This album cover is completely drawn with not much going on, which is unusual, as generally artists want their album covers to be very vibrant and to stand out.The walls are all dull and grey, and the artists name and album name are in very dull colours too, black and white. They are written in a very classical font, and although they are plain colours like the walls, they stand out and catch the audiences attention, perhaps because very little is going on in the picture. The artist has been drawn sitting behind a piano, a trademark of Regina Spektor, and behind her there is an open window. The window does not open up to a blue sky or anything exciting, instead there is a brick wall there. The artist's piano is painted blue with clouds on it, perhaps to connote that what matters most in her life is her piano, not what is outside. The piano is the only colourful item in the whole picture so it automatically grabs the audiences attentions. The album cover itself breaks normal conventions in the sense that many album covers include a large close up of the artists face, or atleast shows their face - this cover is all drawn as I mentioned before, perhaps suggesting that Regina Spektor wants to be known for her music and not her image.
The music video is very simple, for majority of the video all that the audience are presented with is the singer sitting on a chair playing her guitar in the middle of a dull, grey coloured room. Laura Marling is dressed in casual, dull coloured clothing - a long sleeved, grey top, plain black jeans, and ballerina flat shoes. She wears little to no makeup, and her hair is just tied back. Already, we can make various connotations from these things. The fact she is sitting alone in this dreary room furthers the idea that she is completely alone. Her lack of care for appearance ties with the lyrics, where she sings 'I'm sorry to which ever man should meet my sorry state', almost like she has completely given up - not only emotionally but with her appearance also. The fact she is playing her guitar also adds to the authenticity that she is a real artist, and plays her own music. Throughout the video, shadows of lyrics and symbols are seen on the walls and on the floors, but only certain lyrics, e.g 'first love', 'sorry state' etc. These lyrics seen shadowed almost tell us these are her thoughts and how she feels, but perhaps that all she has left now are her shadows.
In terms of cinematography, there is very little variation in the shot types. Many are just medium shots of the artist from various angles. The video also appears to be very shakey all the way throughout, which makes me think it was shot on a handheld camera, or perhaps it was filmed slightly jolted to further connote the artists confused state of mind.
Usually music videos will have lots of quick, extravagant shotS - this music video does not. The song itself is very simple, so a quick paced music video with lots going on would not suit the mood at all. The video has been edited so as to suit the slow tone of the song, with lots of long, lingering shots. The editor also had to put in all of the shadows on the walls portraying lyrics from the song and various symbols.
Lyrics
I know I said I loved you but I'm thinking I was wrong,
I'm the first to admit that I'm still pretty young,
and I never meant to hurt you when I wrote you ten love songs.
but a guy that I could never get 'cause his girlfriend was pretty fit
and everyone who knew her loves her so.
and I made you leave her for me and now I'm feeling pretty mean,
but my mind has fucked me over more times than any man could ever know.
Maybe I should give up, give in,
give up trying to be thin,
give up and turn into my mother,
god knows I love her.
and I'm sorry to which ever man should meet my sorry state,
watch my steady lonesome gait and beware.
I would never love a man 'cause love and pain go hand in hand
and I can't do it again.
So we stayed up late one night to try and get our problems right,
but I couldn't get into his head just what was going through my mind,
and I think he knew where I was going
he put Ryan Adams on
I think he thinks it makes me weak
it only ever makes me strong.
I've got this friend who sounds just like him,
he's the man I'd leave you for, the man that I just adore like you.
The same man, he turns to me he said "I've got to tell you how i feel,
if god could make the perfect girl for me it would be you"
my god told me not tell about how much do you love your fella.
I don't know more everyday
not in this new romantic way.
I'll always be your first love, you'll always be my first love.
But I'm sorry to which ever man should meet my sorry state
watch my steady lonesome gait and beware,
I will never love a man 'cause love and pain go hand in hand and I can't do it, again.
I will never love a man cause I could never hurt a man,
not in this new romantic way.
The music video intercuts between shots of the artist and shots from the feature film 'Crash'. Bird York is dressed in simplistic clothing - a yellow vest top and black leggings. Her makeup is very minimalistic also, and the background is merely black with no props or anything interesting for the viewer to look at.
