Album Art Analysis

ARIANA GRANDE - MY EVERYTHING

This album art for Ariana Grande's - My Everything is very effective as it conveys several emotions without giving it away through word. The concept of the album art to me seems like we are getting a personal insight into her diary. The title 'My Everything' is written in a font that looks handwritten. Like it would be seen in a personal journal. This reflects Ariana as she wants to bare her all to her fans so they are able to see the real her. The background of the album is a solid grey colour. This symbolizes sadness and pain. This is supported by her body also being in monochrome. This shows that the album is very personal to her and includes songs that may be very personal to her life. Including songs that may be depressing or are about depressing topics. The position she is sat in on the stool has her facing away from the camera, with her eyes closed, looking down to the floor. This creates a sense of mystery as we can't tell what she is thinking. This enigmatic pose also adds to the intimacy of the album as she seems to be vulnerable and innocent.

Goodwin's Theory: Latch

We can apply Goodwin's theory to the genre of music videos that I will be researching for my coursework. The first video I am going to look at is Disclosures - Latch. This is a perfect example of how Goodwin's theory can relate to any music video.

Do the lyrics match the visuals?
In Disclosure's - Latch, there are several examples of the visuals from the music video matching the lyrics of the song. The lyrics of the song are about couples, embracing eachother, in a state of love and affection. This is then reflected in the music video.

This high angle shot showing a man looking up at what is assumed to be his girlfriend shows up when Sam Smith sings the line "I think we're close enough" This is represented visually as the woman is on top of the man embracing him. Showing how close they are physically and romantically.


This next scene that follows of a close up of two women leaning in for a kiss appears when Sam Smith sings the line "I wanna lock in your love" This shot represents this line visually as the two women have their eyes locked in on each others eyes, embracing one another, showing a great amount of love and passion between the two.


Does the music match the visuals?
The music to that accompanies the lyrics to 'Latch' definitely matches the visuals of the music video. Before the chorus the music builds up with the verse. This shows a building emotion or tension that is going to lead to an explosion of passion. The music video illustrates this by having the actors slowly move towards their partner. As the chorus hits the couples begin to kiss, the beat of the song kicks up showing how the tension has been released and the emotion is now over flowing. As the chorus finishes, the music slows back down to a regular pace. The couples then stop kissing showing that they are moving back into a position of embrace rather than being connected with one another. The editing used in the video also parallels the song well as each shot is cut onto the beat of the song. Keeping at a regular pace that is easy to follow and is engaging.

Are there any elements of voyeurism?
The entire concept for the music video 'Latch' is based on the notions of looking and the idea of couples embracing one another no matter shape, size, colour or gender. The music video plays with sexuality in a way that is not distasteful. Close up's are used on the actors face and body parts to show a sense of intimacy. It also focuses on the fact that the actors are specifically looking at their boyfriend or girlfriend, emphasizing the notion of looking.

Are there any inter textual references?
There does not seem to be any intertextuality within the music video. This could be because the artist's, Disclosure, have a tendency to keep their videos unique, fitting of their own style.

Are there any noticeable elements of the genre in the music video?
The genre of the song is Deep House, which is the genre i will be doing for my coursework. I have researched typical elements of House music and found that many of the videos show regular people typically having fun and enjoying themselves. The setting is usually a club, or a place where the song would most likely be played, e.g - a bar or house party.

This is one of the first locations given to us in the music video. We can clearly see that it is set in some sort of bar or club. We can tell this by the party clothes and the bottle of alcohol. The colour of the shot is quite saturated and warm. This could have been used to demonstrate that love is in the air at the club. The small fairy lights in the background also add pops of vibrant colours to represent fun and excitement.

I have also discovered that quite a lot of house music videos include female actors shown in an innocent or sexualised manner. 'Latch' is no exception as this female actor takes her shirt off we get a wide shot showing off the back, behind and legs. The man in the shot is also staring at her body showing notions of looking and voyeurism.

