7. Imogen Heap: A-Ha! Analysis

This video follows the actions of a girl participating in a number of strange events. The video opens with a long shot of the young girl crouching down in what appears to be the middle of a forest. As the music begins to play her head flicks up as if she is an animal. We automatically notice that the colour is all in black and white, although the black is dominant which gives us connotations of fear and death. We subconsciously worry about the young girl being alone in the forest because stereotypical representations indicate that females are the 'weaker' gender. Furthermore, the editing is VERY fast paced and no shot is on screen for longer than a second during the entire video, this make us feel nervous and on edge.

This wind up jewellery box appears in different stages throughout the video and connotates young innocence. The fact that the box has been wound up but is now alone on the floor seems creepy and makes us wonder what is going on and why it has been left there. The fact that this is a close up is also mysterious because we cannot see any surroundings. Again, we do not have much time to wonder because of the fast paced editing which means it has soon been cut on to something else. The idea of 'fairy tales' in music videos are quite rare but very effective because there is a very thin line between childhood innocence and danger.

The first glimpse of colour we get in the video is this shot which is of a females pair of hands tied together. The way the hands are clenched together suggest the woman is in pain and her red fingernails connotate danger. The lighting is consistently low key throughout the video which conveys a sinister tone to the audience. Throughout the video, only small amounts of colour are shown which teases the audience because they do not have enough knowledge to fully figure out what is happening as it is hard to see through the black and white mise en scene of the video.

The cinematography in this video is very varied, however, the main shot type that is used throughout is the extreme close up. Again, a small amount of colour has been used in this shot but the deep red alongside the pale skin allows us to associate with evil. However, it could also connotate love or lust. The fact that we cannot see the woman's face is ambiguous and continues to hide the narrative from the audience.

When we finally get to see the performer in the video her face is disfigured and she does not look directly at the camera (which is conventional of music videos). The way that she gestures and performs however, is stereotypical of a female within a music video. The way in which she performs changes throughout the video from her dancing, singing (or lip syncing) and playing the piano. Furthermore, we do not expect any good to come of the narrative because everything seems too dark and dangerous. The main themes in this video are fear, disaster and destruction. 

7. The Fix: Just Got Paid Analysis

The fade in from black and then the white strobe lights appearing one by one on screen is very simple yet very effective. The strobe lighting idea is also connotated with pop music videos and reminds me of JLS's 'One Shot'. Furthermore, unusually for a 'low budget' music video we are automatically given connotations of wealth and money (which is relevant to the title and lyrics of the song), this is because of the setting which seems like a modern, airy, bright household with lots of expensive decor. The boys costume which consist of suits, shirts and ties also convey messages of wealth. Not only that, but the way the band are introduced when they are each individually looking at themselves in the mirror suggests to us that the boys are vain and confident, as most people with money stereotypically are.



The simple choreography in this section of the video informs us of the lead singer (who is placed at the front middle of the arrangement), it also connotates the concept and the genre of the video which is a stereotypical, young and immature boy band who are looking for their chance to make it in the music industry. Furthermore, the editing in this section of the video is very fast paced and to follow the conventions of all music videos, no shot is on screen for longer than three seconds otherwise this could become very boring for the audience. The cinematography in the video isn't very varied and we seem to be consistently seeing either close ups or long shots such as the boys faces or them dancing.



In this section of the video we are focused on the 'less important' members of the band, we get this impression because they haven't been made as dominant in the rest of the video. We get a strong feeling of domesticity in this section because of the way the boys are sitting on the stairs and acting comfortable as if they are in their home environment, this would help appeal to their target audience of young/teenage girls because they look laid back but confident at the same time. Not only that, but we notice that the boys always stare directly into the camera which would also make the audience feel more involved in their performance and it also seems more personal.



The way the video starts and ends with all five boys together reinforces the idea of them being in a band and having a close friendship. This is shown here. Also, the frequent costume and location changes that we see thoughout the video are very conventional and many pop music videos in the music industry follow them as these students have. Finally, the fade to black at the end is built up to by the volume and speed of the song decreasing, this is something that seems natural to us and works particularly well after the boys all drop to the floor at the end of the song.

6. Conventions of a Music Video

5. Green Day: Boulevard of Broken Dreams Analysis (Rock 2)

I have chosen to analyse 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' by Green Day because I think the video is very conventional of the rock genre. Firstly, it is a promotional video for the band because although it doesn't convey a particular message, it reminds everyone of what the band is about, what kind of audience they are targeting and the personalities of the members. The band are lip syncing which is conventional of all music videos.

The mise en scene in the video consists of an exotic, rural location which is derelict and abandoned, at times, the lyrics within the song actually match the location with the use of the words 'empty' and 'broken'. The costume which the band are wearing (dark suits with white suits and dark ties) match the solemn and pitiful mood that the music video emits, because they give connotations of death and funerals. The scratchiness that we view on screen at the beginning of the video is also very serious and could also make some people feel weary of the band because they could be viewed as dangerous. Also, the fire that we see towards the end of the video gives connotations of danger and abandonment. Unusually, there is high key lighting throughout the video.

The performance that the band gives throughout the video is consistent, but we really begin to understand the feelings and messages behind the song when they are performing in the set up environment and using their instruments. The fact that none of the band members smile throughout the video is expected from this particular genre, however if we were watching a pop music video, the situation would be very different.

Furthermore, the editing in the video is not very fast and on average each shot is on screen from two to three seconds which may not seem like long, but can become boring for the audience in some situations. However, even though the editing is slow, it suits the pace of the song. Each shot has also been cut to the beat of the music which make the editing seem less jumpy and more natural for the viewer.

The cinematography is very varied throughout the video. It starts off flicking between close ups (of the band members faces) and long shots (which shows the audience the location), however, as the narrative in the song and therefore the video develops, shots become more varied and we see lots of mid shots and even some low angle shots when the band are performing. We also see close ups of specific objects throughout the video, such as right at the beginning when there are various close ups of the 'green' car that 'Green Day' step out of and then abandon prior to their performance.

I like this video because even though the narrative has been kept simple, it is very conventional of its genre and shows consistent performance and meaningful mise en scene.

4. Bridgit Mendler: Hurricane Analysis (Pop 2)

1. Brief

I will be working with Amie Brady and Charlie Price for this project.