This may have been done so that the real focus of the video were the clips from 'Crash', as this was the main song for the movie and was rolling over the credits.
Many of the shots of the artist are arial/birdseye, showing the artist laying on the ground:
There are also lots of close ups and medium shots of the artist to clearly show the audience her emotions, as it is quite an emotional song. Since she is the only character to feature in the video, close ups are very important, so the audience can sympathise with her:
The music video is both slow and fast paced, whilst all of the shots of the artist match the mood of the song - they are both quite slow, the shots from 'Crash' are quite fast paced which helps make it feel like it is telling a story.
The order in which the shots have been composed helps add to the enjoyment of the music video, as they portray the exact events which happen in 'Crash' and help make the music video appear like a story in itself. However the shots of the artist help remind the viewer that this is actually a music video, not a short film.
The editor has used the technique of intercutting between shots of the artist singing and shots from the movie. There are lots of fades from one shot to another in the music video to increase the flow of the atmosphere and add to the overall fluency of the video.
Lyrics
Thought you had all the answers
Rest your heart upon
But something happens
Don't see it coming, now
You can't stop yourself
Now you're out there swimming
In the deep
In the deep
Life keeps tumbling you heart in circles
Till you let go
Till you shed your pride and you climb to heaven
And you throw yourself off
Now you're out there spinning
In the deep
In the deep
In the deep
In the deep
Now you're out there spinning
Now you're out there swimming
In the deep
In the deep
In the deep
In the deep
19/09/11: This was our second week of our A2 media studies, in which I completed two more of my planning and research tasks. I did my two video analysis’, adhering closely to the points marked out in Andrew Goodwin’s theory about music videos. The two music videos I analysed were ‘Get Some’ sung by the artist Lykke Li, and Tori Amos’ song ‘Winter’.
1.Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band).
Tori Amos is also an ‘indie’ artist, and her video is very simple, with only one real location – that being a large white room with just a piano in it. Many ‘indie’ artists show themselves playing instruments in their videos, Tori Amos is no different. In nearly all of her music videos, the audience see her playing a piano –if not two or three at the same time. Finding a Tori Amos song which does not feature the piano in it would be extremely hard, as it is her trademark instrument. Most ‘indie’ artists show themselves playing instruments in their videos to add authenticity to their music – some bands or artists merely sing the songs, actually playing the music is a whole different thing. Audiences appreciate the amount of work the artist has put in to the song, especially when they see them actually playing their instruments.
2.There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
The song itself is about winter, and throughout it Tori sings about ‘white horses’, ‘some snowman’, ‘crystal palce’, ‘ice’ –all things white or pure. The imagery portrayed reinforces the ideas of winter. For example, the white background with the piano:
And Tori’s white suit:
When Tori sings ‘the fires are burning’, her makeup changes from being natural and nude, with wide, innocent eyes, to striking makeup, her eyes mere slits – her now red lips symbolize the ‘burning’ fires. Her makeup changes from:
To:
Tori also sings ‘I wanted you to be proud of me’ – here we’re shown a photo of a trophy which connotes the recipient has done something worthy of it, something to be immensely proud of:
3.There is a relationship between music and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
The music (for the most part) is quite slow, and very little happens in the video, making a slow music video. However, they compliment eachother. If the music was fast with a slow music video, the audience would get bored. If the music was slow, with a fast paced music video, the audience would probably get confused and stop paying attention. The video for ‘Winter’ is perfect in the sense that not very much happens so you don’t need to pay constant attention – but watching it in itself is very enjoyable, as you also get to watch the artists brilliant piano skills.
4.The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
Tori Amos’ video contains many close ups of her, but not only her face, her hands playing the piano too. This is good as it makes the audience aware that she isn’t merely a pretty face, but a skilled musician. Tori is a very emotional singer, and writes many of her own songs. You can tell merely from her facial expressions how passionate she is, and the use of close ups just prove thus to the audience. Being the only character to play a huge role in the video, we do need to see close ups of her face too.
