Analysis of the music video 'Elephant Gun' by Beirut.

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When researching into bands/artists who are similar to ours in terms of the style of genre and the theme of the music video, the band 'Beirut' was appealing in how it displayed it's genre and themes throughout the video. They are an American band primarily focusing on folk music/indie folk yet combining these genres with what is known as world music which is a musical category encompassing many different styles of music from around the world, including traditional music. This acoustic/instrumental style of music is similar to the style of music featured in our music video due to the many instruments played throughout, for instance the use of the Ukulele in the beginning of the video which is in the center of the mise-en-scene showing it's importance to the song. 

An intertextual reference to silent films is shown right at the beginning of this music video and is made evident by this opening shot which is a generic opening to a silent film. This links to Goodwin's media theory, for example: 'There are often intertextual references (to films, tv programmes, other music videos)'

This particular opening is featured as the opening of  many silent films for example in the Mary Pickford film 'Poor Little Rich Girl': 

REFERENCES TO ANDREW GOODWIN'S THEORY: 

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

Throughout this music video the artist is continually the main focus of the video as there are many close ups of him highlighting his importance. This also shows that the artist is the key feature of the video and is being promoted strongly, furthermore this enables the audience to notice the emotions of the artist and to some extent connect with the artist.

'There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and
 particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body'

Although the notion of voyeurism is not heavily shown in this music video there are still subtle hints throughout which suggest that there are elements in this music video which objectify women. An example of this is the costume that the female's wear in this video as the camera tends to draw attention to the short dresses they are wearing which show their bare thighs. The reason that this could be considered as voyeuristic treatment of the female body is the fact that the camera focuses on the women's body and clothes but the male dancers and the lead singer are not represented in a sexualized way at all. 

When analyzing the meaning of the lyrics and how they link to the visuals the fact that this music video is in a sense dream like references to our music video as throughout the video the audience are unaware as to whether what is happening is merely an illusion. The fact that this music has a dream like notion is talked about by the artist himself Zach condon who admits to representing the video 'Elephant Gun' as "a nostalgia for something that never happened to me—things I've seen in old movies" Therefore this idea of creating a video which represents a wonderful 'anything can happen' world which is merely a figment of one's imagination is appealing and is the style that our music video is aiming to achieve. Whether what is going on in the mise-en-scene is a reality or an illusion is up the audience meaning that they are able to engage with or even relate to the story of the music video.

 The artist goes on to talk about the fact that this video communicates the blurry sense of memory " It only imagines what it wants to and that, actually, is what I'm working off of…that's what makes a great story." Our music video has been inspired by this theme of mixing illusion with reality as well as creating a nostalgic feeling to some extent due to the protagonist in our video wondering around some sort of wonderland, running away from or even following the white rabbit. This, referencing to Alice in Wonderland where Alice goes on an adventure looking for the rabbit, our character is trapped in her own wonderland on an adventure of self discovery. The idea that she is on her way to self discovery is made evident towards the end of the music video where her costume changes which could represent her conforming to the modern society she has entered into. 

According to Andrew Goodwin music videos will either show a link between the lyrics and the visuals or instead a contradiction between the lyrics and the visuals. In reference to this music video another aspect of Goodwin's theory is made evident to some extent, for instance in the beginning of the video when the lyrics "Far from home, elephant guns" is sung there is a cut from the artist to a woman and a man, the woman wearing an elephant trunk. Therefore, it could be plausible to suggest that this is a link between the lyrics and the visuals as the costume reflects what the lyrics are saying, this connects the audience as they may link what they are hearing to what they are seeing meaning that they can engage with the video.

   

Intertextual references- for the editing process

Intertextual references- for the editing process on Prezi

Costume ideas - contemporary clothing

Throughout our music video the protagonist will change clothing as she transports through the eras beginning with an outdated Alice in Wonderland inspired dress which will then change into a more contemporary style of clothing reflecting the high street fashion of the modern era. Here are some ideas of the contemporary clothing that our main actress (Me) should wear :

Final decision for contemporary outfit: The reason for this outfit is the fact that it contrasts with the  bright colored gingham dress which is worn in the first part of the video therefore this is representing binary opposites. This is due to the fact that the beginning of the video the costume reflects happiness and the illusion of living in a wonderland a fantasy world, whereas the second part of the video shows the protaginist entering into the reality of the contemporary world, thus the costume representing the bleak future for young people today. 

Analysis of Florence and the Machine- Rabbit Heart - (Raise it up)

Fitting into the 'indie pop' genre Florence and the Machine's music video Rabbit Heart is an interesting video to analyze which references to the style of our own, with it's use of inter textual references and the overall style of the artist. Andrew Goodwin's theory of music videos has been applied in this video due to the beginning shot being an extreme close up of the artist's mouth. The rest of her face is covered up by strands of a sequin material, this could represent the fact that the focus is on her music as her mouth is the first thing the audience will notice and therefore this draws the audience in to the opening lyrics of the song. Furthermore, the sequins across her face may represent a veil which symbolizes purity as well as sincerity, thus representing the artist as angelic. 

