Wednesday 16 November 2011

Music Video Analysers

During my research stage I focused on three music video analysers, these being Andrew Goodwin, Michael Shore and Sven E Carlson.

Andrew Goodwin believes that every music video contains six common guidelines, these acknowledge  that:
  • music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
  • there is a relationship between the music and the visuals.
  • the demands of relationship between lyrics and visuals.
  • the demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artists and the artist may develop motifs which reoccur their work.
  • there is a frequent reference to the notion of looking, screens within screens for example looking through telescopes.
  • there is often intertextual reference to films, magazines and other media forms.


Michael Shore's theory of eighteen words can be used to analyse a music video:
  • 1.Recycled styles
  • 2.Surface without substance
  • 3.Simulated experience
  • 4.Information overload
  • 5.Image and style scavengers
  • 6.Ambivalence
  • 7.Decadents
  • 8.Immediate gratification
  • 9.Vanity of the moment
  • 10.Image assaults and outré folks
  • 11.The death of content
  • 12.Anesthetization of violence through chic
  • 13.Adolescent male fantasies
  • 14.Speed, power, girls and wealth
  • 15.Album art come to turgid life
  • 16.Classical storytelling’s motifs
  • 17.Soft-core pornography
  • 18.Clichéd imagery.


Sven E Carlson takes a different approach believing that all music videos fall into three main categories, standard, performance and narrative/art clips:
  • Standard clips consist of the active artist but also contains clips outside of the artist, for example an alter-ego portrayed as a cartoon character or figure larger than life. 
  • Performance clips are when the vocalist or artist is filmed in separate locations and can either be a dance, song or instrumental performance. The performer is often materialised and then attempts to sell themselves to the audience with desirable goods that the audience would be impressed with.
  • Sven also talks about narrative and art clips. Narrative clips are easy to follow as they tell a story whereas art clips are for more modern experimental sounds.     




JT

No comments:

Post a Comment