9 Shot Analysis of a Pop Music Video #1

I have chosen to analyse "Problem" By Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea.
Where relevant I have referred to Goodwins Theory.

1) This shot lasts about 1 second and shows the main singer (Ariana Grande). The spiral in the background is a theme throughout the video.





2) This again lasts about 1 second and shows a man walking backwards on his hands. I am not really sure what this has to do with the video, however perhaps it is the man who whispers 'One less problem without you' in the chorus of the song.



3) This lasts 1 second and shows a close up of Ariana Grande- therefore it abides by Goodwins Theory number 4 which states that the record label demands close ups of the artist. There is green screen used here with the pink background ( I would like to make a shot similar to this for my music video)

4) This is a sort of stop motion section as the background and placing of the artist is the same however her actions are different. Once again this therefore abides by rule 4 of Goodwins Theory.

5) This shows the man again, doing even more gymnastics! Still not that sure how this relates to the video. There is no link between the lyric, music and visuals so this is defying rules 2 and  3 of Goodwins Theory, as well as rule 1 as this is not conventional of pop music videos.



6) This shows the second star, Iggy Azalea, (Rule 5) who has a funky green screened background, rather 60s themed here (Rule 7). This continues to last 1 second.

7) This is the man again doing some more strange movements, this shot is consistent and may be related to rule 5.

8) This then returns back to Iggy Azalea, who is in a 3 way split screen of her doing the same action but with a different green screened background- this again lasts for 1 second. This could be linked to rule 5 as throughout the whole video she is generally in front of these coloured backgrounds.

9) The shot then goes back to the close up of Ariana Grande, for one second. Then the shot ends. This shot is repeated throughout the entire video.

9 Frame Analysis- Music Video

Here is a 9 Frame analysis we did together of 5 Seconds of Summer- Don't Stop.

Conventions Of Pop Music Videos

Here are the 7 key features identified in Goodwin's Theory:

1) Music Videos demonstrate certain genre characteristics.
               e.g. Stage performance in metal/hard rock videos, Dance routines for boy/girl                               bands, 'Throwing signs' in early hip hop videos, Scantily clad women or 'bling'                       in gangsta rap videos.

2) There is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals.
             -Often illustrative but could amplify of contradict the lyrics.

3) There is a relationship between the music and the visuals.
             -Often illustrative but could amplify of contradict the lyrics.

4) The demands of the artist record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of      the artist.

5) The artist may develop motifs of iconography that recur across their work (a visual      style)

6) There is frequent reference to the notion of 'looking' (screens within screens,                filming, cameras) and particularly voyeuristic (pleasure through looking) treatment      of the female body)

7) There are often inter-textual references- mostly to film, television and popular                culture.

Kiss You- One Direction

1- There are dance routines for the boy band.

2- There is not much of a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

3- The music does link to the visuals due to the upbeat song with the fast editing and the fun environment.

4- There are lots of close-ups of each member to showcase them all individually to please all the fans.

5- Some of the dance moves have been used in previous One Direction music video.

6- The video is shown that it is set in the studio, so there are lots of views of looking through camera screen and showing all the filming equipment links to the notion on 'looking'.

7- There are not many inter-textual references- maybe the video being set in a studio?

Award Winning Pop Music Videos

"What Makes You Beautiful" 

One Direction

MTV Music Award for Best Pop Video 2012

 For the verses the setting is clearly in a similar location, however the emphasis is on the boys driving the VW camper, and in the chorus they are on the beach.

As the tempo of the song gets quicker the location changes to become nearer to the beach for the chorus (i.e. they come onto the steps leading down)

There are lots of close ups on who is singing (something I can obviously use).

The visuals do relate to the song at some points when a girl is shown- particularly towards the middle/end of the song when the tempo slows down.

"Problem"

Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea

MTV Music Award For Best Pop Video 2014

For the verses there is generally a mixture of 2/3 scenes with good use of green screen in the intro (something I could use). For the chorus there is generally lots of dancing followed by close ups of a mans lips synced with the song.

-Lots of close ups of Ariana Grande- I like the pink background on this (and theme throughout) - I would like to try to do this as I like the angle and effect.

The visuals don't really relate to the song as there is no narrative- just lip synced.

Pop Music Videos Over the Past Decade

1) Kelly Clarkson- Since U Been Gone (2005)

 -2005 was the year of Youtube's launch and so this video was available through a new platform for the fans.

- This video is clearly of a much lower quality than the newer ones (on Youtube it is only available up to 480p)

- Very simple video in terms of a narrative (there isn't really one).

2) Cascada- Every Time We Touch (2006)

- This video is again of much lower quality than the more modern ones.

- Still a simple video set in a library however has more of a narrative- a girl who goes and trashes the library and changes it into a huge party, eventually she changes the rather geeky boy to become more good-looking and runs out with him at the end.


3) Katy Perry- I Kissed A Girl (2008)

- The quality of this video is much higher than the others, allowing you to watch it in HD on Youtube (720p)

- This video has many more different shots than the other 2, however it doesn't have as many as the more recent ones.

- Again, there is a clear narrative here- that sort of matches the song.






4) Cheryl Cole- Promise This (2010)


- This is one of my favourite music videos ever :)- I particularly love the silhouette scenes as I think that they are a very clever and hugely effective!

- This doesn't really have a narrative.

- The shots are much faster paced than the previous music videos- this shows an advance in the editing technology as it clearly becomes easier to use more shots

- Very creative scenes and shots- particularly the use of green screen and the silhouettes.

Music Video Song Choice

For my coursework this year I have decided to use "Nasty" By Pixie Lott:

I like this song due to its super-pop feel and I like the way in which the song ranges in tempo. The song is perfect for my performer as she knows the words due to the fact that she has been in a music video that I have made to it in the past (click here to see it).

Here is a little bit about the song:

• "Nasty"- By Pixie Lott
• Released March 7th 2014
• Was previously recorded by several other artists such as Christina Aguilera for her film "Burlesque" but it didn't make the final cut.
• Part of her 3rd self-titled studio album
• Reached No. 9 in the UK's Singles Charts
• Her Label is "Mercury" who also work with other singers such as Chase & Status and Jake Bugg.

What I Learnt From The Lipsyncing Task

Digital Technology:
Green Screening - Lighting, distance from camera, that dark colours work best 

Post Production (Cross-over with Digital Technolgy):
Green screen on green screen, layering, black and white, cropping, picture in picture, combining iMovie projects into one, importing music and video,

Creativity:
Props (Ice cubes, glass, beard, hats, changes of clothes- improvised), remaking of the old and making of the new- using an old video and copying it in order to see how it was made.

Research and Planning:
Video choice, dancing in different genres, storyboard and matching shots - very detailed shot by shot storyboard with timings. Constantly returning to plan to ensure correct shots.

Using conventions from real media texts:
Style of clothes/dance for rap/RnB genre. Hair/Make up, Facial expressions, Represent lyrics with dance ("park it like it hot"- the dance move). Camera and framing shots- over 20 shots in 30s, lots of cross cutting,