Hozier- Hozier, From Eden
Genre and Narrative
-This video, according to Goodwin's theories is narrative based, since it includes no performance, instead focusing entirely on the story of this family making it a slightly unusual music video.
-It has amplifying lyrics, since their focus is on a man and woman. The man is referred to using the religious iconography of a snake `I slither here from Eden`, suggesting he is tempting the woman to sin, this is reflected through the video since the man is the only one who actually commits the crimes. However the lack of the child in the lyrics or any specific detail stops it from being illustrative.
-The video has many artistic shots which is consistent with the genre, utilising soft focus and slow motion for many aspects.
Representation
-The artist only features in the video as a character and has no noticeable shot prevalence over the others, however does appear to be the instigator of the criminal actions, and is the one shown with the gun and later money. -The positive artist meta-narrative is therefore created in several ways, firstly through the child, since the viewer sees him playing with his son, making him more empathetic. Also, the video as a whole contributes to the artist as it shows how he cares about storytelling and emotions rather then conventional industrial video of performance.
-In terms of Dyer's paradox theory the artist is simultaneously present and absent in the video since he plays a major role, but no real information is given on him, or his real persona shown. The paradox of ordinary and extraordinary is less visible, however the artist is constantly presented with a juxtaposition between the loving father figure and the criminal, which could be interpreted as the paradox.
-The film deals with several groups, for example gender is an interesting representation because while the woman is also a criminal she is presented far more positively, she is not shown surrendering to the police, does not have a gun and is regularly shown with the child, most notably in the final shot. This connotes the stereotype that the woman looks after the child more, but also suggests that she is merely an accomplice.
-The video may be trying to stop the demonisation of criminals by presenting them as normal people with families, this contributes to the artist's meta-narrative by showing he cares about interesting and potentially ideologically destabilising subject matter.
Continues After Break
-This video, according to Goodwin's theories is narrative based, since it includes no performance, instead focusing entirely on the story of this family making it a slightly unusual music video.
-It has amplifying lyrics, since their focus is on a man and woman. The man is referred to using the religious iconography of a snake `I slither here from Eden`, suggesting he is tempting the woman to sin, this is reflected through the video since the man is the only one who actually commits the crimes. However the lack of the child in the lyrics or any specific detail stops it from being illustrative.
-The video has many artistic shots which is consistent with the genre, utilising soft focus and slow motion for many aspects.
Representation
-The artist only features in the video as a character and has no noticeable shot prevalence over the others, however does appear to be the instigator of the criminal actions, and is the one shown with the gun and later money. -The positive artist meta-narrative is therefore created in several ways, firstly through the child, since the viewer sees him playing with his son, making him more empathetic. Also, the video as a whole contributes to the artist as it shows how he cares about storytelling and emotions rather then conventional industrial video of performance.
-In terms of Dyer's paradox theory the artist is simultaneously present and absent in the video since he plays a major role, but no real information is given on him, or his real persona shown. The paradox of ordinary and extraordinary is less visible, however the artist is constantly presented with a juxtaposition between the loving father figure and the criminal, which could be interpreted as the paradox.
-The film deals with several groups, for example gender is an interesting representation because while the woman is also a criminal she is presented far more positively, she is not shown surrendering to the police, does not have a gun and is regularly shown with the child, most notably in the final shot. This connotes the stereotype that the woman looks after the child more, but also suggests that she is merely an accomplice.
-The video may be trying to stop the demonisation of criminals by presenting them as normal people with families, this contributes to the artist's meta-narrative by showing he cares about interesting and potentially ideologically destabilising subject matter.
Continues After Break
Birdy feat.Rhodes- Let It All Go
-It is likely that this video is for ambient viewing rather than focused due to its length, it features on Birdy's YouTube channel, and it more likely aimed at those interested in, or already fans of the artist. -It is also cross-promotional as it features the artist Rhodes, attracting new listeners to both.
-Artists are often presented as being more independent, especially artists of the indie genre, a clear characteristic is the lack of people, the film only features the two artists. There is also a clear theme of nature, since the video takes place in the countryside.
-Despite this the film is clearly industrial due to the high-production values and the large amount of post production in creating the sky and colouring the world.
Media Language
-The `message` of this video is unclear, however it appears to be the feelings of two lovers. The northern lights and galaxy-like sky above, as well as the red plants around them make the location feel alien and timeless making the whole piece more surreal.
