallis' music video theories, stating that music videos do not embody a full narrative structure and actually gain from this due to the fact that it results in audiences interacting more with them. One notable effect of this element is that it keeps the narrative concise, using Roland Barthes' enigma code through controlling what information is given to the audience, allowing them to interpret it for themselves, allowing the video to keep to the length of the song itself.

 In the final chorus of the song, the music video becomes particularly stylised, with digital colour correction being used to exaggerate reds, oranges and yellows; this links to another of Roland Barthes' theories, discussing how meanings are produced through the use of signs and codes. When combined with fast-paced cuts to various seemingly-unrelated images (such as a burning eyeball and a blindfolded woman), these signs can become polysemic, allowing audiences to deduct different meanings to decode the video.
Once again, the performance aspect of this video is highlighted in this sequence; several times, we cut to a short clip of two members of Kings of Leon, blindfolded and playing along to the music. As stated before, this foregrounds the fact that this is a promotional music video through featuring the musicians themselves in such a way that they blend in with the video itself.

The music video ends with an open ending; we see one of the cheerleaders staring at a car crash, motionless, whilst other people run around frantically, before cutting back to the cheerleader, now sitting on a car, looking up at a spotlight. Again, this is an example of a polysemic sign, due to the fact that the sign of a spotlight could signify several different things, such as a police searchlight or a beam from a UFO; through using an open ending in this way, audiences can be intrigued to the point where they will watch the video again to try and further decode it. As a result, they will hear the song more, resulting in more ad-revenue for the band, and the increased likelihood of them buying or streaming their music.

Music Video Analysis: Flyte - 'Cathy Come Home'

Flyte - Cathy Come Home

Genre: Indie Rock

Origin: London, UK

Instantly from the start of the video, we see Andrew Goodwin's theory of the convention of there being a relationship between the visuals and the music; we see several shots edited together to the opening beat of the music, before cutting to two title cards. This instantly creates a link between the song, and, combined with the cold-yet-bold pastel colour scheme and film-stock visual style, matches the common genre convention of indie rock music videos being aesthetically pleasing. The use of editing to create a link between the video and the music itself is also used in several other sections of the video, as shown in the second row of screenshots above; whilst the angle and shot type stay the same, editing-to-the-beat is used to cut several times to an almost-identical shot with the lead singer in a different chair. The effect created by this is a foregrounding of the music, as well as the 'quirky' style often found in music videos from the genre.

 At 00:09, we cut to a tracking shot on what appears to be an outdoor velodrome, with the band members sitting/standing/laying in the foregroung. This shows initial signs of another Andrew Goodwin music video convention, with the video showcasing the artist themselves through a large number of shots of them. This also shows Lynch's theory of there being three main music video categories (performance, narrative, concept), with this sequence establishing the performance element.

This sequence also shows a representation of the male gender, with all of the men being dressed in retro, pastel-coloured clothing, and their body language creating a sense of boyish charm. This, combined with the male-gaze elements which appear later in the video (discussed further below), creates an ideology which is also typical from music videos of this genre.

 The next sequence introduces a new technique by cross-cutting between different camera styles; the first is a naturalistic widescreen film-stock zoom-in of a statue, which is then contrasted by a side-angle shot using a low-quality digital camcorder. This, combined with a pair of hands caressing the statue, links with Andrew Goodwin's theory of voyeurism being a key convention of music videos, through the idea of foregrounding the fact that the video has been constructed, contrasting against the previous naturalistic aesthetic. The use of an outdoor location in this segment (and across much of the rest of the video) also matches another convention of alternative or acoustic music videos, depicting the artist in a natural & aesthetically pleasing location; in this case, an outdoor monument is used alongside camera angles which often create a symmetrical effect.

Multiple times throughout the remaining duration of the video, we cut to several shots in a 4:3 ratio, which are either shot on film, or edited to look as if they are; this creates a retro aesthetic, and when combined with the other widescreen shots, create a timeless quality for the video. These shots are seemingly completely separate from each other, relying only on connotations and symbolism for any meaning to be found; this links with Roland Barthes' theory of some music videos producing meanings through signs and codes, which then allows audiences to decode them to create their own interpretation. An effect of intrigue and interactivity of created through this for audiences, and this also introduces another of Joan Lynch's music video genres - concept.

As briefly mentioned previously, this video features several examples of Andrew Goodwin's theory of voyeurism being a common characteristic of music videos. Whilst this is created through the use of foregrounded camera elements (such as low-quality digital camcorder footage), it is also achieved through the use of the male gaze. Several of the fragmented concept shots (mentioned in the previous paragraph) show several nude women, often in a way which creates sexual connotations; these shots often show close-ups of body parts and/or movement which, when compared to the "boyish" representation of the men in this video, creates this effect.