Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Music Video Review; Naive Performed By Hurtwood House


"Naïve" is a song by British indie rock band The Kooks. It was released on 27 March 2006 as the fourth single from their debut studio album, Inside In/Inside Out (2006). It charted at . mber five on the UK Singles Chart. The . st-selling single of their careers, "Naïve" was also the UK's nineteenth best selling single of 2006.The song has also done reasonably well in New Zealand, reaching number 15 on the combined sales/airplay RIANZ chart. The song additionally charted in the United States, peaking at number 22 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart. The video is pretty interesting; it's sense of a relationship on the rocks ending in disappointment, but the uplifting sense of “who cares I still have my friends”. It’s different. Also goes to show that their videos have improved artistically as well, because the lighting in it is so poor and it’s not very well done at all- time changes a lot for the better and hopefully will not be seen in their newer videos.

Overall, the tune is ridiculously catchy, which is what seeks nowadays. It’s one of those songs that you hear once and it gets stuck in your head for a week; hence why they used it in teen flick 17 again staring Zac Effron. The chorus especially; “and I know she knows that I’m not fond of asking. True or false, it may be, well, she’s still out to get me.” I love the way Pritchard’s voice has that lilt of higher notes, giving it a real gritty pop feel. Overall, the tune is ridiculously catchy. It’s one of those songs that you hear once and it gets stuck in your head for a week. The chorus especially; “and I know she knows that I’m not fond of asking. True or false, it may be, well, she’s still out to get me.” I love the way Pritchard’s voice has that lilt of higher notes, giving it a real gritty pop feel.


The adaptation to the Kook's Naive music video is a modern adaptation which adheres to the stereotypical conventions of a performance and it is interesting to the approach the have taken.  They have taken a performance approach, however there is a narrative kind of feel to the video so there are elements of both performance videos and narrative as well.

Genre analysis: Pop

Live rendition of Waterfalls by Stooshe
More often than usual there are clear references between the music lyrics and the actual music video. For example in this live rendition of the song "Waterfalls" made famous by TLC we see that Stooshe have a waterfall effect aiding their performance seen in the image to the left. If there was no reference to the video then it would null the point of the video rendering it pointless which in turn would mean that the audience are extremely likely loose interest very quickly as it is that element that will enable the audience to remember the song and it creates the opportunity for them to purchase the song if they really like it; which they will definitely do so should they enjoy the track. One of the conventions of Pop music is that within the music industry it tends to follow current trends rather than being independent and making something new, unique and different to hear.

The Pop genre usually follows a rule that the song usually is between 3-5 minutes long with a set structure and a consistent beat which means no unexpected changes in the music that you were not expecting.  A common theme in pop music videos is the in time editing that alines with the beat of the music. What this means are the shots more than often only changes with the beat does.

Music Video Review: Look Right Through by Storm Queen

 

The shots in this song are relatively fast cuts which are used in dance videos in time with the beat and what this does is ensures the the audience does not loose interest too quickly and to guarantee that the audience do not get bored however this is not the case in this video. What use is a video that last a couple of minutes but cannot keep the audience entertained enough so they stay for the whole duration of the video; there would be no point as the artist would not gain the recognition they are seeking of the audience. The audiences attention was kept by the interesting lion figure. 

Shots that are taken from a high angle to establish the viewers sense of location of where the video was taken and this case we can see that the video was shot in what appears to be some sort of fancy hotel. Now if we also look at the colours used in the video they are very rich colours so we are talking velvet reds and wine reds and marine blues. Colours that show wealth and dominance. As we have seen in other dance video Storm Queen have gone with a narrative approach in their popular dance video "Look Right Through."


Monday, 12 January 2015

Music Video Review: Nobody to Love by Sigma


Music videos for the dance music video genres tend to not have many codes and conventions, which allows then a bit more freedom when creating an idea for a video. They tend to feature videos about love, sexuality and things a young audience could relate towards. Unlike most dance videos this video is a narrative performance video. However they are not really tell you a story they are using the accompanying clips to show promote the song. What this means is the shots used are very feel good moments for example playing on the beach or going for a beautiful drive with the sunset as a backdrop. Going back to dancing, this plays an important role in dance music videos which is demonstrated in this video. This is due to the fact that dance videos are played in clubs, and people are meant to dance to this. Also, the videos nearly always feature some form of dancing within the video like when the women are on the beach dancing in synced with the audio. 

The music videos for dance  music tend to usually have messages about dancing, love, sexuality, and drugs all accompanied with repetitive arrangements and a steady bass drum beat and fast paced editing. One other convention of a dance music video is that it tend to have women doing what would be considered promiscuous seductive dance moves. Also, they are usually dressed in clothes that expose their bodies and clothes that will attract a male audience for example crop tops e.t.c. However there is an unconventional theme which is the slow motion used in the same light but for an more original edge to demonstrate the enjoyment the audience can get out of listening to the song. A dance music video sometimes has a group of people doing dance moves that are usually uncoordinated in a circle and people watching them showcase their talent because the theme of the songs are usually about dance of the beat of the song is supposed to motivate a person to dance and promote a feel good vibe.

Similarly another convention of a dance music is that it will have a shot where a lot of people are dancing in a club, and the DJ is performing this is usually a reference to the home of dance music usually seen in clubbing countries like Ibiza and Ayia Napa but this is not a convention that is adhered to in this video. Also, the DJ (a.k.a SIGMA) who produced the song usually doesn't appear and the vocals of they song are always sung by a female artist and they usually appear in the music video however this is the case in this music video.

Thursday, 8 January 2015

Genre analysis: Dance

There are three main types of conventions in dance videos which includes:


  1. Camera
  2. Location 
  3. Editing

Camera

First of we have the fast cut shots in time with the dance beat, now what this does is it ensures audience interest and makes sure they do not get bored or side tracked or even loose interest.
The second element to camera movements is the high angle establishing shots which are used to give viewers a sense of environment the dance track is filmed in essentially setting the scene.
There are also close up shots of individuals to show elements and different people within the video for example they might be  a shot of of the two girls lip syncing to show the audience that they are more important than other people in the video, or fast shots that add the sense of realism that there would be in a dance/club environment; its need to be relatable. The last main element is a range of mid-shots of people dancing in time with the beat to further contribute to the sense of realism.


Location


Now the success of your music video usually relies on where the video was shot and the sense of realism. Music videos of the dance genre genre are usually set in lively atmospheres with a lot of things going on in the back ground so this could be anything from high streets to clubs. As we know dance music videos may be shot at locations such as clubs, parties and gatherings with friends so that the audience can relate what they are watching to their lives which is the best way to get your audience to relate to your video. It is extremely important that the location matches the type of song and the type of "vibe" you are going for example a song in the dance genre would typically be filmed in a club to accompany the audio. For the audience, a dance genre video may be filmed at a house party, including the typical conventions of people having a good time partying in a lively setting and just enjoying life. The stereotypical location with a lot of lighting and vibrant colours are to be expected of a dance genre.


Editing 



There are some editing techniques used to add the conventions of a dance genre music video which may include fast cut shots which are used to enable the audience to view different angles and areas of the video. The use of editing is very important contribute to the music of the video designed to almost give the audience a sense of euphoria, and make them want to dance in an environment similarly those shown in the video. Occasionally in dance videos slow motion shots are used to contrast with the fast edited up-beat shots of the video; which is very useful in most cases but due to the time being stretched for a longer period of time, it allows the audience to focus on certain aspects purposely designed to be focused on. This further submerses the audience into the dance environment.