Music Video Analysis - Stone Roses ' I Wanna Be Adored'

Location/ Mise-En-Scene: The locations shown in the video are that of a desert. This location is seen through the superimposed fade behind the band as they perform as well as the shots of the band walking through the desert itself. In terms of lighting, the lighting is mostly low-key however it isn’t so overpowering in either way (Low and high-key lighting) )The costumes include that of the band member’s normal clothing of baggy t-shirts and trousers. This ordinary image is highly conventional of the genre and band. The band play with their instruments (Guitars, drum kits, microphone).

Representations: There is the representation of youth as the band members dance and ‘feel the music’ in an artistic way. This representation of youth is reinforced by the clothing the band members wear which are in no way glamorous or expensive. This once again reinforces the idea of the band being ordinary.

Performance/ narrative/ concept: The production showcases the band walking through a desert and performing in a montage style. The video is filled with superimposition and the psychedelic purple colour.  There is little narrative in the production due to the easy and relaxed feel the video has to it.

Performance style: The style of performance in this video is that of a slower paced tempo. The slower movements of the band members indicates this. Much of the slowing down has been achieved through after effects, however many of the movements are indeed just performed slower than the conventional Britpop music performance.

Shot types: 

This establishing shot is one of the first shots of the video and accurately  demonstrates the area of performance and sets location for the rest of  the video.

 This shot encompasses the entire band and shows the location of the performance. This is an effective shot due to the fact it shows the entire band playing their instruments, and demonstrates unity. 

This medium-long shot depicts the bassist performing in front of a faded purple sand dune, in synchronization with the rest of the production.






This low-angled shot gives mild star treatment to this band member as it makes the audience look up at said performer. This demonstrates a superiority complex.

Copyright Research

As a group, we emailed the production company that created the music video of 'Wonderwall'. It was important that we emailed the production company because they would of thought that we were trying to make money out of their famous song, knowing that the song has become worldwide over the years. Therefore, we had to inform them what our task was for and why we're using their music video.

Conventions of music videos

By creating this post, it has informed me of what to include in music videos. For example, a variety of props and features. By researching about the conventions of music videos, as a group we can replicate some these conventions and include in our final media product. Therefore, our product will look professional, as a result of our product looking like a realistic Britpop music video.

Conventions of Britpop

Britpop

Britpop is a UK based music and culture movement in the mid-1990s which emphasised "Britishness", and produced bright, catchy pop music, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music, an alternative rock genre, and to the UK's own shoe gazing music scene. The most successful bands associated with the movement are Oasis, Blur, Suede and Pulp; those groups would come to be known as its "big four”. The time span of Britpop is generally considered to be 1993-1997, with 1994-1995, and a chart battle between Blur and Oasis dubbed "The Battle of Britpop", being the epicentre of activity.

Through Britpop is seen retrospectively as a marketing tool, and more of a cultural moment than a musical style or genre, there are musical conventions and influences the bands grouped under the Britpop term have in common. Britpop bands show elements from the British pop music of the sixties, glam rock and punk of the seventies, and indie pop of the eighties in their music, attitude, and clothing. Specific influences are: Blur and Oasis drew from the Kinks and the Beatles, respectively while Elastica had a fondness for arty punk rock.

How do we recognise the Britpop genre?

• Usually performance elements

It is important that we replicate this in our final music video. This is because a variety of successful bands use this element  in order to show the links to the Britpop genre. By many successful bands including this element, it suggests that it will help improve the quality of the music video, as it will link back to the genre.

• A story interwoven with scenes of band performing

It is important that we replicate this element in our music video because it will help attract the audience by creating enigma throughout the video. Therefore, the audience will try and workout the meaning of the song. Which means, the audience watch the music video throughout. Many successful Britpop bands use this element, which suggests that if we include this in our music video, it will help improve the quality of the music video.

• Low key lighting

We should replicate this element in our music video. This is because it helps establish the band members to the audience. The more important band members are normally in the light and the less important members are normally in the background in the dark. Therefore, by replicating this element it will help improve the quality of our music video.

