Sunday 16 September 2012

BW: Goodwin Essay

When considering the key features of a music video, Andrew Goodwin, Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992) identified a number of conventions which can be applied to the music video 'Celestine' by Spector, directed by Jed Cullen in 2012.

Firstly he stated that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. This video could be categorised as as being in the indie genre. It is conventional in that it uses strong iconography through the use of close ups of guitars and drums. The cutting rate is very conventional as the cuts at the beginning and during the chorus are very fast and match the beats. The video is entirely performance based which is also a convention of indie videos. Indie videos commonly feature shots of the band performing, and in 'Celestine' the band, or band members, are featured in every shot. The artists are portrayed very conventionally as they feature the typical indie costume such as fake glasses. Their performance is also very indie as they are shown performing with their instruments and it is common for the band to be shown playing in Indie videos. 

The video could also be seen as unconventional in that it features a dog. Dogs are more often seen in rap videos to connote wealth whereas in this video the dog is simply running around playfully.

Goodwin discussed the relationship between lyrics and visuals. In relation to the visuals of the European Union flag it is clear that the lyrics of "my self-esteem is at an all time low, I'm holding on with both hands but I'm ready to let go", could have a link to the state of the Eurozone, in particular to Greece. By "my self-esteem is at an all time low" it could be referring to the very low levels of confidence in the Greek economy. And by "I'm holding on with both hands but I'm ready to let go" it could be referring to Greece clinging onto the Euro but there is still a high probability that Greece will leave the Eurozone. He also considered the relationship between music and visuals to be an important convention. In 'Celestine' we can see the relationship between the cutting rate and tempo. At the beginning of the song and during the chorus, the cutting rate is much faster but it slows down during the verses. However, other than the cutting rate there isn't really any link between visuals and music, other than when there is a freeze frame of the guitarists jumping in the air, all music stops so we only hear the singer's voice and only see him moving. 

Goodwin also made reference to the notion of looking, for example the shots where one of the band members is looking into the mirror and posing. Another example is the shots of the lead singer standing with the dog which could be the singer's visual motifImportantly, he talked about the voyeuristic treatment of the body. With reference to this video there are many close ups of the band member's faces.

Music videos are a post-modern form which implies that they often borrow and rework ideas from other texts and forms. 'Celestine' uses intertextuality in the form of the location in the desert. At the beginning of the video a title says "In the desert, where all the good music videos are made", which is similar to the video of the Killers' song "Human" which is set in the desert. 

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