Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Music lyrics analysis
Here I have analysed the lyrics of my chosen song no surprises by Radiohead. I decided to do this as I wanted to find the real meaning behind the song and see what message it is sending out to the audience. As I continued to analyse the lyrics I discovered that the bands thoughts on life and the demise of common morals, beliefs and meaning are very promonant in this song. I would argue that the first two lines are the most important in this song, they send out a very strong message to the listeners. "A heart thats full up like a landfill" gives us the impression of a person that has been exposed to so many bad things that his heart no longer believes in goodness or purity anymore. Just like a lanfill is filled with rubbish and dirt the heart is filled up with negativity, violence and sadness. The is followed by the line "a job that slowly kills you" describes how the average, routine life can get to you, and slowly drain you away until you feeling nothing. This verse then continues to express the bands grief and discust at the world, claiming that the government "don't speak for us". The song then goes onto the chorus which shows repetition of the words "no alarms and no surprises". This gives us ideas of what they really want, just a peaceful life, without any complications or struggles. The use of repetition empahsises this point and makes it stick in the audiences head. Throughout the song the chorus is nearly the same, however towards the end of the song we see the chorus read "no alarms and no surprises please". This encodes a desperation, almost as if he is begging for the quiet life, one which he desires so much, that his tank is running low and he cannot go on like this much longer. One line that I find very interesting is "such a pretty house and such a pretty garden". This seems like he could possibly be dreaming, with everything being so pretty. It appears that he has escaped this nightmare that he desires to leave. He then crashes back down to reality when he returns to the words "no alarms and no surprises please". I believe that analysing these liyrics has helped me and given me a great insight into what the song represents and how I need to show this in my music video.
Monday, 16 November 2009
Music video analysis
Artic Monkeys- The view from the afternoon
In this post I am going to analyse my final music video. The video that I am going to look in great detail at is the view from the afternoon by the Artic Monkeys. Artic monkeys are an English Indie Rock n Roll band which burst onto the scene with their debut album Whatever people say I am, that's what i'm not. The album became the fastest selling debut album in British history, surpassing oasis' Definately Maybe. Theie music can be described as very upbeat and a new style of music.
Firstly I am going to look into the mise en scene of the video The view from the afternoon. The first thing that we see when watching the video is the use of location. The location could be described as very run down and bland. Traditionally tower blocks are associated with run down areas. It is very far away from the glamour and riches of some areas, which I beleive is used to almost represant the band and their ideologies. The band very much represent the common man, even after they became famous they didn't want to be in the spotlight and still have a real sense of home. The Artic monkeys songs are a realisation of real life, and real stituations that normal people encounter. It tells us the truth that is far away from the glitz and glamour we see in movies and the tv. So by using this particualar location the audience get a feel of what the band are all about. This is backed up by the lack of any real colour. The black and white gives a sense of lack of excitment, fun and happyness. One again supporting the ideologies of the band and their music. It could also be said that the video itself has conventions of a film noir movie. Film noir is a term used to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasise cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. This could be used to poosibly suggest that this is real life, gritty and hard. Once again suggesting that the things we see in the movies are a million miles away from real life. The use of a shopping trolley at the beginning of the video is also good use of props. We often see trolleys that have been stolen left on a tower block area, so this immediately gives us clues and ideas as to what the video is all about.
The video itself seems to be based around a teenager and his love for just purely playin the drums. The first shot that I noticed in the video is the birds eye view shot directly above the boy. I beleive that this shot draws our attention to his drum set, specifically the pattern on the main drums. It almost seems like a target area, suggesting that the drums are all that matter to him, and that they are his main focus in life. The following shot is a medium close-up, slighlty below the boy. This may have been used to show the boys emotion, and once again his passion for playing. Is seems as if he is building himself up for something, like this is a big display that he cannot afford to get wrong. When he begins to play the drums we see a gradual zoom in from a long shot to a medium close up. This could be argued to be a reaction to the boys drumming ability. As if people didn't think much of him, that he would be poor, but are now standing up and taking notice of him as a musician. This together with the lights directly behind him brings attention to his talent that is not traditionally associated with these run down areas. A common theme that I have noticed is the constant long shots that seem to be on the tower blocks. This gives the audience a sense that someone is watching him, almost keeping an eye on what he is doing. I also noticed that the birds eye view shot is repeated a few times in the video, reinforcing the idea that he is only thinking about his drums, even when the men in the video are throwing chips at him.
The editing in the video is very effective, with a constant theme being shown throughout. The constant cuts from long to medium chlose ups is very interesting. It could suggest that the boy playing his drums is in his own little world. That there is the outside world, then him. This is very much inkeeping with the idea that the boys drums are his world, that nothing else really matters and the rest of the world is looking at him. The constant theme is a stylistic element of the video, which could be described as a motif. There is also a dissolve between the two shots, giving a feeling of a transition between two worlds. If the change was a straight cut it would feel like it's the same world, and that it is merely just changing the view, however with the dissolve it feels like the audience are changing worlds. The cuts are very sharp and quick, which reflects the music well. This allows the audience to establish a relationship between the music and the video.
