Analysis of current Music Videos

1. Nirvana - Come as you Are

The video to Nirvana’s “Come as you Are” is performance based with a lot of concept based elements however there is no running narrative through the video. It features the iconic image of the baby swimming in water used on the cover of their most successful album “Nevermind”, which to many represents the grunge era. The video has a sinister feel to it, with the theme of water running through out. The water could be representative of many different things to different viewers however I feel it represents the feeling of drowning and being completely dependant.
The video begins with an extreme close up of a gun sinking in water with a bright light beaming down into the water, this is a classic shot with works really well alongside the opening riff, this shot is repeated at intervals throughout the video and is echoed through the lyrics “No I don’t have a gun”. As the vocals kick in Kurt Cobain is shown singing behind a sheet of running water, he is standing very still, almost looking paralysed in contrast to a lot of artists who appear extremely lively when performing. A disabled dog with a neck brace is shown trying to walk down the stairs which adds to the dark feel of the video.
The mise en scene used is very specific through out the video, the band are playing in a derelict mansion with luxury fittings which have been destroyed by the flooding water. Cobain is shown swinging from an elaborate chandelier which comes with connotations of rebellion. Blue spotlights have been used throughout the video which mirrors the theme of water also the hue of the video has been edited as the two main visible colours are blue and red, these two colours are contrasting which gives the video an unusual feel, it reminds me of the sensations of hot and cold alongside each other. This may have been the desired effect as in the beginning of the video Cobain is sitting in a ring of candles with running water emerging from behind, this mirrors the hot and cold effect.
A lot of the shots have been overlapped so that you can see the previous shot fading through the current one, this helps to link all the different parts of the video and give it a steady flow. Cobain’s face is shown in extreme close up however it has been distorted so that vertical slices of his face appear larger than others. My favourite shot and also the most well known one is the baby chasing after the dollar note underwater. The note is attached to a fishing rod which likens money to the human bate, this is Nirvana trying to prove a point and possibly rebel against materialism. I feel this shot links into the shot of the disabled dog as its trying to show how close the link between humans and animals really is.
The target audience for this video is extremely broad, at the time of release it would’ve appealed mostly to the younger generation however as time has passed it has been handed down to the next generation and remained extremely popular, a lot of people can relate to Nirvana and those who were fans during their peak will still watch and enjoy Nirvana’s music video’s today. I feel the video to “Come as you Are” has been extremely successful and has undoubtedly contributed to the success of “Nevermind” which to this day has remained a classic.


2. Christina Aguilera - Beautiful

The music video to Beautiful is predominantly narrative based with elements of performance. The video is aiming to send out a message to it’s audience, this message is complimented by the lyrics and mood of the song. The video focus’s on 6 main characters, all of whom overcome battles with themselves. The video is meant to give hope to viewers who may be feeling insecure or alone, this means that is could be aimed at a very wide and diverse audience however I feel it is mostly aimed at young people and minority groups due to the fact that the characters highlighted are mostly young and portrayed as “outcasts”, the video also shows homosexuality, transvestites and teenagers with body issues.
The video begins with an extreme close up of Christina Aguilera’s face, she then sings “Don’t look at me” and turns her head away from the camera, the video is diegetic to the lyrics of her song, I feel this is a very bold opening shot which would draw the audience in to carry on watching the video. There is then a straight cut to a young boy lying on the floor, the camera angle here is unusual as it shows the character from below, this would usually give the character a strong and powerful appearance however in this case he seems very vulnerable, which is enhanced by his facial expression. There is then a straight cut back to the extreme close up of the artist and then to an image of a dead sunflower, the fact that the flower is dead is symbolic of the depressed and alone emotions which all the characters are feeling in the video to begin with. There are then cuts to various other characters, all of whom are sitting alone in their underwear looking vulnerable and unhappy. The camera then zooms out from Christina Aguilera’s face to show her sitting on the floor in a damp empty room. The mise en scene here is bold and representative of depression and feeling alone. There are newspapers over the windows so the light is blocked from coming into the room which I feel could be representative of a persons mind. The artist appears very small in such a big, open space. There are cuts from lots of different shots which are very quick showing pain and emotion in all the different people, as the video progresses in each shot the mood becomes a lot happier. There is a very striking shot of a man who is dressing as a woman, he is shown half dressed with a bra and makeup on although he has a bald head and a mans body, he looks very unusual which is the point of the video to get across the message that different doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The man in the shot looks very determined as if he wants to prove something to the world. As the video ends all 6 characters are shown smiling which shows their problems have been resolved.
In the performance based shots, Christina Aguilera seems to be putting a lot of emotion into singing, this helps to portray her as being a caring person who understands, whilst this could be supportive to unhappy fans this would also attract new fans who would feel that they can relate to her and therefore like her music. I like the way a mirror has been used which Christina is singing into, the mirror is used as a prop throughout the video showing the characters looking into it. At the end of the video there is a straight cut back to a sunflower but this time it is in full bloom, a much happier image than the dead sunflower shown at the beginning of the video. This is something that I would be interested in using in my own music video.
No special effects are used in the video, I feel the simplicity adds to the overall effect of the video, this would be detracted from had special effects been used. Both the song and the album we’re very successful and took Christina Aguilera to the top of the charts, I feel the video to beautiful does have a part to play in this success.
The video provokes emotion from viewers as it is easy for anyone to relate to at least one of the characters, showing how the characters in the video have overcome their battles and their unhappiness could give strength to people in the same position, this is a very bold message and one which is meant to help her fans as well as promoting the record.