Album Art Analysis #2

Album Art Analysis: Gorrilaz - Demon Days

This album art from the Gorrilaz is much different to Ariana's album that I had previously looked at. This one does not have any pictures of the actual artists but instead cartoon representations of them. This is quite enigmatic as they make no intimate connection with the audience but we do with the made up characters that represent each band member. The album is separated into four sections with each character taking up a quarter. The white text and backgrounds contrast the overall dark blue to make them stand out on the cover. The cartoon characters also have separate colour pallet that makes them unique. These colours are quite dull and faded, this could be significant as it fits the rock genre of the album or "dark pop" as it is known by the band.

Voyeurism: Satisfaction

A classic example of voyeurism in an electronic dance genre music video is in Benny Benassi's - Satisfaction. In this video, several women are shown with little clothing, carrying out DIY tasks. The music video is also supposed to look like an advert or infomercial for power tools, using the power of the female body to sell to a male audience.

Here, we can clearly see that this shot focuses on the sex appeal of the women in the music video. The shot cuts from a long shot showing of the entire female, to a close up of her behind. This would be to gain the attention of the male viewers. This close up is repeated several times throughout the music video but on different women to show off or promote them to the audience. We can also argue that the tasks that they are doing also appeal to a male audience as these women are doing DIY which would stereo typically be classed as a 'mans' job. But in this music video they seem to subvert gender roles, whilst also playing with them at the same time, by keeping her looking feminine and sexual. The music video is played out like a commercial for power tools, items associated with men, but using women to promote them, which is generally not seen in real adverts for power tools.

 In these two close ups we see some facial expression on the woman here. The use of the close up on the face in the first image is to show a sense of intimacy. We get to see the actors facial expressions, this makes the audience feel a small personal connection with the actress. Yet again drawing in the male gaze. The second image is an extreme close up of the woman's mouth, moving her tongue across her lips. This is a sexual manner which is supposed to seduce the audience. We can identify these kinds of mannerisms and voyeurism in many dance music videos since they typically include sexualised women that the DJ enjoy. Due to the DJ's nearly always being male. This common trope of women being included in dance music videos could be due to the fact that many woman go out to clubs and like to dance. As do clubs like to attract female audiences which then attract a male audience. So sexualised women in music videos mirror the club scene.

Meeting #1

During meeting number one, we started to discuss concepts and ideas for our House music video for Oliver Helden's - (Gecko) Overdrive. During this time we used our lyrics analysis that we had created for the song to generate ideas. We came up with the thought that the song is about 'anything that gives you a rush.' We starting to think about things that give people a rush, legal or illegal. We thought that drugs or taking drugs would be a great catalyst for a music video. Our actor for the music video could have taken some sort of drug which takes her on a bad trip. This would allow us to think outside the box with our ideas and go a little abstract to make the video fun and engaging.

What is Goodwin's Theory?

Goodwin's Theory

Goodwin's theory is based on 5 main principles that should be found in every music video of any genre. These are...

• Links between Lyrics and Visuals

This is the process of presenting the lyrics and meaning of the song visually within the music video using several techniques like camera, editing, mise-en-scene, lighting, costume and performance

• Links between Music and Visuals

This is similar to the point that lyrics and the visuals match but instead here, Goodwin states that the visuals should also match the music that accompanies. This is typically done through editing as we can edit to the beat of the music. This could also be done through performance and mise-en-scene since a song that has a sombre tone will not typically not have a happy music video.

• Genre Characteristics

The music video must be fitting of the genre. Like films, music genres have certain tropes and similarities that crop up in the music videos. For example many rap music videos will include elements of voyeurism, showing women in a sexual light. Or many EDM music videos will use montages to make it dynamic.