5.There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
At one point in the video, Tori appears to go through a small box in a wall and appear in another similar room, but in a completely different outfit. This is almost like they are acknowledging that this is a music video, as this does not happen in reality.
Self referentiality is again used when Tori pulls down a ‘screen’ which switches us from one shot to another:
6.There is often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).
There are really no examples of intertexual references in this music video, it is very simple and sticks to the conventions of a typical ‘indie’ music video – featuring very little else except the artist and her instrument.
LYRICS
Snow can wait I forgot my mittens Wipe my nose Get my new boots on I get a little warm in my heart When I think of winter I put my hand in my father's glove I run off Where the drifts get deeper Sleeping beauty trips me with a frown I hear a voice "Your must learn to stand up for yourself Cause I can't always be around" He says When you gonna make up your mind When you gonna love you as much as I do When you gonna make up your mind Cause things are gonna change so fast All the white horses are still in bed I tell you that I'll always want you near You say that things change my dear
Boys get discovered as winter melts Flowers competing for the sun Years go by and I'm here still waiting Withering where some snowman was Mirror mirror where's the crystal palace But I only can see the myself Skating around the truth who I am But I know dad the ice is getting thin
When you gonna make up your mind When you gonna love you as much as I do When you gonna make up your mind Cause things are gonna change so fast All the white horses are still in bed I tell you that I'll always want you near You say that things change my dear
Hair is grey And the fires are burning So many dreams On the shelf You say I wanted you to be proud of me I always wanted that myself
He says When you gonna make up your mind When you gonna love you as much as I do When you gonna make up your mind Cause things are gonna change so fast All the white horses have gone ahead I tell you that I'll always want you near You say that things change My dear
Whilst researching for our music video, we thought it would be helpful to look into Andrew Goodwin's six point theory on music videos. I have researched 2 music videos and analysed them according to his six points.
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band).
Lykke Li is an ‘indie’ artist and her video conforms to the idea that majority of indie artists have very simplistic videos. Lykke Li is the only character who features in the video. The video, though simple, is very stylistic and stands out from the regular ‘indie’ videos. Her music is also in the category of ‘pop’ and the video does not quite conform to the stereotypical pop videos. It is filmed in black and white and the overall feel of the video is quite grungy and dark – even the lyrics, although they sound very ‘poppy’ are not upbeat at all. Her attire is also very gothic, which adds that element to the video. The subject matter is actually quite dark in comparison to most pop songs, as the main focus of the song is actually prostitution.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
When Lykke Li sings ‘I’m your prostitute, you gon’ get some’, she provocatively grabs her crotch.
When she sings ‘like a shotgun needs an outcome’ she makes a gun gesture with her hand.
When she sings ‘go ahead go way low’ she gets down low.
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
The music begins with some booming drum beats as Lykke Li stomps to her microphone, almost commoting her footsteps.
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
Being a lesser known artist, close ups are especially important. Lykke Li’s video ‘Get Some’ features lots of close ups and extreme close ups of her face. The more the audience see her face, the more recognizable she will be. Close ups of the artist make their emotions very clear to see, and Lykke Li looks very passionate and serious throughout the video which could show how seriously she takes her music/career. She also wears very little eye makeup, but that which she is wearing makes her eyes look huge and drastically stand out – this almost contrasts to the content of the song, in which the artist sings ‘I’m your prostitute’, the artist is very under-made up, not generally a characteristic of a prostitute. Lykke Li is also the only actual character to feature in the video, again being a less popular artist this helps the audience becomemore familiarized with her.
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
Lykke Li stands infront of a large screen displaying images of women dressed quite scantily clad and looking very sexual, but also all of the footage seems to have the same theme of cavemen/women and almost very animalistic acting from the men. I say animalistic as nearly every clip with a male in seems to involve him dominantly handling a woman. Lykke Li herself is dressed in very little, but her clothing is very similar to that of tribalware, with the large gold necklaces, unitard and various over-the-top jewellery.Throughout the video a kaleidoscope affect is used, which gives off a very disorientated, confused effect.
6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).
