The definition of 'narrative' - astoryoraccountofevents,experiences,orthelike,whethertrueorfictitious. All media narratives follow these steps:
Exploration
Development
Complication
Climax
Resolution
The narrative of our music video follows the actions of our main character. To make our narrative clear we needed to fully emphasise the theme which is rejection and heartbreak. We made this clear all through our music video because of the scenes we displayed. Ally calling Shannon and her rejecting his call implies rejection in love, also shots of them two together fading into shots of him makes it clear that he is now alone. Ally watching the flashbacks of him and Shannon when they were together shows heartbreak. All of this links with the lyrics of the song, of wanting to be loved.
I will be analysing a famous American music video director - Marc Klasfeld. He has directed over two hundred music videos by artists such as Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Kid Rock, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nelly, Foo Fighters, The Script, Sum 41, Avril Lavigne and many more. He has had many MTV award wins and nominations and he has also written and directed commercials, independent films and documentaries. He is also the founder of Rockhard, a production company that also houses directors such as Ray Kay, Tony Petrossian and Steve Jocz. He is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
Some music videos that he has directed:
Starstruckk - 30H!3 ft. Katy Perry
When You're Gone - Avril Lavigne
Bubbles - Biffy Clyro
So Far Gone - James Blunt
All About Tonight - Pixie Lott
In detail I have looked at another video he has directed: Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles.
From the first camera shot he uses, we establish the mise-en-scene. The setting is naturalistic in what we can guess to be her house. Vanessa Carlton is wearing casual clothes and has messy hair, this implies that she is just a normal girl. This may make it easy for others to relate to her. The lyrics link greatly with the visuals because the lyrics are about her travelling a thousand miles and therefore her and her piano are moving through out the music video. The camera angles that Marc Klasfeld has decided to use mostly foucs on her, he uses many close-ups and mid-shots. This is to capture her emotion so it makes it seem like she is really meaning what she is singing. Many shots are used of her playing the piano, I think Marc Kladfeld has done this to emphasise that she can play piano and this gives us clues about her personality. It is also because it makes the beat of the song match with the visuals.
Marc Klasfeld, as a director uses mise-en-scene to fit the mood of the lyrics. He seems to use many close ups of the artists to sell the song through their looks. In all of his videos that I have looked at he seems to have a performance scene to fit the genre of the song, ie. in Pixie Lott's video she uses many dancing scenes whereas in in Biffy Clyro's video it is a performance of him singing into a microphone with people behind him playing instruments.
After the rise in MTV (1992) Andrew Goodwin wrote a book which identified a number of key features that distinguishes music video as a form. These include:
- Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. Our music video has the link of rejection and feeling unloved because of the scenes of the couple together and then him alone in the same setting.
- Relationship between the music and the visuals. The music has a slow, steady pace to it and so does our video. We do not use many fast cuts or flash editing. Also, at the start of our video the person is playing guitar in time with the music.
- Genres having their own music style. Our music video fits with our genre because of the instrument we have focused on (guitar) and because the clothes the main character is wearing is an alternative rock style (jeans, jacket).
- There is an ongoing demand on part of the record company for many close-ups of the main artist. We use many close-ups of the main character's face in our video, particularly in the lecture theatre scene when he is singing the song to display his emotion and also to tell the record through what he looks like.
- Iconography developed by the artist that might become part of their image. There is a focus on a guitar at the beginning in the bedroom in the video to emphasise genre.
- Reference to voyeurism in the treatment of women and also in systems of looking. We see Shannon being wanted by Ally through out the lecture theatre scene (flashbacks in the background) and him coming back to the same places they went as a couple.
- Inter-textual references. We focus on the use of phones through our characters using them to try and contact each other or ignore each other.
In my textual analysis's that I have completed on professional videos I believe that I have considered all seven points that Goodwin made and carefully considered whether they include all of these things.
The definition of mise-en-scene is 'an expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film production'. In French it translates into 'putting into the scene'. It includes: Lighting Props Costume Make-up Colour Setting Decoration/scenery of the setting
The typical mise-en-scene for alternative rock videos are usually based in urban settings such as busy cities. The artists commonly wear casual clothes (jeans, jackets, shirts). Instruments (drums, guitars) and performances of the artists are regularly included. The lighting varies, however dark lighting is used quite a bit if the concept of the song is sad. The use of black and white editing is commonly used in alternative rock music videos too. Narratives are often used, usually with a reference to love and/or heartbreak depending on the narrative of the song. To gather research for our genre, I will analyse two alternative rock music videos.
