CM: Deconstructing a music video

Institutions and Audience: Pigeon Detectives "I'm not sorry"

• How might this Video be consumed? Channels? Ambient or focused viewing?

  

  The way music video is consumed can be both focused and ambient, in majority of cases the music video is Ambient due to having the music channel TV show on in the background e.g. when having friends around. Also via Web 2.0 for example Youtube, which has a much higher rate of focused viewing, due to the fact that is usually a single person activity and would watch the video. Web 2.0 also allows a band/artist to connect with their fans, via websites and blogs. This enhances the artist's meta-narrative and star brand, by allowing the fans to communicate actively with the band in an entirely new way. The music video "I'm not sorry" by the Pigeon detectives was focused viewing as it was produced when the Pigeon Detectives were hardly known thus wouldn't appear on music channels and so only fans would watch the video and would be focused upon the production.

• Think about the institutional context of this video - considering the genre and artist, what role would the record label play in creating these promotional texts?

Genre and narrative:

• Using Goodwin, what are the forms and conventions evident in the video?

Andrew Goodwin is a critical theorist who identified the conventions of music videos. These conventions are all easily identifiable within this music video that there are a number of Meat Shots of the artist and his costume is the same throughout the production creating his visual style and adding to the star brand.  The video is performance based as there is no narrative other than when the band smash a car. However the there is no woman present within the music video this breaks the convention of looking or voyeurism present within music videos. It also helps amplifies the meaning of the song, where the singer has left his girlfriend and so won't "take her back" it also further reinforces the bands meta-narrative as being very close, which is a common feature of indie bands. There is also a relationship between music and visuals with it showing the effect of a break up, and guys letting out their anger but hiding there emotions from the rest of the world. Also "grain of voice" which creates authenticity and likability between the band and the audience.

• Is this an example of illustration or amplification? Or disjuncture? Why?

This video is an example of amplification as the lyrics are amplified by the visuals creating an aural signifier. The lyrics tell a story of a hard break-up involving dishonesty 'I'll never take you back' demonstrates that he has broken up with the girl for something that was hurtful to him and has lost his trust in the girl which is why he has gone to vent his anger by smashing objects up and rebelling. It also creates a deeper connotation of the lyrics and a hetero-normative discourse.

• Could this video be considered art?

This music video could be considered as art as it is in the indie genre, meaning that the video will be independent. It is evident it is not so overly commercialized as seems to be created very cheaply as no sfx or many locations and expensive props etc. It can be seen as art as is an expression from the band, yet it was created to promote the song so can be seen as an advert and not art.

Media Language: "Fire" Kasabian:

• What is the "message" or purpose of the video? Is there a social message, or a brand image being constructed?

The social message being created through the video is the power of music; can be a weapon of good and evil, is not discriminative meaning anyone can be in the industry, and also that it brings wealth. Evidence for this is constructed through the lyric of "I'm on fire " which is an aural signifier of being untouchable, furthermore through the visuals of robbing banks (evil) with guitars which connotes fear and fear is a signifier of power. Also the costumes are all different with people in suits and people in ripped clothes demonstrating that music has no class segregation, this is an emergent ideology.

Richard Dyer is another critical theorist who believes in two paradoxes 1) A star must be simultaneously ordinary and extra-ordinary, 2) A star must be simultaneously present and absent. This is apparent in "Fire" through the band singing into a window which is highly ordinary and then robbing a bank with guitars which is extra-ordinary, and with the band being on screen makes them present and then not on screen makes them absent. Thus adhering to both of Dyer's paradoxes. Dyer also states that "the incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to "complete" it, or make sense of the image." This gives "good" music video repeatability, because the audience will try to understand the band. Kasabian's star image is constructed through the visuals. The star image has strong connotations of a being powerful in the music industry and this in turn signifies success and wealth which is a common desire from life.

