Analysing The Wombats - Techno Fan

The Wombats 'Techno Fan' from Memo Akten on Vimeo.

There is no specific timed sections I wish to select out of this video, as the editing is the same throughout. There are some clips where you can see the band members clearer than others but the idea of the edit makes a normal, basic music video of the band performing using their instruments much more interesting. I like the choice of colours for the edit as they are mainly dark with a plain background, plus the style of edit is very angular which is very unnatural to the curves of the human body. The song name includes the word 'Techno' which to an audience would create the image of a style that is very modern and edgy, which will be where the idea for the angular sketchy edit over the edge of the band members came from. If we were to create a video with sketchy cartoonist edits included in it, it would have to suit the genre and name of the song completely; this style of edit works with this song as you can hear the techno/modern sounds of the keys in the instrumental of the song. There is nothing specific about the mise en scene as the edit of the video is in a cartoon setting, so the mise en scene would just be the band, The Wombats, on stage performing their song.

Analysing Friendly Fires- Skeleton Boy

I think this video comes under two categories, which are: illustrate because the band eventually do become skeletons which relates to the name of the song. However it could also come under disjuncture because what happens in the video does not relate to the lyrics as they are simply performing.

The video has a very basic story- it's them performing and slowly becoming skeletons! It's quite a simple video and seems quite easy to make but I don't think you get this impression after the first watch of it. Due to the song being quite up-beat they have used lots of jump cuts which gives the impression that more is happening than actually is, and that is what I like about the video.

Unlike most music videos there aren't constant close ups of the lead singer, they appear to balance out the amount of close ups with each member of the band. This is unusual because record labels usually insist that the bands video must have close ups of the singer.

When I was watching the video and saw that the band were slowly becoming skeleton it made me want t carry on watching it until the very end to see what they looked like, which is a very good technique. To have a video that lets the viewer know has an outcome or ending can work well because people will watch it all the way through to see how it ends.

Analysing The Joy Formidable- Whirring

I am unsure as to what type of music video this one comes under because it could be disjuncture as what's going on in the video doesn't match the lyrics, however it could be illustrate as there is a bit of a story happening in the video.

I watched quite a few Joy Formidable music videos and this one was my favorite because of how original it is and I like the use of animation. When watching the videos I noticed that the band like to use a lot of animation in their videos- the other two I noticed it in were A Heavy Abacus and Austere.

One convention this video does stick to is there are many close ups of the lead singer. I think this was necessary with this band because the lead singer is a female so she needed to appear more dominant than the other two men in the band, and so by having more close ups of her you are given the idea that she is in fact more dominant.

This clip shows how the band are in an animated world yet they still remain life like, and if you look into it, it could be a metaphor for something. Due to them having a bit of success after being played on Radio 1 they could be feeling that what's happening is unreal and hard to believe yet with the success they'll still remain the same people and the same band.

There are lots of jump cuts used towards the end of the video when the band are playing. It's a reasonably heavy sound that they are playing so jump cuts were needed as it keeps up the quick pace. This is also emphasised by all the colours that are changing in the background- it goes from red to blue quite often.

The band have followed the typical convention of this genre, and that's having them perform in the video. However, as stated previously they have done this quite differently as some of it's animated and they aren't just on a stage performing to their fans.

I also think this was necessary because the band were new, in the sense of the fame, so by showing themselves together as a band, playing their instruments, people who are unaware of who the band are gain a clear idea as to what they are about are who they are!

Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks

This video is mainly under the category of disjuncture, as the majority of the clips show the band at their own gig performing to an audience; and any other clips within the video also feature the band themselves with only occasional extras.

This clip from 0:00 to 0:07 shows the beginning of the video, when the start of the video is catchy it obviously encourages the viewer to continue watching; in this case the editor has chosen a clip that is repeated nearer the end of the video. The edit of this short clip shows an old fashioned effect as if it's a separate clip from the rest of the video. I like how when the person hits the water the music starts, also the end of the first clip fades into the next one of them at their gig which is also effective as it's a more continuous style of cut.

This clip shows the band at their gig when the vocalist starts singing, this proves the disjuncture style of video as the video has nothing to do with the lyrics of the song, instead it shows the lead singer with his microphone on stage along with other band members and some of the instruments.

