TF: Music Video Analysis

Institution and Audience – Runaways – The Killers

 How might this video be consumed? Channels, Ambient or Focused Viewing? Be Specific

Due to the introduction of new media technologies there are many ways that a video may now be consumed. Runaways – The Killers is a newly released song, and it is likely that it is consumed through Web 2.0 applications such as YouTube, and Facebook. It may also have been released on TV Channels. The Killers are an American Rock Band, so the TV Channels which would present their video are VIVA which specialise in a range of genres.

Think about the Institutional Context of this video –considering the genre, and artist, what role would the record label play in creating these promotional texts?

The Killers are owned by Island Records, a subsidiary of the conglomerate Universal Music Group. Therefore the budget would be fairly high so the music video would have high production values which are evident. The record company would employ a video commissioner, who would develop a brief including the budget, director, and deadline.

Genre and Narrative – The Scientist – Coldplay

Using Goodwin, what are the forms and conventions evident in the video? Think about type (narrative, performance, concept) as well as identifiable elements of a music video such as notion of looking, links with visuals, lyrics etc.

Andrew Goodwin explored different conventions in indie pop videos. Although The Scientist – Coldplay isn’t a direct indie pop video, ideas for our video have come from Paradise – Coldplay so by analysing another Coldplay video we can see if there are trends in their videos. The song is very much narrative based, with the concept of the song being about enjoy the good times of life as it doesn’t last. There is performance based shots with the main artist who is giving prevalence through voyeurism, lip syncing the song.  

 Is this an example of illustration or amplification? Or disjuncture? Why? (Links with sound/ visuals and lyrics/ visuals etc.)

I would say that The Scientist – Coldplay is amplified. The lyric of ‘Let’s take it back to the Start’ shows the artist walking backwards because the video is shot in reversal. There is minimal disjuncture, as there is always a clear, strong link between lyrics and visuals.

Could this video be considered art? Does it present any challenging ideas? Or is it inherently commercial? Why is this postmodern?

As this video was shot in complete reversal I would say that it is art, as the effort in production and post-production would take so long. It can be seen as commercial, due to the number of meat shots, however it is more of an artistic performance than it is commercial.

Media Language - Call It What You Want - Foster The People         

What is the ‘message’ or purpose of the video? Is there a social message, or a band image being constructed?

There isn’t a real message to the song, as like most Foster the People videos have a disjunctive narrative. The band is represented negatively, with their actions being very weird.

What visual techniques are used to do this and why? (Camera, Editing, Misé –en-scene, SFX)

There are many different camera shots, due to the cutting rate being fairly quick. The location is in a country house.