• What visual techniques are used to do this and why? (camera, editing, mise-en-scene, sfx)

Camera: Begin with LS in-order to show location and band members. Then there is another key common convention within music video the mirror shot this is a signifier of reflection which connotes wrong doing, this is demonstrated later through the visuals of robbing a bank. There is a low angle of the man at the beginning of the music video which connotes we are better than him..

Editing: There is a slow cutting rate which is in correlation with the tempo, as the tempo quickens so does the cutting rate this keeps interest in the video also helping the video stand up to repeatability this would promote the song as would make sure the song got indented on the sub-conscious such as many adverts and thus is a effective promotion.

Mise-en-scene: The costume of the main singer is in a denim jacket and is much less smart then either of the two other band members both of whom are wearing suits. This connotes the unimportance of upbringing and class with effect of going to the top, proving by him being the leader of the band. The props shown of the guitars conform to the song being played and help to make the authenticity of the production, and also that the guitar and music is the bands weapon and way to challenge life.

• Is there any intertexuality/ references to popular culture? How does this create meaning for the audience? Think about postmodernism here, use of parody, pastiche.

There is intertexuality within "Fire", as there are connotations from the hair style of the lead singer, it is long which hits towards the genre of rock. This helps to confirm to the audience that the style is Indie-Rock. Furthermore there are references to popular culture of rebellion proven by the visuals of robbing a bank which connotes fighting authority, this gives meaning to the audience as they can create connections between themselves and the band, wanting antidisestablishmentarianism.

Representation: "All falls down" - Kanye West:

• How are the band/artist represented? Their star persona constructed? Does this add to their "meta-narrative" in anyway? How does it help sell their product?

The Star brand and Meta-narrative is demonstrated in this video by Kanye West's wealth, girlfriend and gestures which all demonstrate confidence and an instinctive drive for success. Kanye West appears to treat women with respect saying goodbye to someone who appears to be his partner, yet is juxtaposition to the shot were Kanye is looking into the car window and the woman kisses him on the cheek Kanye doesn't react to it, this demonstrates a lack of respect for women. It promotes hetero-normative discourse and hegemonic masculinity.  Also Kanye keeps getting buzzed in the x-ray machine which signifies his wealth, that he has so much "bling" that he is unable to remove it all in time and thus goes through the x-ray machine in the bag scanner instead. This represents Kanye as a stereotypical hip-hop star who has escaped the ghetto and has over indulged upon material things. The music video is a promotion of Kanye West as a brand, and is attempting to inspire both people in the ghetto that they too can achieve greatness and also showing the rest of the world that no matter your background you can succeed in life.

• How are different social groups represented through the video?

There are two different groups represented within this video, upper class and middle/working class. The upper classes being Kanye West and his partner, who are surrounded by luxurious objects e.g. limousine, designer clothes. The middle/working class being the airport staff who are working with the flight, and the fastfood workers. This is demonstrating the difference between the two classes and their way of life, one being successful and the other not. It is signifying the way life can be lived with winners and losers. However, the classes are mixing with no segregation and also everyone appears happy and thus all the classes are the same and the people within those classes, connoting that we are all human and nothing more.

• What is the ideological discourse? Look at issues such as how gender is represented, as well as race, age/youth, and institutions like church, police. Think whether any "dominant" values and beliefs in our society are being challenged or reinforced in this media text and ask yourself why the artist might do this.

Goffman, Jhally and Kilbourne are critical theorists who looked into the representation of women within music video. They identified that music video is voyeuristic when women are involved. As there is a use of disjuncture, commodification and the extra-diajectic gaze. These features are all evident within this music video with the ped-up camera shot to reveal the woman standing outside of the limousine, which has intertexuality with the film noir genre, and the introduction of women usually "femme fatale" this technique is voyeuristic and seeing women as objects and a product to be owned which is commodification. Furthermore, the extra-diajectic gaze is present when the female is looking past the camera and seems vacant, this signifies that the woman is absent. These conventions of women in music video are all dominant ideologies about women and very discriminative, suppressing women and seeing men on top and in control, connoting hegemonic masculinity.