In the second clip there are some effects that are out of focus, this simple editing technique makes the short clips look more professionally filmed.

These clips show random videos of them being out and about, they are in various locations throughout the video such as: on stage; in a carpark; recording studio; beach; alley way; rooftop; car. The second clip is during an instrumental and shows them at the beach, I like this style of video where it has no relation to the lyrics, but as long as the pace of the editing matches the style and tempo of the song it fits together well.

This short section I have chosen shows some of the extras featured in the video, they are mainly used at the band's gig to represent the audience. The lighting of this short scene replicates what it's like to be at a gig, which provides the atmosphere as well as the visual aspect.

At the very end of the video the last remaining 20 seconds or so show the band performing on stage again, but in a slow-motion edit; this is an effective way to hint that the video/song is coming to an end as the pace slows down and comes to a finish.

Analysing The Courteeners- No You Didn't, No You Don't

I think this video comes under the category of disjuncture because the only idea that is really happening in the video is the band performing to a large crowd- this has nothing to do with the lyrics of the song.

Due to the costumes and setting of the video, I think it was made on quite a low budget. The video looks as though it is set in a circus tent with all characters wearing circus-esque clothing and masquerade. Also, the fact that the band were introduced by someone saying "ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls..." gives the impression that they are a performance- something similar as to how it is done in the circus.

During the majority of the video, and especially in the clip, they focus a lot on the band and their instruments. There are many close ups of the band playing the guitar, bass and drums. By doing this it really emphasises what type of band they are , which I think is your typical 'indie' band that write all their own songs and play instruments. It also takes them away from the mainstream pop artists as they wouldn't be able to shoot a video like this.

Once again, not only does just this clip show it but the rest of the video does, at that is the close ups of the band but in-particular the lead singer. This is because record companies will demand a lot of close-ups of the main artist or vocalist. However, there aren't just close ups. There is a long shot of the band performing and the crowd, yet the lead singer is the main focus because he's in the center of the frame. There's also a shot of a close up of a female fan, yet you can see the lead singer in the background and even though he's blurred, you find your eyes focusing on him.

I have noticed that within the crowd there are both males and females, but when the crowd is in the shot there are only really close ups of females. By doing this they give the band a more glamorous looking image as you are lead to believe that they get lots of female attention and very little attention from males. Also, by having the females sing along to the song you are under the impression that they are 'groupies' which also ups the bands status.

Noah And The Whale - Tonight The Kind Of Night

The video by Noah and the Whale for Tonights the kind of night uses illustration to connect the lyrics to the music video. The story of the video is of someone moving away (possibly running away from home) on a bus and then getting stranded at a fuel station where he manages to hitch a ride which is where the chorus of 'tonights the kind of night, that everything could

This 13 second clip shows the relation ship between the lyrics and the visuals with simply singing about a bus and having a bus as the visual. this means that the watcher has nothing to think about and the visuals emphasise the lyrics.

This is one example in the music video where we can see a relationship between the music and the visuals, the group are moving around to the beat of the music and amplifying it at the same time.

The genre for NATW is Indie folk, indie rock and pop rock, which they have copied into their video with the use of guitars thats lends themselves to the folk genre and the suites with buttoned up shirts linking in with the Indie theme.

Although 'Record companies will demand a lot of close-ups of the main artist or vocalist' NATW has gone against the convention as you can see in the clip above, at best they show a mid shot of the artist and a long shot of the group, i believe one of the main reasons for this is to fit in all of the instruments which is clearly a big part of the band.

Again there seems to me voyeurism towards women in this video because as a large part there is no women, there is one female that we only see for a few seconds and she is portraid more as a helper than something to be admired as we can see in the clip above.

Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers video analysis

Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers

This clip I have selected is the first nineteen seconds of the music video. I have selected this part of the video as it shows a performance with vague illustration of the lyrics. The clip incorporates lip syncing throughout the whole music video with only two shots, both of very long length. This style is not often used in music videos. On-beat editing is used as the artist tells a story through his actions (Illustration). The actions Tyler uses are paced correctly with the rhythm and tempo of the music and the use of fading in and out of focus as well as the creation of a silhouette to reveal himself creates a sinister atmosphere with his blank facial expressions. The mise en scene is completely black and white - this creates simplicity and also plays on the sinister atmosphere Tyler has created. The action in this clip comes in bursts of sudden movement and represents Tyler's anger (as rap is a form of expressing yourself).

