LO2:

 

1. What is the theme or aim of my music video?
2. Who will this appeal to?
3. How can I make it appeal to this group?
4. What are the lyrics saying?
5. What do the music/rhythms/genre suggest?
6. How can I link music/lyrics/images?
7. What type of video will it be?

Music Videos

Often contains a number of different elements:

1. Performance
2.  Narrative
3. Thematic
4.  Symbolic 

Performance

• Many music videos include performance of the artists as part of the video
• It was from clips of performances that music Videos developed

• Often contain shots of the artists performing
• Can be a live stage performance, with shots of artists and audience
• Can be the artists in “real life” situations eg warming up, talking, fooling around
• Often includes lots of close ups of the artist and there can be a particular visual style that goes with the artist (a motif) eg particular clothing, actions, props, type of images.
• Often the artist can appear to perform in an unusual place - all lip-synched  eg a field, a rooftop

 

 Idea of spectacle

• Music Videos may be considered to be examples of 'spectacle'.
• In this the performers are performing, often looking directly at the viewer.  This is called “direct address” -where they are directly interacting with the viewer.  

• In the case of men, this involves the look of the character towards the viewer. The male is seen to be addressing the viewer directly. He is supposed to be singing directly for you.

• The female figure is often an object of an erotic gaze, object of male desire which is a voyeuristic gaze.  A Voyeur is someone who looks at someone for pleasure.  This means females in music vids are often dressed and posed in very sexual ways

 Narrative

• Often the video tells a story either that features in the lyrics or is suggested in the lyrics eg girl dumps boy
• This narrative can be like a Mini film, with a beginning, middle and end
• Or it can suggest some links to a story
• It can promote a film with clips from the film included telling a story
•  Because it is only 3-4 minutes it can be

-very fast paced, lots of shots and cuts

-use inter-textuality with films, tv and other videos

-mimic other film and tv genre eg horror or sci fi

-sometimes the story can contradict what is seen for effect

-sometimes the artist is a part of the story, or an observer or completely separate

 Thematic

• There are lots of common themes in music videos
• Depends on the genre of music
• Eg Heavy metal bands go for perfomance dominated clips
•   Rap has lots of “street” images
•   dance routines are common for  many female artist performances

  Symbolic

• Use of lots of symbols to build up meaning eg graveyard…death
• Lighting often used to suggest mood
• Fast paced - often only a few seconds per shot to build up meanings
• Pictures can support or contradict the lyrics 

Some Other Codes and Conventions

• Visually stylish – ‘artistic’ mise-en-scene
• Cutting related to the rhythm of the music
• Intercutting between performance and images or story
• Experimental use of camera/editing (hand held camera, distortion of colours)
• Often break the rules of continuity editing.  Can use lots of jump cuts
• Lots of use of digital effects

Types of Music Videos

 Performance Clips

  -Concentrate on stage performance of bands

2   Conceptual clips

  Based around a theme or story

  a) Narrative “mini film” idea

  i)either simple fantasy situation with other images inbetween eg artist

  ii)Or complex genre ‘story’ eg Michael Jackson’s Thriller

  b) Non -narrative often dream like , random thoughts around a loose theme eg lost love, use lots of symbolism

Good Charlotte- I just wanna live

Background information about the artist and the song

Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland, that formed in 1996. Since 1998, the band's constant members have been lead vocalist Joel Madden, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist Benji Madden, bass guitarist Paul Thomas, and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Billy Martin. Their latest drummer and percussionist is Dean Butterworth, who has been a member of the band since 2005. The band has released five studio albums: Good Charlotte (2000), The Young and the Hopeless (2002), The Chronicles of Life and Death (2004), Good Morning Revival (2007), and Cardiology (2010) as well as two compilations: Greatest Remixes (2008) and Greatest Hits (2010).

