Introduction To Music Videos

What is the purpose of a music video;

• To create a recognisable image that will appeal to the Target Audience
• Marketing tool for the artist/band
• Increase airplay of the song for example on the radio or om TV
• Create more interest in the album
• Sell singles, albums and the band/artists brand

Media Theorist - Andrew Goodwin

Wrote about music videos and stated that they follow certain rules and codes and conventions. He stated that there are 6 rules;

1. The record company's demands for exposure of the artist will mean a lot of close-up shots of the singer/band.
2. There will be a relationship between the music and visuals.
3. There will be a relationship between the lyrics and visuals.
4. There will be genre characteristics, for example rock music videos show live music performances, hip hop videos present images of wealth and a 'gansta' lifestyle and boy bands have dance routines.
5. There will be references to the notion of looking for example television screens and mirrors with people looking at each other or at the audience. Voyeurism and scopophillia can be linked to this as well as the male gaze theory.
6. There will be some use of inter textual referencing.

Formula For Analysing Music Videos  (remember denotation and connotation)

1. Denotation of performance, narrative and other visual elements
2. Genre characteristics and cinematography - apply Goodwin
3. Mise-en-scene
4. Editing - connecting images with lyrics, has SFX been used? To what effect? Apply Goodwin
5. Notion of looking - apply Goodwin if possible
6. Inter textual referencing -  is there any? whats the effect?

Jay Z - 99 Problems

• High speed editing from start to finish, shows the audience the codes and conventions o a hip hop/RnB video.
• The costume that Jay-z is wearing within the video connotes that the genre of the music video is hip hop/RnB as he is wearing; gold chains, baseball cap, big bomber jacket, baggy jeans and is showing a derogatory treatment of women which is usual in these types of videos.
• We can see the way in which women are being treated as they are being shown as objects as they pose in bikinis.
• A lot of illegal stuff is happening within the videos as there are dog fights, violence as well as drugs.
• The setting os in a dangerous neighbourhood (maybe Brooklyn) a run down area that shows prison fences, basketball courts and people in balaclavas shooting guns.
• Record shop shots are shown throughout the video, suggests 'keepin it real' it represents jay z as having musical integrity.
• Black and white effect 'ghetto style' perhaps representing old american films, opposite of the usual romantic narrative in old american films, the effect makes everything seem darker/more rundown.
• Intertextual reference to Rick Ruben - founder of Def Jam i.e the triangle Jay-z makes with his hands.
• Low angles of Jay-z and close ups used make him look powerful, puts the audience in awe of him.

• Goodwins theory can be applied as the lyrics match the visuals, especially on the pieces of cardboard the elephant holds up.
• Narrative of the music video could possibly be linked to the the story of the leader within the band Coldplay.
• The song paradise also could help us as the audience to understand what the music video is about and why they have made it in this way. 
• We as the audience can hear through the lyrics that the elephant (Coldplay lead singer) is trying to find his Paradise.
• As the band member takes the elephant mask of half way through the song this is perhaps a 'cocky' thing to do by the band member, maybe he wants to prove that he can ride a unicycle and that its not someone else.
• The costume suggests that in fact the lead singer of Coldplay wants the audience to know that its a real person and not an actual elephant.
• As per usual in a soft rock/indie video we are shown a shot of the band playing their instruments together, this is a code and convention of this genre.
• Through the lyrics and the visuals as well as the title we as an audience can establish that this music video is trying to tell us that perhaps the lead singer of Coldplay was trying to find his paradise in his own life an now that he has his band that finally he's in Paradise and has found the freedom he's been looking for.