• Colours - Red, White and blue

By researching the different colors that are used in Britpop music videos. We've realised that the common colors that are used in successful Britpop music videos are red, white and blue. This suggests that Britpop bands using the colours of the union jack is to show to the audience where they've originated from. As a group we need to replicate this common element because it helps improve the quality of the music video.

• Logo/symbols = tends to be the Union Jack (sometimes modern symbols - influence of 1960's/70's pop music)
  

As a group we should replicate this element in our music video. This is because many successful Britpop bands use this element to show where the band has originated from. Therefore, this gives the audience a sense of togetherness. Which means that the audience will like the band even more.

• Influenced by British guitar music of the past
• 

By making this post it will allow us to include a variety of Britpop conventions such as; camera shots and movements of the performing bands. This will help us create a professional Britpop music video. Also it will allow us to include a variety of jump cuts in the music video. Therefore, this will help show the pace of the music video, which implies to the audience the mood of the song.

Dyer's Star Theory

How does it link to my Genre?

Richard star theory links to the Britpop genre because many Britpop bands use well known artists to help attract big audiences and make a lot of money.

What is it?

Richard Dyers star theory is the idea that icons and celebrities are manufactured by institutions for financial gain. He believes that stars are constructed to represent 'real people' experiencing real emotions. Stars are manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose; to make money out of audience, who respond to various elements of a star’s personality by buying records and becoming fans. 

His theory is spilt into three sections:

1. Audiences and Institutions 

2. Constitutions 

3. Hegemony

Audience and Institutions 

Stars are made for money purposes alone. Increasing the brand identity benefits the institution as they become a household name increasing sales in all of the media platforms they are in.  The institution then models the artist around the target audience they choose. For example Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher, each have an highly popular audience. But by combinating the two together in the band 'Oasis' there's going to be a wider audience. 

As you can see on these three magazine covers. They've used Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher to help promote their magazine. This is because they know that by using them on their magazine covers, it will bring attract another type of audience. Therefore, magazine sales will rise.

By researching this element, it suggests to us as a group that it is important to use well known successful artists in a band. This is because it helps increase the brand identity. Therefore, more audiences will be engaged to the band, as a result of being a fan of the different artists in the band.

As you look at this digipak, Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher are placed in the middle of the shot. Therefore, this suggests that their both represented as the direct attention to the audience. By taking the picture in a town/city centre with nobody around. This helps represent them as independent individuals. Therefore, this supports Oasis as a group because they've created their own songs with lyrical meanings with no help from external sources or previous iconic Britpop artists.

From looking at this Oasis poster,

Constitutions

This is more or less the same as the audience and institution part of his theory. 

Hegemony  

This also known as 'culture'. It is the idea that the audience relates to the star because they have a feature that they share and admire with the star. Some fans may attempt to replicate the star in their behaviour, what they and what they do. But this could also be a negative impact as some stars often are heavy drinkers and drug abusers. For example in the 60's and 70's there was an increase of illegal sales of cannabis due to The Beatles being open about using it. Stars represent shared cultural values and attitudes, and promote a certain ideology. Audience interest in these values enhances their 'star quality', and it is through conveying beliefs, ideas and opinions outside music that performers help create their star character to their fans. A star may start a fashion trend, with masses of fans copying their hairstyle and clothing. Stars benefit from cultural discourse for example, fans copied Noel Gallagher's and Liam Gallagher's hairstyle and the thickness of their eyebrows, which was a common trend in the late 90's and early 2000's.

By learning this aspect, it suggests to us that it is extremely important to start trends as a band. This is because it will help promote the band because the audience will copy successful Britpop bands, for example Oasis. Therefore, the public will identify the hairstyles and realise that their copying the trend. This has helped Oasis become very successful in the past. We can replicate this by wearing wigs with the same hairstyle in our music video.

By learning this theory, it will help me introduce it into my media product, therefore my product will look professional, as a result of including a variety of Richard Dyer Star features.

