Andrew Goodwin Music Video Theory

1. The video above is Jay-Z ft. Rihanna & Kanye West - Run This Town, this new music video is directed by Anthony Mandler. The song is catorgised as hip-hop as there is both rapping and singing featuring popular artists known for their work in this genre. The video compliments the confidence/arrogance needed for the style of music, as the video portrays each performer as a leader. This is done by them almost preaching to crowds and always being at the front so they are the ones we are looking at.
2. There are many examples of times when the lyrics are illustrated or amplified by the visuals, for example, the first line of the lyrics says, 'feel it comin' in the air'. This illustrates the crowds that that have been marching in the last shot, it represents a revolution. Another example is the lyric 'only thing thats on my mind, is who's gunna run this town tonight'. This is illustrated by a possible power struggle, the people with weapons and torches have taken over an area. After Rihanna sings this part of the song, the video cuts to the three leaders, the three people who are the stars of the song - Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West. The next part where Jay-Z answers Rihanna's question is where he says, 'we are, yeh I said it, we are' (1:13) is amplified by his minions standing behind him.
3. The video cuts to the beat of the song and as with most hip-hop the beat is clear and repetitive and so the cutting is made a very interesting is some places. For example, at 1:24 and 1:27 the pace the cutting speeds up cutting between close-up's and long shots of Jay-Z and this is done because there is a drum roll fill giving the opportunity to do so. The video to the song does not illustrate the instrumental parts of the song, maily because most of the song is either rapping or singing. The beat of the song serves the purpose of enhancing the flow of the lyrics and so the video illutrates the lyrics not the instrumental. There are very clear changes of pace within the video as Rihanna's singing is slower than Jay-Z and Kayne Wests rapping. Therefore when she is singing her part of the video the cutting slows up and when the other two come in to it it speeds up to go with the flow of the music. An example of this is at 0:49-0:52 when the camera lingers for 3 seconds before cutting, this is rare in the rapping sections which tend to cutting in close then back out long - really mixing up the distance and framing of the shots.
4. The three stars in this track get as much video time as they do in the music. What I mean is that when Rihanna is singing she is always on camera and Jay-Z isn't. When Jay-Z and Kanye West are rapping Rihanna isn't in the shots. Due to Kayne Wests verse being late in the song we only really see him until 3:30. We see him in the background of the group shots but he is never the focus and our eyes are never drawn to him. The image of the band is slick and powerful. Everyone is dressed in black and looking very stylised - you wouldn't see anyone walking down the street dressed like that. Rihanna's outfits are not like the outfits in other videos of this genre where women tend not to wear much. The appeal is of her power and confidence and this is in edition to her being a really good looking woman.

Lostprophets - Start Something

Lyrics

Start today, now show us how you feel
Make your way, it's time to choose
Have my say, I know, I know what I see
Have my say, they think you'll lose
For all this to mean so much to me
For all this, you make a move
Pass you by, it's all in this life you have
Pass you by, goodbye to you

[Chorus:]
1, 2, 3, 4 Move
If you don't stop there, you'll make it through.
Stop dreaming, start something
When it's in your hand just start anew

It's ok to use your ability
You must know, it's hard to choose
Time will tell, it's hard that the way you feel
means you always seem to lose
Seize the day, the one that you left behind
It seems so strange that you don't move
Frozen still in front of your own lights
Win or lose, its time to choose

[Chorus]
1, 2, 3, 4 Move
If you don't stop there, you'll make it through.
Stop dreaming, start something
When it's in your hand just start anew

Track Research

Protest The Hero - Bloodmeat


In my mind this is a music video which is very important to analyse as instead of having a separate narrative and performance based video it interweaves the two together. It does this very well and a lot of atomosphere is created through the darkness and the carefully placed lighting. The setting seems to be inside a plain warehouse which has been spruced up with homely props. For example, the lamp shades cleverly provide atomospheric lighting while also being a great edition to the general mise-en-scene of the scene.


The performance aspect to this video is also very interesting and a lot can be drawn from it which we could implement in to our own music video. The band are not standing in the standard formation of singer at the front, guitars/bass at either side and drummer at the back. Instead we have an interesting layout where all the guitars and bass players are standing at the side in a line with the drummer opposite them and the singer in the middle towards the back of the room. While this sounds uncoventional for this genre what this allows for is a better and more interesting use of the camera. With the space now created in the middle the camera can now get up close and personal with each and every member of the band. The space can also be used for members of the band (mostly the singer in the video) to come in to the middle and be the 'star' so to speak. The side on view we often get from the guitarists is also refreshing as when cutting to them playing complex riffs we see a lot more of the guitars which is interesting for the viewer.


The performance of the band members is also another important aspect of the video to note. The guitar players are not moving all over the place, rather, standing still. They head banging with the music in certain parts of the song (heavier, chord parts) and in other more complex parts they concentrate on what they are playing. They instead of just going mental and putting everything they can in to performing with over the top eccentricity feel the music and react accordingly with the song. The singer, however, is always moving and constantly performing what he sings and since he is on screen for the most amount of time this brings a real energy to the video.