The background footage I forementioned are very similar to the old ‘B’ movies. I say this as they seem quite cheaply shot, with grainy editing and very classically beautiful people, aswell as showing lots of ‘damsels in distress’. This could be seen as an intertextual reference as Lykke Li is showing that women have always been dominated; however her lyrics contrast to this as she is the one in control, the one with the power.
LYRICS
Don't pull your pants before I go down Don't turn away, this is my timeDon't make demands, I don't take none
Just say a prayer that it gon' get done
Don't pull your pants before I go down
Don't turn away, this is my time
Like a shotgun needs an outcome
I'm your prostitute, you gon' get some
Like a shotgun needs an outcome
I'm your prostitute, you gon' get some
Go ahead, go way low, where I can do no harm
Go ahead, go way low in my honey lovin' arms
Go ahead, go way low, where I can do no wrong
Got you around my finger like a lonely lover's charm (like a lonely lover's charm)
And 'cause I can go, I'm gon' go west
Just like a man, I'm the fortress
Like a shotgun, I can't be outdone
I'm your prostitute, you gon' get some
Like a shotgun needs an outcome
I'm your prostitute, you gon' get some
Go ahead, go way low, where I can do no harm
Go ahead, go way low in my honey lovin' arms
Go ahead, go way low, where I can do no wrong
Got you around my finger like a lonely lover's charm
Go ahead, go
Go ahead, go
Go ahead, go
Go ahead, go
Go ahead, go!
Go ahead, go
Go ahead
Eh!
Go ahead, go way low, where I can do no harm
Go ahead, go way low in my honey lovin' arms
Go ahead, go way low, where I can do no wrong
Got you around my finger like a lonely lover's charm (like a lonely lover's charm)
Like a lonely lover's charm
David Fincher, born 28th August 1962 in Denver, Colorado USA. From the age of 18, Fincher was working on film sets, trying to work his way up. Now, he has directed television advertisements for many well known clients such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Levi's, Converse and Chanel, aswell as directing many music videos for huge international artists, including Madonna, George Michael, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. He has also directed some very popular, well known movies. For example, 'Se7en' (1995), 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button' (2008) and 'The Social Network' (2010).This shows that people who begin their careers directing TV advertisements and music videos can go on to do great things.
As I mentioned, David Fincher has worked with a huge number of artists and so has produced many iconic and popular music videos. Some include:
Madonna - Express Yourself (1989)
Aerosmith - Jamie's Got A Gun (1989)
Michael Jackson - Who Is It (1993)
Many of David Fincher's music videos are shot in black and white, with lots of quick shots to add pace to the video. For example:
Foreigner - Say You Will (1987)
Sting - Englishman In New York (1988)
Madonna - Vogue (1990)
The Rolling Stones - Love Is Strong (1994)
Like many of Fincher's music videos, my groups will be filmed and edited in black and white to add an element of class to the video. We will be creating an almost ironic statement by doing so as the subject matter is very dark and disturbing. The black and white colouring could also connote the lack of colour or happiness in the protagonist's life. Fincher uses lots of 'random' shots of buildings, which was an idea we had to use for our video, it implies that the events taking place on the screen happen in normal places, in streets and in buildings you walk by everyday. His work also inspires our video because of the quick cuts, our music video will have lots of quick shots to add pace to her life which seems to be flying right by her.
12/09/11: This was our first week back at college, and our first lesson took place on the 14th September. It was also the day that our coursework was properly outlined to us, and we were told to start our research and planning tasks straight away. That week I went away and did my star analysis on pop icon Madonna, and I also completed my auteur theory on music video director David Fincher.
Madonna Louise Ciccone, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, fashion icon and actress, hit the music scene with her debut album in 1983. Initially moving from Bay City in Michigan to New York in 1977 to pursue a career in dance, Madonna found herself after a few years one of the leading ladies of 80’s pop music.