This second clip I have selected shows illustration within this music video as it shows Tyler rapping about "pussy niggas" and him holding a cockroach to demonstrate his fearlessness. Also, it is significant to notice that Tyler has "KILL" written on his left hand and that the cockroach crawls over this. The sinister atmosphere is ever increasing as Tyler is the only point of focus with a cockroach and this is quite an outrageous thing to do. The use of one, long, continuous shot is making it so we cannot change our point of focus and it is emphasising the importance of Tyler. The shot of Tyler slowly zooms in and he holds the cockroach up on his hand near his face so that the audience is able to see him looking through his eyebrows with a look of menace on his face. This close up is a convention of music videos as record companies like the main vocalist to be emphasised. This look of menace intrigues the audience as the video is very simplistic and we are given no other option to focus on, so this engages the audience and makes us wonder what is about to happen.

This clip shows the change between the verse and the chorus (although there is no words within the chorus, there is an instrumental which is repeated in the song, so it can be considered as a chorus). This transition between chorus and verse is each time a shocking feature in the video, this time it is the eating of the cockroach. Although eating cockroaches is not necessarily a convention of music videos, the repetition of shocking behaviour to introduce the chorus is as it signifies to the audience that the verse is about to change to the chorus. Obviously, the conventions of miming/lip syncing are still being followed and the use of a close up when Tyler eats the cockroach is another convention as it is a commonly used shot in music videos and I will definitely use this when I create my own video. Black and white are still the main colours being used and the continuity of these colours is helping to keep the sinister atmosphere and notify the audience that this song is not a light-hearted sing along but a serious message that Tyler wants to share - this is another convention sometimes used by artists, however they all have individual styles, so it is not used in all videos. Tyler remains expressionless at all times even after he has eaten the cockroach and this is quite shocking, but also a convention used in many music videos, so this could be useful to use in our video. Also, by using a silhouette of Tyler vomiting instead of just himself is probably a censorship of his video for it to remain suitable for most age groups, however, it is also very effective as the focus becomes blurred as he changes between silhouette and focused black and white (you could say that intertextuality is used as this is similar to Elvis Presley's 'A Little Less Conversation [JXL Remix], although i consider that unlikely).

This clip shows another transition between verse and chorus, so Tyler performs something unusual by removing his shirt and throwing it at the camera - the shirt being thrown over the camera is also used as a transition between the first and second shot (as there are only two shots in the whole video). The contrast of  Tyler's behaviour of being calm to then being outraged by B.o.B is quite shocking and intrigues the audience as to what Tyler's behaviour might lead him to. The camera zooms out very slowly over this clip to a point where you can barely realise, this helps the shot to change from a close up to a mid shot so we are able to see Tyler throw his shirt. The camera throughout this whole vfirst shot never actually moves, it is on a tripod and simply uses slow zooming in and out for effect at times of high impact - this could be used at some point in our music video if we wished to create tension or to perhaps emphasise an emotion.

This part of the video uses a nosebleed as a signifier that something has changed, this then develops into Tyler hanging himself. Such shocking events in a music video are not conventions of music videos, however, they could be considered conventions as they intrigue and engage the audience. The black and white camera shot throughout the video shows continuity and is used for great effect during times of varying focus and blurring. This second and last shot shows a hand held shot which shakes at the time of panic of the nosebleed, but is then returned to its tripod when it zooms out of an extreme close up and into a mid shot but this time of one his legs so we are unable to see the actual hanging of Tyler. Tyler's wide pupils may be a special effect, however, it is likely that they are contact lenses to increase the intensity of the sinister atmosphere Tyler has created.

There are no other systems of looking in this video besides from the obvious camera. There is no voyeurism as Tyler is the only person in the whole video.

Some of the features in this video could be used within our music video such as the black and white editing effect as this gives the music video an individual edge.