"I Just Wanna Live" is the second single from Good Charlotte's third full-length studio album, The Chronicles of Life and Death and was officially released on November 15, 2004. It was one of the songs that Sony paid radio stations to play in the 2005 payola scandal.[1] The song is well-known worldwide and helped the band gain more sales and to become successful

Camerawork

The video revolves primarily around the use of mid shots mixing with several worms eye view and low angle shots of the stars to emphasise their status in such a way as to mock the status of other celebrities of said calibre. The video also encompassed the use of close ups in particular when the record producer pulls up in his limousine and the dollar signs appear in his eyes.

Genre characteristics

Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt rock or simply alternative) is a genre of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s. Although the term was most commonly associated in its commercial heyday with a loud, distorted guitar sound, its original meaning was broader, referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style, or simply the independent, D.I.Y. ethos of punk rock, which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music.[2] At times, "alternative" has been used as a catch-all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition, or for any music, whether rock or not, that is seen to be descended from punk rock (including some examples of punk itself, as well as New Wave, and post-punk).

Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals
Good Charlotte are perusing the theme explored in their lifestyles of the rich and the famous video. The basic concept of the song is the global obsession with fame and the way that celebrities are not appreciative of how fortunate they are.

The song has references to a number of celebrities within the lyrics. Johnnie Cochran, a famous attorney who represented (amongst others) stars such as O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown. He is mentioned in the lines "Well did you know when you're famous you could kill your wife/ and there's no such thing as 25 to life/ as long as you got the cash to pay for Cochran". A former mayor of Washington, D.C., Marion Barry – who was convicted on drug charges – is also mentioned in the lyrics: "and did you know if you were caught and you were smokin' crack/ McDonald's wouldn't even wanna take you back/ you could always just run for mayor of D.C."

Does the video cut to the beat?
During the opening thirty seconds of the video the video cuts to the multiple chugs ("chugging" sound of distorted guitar music.) from the guitars featured ranging from low angle shots to sweeps across the band members bodies. The video proceeds to almost consistently cut to the beat of the song throughout. With a particularly lengthy shot upon the band exiting the courthouse which features a heavy drop in dynamics.

Are there close-ups of the artist and star image motifs?

There are not necessarily conventional star motifs but they make use of the stars to promote the content of their lyrics mentioned earlier such as mentioned in the lines "Well did you know when you're famous you could kill your wife/ and there's no such thing as 25 to life/ as long as you got the cash to pay for Cochran". This is in turn coupled with the use of still fanzines including the band members particularly the lead vocalist.

How is the record company looking to sell this track

The record company is looking to sell this to appeal to the teenage angst and conform to youth vernacular. Playing on the younger generations passion for rebellion against the governing body or the “man” and any being of superfluous nature in this case Hollywood stars in particular those that are “famous for being famous”.

What image of the artist/band is being offered?

Revolutionary pioneers.

How does this video relate to previous videos by the artist?

Good charlotte have a reoccurring theme for sticking it to the man however this was their first major hit and set the trend for future videos such as the Anthem and I just wanna live.

Narrative And Representation

The narrative of Good Charlottes I just Wanna Live follows the rise and subsequent fall of the band due to the celebrity lifestyle and its flawed functionality. 

The band are represented as a group of amateur stereotypical pop punk teenagers working in menial jobs before being discovered and succumbing to the lure of fame.

Video style and iconography

Good Charlotte are perusing the theme explored in their lifestyles of the rich and the famous video. The basic concept of the song is the global obsession with fame and the way that celebrities are not appreciative of how fortunate they are.

Mise en scene

In this video they make heavy use off ambient lighting as well as camera flashes to build a deep party based atmospheres and false sense of glamour. the props consist of various instruments and household items. The costumes are a key part of this video and help enhance the joke dynamic of the story.

Editing

During the opening thirty seconds of the video the video cuts to the multiple chugs ("chugging" sound of distorted guitar music.) from the guitars featured ranging from low angle shots to sweeps across the band members bodies. The video proceeds to almost consistently cut to the beat of the song throughout. With a particularly lengthy shot upon the band exiting the courthouse which features a heavy drop in dynamics. The majority of the cuts are particularly fast in order personify the expression life I the fast lane.