• Intertextual reference

Goodwin states that many music videos will include some kind of reference to another piece of media text. This acts as a sort of inside joke for the audience so that the artist can broaden their fan base and show that they have a knowledge of the media industry,

• Voyeurism/notions of looking 

One aspect of this theory is that there is a certain level of observation within the music video. For example many female artists play with sexuality to obtain the male viewer gaze. Another example for looking would be observing the performance through a camera or TV.

• Close ups

Nearly all music video record labels have certain demands that need to be met. This is done through self promotion of the artist using close ups on the face to evoke a sense of intimacy with the audience. Something that you cant get at a live concert.

What would you expect to see in a house music video?

From doing personal research I understand that there are a lot of different elements that go into a house music video. This would generally be made up of components like, costume, performance, narrative, mise-en-scene, lighting, camera and editing. I have narrowed down within those components, what makes a music video specifically house.

Costume

In many house music videos the artist who is singing the song does not appear. It is instead an actor or several actors who play a part in the narrative. There is a great variation in costume depending on the narrative of the music video, but typically the clothing worn would be regular, pedestrian clothing. In some cases costume can be way out there as it fits with the party vibe of the house genre. For example in Oliver Helden's - Shades of Grey he makes an appearance in several animal costumes. Another example would be in Swedish House Mafia's Greyhound, where the people are wearing very futuristic clothing.

This is a visual example of an out of the normal costume from Oliver Helden's - Shades of Grey. This shows that the costumes can be fun and different because typically house music doesn't convey any serious messages. The songs do not try to be didactic so the artist is able to have fun with the music video and make it as visually entertaining as possible. There are many music videos for house tracks that have actors wearing a normal styled outfit rather than something unusual. These music videos tend to have a more realistic narrative to them as it reflects the lives of someone in the music video.

Performance

As I mentioned earlier the typical performance within house music videos is much more upbeat, fun and light-hearted as the lyrics tend to stray away from any topics controversial or serious. The songs usually are based on good emotions and events. So performance wise most of the music videos are made to entertain and to get the audience excited. Rather than some pop songs where the music is slow and saddening, house music is faster, and repetitive. This is because the genre was made for clubs and bars, making people want to dance and have a good time. This is what I feel we need to reflect in our music video.

Narrative
The narrative for most house music videos is quite similar. The story generally seems to show a fragmented version of a persons life. This can range from a tame, realistic story like in Disclosures - You and Me, where we are viewing a couple on their journey through a new town. Or something completely out of the box like Oliver Heldens - Overdrive, where we see an old couple mess around
on their anniversary, as we find out that the woman is actually some sort of alien creature.

I also noticed that a lot of house music videos will reflect the lyrics of the song within the music video, but do it in a way that is clever and creative.For example in Route 94's - My Love. We see the typical club scene that is quite common in house and dance music videos, but is done using a thermal effect. This could be reflecting the repeated lyric "up above, made with the warmth of my" The warmth here is being shown by the thermal camera, This also links in to editing and special effects as many house artists use special effects to enhance the video.

Mise-en-scene
Many house music videos are promoted through the DJ that created the track. Typically, in the music video the DJ will include some sort of trade mark that identifies the song with the artist. For example the artist Disclosure will have drawn figures, usually faces over certain singers or actors. This is to trade mark the video and make it unique. As I have mentioned before most house music videos will take place in real life, showing one or more characters leading a normal narrative. This is generally because house music artists do not need grand and audacious music videos because fans of the genre listen for the music and the sound of the song. Not the stunning visuals that follow along.

Lighting
Lighting plays an important part in music videos. Without lighting we would be able to create mood changing effects that convey a message without the use of any words or sound. For example placing a light to the side of the face to create one side lit and the other blacked out evokes a sense of duality and split personality. Or a balance between good and evil. Lighting is used a lot in house music video to add mood to the song and video.

Disclosure's - White Noise utilises lighting really well to create a mood too the song. In this part of the music video, the main actor is searching a dark tunnel with only a flashlight for vision. This creates an eerie atmosphere for the music video until he begins to dance when then chorus hits. The suspense created is good for the music video as it is engaging and keeps viewers watching. We also are not given any other information through song lyrics or symbols, only lighting is used to evoke emotion.