Narrative Theory - Analysis

Live Forever - Oasis

Propp        

Propp looked at folk tales and saw some structures they shared in common. He found 8 character roles and 31 functions that move the story along.
The 8 character roles can also be types of action because they are not the sort of roles which appear in the cast list. One character in the film or play can occupy several of his character roles or types of action. They are: 

1.The villain
2.The hero (not always good but always carries the story along, the central character and not always male)
3.The donor (who provides an object with some special property)
4.The helper (who helps the hero)
5.The princess (the reward for the hero and object of the villain’s schemes)
6.Her father (who rewards the hero)
7.The dispatcher (who sends the hero on his way)
8.The false hero

From looking at Propp's structure, we've decided not to include his structure in our music video. This is because you wouldn't see his structure in any successful Britpop bands music videos. For example, in the music video for 'live forever' by Oasis, they haven't used any actors that have roles of being 'the hero' or 'the villian'. Therefore, we need to replicate that and not include Propp's structure, because it doesn't link to the Britpop genre. 

Todorov

He argued that stories begin in 'equilibrium' when all forces are in balance.

This is disrupted by a problem to cause 'disequilibrium'. Then more events take place before a 'new equilibrium' is established.

Many film makers today don’t bother setting up the normal world in order to disrupt it with a problem (a killer shark, etc.) and go straight for the problem and disequilibrium. However, there will always be a sense in the film of what life was like before the problem came along and therefore what the characters can return to if they can only sort the problem out.

From looking at Todorov's theory we've realised that a variety of Britpop bands use his theory to create storyline. For example, the music video for 'Live Forever' by Oasis it has a disequilibrium in the video, which digging a hole for one of the band members. But at the end of the music video, it shows that a new equilibrium had been established by the band member finding a way to get out of the hole. Therefore, we're going to use Todorov's theory in our music video because it links to our music genre, which is Britpop. 

Lévi-Strauss

He argued that all meaning-making, not just narratives, depend on binary oppositions– a conflict between two sides/qualities which are opposites.

By looking at Levi-Strauss' theory, Its made us realise that we replicate this narrative theory in our Britpop music video. We could use the binary opposition of upper class vs lower class. This is because this is a common use of binary opposition in a successful Britpop music video. For example, Oasis and The Stone Roses use this in a variety of their music videos. Therefore, we should replicate this in order to create a professional music video. 

This post has benefited me because it has informed me to include a variety of Narrative theories within my media product. For example, I'm going to use a variety of props in my music video because it will help engage a wide range of audiences.

Analysis of Barthes

Roland Bathes - Barthes theory of semiotics says that all narratives are based on signs in the narrative that the audience then have to decode.

The Codes

• Hermeneutic Code- Mystery, Enigma, avoiding the truth. Deliberately avoiding the truth for suspense.

By learning the Hermeneutic code, we could replicate this in our music video, to help keep the audience engaged. We could use this code by saving the revealing clips towards the end of our music video. For example in the music video of 'Live forever' the most revealing scene is left to the end of the video where the band members dig a person in the soil. Therefore, this will make the audience watch the music video until the end. Which means, that our music video will be high quality.

Proairectic Code- Also used to build tension. Develops the story's suspense, dependent on two sequential codes: the revelation of truth and the co-ordination of the actions represented. 

By learning the Proairectic Code we will replicate this so the audience are kept guessing as to what is going to happen throughout the video and the build up tension will also add to this effect. By building up tension of the video, it will make the audience watch the video until the end. Which means, that our music video will be professional, as a result of successful Britpop bands applying the same idea to their music videos.

• Semantic Code- Refers to connotation within the story that gives additional meaning over the basic denotative meaning of the word. It is by the use of extended meaning that can be applied to words that authors can paint rich pictures with relatively limited text.

By researching about the semantic code, we've realised as a group that we should replicate this code throughout our music video. This is because in a variety of Britpop music videos For example, 'Wonderwall' by Oasis use words that have additional meanings to their storyline. Therefore, this helps create enigma to the audience, which helps improve the quality of the music video.

• The symbolic code- This is similar to semantic code but on a wider level, organizing semantic meaning into broader meanings. 