3. Blink 182 - I Miss You

This video takes place in and around a haunted house. There are many different shots to focus on; which is why it’s very interesting to study. All of the shots come together to create a unique video with a classy feel to it. In my opinion the video is an even mix of performance, narrative and concept which is something I would like to mimic in the creation of my music video. The setting and mise en scene; for example the traditional costumes give the video an old fashioned feel, as if it were set in the past, this would link in with the lyrics and song title, “I miss you” which focus’s on events that are not in the present.
This music video is extremely different to all of Blink 182’s other video’s in that they are normally lively and modern, this mirrors the fact that the majority of Blink 182’s most successful songs are very upbeat, unlike “I miss you”. I believe the fact that both the video and the song are undeniable different from their usual material is one of the things that made it so successful, international. The target audience for this video would definitely be teenagers and older children, Blink 182 are not a band that appeal to an older, more adult audience, despite the more classy feel that “I miss you” has. The slapstick humour and immaturity of the band are what makes it appeal to younger people, however as the song and video are from 2004 the video may now appeal to older teens and young adults who were fans at the time of release.
The opening shot is at a low angle and shows a haunted house, this introduces the audience to the setting, it is captured during the night time which gives it a spooky and eyrie feel. The low angle makes the house look large and slightly threatening. As the beat of the music kicks in the lights in the house flash off and on to the beat. There is then a straight cut to the gardens of the house with a white ghost-like woman who slowly fades and disappears. The band are then seen walking towards the camera through thick smoke, the smoke adds to the spookiness and uncertainty of the video. The band are shown performing in a large, traditional room fitted with chandeliers and other luxuries. Throughout the video different characters are focused upon, there is a bald cat which features at various points during the video, this may be symbolic as people like to stroke cats fur and this cat has no fur, therefore is useless. Lesbians are also shown kissing, this has been done to show they are proud to be different and they shouldn’t have to be outcasts in society. Most of the shots fade into each other so two images are visible at the same time.
A lake outside of the house is used to feature flowers sinking, which may be symbolic of unrequited love as flowers are often given as a sign of affection and these flowers have been neglected. There is then a woman floating face down in the lake. She is shown launching herself into the water, touching upon the issue of suicide and self loath. One single flower is then pictured rising to the surface of the water, this is an ambiguous image which may be representative of many different things but could show that there is always hope. The lightening is all of the shots outside of the house is bring green, this may be to reflect nature as it is outdoors however I feel the links are more to do with jealousy and envy. Two massive spiders are pictured trying and failing to crawl up a dirty concrete wall, the significance of this may be to show even something that people often fear can be vulnerable. A woman is shown admiring herself in the mirror, as if she’s preparing herself for somebody she is attracted to, however her reflection is distorted showing multiple faces, could represent the fact there are many sides to a persons personality; “I miss you” may mean I miss a part of you which has seemed to disappear.
I particularly like how the video has been edited so that the shots cut between each other very fast and then fade into each other very slowly, these contrasting edits work very well together. I also like the manic expression that is on almost every characters face, as if they are desperate for something. Another interesting shot is a lady walking barefoot over shards of broken glass, though her expression remains happy. As the video comes to a close the haunted house is shown at a low angle once again and it fades out to black.
The video and song were released shortly before Blink 182 went on indefinite hiatus, the sombre mood and the lyrics of the song may have been a goodbye to the loyal fans of Blink 182.