The sound in this video is simply the band performing which promotes the music and establishes a relationship between the fans and the band. The song gets the bands name out there and produces a brand name. As well as this the only other sound we hear is the sound of the wind, giving a feeling of calmeness and peace. However it does also install a sense of the quiet before the storm as we see that something is going to happen to the boy towards the end.
In this post I am going to analyse my final music video. The video that I am going to look in great detail at is the view from the afternoon by the Artic Monkeys. Artic monkeys are an English Indie Rock n Roll band which burst onto the scene with their debut album Whatever people say I am, that's what i'm not. The album became the fastest selling debut album in British history, surpassing oasis' Definately Maybe. Theie music can be described as very upbeat and a new style of music.
Firstly I am going to look into the mise en scene of the video The view from the afternoon. The first thing that we see when watching the video is the use of location. The location could be described as very run down and bland. Traditionally tower blocks are associated with run down areas. It is very far away from the glamour and riches of some areas, which I beleive is used to almost represant the band and their ideologies. The band very much represent the common man, even after they became famous they didn't want to be in the spotlight and still have a real sense of home. The Artic monkeys songs are a realisation of real life, and real stituations that normal people encounter. It tells us the truth that is far away from the glitz and glamour we see in movies and the tv. So by using this particualar location the audience get a feel of what the band are all about. This is backed up by the lack of any real colour. The black and white gives a sense of lack of excitment, fun and happyness. One again supporting the ideologies of the band and their music. It could also be said that the video itself has conventions of a film noir movie. Film noir is a term used to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasise cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. This could be used to poosibly suggest that this is real life, gritty and hard. Once again suggesting that the things we see in the movies are a million miles away from real life. The use of a shopping trolley at the beginning of the video is also good use of props. We often see trolleys that have been stolen left on a tower block area, so this immediately gives us clues and ideas as to what the video is all about.
The video itself seems to be based around a teenager and his love for just purely playin the drums. The first shot that I noticed in the video is the birds eye view shot directly above the boy. I beleive that this shot draws our attention to his drum set, specifically the pattern on the main drums. It almost seems like a target area, suggesting that the drums are all that matter to him, and that they are his main focus in life. The following shot is a medium close-up, slighlty below the boy. This may have been used to show the boys emotion, and once again his passion for playing. Is seems as if he is building himself up for something, like this is a big display that he cannot afford to get wrong. When he begins to play the drums we see a gradual zoom in from a long shot to a medium close up. This could be argued to be a reaction to the boys drumming ability. As if people didn't think much of him, that he would be poor, but are now standing up and taking notice of him as a musician. This together with the lights directly behind him brings attention to his talent that is not traditionally associated with these run down areas. A common theme that I have noticed is the constant long shots that seem to be on the tower blocks. This gives the audience a sense that someone is watching him, almost keeping an eye on what he is doing. I also noticed that the birds eye view shot is repeated a few times in the video, reinforcing the idea that he is only thinking about his drums, even when the men in the video are throwing chips at him.
The editing in the video is very effective, with a constant theme being shown throughout. The constant cuts from long to medium chlose ups is very interesting. It could suggest that the boy playing his drums is in his own little world. That there is the outside world, then him. This is very much inkeeping with the idea that the boys drums are his world, that nothing else really matters and the rest of the world is looking at him. The constant theme is a stylistic element of the video, which could be described as a motif. There is also a dissolve between the two shots, giving a feeling of a transition between two worlds. If the change was a straight cut it would feel like it's the same world, and that it is merely just changing the view, however with the dissolve it feels like the audience are changing worlds. The cuts are very sharp and quick, which reflects the music well. This allows the audience to establish a relationship between the music and the video.
The sound in this video is simply the band performing which promotes the music and establishes a relationship between the fans and the band. The song gets the bands name out there and produces a brand name. As well as this the only other sound we hear is the sound of the wind, giving a feeling of calmeness and peace. However it does also install a sense of the quiet before the storm as we see that something is going to happen to the boy towards the end.
Music video analysis
White Lies- Farewell to the fairground
For my second analysis of a music video I am going look at a recent music video farewell to the fairground by the White Lies. The band have only just hit the big stage and are very popular amongst music fans In my own opinion I believe the song is about moving on in life, a sort transition from just a dream to reality. The video itself is evidence of this as we see the lead singer walking to his destination. However towards the end of the video we see that the mans dream is not what he thought it would be, its sort of a disappointment to him finding the run down area. This common experience can be shared by millions of people. I am going to once again look at mise en scene, cinematography, editing and sound.
