Music Video Analysis

The first video I have chosen to analyse is 'American Idiot' by Green Day. This video falls under the rock music genre which is the same genre I will replicate in my own video. The video is categorised under Joan Lynch's structure theory as performance based, and is categorised by Jon Gow's performance video theories as enhanced performance, due to the fact that we can see the band performing throughout the song, and additional elements such as screens within screens, water falling from the ceiling, dancing etc, but additionally can be classed as a pseudo-reflexive performance due to the cameras and obvious setting of  a studio, displaying the videos production. The final theorist Andrew Goodwin's codes and conventions of videos state that the video displays the qualities of there being a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, a relationship between the music and the visuals, the genre's iconography, artist close-ups, artist personal iconography (in this case, the red tie, the green flag, and the image of the heart grenade shown on the monitor), as well strong amounts of voyeurism in the sense of the cameras, set and equipment being shown, displaying the fact to the audience that the video is being filmed. I would like to use this technique in my video, cross cutting between the performance and the production elements such as camera crew, equipment, the studio etc.  The video begins on the first note of the guitar, and shows an establishing shot of the lead singer on set in front of the green American flag (symbolic code of colour relates the green flag to the bands name, strengthening iconography) with two cameras either side of him. As the beat of the song picks up, the edits get quicker and it begins to cut between members of the band performing, monitors and televisions displaying the bands album graphics (synergy) and close ups of the lead singer slightly out of frame and out of focus. During the quick edits, there is a shot of the full band on a dolly zoom. As the vocals start, the singer is shown from a low angle, giving the effect that he is standing over the viewer. This particular moment also ties in with Goodwin's code of a relationship between lyrics and visuals, as he is shown at an angle which portrays him as more important, and the line 'don't wanna be an American idiot' hints that the audience are in fact idiots whereas he is above us. This is followed by more fast edits cutting to additional screens (showing both iconography and the band singing/playing their instruments), band members playing instruments and long shots with a dolly zoom (both in and out) on members standing still (posed). During closeups of the singer, pull-focuses are also used in the middle of shots to create an intensified effect on the singer. During the chorus, a track mounted camera is used which moves around the band playing together, cutting between closer shots and longer shots. They have also used the technique of filming themselves dancing, but with the singer lip-syncing the song at 50% speed and then sped the footage up during editing, to give the effect that the other band members are dancing fast whilst the singer sings at a normal speed. This is once again followed by quick edits, including low angle two shots showing the set in the background to reinforce location, and more fast and slow motion shots of dancing, jumping and playing instruments/singing. More of these creative techniques are repeated in slightly longer takes, with a few quick edits to break it up. During the second chorus, a flash gun is used in a close up of the singer with liquid dripping on his head as a strobe effect, which reinforces the enhanced performance elements of the video. At the beginning of a guitar solo (Goodwin's point of a relationship between the music and the visuals, filling instrumental parts of the song with creative video elements), a shot of the flag which had been in the background is used in a slightly longer take, indicating that it is of in some way relevant to the videos messages and themes. Further into the video this is repeated, but is shown to be slowly being drained of colour, and green water leaks over the floor, using a variety of high angled shots which show the entirety of the studio, flag, equipment and band. Green liquid begins to flood out of speakers in the background during a climax in the music, played in slow motion on a tracked camera from an establishing shot distance. This has been done to draw attention to the event, for the bands iconography (green is the running theme throughout the video, linking the colours of the set to the name of the band; symbolic conventions) and to emphasise the enhanced creative effects in the performance. This event in the video is focused on throughout the solo, showing different members, high angled shots closer and longer shots. During this, the lighting on the band members is a lot darker, which emphasises the colour of the liquid and draws attention to the aesthetics of the video. More takes of strobe lighting on the face of the singer are used, progressing onto using strobe lighting on the entire body of not only long shots of the singer jumping in slow motion but on the whole band and performance area, which fit in with the darker lighting used for the scene. As the instrumental solo ends, quick edits take over again from the longer takes, including long shots, low angled shots and close ups of the singer and other band members, shots of televisions/screens/cameras/monitors, very quick edits of regular motion shots of the green liquid flowing down. The final chorus shows the band members covered in green liquid from head to toe dancing, in a poorly lit room with strobe lighting, using long, medium close up and close up shots, which really emphasise creative techniques and iconography in the video. The edits become a lot faster, which contributes to the songs, and to some extent, the rock genres, heavy fast beat, and also to the final climax of the song. As the song ends, the members throw their instruments to the floor and all walk off the set in  separate directions (which fits in with the stereotypes and iconography of rock music videos), displayed to the audience from a long low angle shot but looking straight ahead rather than looking up, and shaking slightly when turned and zoomed as through the camera is hand held at calf height, which could have been included to show that the professional shooting techniques have come to an end, as has the video. Overall, the video is a perfect example of how iconography and voyeurism combine in performance based music videos to make the audience aware of the production.