4. Pink - Stupid Girls

This video is very lively with a lot of comedy in it, however behind the slapstick humour the artist is trying to send out a message and prove a point. The video is a mixture of narrative and concept based, the concept being to show that young girls should strive to be successful rather than to be beautiful or treat as possessions to men. Unusually there is no performance through out the whole music video.
In the video Pink dresses as a variety of different female stereotypes, also parodying many of her fellow female celebrities. There are a lot of different clips all of which show different characters, Pink portrays the materialistic, superficial woman of today as a negative image rather than a positive one. The mise en scene is extremely detailed in this video which helps to make it very watch-able, for each of the clips used the costumes are very precise, this is so that the viewer knows who Pink is parodying. Stereotypical props are used, such as bundles of shopping bags, Barbie dolls and designer labels.
There is an interval in the middle of the video where the vocals cut out and there is speech, Pink is parodying Paris Hilton, known as an “it girl” she is almost and icon and is exactly what Pink is trying to rebel against. This clip of speech shows Pink trying to make herself sick, addressing the issue of eating disorders amongst young girls and how thin celebrities can be such a bad influence upon this. There is a lot of intertextuality within this video, for the viewer to fully understand the video they must be aware of current issues and modern celebrities. There is reference to plastic surgery and the image of the “perfect woman”, as well as various female celebrities such as: Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, Beyonce and Paris Hilton. No special effects are used through out the video however there are a lot of clever shots which are meant to provoke thought from the viewer, for example an above angle shot of the artist lying on a hospital table with alteration marks drawn on her as though she is about to under go surgery, I found this a very striking shot as the artist looks so perfect it makes you consider the lengths that women often feel forced to go to to fit in amongst modern society.
The opening shot of the video shows a little girl of about 7 or 8 watching Pink as all the different characters on the television, she is being influenced by them, however at the end of the video it cuts back to this shot and shows a pile of dolls and a football and the girl chooses to play with the football which proves that girls and women of all ages don’t need to be influenced by the stereotypical bimbo. In many of Pink’s previous video’s she has parodied both herself and others, the “stupid girls” video is of the same music video genre and gives the artist a certain unique style.
I think the target audience for this video would be younger teenage girls of about 11-17 years. This is who Pink is trying to get the message across to, as she’s trying to prevent them from conforming to this image. I think perhaps she is also trying to send out a message to the women she is parodying, to show them what a bad example they are sending out to their fans. In my opinion she has been successful in doing this, as a consumer and a viewer who falls into the target audience I feel that the video has had a positive effect upon me.

5. No Doubt - Just a Girl

No doubt’s music video to “Just a girl” is predominantly concept based with performance integrated into this. The aim of the video is to send out a positive message about women. The video deals with gender stereotypes and almost parodies them to prove they or often very untrue.
No Doubt are a 3rd wave ska band from the USA, aspects of the music video show the audience their genre, such as the costumes worn by the band and the trumpets which are shown being loaded into the car. During the opening of this video the males are shown carrying heavy instruments, including the trumpet which is typical of a ska band. Meanwhile Gwen Stefani is shown standing in front of a badly damaged car, conforming to the stereotype that female drivers are careless. Also low angle shots of the men make them appear powerful. The opening has very dull weather, this is known as pathetic fallacy as it reflects the mood of the video, separation and sexism. Low saturation used on the footage helps to emphasis this.
My favourite part of this music video is where there are many fast cuts between different male and female toilet signs, as well as being effective and outlining the concept of the video this is also an introduction to the setting of the video, which are public water closets. The male members of the band are shown performing in a men’s toilet, whilst Gwen Stefani, the lead vocalist is shown performing in a ladies toilet. The mise en scene of these two separate rooms is meant to reflect gender stereotypes. The male toilets shown are dirty, dark and dull however the band performing in here are very active and lively and surrounded by an upbeat audience. The female toilet is very clean and vibrant and is empty except from two female assistants. This setting helps to separate Gwen, the female vocalist from the rest of her band, showing her being singled out is a strong image. The two rooms are very contrasting. When No Doubt enters their two separate rooms the males are shown setting up band equipment, whilst Stefani is only standing gazing around the room, conforming to stereotypes that men are active and women are passive.
The music video is diagetic to the song lyrics as it is all based upon women not being treat in the same way as men. The idea of the video is to show Stefani as a strong woman who can be “one of the lads”, this should send a positive message to younger female fans. Stereotypical females are parodied by showing Stefani posing with a flower. Different women are shown applying make-up and preening themselves in the mirror. Gwen Stefani’s deep red lipstick and bright blonde hair are both symbols of womanhood which parody the stereotypical female, but also help to show her as a strong, powerful, individual woman. Extreme close up on her face also helps to do this.
At the end of the video both genders mix and the band can all play together with their audience, this is the situation resolved, a message to the viewer that sexism doesn’t have to apply, this shows the band in a positive light and gives power to Gwen Stefani, the female vocalist.
I believe this video has a wide target audience, it was released in 1995, at the time appealing to mostly young people aged 14-25, however as No Doubt is a 3rd wave ska band it would also have been popular with older fans of ska music giving it a pretty wide target audience. 14 years later it could still be popular with young people as well as older fans who’ve liked No Doubt since their early days.