Camera 
The camera angles tend to follow the standard techniques used in filming music videos. Many have close ups of either the artist or actor in the music video. This is to show a sense of intimacy and give the audience a closer look. House music videos are always dynamic, there is rarely any static camera shots because a fast paced movement style fits better with the song. Accompanying the dynamic camera style is a fast paced fragmented narrative. This is usually portrayed through several wide shots to cover as much of the action that occurs in the video as possible. Due to the artists or singers generally being absent in the music video, The close ups and mid shots are pointed mainly at a female actor. This can be described as they 'male gaze' since it attracts male viewers, observing the female figure.

An example of an effective use of camera would be in Calvin Harris's - How Deep is Your Love. Here the actress is placed under dark lighting with a red tint. Using a close up on her face, this could be a sign or symbol of danger, or an incoming event that could be in some way dangerous. We aren't directly told this in the fragmented narrative or the song lyrics but coupled with the lighting, and the camera showing us the expression on her face, the artist is able to convey emotion visually.

Editing
Many house music videos have a similar editing technique. Because the genre of music is dynamic and fast paced the editing needs to match. Montages are mainly used to create a speedy and engaging scene filled with several pieces of a narrative. Typically within house music videos special effects or after effects are placed onto the video to give it depth. Colour correction is applied to create bright, fun colours such as reds and blues, colours which we wouldn't be able to achieve with just a camera. This allows artists to create emotion and symbolism, like a red tone for danger or a blue ton for tranquility. This would have mainly been done by adding a colour correction, using the editing software.

In this screenshot from MK's - Always, we can see that his shot of a man in a hallway has been colour corrected to make the shot darker than it originally would have been. The weak lighting paired with a darkened brightness and saturation helps to create an almost eerie atmosphere. This in turn creates tension and builds up the narrative for the music video. This shot is then followed by a cut where the man walks through the door and moves from one location to the other. This kind of editing can be found in many house music videos because of the dynamic effect it gives.

Intertextuality in Music Videos: Break Free

Intertextuality seems to find its way into many music videos. It's fun and easy to incorporate classic moments from other media texts into a music video. It plays an important role in music videos as it gives a sense of an inside joke or reference that the audience can discover. If a fan gets the artists reference it gives them a sense of intimacy and pleasure as they feel they are part of the 'joke'.

In Ariana Grande's music video for 'Break Free', she creates a Sci-Fi, adventure piece which includes references to popular space movies such as Star Wars and Barbarella. These two films are classics that many fans can relate to as the two films span over around 50 years. Here, Ariana Grande has chosen to use the same font that scrolls from the bottom of the screen to the top, to give an exposition on the narrative of the music video. This is a direct reference to Star Wars as each film had the same animated exposition at the beginning to give some insight into the story. 

Here is the original from Star wars. You can clearly see that the same animation style has been used. This reference to Star Wars in her music video could suggest that she is trying to attract the geeky/nerdy audience by showing she has an interest in the space and Sci-Fi. This then adds to her star image as now different audiences can relate to her and what she is doing. This is also done cleverly as the rest of the video is very similar to the 1960's space classic Barbarella. Her costume, the male voice over, and the dangerous femme fatal attitude all closely resemble that of the character Barbarella.

The short white outfit Ariana has on slightly resembles the classic white Barbarella outfit that she wore when defeating aliens in space. She also has long hair but the colour is brunette instead of blonde. The plot of the music video is parallel to Barbarella as we have a strong female protagonist who fights against aliens in intergalactic space. Referencing to this classic film allows an older generation to recognise a film that they may have seen when they were younger, giving them a sense of knowledge over a younger audience who may not know what the reference to Barbarella is. This is also creates Ariana's star image to an older generation, showing that she is interested in classic films and old Hollywood.