The second music video I have chosen to analyse is 'Thnks fr th Mmrs' by Fall Out Boy, as it is similar in style to 'American Idiot' in terms of both music genre, video style and creative elements. The video is performance based with narrative elements, and is pseudo-reflexive because of how the audience is aware that the video is being filmed, as if we are part of production, but is also an enhanced performance video due to all the additional elements added to the video. Goodwin's points which applied to the 'American Idiot' video also all apply to this video. The video begins with a two shot of band members conversing before the performance begins and then walking to take their places, making us immediately aware that we are viewing production. The lighting dims as the music begins, and a crane mounted camera tilts down and slow zooms into the lead singer as he is about to begin the song. As he starts to sing, he is interupted and the band members stop playing their instruments. It is them revealed to us that the director and stage hands are all monkeys, who appears to criticise the band. The footage then lowers in quality and appears to be filmed on a phone, as though a crew member is secretly filming the controversy. Voyeurism is used as we are shown cameras, lighting equipment, set props and are made aware of the production location. Quick edits are used to show all of the various roles of the monkeys (eg camera crew, violinist etc) before the director monkey takes his seat again. We then see an element of voyeurism as we read a text message that the director sends critiquing the band. As the song starts again we see close-ups of the band members looking annoyed at their disruption, but begin to play again. During the performance we see occasional cross cuts to the stage hand monkeys to remind us that we are viewing production. The shots of the performance are stereotypical to both performance music videos and rock genre videos, with dark lighting and spotlights to highlightsp facial features. We begin to see shots of the band interacting with the monkeys (eg playing chess, being served food), as though its a normal scenario, creating a sense of humour in the video. Lots of reaction shots are used to convey the annoyance of the band members on how the monkeys are interrupting and making the perfomance difficult for them, including shot-reaction shots and close-ups. During these narrative scenes, quick takes of bamd members playing instruments are inserted on beat, which helps to emphasise the power of the music and also assists to enhance the rock genre identity. Eventually the band members become enraged and walk outside, where natural lighting is used. More fast takes of the band interacting with the monkeys as if they were people are used (eg signing autographs for monkeys in shirts, having makeup applied by monkeys), strengthening the humour of the video as well as contrubuting to the pseudo-reflexive elements. As the second chorus comes in, crane shots of the fully lit stage are shown, showing stereotypical iconography of the rock genre (singer in central foreground to be im focus, other band members jumping/dancing and headbanging, with the drummer at the back) as well as the bands initials in large red letters, showing their own iconography as a band. This is then cross cut to a short take narrative scene of the band interacting with monkeys in a dressing room, with the guitarist being kissed on the lower back by a money, again showing humour and the voyeurism of being in a dressing room in set. This then reverts back to performance shots, all following stereotypical codes and conventions of performance videos and the rock genre. At this point the performance is being focused on with a few short takes of monkeys interacting, which emphasises the sense of viewing production as it happens. Performance continues until the middle of the next verse, where narrative takes over and shows the guitarist becoming angry at the monkey director who takes his love interest away from him, which is shown by a series of two shots, reaction shots and shot-reverse shots. As the final chorus begins, we see more performance shots from high angles looking down, but slowly dolly zooming in and tilting down so we are at eye level with the band. More stereotypical shots of dancing, jumping, clapping and headbanging are used, with a lot of camera on track takes. We see a small scene of narrative between the guitarist and his love interest, in a dressing room to develop voyeurism, and a shot reaction shot is used to show the reationship between them. This crosscuts back to performance, and when we next see narrative the couple are together kissing, and the camera pans and pull focuses to the monkey director with an angry expression, which contributes to the enhanced performance elements because of the humour of how the monkey and human relationship is treated as normal in the video but to us as the audience its a funny and bizzare concept. As the song reaches climax, quicker edits of the performance with more intense stereotypical rockstar behaviour are shown, with one small quick hint to the narrative conclusion of an overhead shot of the love interest and director monkey sitting together on the set in director chairs. They then begin to mimic, mock and point in tease at the guitarist in a series of two shots. This enrages the guitarist, and in a series of very fast edits and short takes and he follows the same rock genre codes found in the 'American Idiot' video, and smashes his instrument on the floor and walls, causing one of the iconographic letters of the band to fall down, and the video fades out to black. Overall, the video shows how pseudo-reflexive performance videos can also accomodate narratives into the final product with the use of voyeurisms and humour.