• Cultural Code- This code refers to anything that is founded on some kind of canonical works that cannot be challenged and is assumed to be a foundation for truth.

Goodwin's Theory

How does it link to my Genre?

Goodwin's theory links to the Britpop genre because in many Britpop music videos they contain a variety of genre characteristics. For example, in Oasis's music videos there are a variety of performance shots of the band. It is important that we replicate this in our music video because its one of the most common genre characteristics that Britpop bands feature in their music videos.

Key Points;

1 - Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

- Themes, mise-en-scene and events of the video match with lyrics of the song, to help to portray the message of the song.

By learning this point, it has made us realise that it is important to show the means of the lyrics through events throughout the music video. By doing this, it allows the audience to understand the meaning of the lyrics a lot easier. Therefore, as a group we should include this in our music video because many successful Britpop bands include it, which suggests that its one of the conventions of the genre of Britpop.

2 - Relationship between the music and the visuals.

- The cuts and edits of the video are in sync with the rhythm and beat of the song matching cuts or effects to specific drum beats or notes.

By learning this point, we've realised as a group it is extremely important that we sync our cuts and edits within the rhythm and the beat of the song. This is because many successful Britpop bands, for example, Oasis sync their cuts to beat of the song. By doing this, it allows the music video to have continuity. Therefore, as a group we should consider replicating this in our music video because it will help create a professional music video.

3 - Music videos have genre characteristics

- Certain features are expected out of a video depending on the genre of the music, for example Britpop bands/artists are expected to have close ups of the performing bands and cut to a fast beat.

By learning this point, we've realised as a group how important it is to include close ups of the performing band in Britpop music videos. For example, Oasis in their music video for Wonderall, utilise this point affectively and include a variety of close up shots of the performing band. It is important that we replicate this in our music video because the audience will be able to identify the band members used in the music video.

4 - Often due to the demands of the record label, artists videos will include many close ups of the artist and will often develop motifs that recure across multiple videos

- This allows the record label to promote a set image for the band, which will help target audiences empathise with the band.

5 - Emphasis on 'looking'

- The 'male gaze' is often used to attract a male audience. The male gaze is a focus on presenting things that appeal to men. This often means a voyeuristic view of, and an objectification, of women. The emphasis on looking also includes the artist looking directly into the camera helping the audience connect with the artist.

By looking at this point, we've realised that Britpop bands don't normally use this point of 'male gaze' because there isn't many successful Britpop female bands. Therefore, if we use this point in our music video it will look unprofessional and it won't link to the genre.

Overall, by learning Goodwin's theory, it will help me create a unique media product because it will inform me to include a variety of genre characteristics. For example, include a variety of camera shots of the performance band. This is extremely important that I include this characteristic because many successful Britpop bands have included this characteristic.

S.W.O.T Analysis for Britpop Music Video

Strengths:

We know potential actors for the music video

Are able to include a variety of shot types

Relatable to us as a group - Therefore, it is easy to act out
Able to portray an understandable narrative throughout
Fashion style is similar to the actors Opportunities:

Able to use a variety of different props - Guitars 
Easy to portray a narrative through the music video

Weaknesses:

Easy to make mistakes and make it look professional

Threats:

Hard to make the video look different to other successful Britpop music videos - copyright

This post will help us create a professional media product as it allows us to S.W.O.T analyse successful Britpop music videos. Therefore, this will help us gain creative ideas of what to include in our media product. Throughout this music video there are a variety of camera shots and movements. This suggests that it is extremely important to include a variety shots and movements because it will make the music video have continuity, which makes it look professional. We realised as a group that the other brief didn't suit us 'make a promotion packaging for the release of an album'. This is because we wouldn't of been able to show off our camera skills and editing skills, which we find one of our strengths of constructing a music video. Therefore, we went for the music video brief.

My target to improve this year

This year I want to demonstrate creative ideas within my media product. This is extremely important that I follow this target because it will enable me to include unique features within my media product, which will make it look professional. Therefore, this will lead me to achieve my target grade.