The Fray - How To Save A Life
The establishing shot of this music video of a man playing piano - showing an instrument is a characteristic of alternative rock videos. The scene has a white background and the man is wearing black. I think this has been done to represent the sad mood of the song. A performance is shown as cuts throughout the music video, here other instuments are focussed on such as guitars and drums. Many close-ups are used of the lead singer and the characters in the music video, this is to show their emotion and this captures the concept of the song. Their is also writing on the mirrors, phrases such as 'let it go' are shown. This clearly shows the feelings of the characters and it makes the video link with the lyrics. Towards the end of the song the music begins to progress into more of an upbeat tone and this changes the vibe of the music video to reflect the song. This is shown through the characters jumping around and smiling. Phrases on the mirror such as 'have faith' is shown. During the whole music video cuts are used to show a heart shaped necklace. This may represent love, and this could be shown as the deeper message of the music video.
Snow Patrol - You're All I Have
The music video starts off quiet, but then a band member plugs in an amplifier and then the music properly starts. I think this is done because it shows that the music video is linking with the song. This whole music video is performance based. The setting is all in one place but it is not on a stage or with an audience as you may expect, it is set in what looks to be a kind of basement area. The decoration that has been used are props such as poles around the setting, This may emphasise the genre. The music video focuses on the band members and their instruments. They are dressed in casual clothes such as jeans and plain tops. The music video uses special effects, it shows lightning in the room that they are performing in. This is used because the pattern in which is is used, is in time with the beat of the song. The lighting is fairly dark, this is quite common in alternative rock videos so this also may emphasise the genre.
In our music video we are going to create the mood with the lighting and editing. Dark lighting and black and white editing is used on Ally when he is alone and sad about being rejected, and flashbacks of when he was with Shannon are going to be colourful with bright lighting. Ally will be wearing simular clothes to other alternative rock videos we have watched and analysed.
Our target audience for this music video ranges between older teenagers and adults, around 16 - 35. We decided on this because of the concept of the music video. The video displays a message of having bad luck with relationships and getting rejected. Through the focus of the main character, the audience can see that people often get extremely down about it. This age group may be able to relate to this the easiest because they are the ones who may be experiencing many relationships, some not ending well. This means that they will have some sort of heartbreak and/or rejection clear in their minds. This indicates that they will be able to sympathise most with our main character in our video and be most interested in the lyrics.
Another reason as to why it may be more relevant to this audience is because the music video has a slow and steady pace to it, whereas younger people may be more interested in music videos with a fast pace and a more upbeat tone e.g. dupstep. They may also be more attracted to a different type of genre such as pop music because they are more likely to sing about experiences that younger people can relate to.
Some other music videos that are aimed at the same target audience:
My crown of roses
Is filled with thorns
And the sleeve where my heart is
Is old and worn
I guess the time of my life
Is running late
And I don't know how much longer
I can wait
The first verse sets up the feeling of the song. 'My crown of roses' suggests a good relationship and then the next line 'is filled with thorns' implies it has changed and he is now in pain because of the relationship. 'I guess the time of my life, Is running late' indicates that the time of his life (meeting a woman he can be with forever) hasn't come yet even though it should of. 'I don't know how much longer I can wait' implies that he has been waiting for someone to love him for ages and he doesn't want to wait any longer.
For your phone calls, four walls, at night fall in your bed
So my bruised ears will not hear this one clear thought in my head
When will I be loved
This is the chorus. The first line indicates that he is waiting for her 'phone calls' and the next part of the song 'at night fall in your bed' suggests that he wants to be with her. 'So my bruised ears will not hear this one clear thought in my head' tells us this is all he can think about and it's what's most important to him. This makes the song feel very emotional. 'When will I be loved' makes it clear that he is waiting for someone to love him and he is feeling very lonely and sad.
The older I get
The younger I want to be
Why do I fall
So easily
'The older I get, The younger I want to be' suggests that as he is getting older and he wants to go back in time and find someone to love him. Maybe becase he feels it is too late now. The line 'why do I fall so easily' is a personal reference to the singer. It gives the impression that he gets too involved and attached in relationships so it's harder to let go and this may make the audience feel sympathetic towards him.
For your phone calls, four walls, at night fall in your bed
Now my bruised ears can just hear this one clear thought in my head
When will I be loved
When will I be loved
Let's dance in the dust
Of another one of our days
I hope that tomorrow
I will find a way
I'll find a way
Towards the end of the song the feeling changes a little and he seems to still have some hope about love 'I will find a way, I'll find a way'. This shows us that he still has some hope left inside and he will carry on looking for love.
To your phone calls, four walls, at night fall in your bed
Now my bruised ears can just hear this one clear thought in my head
When will I be loved
The main theme of the song is heartbreak and rejection throughout the singers life. The song does not only just imply the usual heartbreak but it also suggests that his time is running out to find someone that will love him.