-Later on the cutting rate increases as dawn approaches, the characters freeze and fade away. The establishing shot shown at the beginning is then also shown at the end with the colours returning to normal.
-The post-production work to do this, re-colouring the grass and trees, and changing the sky, while leaving the artists unchanged is substantial and suggests that the main aim of the video is to be a beautiful and unusual backdrop to the song.
Paolo Nutini, Caustic Love, Scream (Funk My Life Up)
Representation
-The artist has clear shot prevalence in this video, building up his star image as an important person, this is also reflected in the video content. Him in the limousine, being referred to `as Hollywood`, and the use of the notion of looking through the use of the massive screen all reinforce his power in the video. -Stylistically, the video tries to create the impression of the stereotypical american 20th century culture, thereby linking the artist to this history, as well as using the upbeat music to energise the viewer presenting the artist as the cause. -Gender stereotypes are greatly reinforced with this film, since the majority of the women are sexualised with many in skin-tight costumes and dancing, while the men are presented far more normally. However since this video tries to replicate a period of time, it could be argued that the singer is trying to accurately portray the culture or even draw attention to the stereotype.
Media Language
-This video's aim seems to be to evoke stereotypical american 20th century culture, it does this through intercutting old footage with new, and in the modern footage keeping people in period costumes and using a black and white filter.
-Fast cutting, and use of mise-en-scene with lots of character movement, props like the cars, etc. all contribute to the fast paced nature of the video motivating people to move around themselves and `get into` the song.
Front Cover
-The video uses common imagery such as the Hollywood sign, muscle cars, and leather jackets, all synonymous with the `american dream`. These images are immortalised through popular culture including music and film into which this music video tries to associate with and replicate for its own use.
-The artist has clear shot prevalence in this video, building up his star image as an important person, this is also reflected in the video content. Him in the limousine, being referred to `as Hollywood`, and the use of the notion of looking through the use of the massive screen all reinforce his power in the video. -Stylistically, the video tries to create the impression of the stereotypical american 20th century culture, thereby linking the artist to this history, as well as using the upbeat music to energise the viewer presenting the artist as the cause. -Gender stereotypes are greatly reinforced with this film, since the majority of the women are sexualised with many in skin-tight costumes and dancing, while the men are presented far more normally. However since this video tries to replicate a period of time, it could be argued that the singer is trying to accurately portray the culture or even draw attention to the stereotype.
Media Language
-This video's aim seems to be to evoke stereotypical american 20th century culture, it does this through intercutting old footage with new, and in the modern footage keeping people in period costumes and using a black and white filter.
-Fast cutting, and use of mise-en-scene with lots of character movement, props like the cars, etc. all contribute to the fast paced nature of the video motivating people to move around themselves and `get into` the song.
Front Cover
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| Front Cover |
Digipak and Magazine Advert
The songs in this album obviously vary in genre but could probably be classified as alternative rock. The album cover is mainly black, with large white text with the artist and album names, stopping the cover from linking too closely to any specific genre. The most important feature however is Nutini's face. This drawing is in quite a modern style featuring unnatural but muted colours, denoting the artist's interest in artistic music and making the front more interesting than a simple photograph. As well as this, the image fades into the background making the artist link better to the overall piece.
The reverse is also very plain, focusing on functionality with the song titles clearly arranged, connoting a great importance with the font and colouration matching that of the front and sides. The only particularly interesting feature is the white border which very simply frames the text, making it appear more professional.
It is the interior that is the most interesting part of the album, while the disk may match the overall style, with large areas of negative space and white text. The other side is a completely different style, it is filled with illustrations of random objects and vibrant colours, the opposite of everything else. There are several possible reasons for this, such as making the interior (with the disk) more appealing, Giving the album more originality rather than just white text on a black background, as well as making the covers sleeker and more professional. |
| Rear Cover |
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| Interior and Disk |
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| Magazine Advert |
Well done Dan, excellent work, presentation is well executed with attention to detail in layout. Interesting and varied choice of media texts to analyse. Good understanding shown with media terminology applied throughout and some reference to theory. Good range of examples selected from texts although more key moments could have been commented on; excellent succinct communication facilitated by use of bullet points. A grade piece of work Dan 18/20
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