The opening seconds of the video give us great insight into the thoughts and feelings of the song and video. We see lights flickering on and off, showing the transition from light to dark, good to bad. This shows hows life change in a flicker, how dreams can achieved but also crushed in a heartbeat. In these first few seconds we are shown the location of the band, which is quite run down and very basic. This shows that we all can start at the bottom of the ladder and work there way up. In the video we see the man arriving to his destination, but realising it isn’t what he thought it would be, its run down and not at all pleasant. After the initial seconds we see the man walking in a baron area of nothing but snow and trees. This may have been used to show that going for something you want isn’t always smooth, that it is empty and lonely. However the man continues to push on without any hesitation, when we would expect him to give in. Once he reaches the place it is very disappointing, it is just run down sheds and in the background we can see the industrial centre. The destination is that bad we see wild animals roaming.
One of the main things I have picked up in cinematography is the constant long shots we see. This could have been used to show the bleakness and wilderness. It could be used to show how somebody’s life is empty, that there is nothing there for them and that they need to move on. As well as this we also see a tracking shot of the main character, which gives us a sense of connection, a sort of feeling that we are attached to the character and wish him to do well. The tracking shot is continual, showing the mans long journey to were he wants to go. It constantly switches from a shot in front of the character, to behind him. This is used to show us firstly, were the man has come from, but more importantly were he is going. Overall use of angles, distance and movement is used to show us the journey from the mans previous life to his new life.
Editing is a tool that can give great feeling within the video. One of the main things that is visible in the video is the constant, quick cuts throughout it. The idea being that it shows how this transition is very quick, that life can begin slow but start gaining speed. It gives us a sense that life is constantly changing at times and we can we swept away by our dreams. Cuts from each person shows how we all have different aims in life, and that we each get there in different ways. During the video we also see constant cuts to the band then back to the characters. As the beat begins to get faster and faster the cuts follow this trend, to show once again that his life may be reaching a pivotal moment. All these editing points explain my feelings on how the video effects what we feel the song is about, on what it is trying to tell us.
The sound in this is simply the band performing. This in itself promotes the band further and gets their names out there. It gives the audience an idea of what the band sound like.
For my second analysis of a music video I am going look at a recent music video farewell to the fairground by the White Lies. The band have only just hit the big stage and are very popular amongst music fans In my own opinion I believe the song is about moving on in life, a sort transition from just a dream to reality. The video itself is evidence of this as we see the lead singer walking to his destination. However towards the end of the video we see that the mans dream is not what he thought it would be, its sort of a disappointment to him finding the run down area. This common experience can be shared by millions of people. I am going to once again look at mise en scene, cinematography, editing and sound.
The opening seconds of the video give us great insight into the thoughts and feelings of the song and video. We see lights flickering on and off, showing the transition from light to dark, good to bad. This shows hows life change in a flicker, how dreams can achieved but also crushed in a heartbeat. In these first few seconds we are shown the location of the band, which is quite run down and very basic. This shows that we all can start at the bottom of the ladder and work there way up. In the video we see the man arriving to his destination, but realising it isn’t what he thought it would be, its run down and not at all pleasant. After the initial seconds we see the man walking in a baron area of nothing but snow and trees. This may have been used to show that going for something you want isn’t always smooth, that it is empty and lonely. However the man continues to push on without any hesitation, when we would expect him to give in. Once he reaches the place it is very disappointing, it is just run down sheds and in the background we can see the industrial centre. The destination is that bad we see wild animals roaming.
One of the main things I have picked up in cinematography is the constant long shots we see. This could have been used to show the bleakness and wilderness. It could be used to show how somebody’s life is empty, that there is nothing there for them and that they need to move on. As well as this we also see a tracking shot of the main character, which gives us a sense of connection, a sort of feeling that we are attached to the character and wish him to do well. The tracking shot is continual, showing the mans long journey to were he wants to go. It constantly switches from a shot in front of the character, to behind him. This is used to show us firstly, were the man has come from, but more importantly were he is going. Overall use of angles, distance and movement is used to show us the journey from the mans previous life to his new life.
Editing is a tool that can give great feeling within the video. One of the main things that is visible in the video is the constant, quick cuts throughout it. The idea being that it shows how this transition is very quick, that life can begin slow but start gaining speed. It gives us a sense that life is constantly changing at times and we can we swept away by our dreams. Cuts from each person shows how we all have different aims in life, and that we each get there in different ways. During the video we also see constant cuts to the band then back to the characters. As the beat begins to get faster and faster the cuts follow this trend, to show once again that his life may be reaching a pivotal moment. All these editing points explain my feelings on how the video effects what we feel the song is about, on what it is trying to tell us.
The sound in this is simply the band performing. This in itself promotes the band further and gets their names out there. It gives the audience an idea of what the band sound like.
Saturday, 14 November 2009
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