Madonna’s experience in dance came in hugely helpful for being a successful artist, even to this day people expect a show when they go to a live event. Madonna’s dancing skills were a huge advantage for her, and even in many of her videos she is seen dancing or doing complicated dance routines. For example, her famous song/video for ‘Vogue’:
Even in her more recent years, Madonna has shown herself still capable of the active dancing she used to do in her older videos. For example, her 2005 music video for ‘Hung Up’, which features Madonna and various
other people dancing:
Madonna’s wild, trendy fashion style got her incredible attention in the 80’s, as well as her amazingly catchy music.
Madonna’s permed and highlighted hair was sought out by women all over, as well as her fashionable clothing.
Even today women seek Madonna's classic style, for example Katie Waissel who featured on the show 'X Factor' in 2010.
Some say that Madonna’s ability to constantly reinvent herself and change her style is one of the main factors which contributed to the longevity of her career. Madonna started the layered look in the 80’s, wearing shirts over other shirts etc, and usually short skirts worn over tight leggings. She would wear lots of accessories, mostly multiple necklaces and bracelets and her earrings were long and dangly. She would often be seen wearing a crucifix necklace, particularly symbolic in the controversial music video for ‘Like A Prayer’. These were all regularly occurring motifs throughout the 80’s and 90’s. Throughout the years, the fashionista has very rarely made a faux pas, in 2008 she turned 50, and the picture below was composed to show her constantly changing fashion sense.
Many of Madonna’s musical lyrics, although very popular, were hugely controversial at the time. Her song ‘Papa Don’t Preech’ was taken differently by different people. Anti-abortion groups and campaigners saw it as a wonderful message of pro-life, but family planning clinics were in uproar at the message of teenage pregnancy she was spreading. Being such a huge influence over adolescent girls at the time, people were terrified younger girls would want to be like Madonna.
Her song ‘Like A Virgin’, although not as controversial as some of her other songs, create quite sexual and impure imagery. The title itself, ‘LIKE’ a virgin, clearly suggesting she is not a virgin. As I stated before, being a role-model to young girls, Madonna’s lyrical choice did not go down well with parents of the girls.
Perhaps her most controversial video is ‘Like A Prayer’, which features religious imagery which, at the time, would have shocked and appalled many people. Madonna is dressed scantily clad in a tight-fitting dress throughout the video, with a crucifix around her neck. Madonna enters a church and begins kissing the feet of a crying black male statue, this is very similar to the prostitute Mary Magdalene, who bathed Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. The statue comes to life, and it is strongly suggested throughout the video that he is in fact Jesus – perhaps Madonna’s character in the video is a prostitute. There is a shot in the video of her hands bleeding, which is the religious symbol of stigmata. People at the time had a hard time with the idea of Jesus being black – nowadays it is actually widely believed Jesus was of a darker skin tone, but in the 80s it seemed an alien idea. Near the end of the video, Madonna is seen standing in front of many burning crosses – this creates very violent but religious imagery.
Madonna has a huge fanbase, and it is difficult to pinpoint her exact audience. Around the 80’s-90’s Madonna was hugely popular with young women, but young people nowadays generally do not seem to be very interested in her. However, Madonna knows how to keep herself ‘current’. In the past few years she has had collaborations with popular young singers such as Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in a bid to keep herself in the limelight. Although the younger generation are not necessarily interested in Madonna, Madonna’s devoted fans from her earlier days are still there for her. However, she is still hugely popular with gay audiences and is considered a ‘gay icon’.
Madonna has appeared on countless magazine covers since her arrival on the music scene, and is quite possibly the celebrity with the most magazine cover appearances. Some examples of these include:
ROLLING STONE:
VANITY FAIR:
VOGUE:
ELLE:
COSMOPOLITAN:
DIVA:
TIME:
Madonna has always had relatively good media coverage, and is admired by many people. A quote which perfectly sums this up is from American magazine ‘Interview’ writer Becky Johnson – “Very few public figures are such wizards at manipulating the press and cultivating publicity as Madonna is. She has always been a great tease with journalists, brash and outspoken when the occasion demanded it, recalcitrant and taciturn when it came time to pull back and slow down the striptease. Madonna is a self-created woman, no question, but it was not a virgin birth: her adroit handling of the press played a major part in the consummation. Publicity is the name of the game.”
