Music Video Analysis

I have studied a number of examples from artists from different decades and of contrasting genres to discover the codes and conventions, in order to produce a successful music video.

The first video I looked at was for the Guns N’ Roses hit ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ from their major label debut album, ‘Appetite for Destruction’. This video is structured as a live style performance at a recording studio. As the track begins to play, the video starts with a low-angle close up of the lead guitar, which is the main instrument used in the song’s introduction. The low-angle shot is used to indicate the guitar’s importance to this section of the track. The background lighting and dark colour effects used in this video, are associated with the style of music being played, which would appeal to the genre’s already established audience. In doing so, this would help increase the number of fans for this new band.

I then studied the video for Take That’s ‘Rule The World’. This track was released a few years after the band’s reunion. The structure for this, is very similar to the one used in the ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ video, as it is filmed in a recording studio. It also uses a similar lighting style which gives it the look of a rock music video instead of the expected pop one, this could suggest they were trying to change their image from the cheesy 90s boy band, displayed in their 1993 video ’Pray’, to serious musicians. Another typical characteristic, of a pop music video, it ignores is the role of backing musicians. In this Take That video, it is not only the singing that is acknowledged, which makes them appear more musically aware than the average boy band that they once were.

In comparison to this however, Girls Aloud’s ‘Something Kinda Oooh’ concept video, plays on the look of the band in a different way, with the music seeming to be their second priority. Special effects, are used heavily in this cinematic, with edited backgrounds included for most scenes. The mise-en-scene used, all contributes to the sex appeal of Girls Aloud, and the use of the convertible cars and the clothing (or distinct lack of it) worn are good examples of how this is done.

Another video, where the artist relies heavily on non-musical props is ‘Feel Good’ by G-Unit. In this promo, the group use strong stereotypical imagery linked with the rapper/gangster lifestyle such as guns, wads of cash, ‘bling’ and women to accompany the lyrics of their song. For the most, this video, is filmed with a stationary camera at a medium length shot of G-Unit, standing in the same place. As boring and uncreative as this seems, there is an interesting technique used, where at the end of each line, the background fades to a different colour or location and the rapper’s clothing change, this could be done to portray the idea that whilst everything changes around them, the artists will stay true to their beliefs and ‘gangster’ lifestyle.

Next, I looked at Steel Panther’s ‘Death To All But Metal’, a track from their 2009 major label debut album, with Island Records ‘Feel the Steel’. Unlike other videos I’ve analysed, this one has a substantial amount of acting at the beginning, which builds up to the song. Throughout the video, similar to ’Feel Good’, lots of fades and cuts are included, which compliment the songs fast pace. They also cross staged footage with live performances, which may relate to the fact that they have the longest running metal show on the Sunset Strip.
Not only are Steel Panther at a similar stage in their career as Guns N’ Roses were when they released the ‘Sweet Child’ video, but there are also startling similarities in the effects used in both videos. For example, both promos cut from colour recording to black and white. In both cases, it communicates the idea, to the audience, that unlike artists from other genres, they are playing their own instruments. The black and white footage looks like a raw, unfinished product, complete with roadies setting up the stage and contrasts the slick, polished performances in the colour sections.

Another video I studied, which like ‘Death To All But Metal’, has an acting section at the beginning is ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ by American heavy metal band, Twisted Sister. In this section of the promo, it shows a confrontation between a child and his father. The Child, played by Dax Callner, who went on to become a rock singer, is used as a metaphor for Twisted Sister’s ideology, and his father, played by Mark Metcalf, who appeared in the 1978 film ‘Animal House’ (playing a similar role as, ‘Doug Neidermeyer, a militaristic character with right wing views), is a metaphor for authority and convention. Throughout this part, using the argument between father and child, it raises the idea that at times the typically accepted isn’t always the right option, by highlighting that in America it is more acceptable to carry a gun rather than a guitar, suggesting that violence is more accepted than creativity. The video, also includes intertextuality, by using references to Twisted Sister’s previous work, by including a clip of ‘I wanna Rock’ before the child’s father enters the scene.

After studying this selection of music videos, I have come to the conclusion that, an effective video, includes a mix of either narrative or concept and live performance. This is because I think that it is vital, especially for a newer band, to allow viewers of their video to see what the group look like and how they perform on stage. However, I believe that non-performance based footage is equally important, as it can transform clips of a band on stage into an original, memorable promotional video.