'The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work'

In reference to Goodwin's theory this shot shows an example of 'There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals'. This is due to the fact that the opening lyrics which are 'The looking glass, so shiny and new' reference to the notion of her looking through something which is to some extent shown in this shot as she is looking through the gaps in the shiny material towards the camera. The idea of the 'looking glass' links to the novel Alice in Wonderland providing a potential intertextual reference to this music video as firstly it links to a second book of Alice in Wonderland called 'Through the looking glass. In addition to this,

           

The camera then pans out as Florence lifts the material from her face, this being a close up of her shown in the center of the mise-en-scene showing her importance and keeping her at the center of the audiences attention. The costumes in this video reflect the genre to some extent due to it being old fashioned yet vintage as well appealing to a niche audience.  Her costume could be described as a romantic costume which is a style of clothing which was influenced by Greek tunics and motifs, suggesting femininity. 

Furthermore, the artist's costume suggests a Pre-Raphaelite influence. This is made evident towards the end of the music video where the artist is laying in a coffin floating along the water this linking to the artist called Rossetti's painting called 'Opehelia. This particular character has been described as a passive character :   

   "Rossetti shows a mad, pitiable, yet frightening young woman" (Source: Ophelia -- Victimized Woman or Femme Fatale? -Elizabeth Lee '97, Brown University).

It is plausible to suggest that the influence of Shakespeare's character Ophelia reflects notions of the artists personality, for example this music video may be symbolozing Florence's feministic attitudes. She is expressing how women are portrayed in Hamlet- as merely possessions of the male characters.



The fact that their are aspects of the Alice in Wonderland theme in this music video links closely to our music video due to the intertextual references to the novel shown throughout our video. An example of how Rabbit Heart is linking to Alice in wonderland is made evident in the scene where the cast of the video are shown sitting behind a big feasting table which has pig heads on plates and various objects. It can therefore be suggested that this links to the Mad Hatter's tea party in Alice in Wonderland which gives the video a dream like quality to it, linking to the question which also arises when watching Alice in Wonderland; Is this all a dream, merely an illusion or is it a wonderful reality? When making our music video in order to incorporate intertextual references to Alice in Wonderland our decision was to also include a girl sitting behind a bright looking table, however instead of having a feast she is actually featured on her own and is shown drinking from a vintage style mug.

When analyzing the lyrics to this music video their are strong connotions throughout one being a link to 'King Midas' who was known in Greek mythology as he had the ability to turn anything he touches into gold. In reference to 'Rabbit Heart' the chorus features this reference to Midas :

"Midas is king and he holds me so tight
 And turns me to gold in the sunlight"
It is somewhat plausible to suggest that the influence of Midas the king whose wish to turn everything gold  became a reality strongly influences the story of this music video. For instance, the song opens with the lyrics "The looking glass so shiny and new" this could reference how he feels about his new power, nevertheless the lyrics then say "how quickly the glamour fades" this could symbolize the fact that he now sees his power as a curse due to the problems it brings. After researching into the story of King Midas his greed for gold got to the extent to him actually turning his little daughter into gold as his power was uncontrolable.
The beautiful flowers in his garden turned toward the sun for light, but when Midas approached and touched them, they stood rigid and gold.

 'The king grew hungry and thin, for each time he tried to eat, he found that his meal had turned to gold. His lovely daughter, at his loving touch, turned hard and fast to gold. His water, his bed, his clothes, his friends, and eventually the whole palace was gold.'  

Furthermore, in this music video the lyrics interpret this myth in a slightly different way, for example the lyrics "Midas is king and he holds me so tight, and turns me to gold in the sunlight" references to the fact that a cuddle with his daughter led to her being turned into gold. However there are lyrics before this which could reference to the moments before his daughter can be turned: " I must become a lion hearted girl Ready for a fight Before I make the final sacrifice"  In reference to the artist of the music video, she may symbolize the young girl in the myth, thus representing females as strong, fearless people.

"There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals"- Goodwins theory is therefore represented in this music video as when the artist sings the words "..and turns me to gold in the sunlight" a slight high angle close up of the protaganist of the video is shown with the sunlight reflecting onto her. Furthermore, the main focus of the shot is her bright auburn hair which almost looks gold, reflecting the notion of the myth.

Analysis of the representation of American culture in music videos.

To compare how cultural identity is represented in music videos, two different music videos of
different cultures will be analyzed and compared in order to highlight how each portray their specific culture.

Jay Z's lyrics are what he is known and respected for in describing his portrayals of black life, the cultural identity for an African American. Him being an African American star who uses his music as a way of representing his cultural identity. This particular music video by Jay Z (99 Problems) highlights the everyday injustice that ruins the lives of several in the black community, he tells a story of life for a African American man. First of all, this culture is represented as being surrounded by racial injustice and police corruption, always questioned and stereotyped. For example Jay Z's lyrics show this :

This shows the stereotype put towards this culture, being young and black puts them into a category of disobeying the law and generally being up to no good for no particular reason. This shows how the culture is represented as not being taken seriously or being respected in any way but instead being stereotyped. Seeing as he was pulled over for driving 55mph in a 54mph zone this shows the discrimination put towards him which he uses as an example of one of the many incidents which occur on an everyday basis for the black community. The white community are therefore implying that due to the fact that it is an African-American man driving it is unsafe for him to be on the roads and are over cautious of him because of his race. Their culture is represented in this video as thought of being a threat and danger to society and not to be trusted.  In reference to Andrew Goodwin's media theory there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals in this particular scene as the artist is rapping the conversation which is shown to be taking place between him and the police officer. 

His '99 problems' refer to the fact that he has social and political problems and stereotypes facing the black community meaning he has no time for positive things such as romance, and highlights this by using the word bitch when referring to love and compassion. Therefore, the African- American culture is represented through Jay Z as expressing somewhat misogynistic language towards women, stating that it would be weak of him to succumb to women problems as it supposedly diminishes his manhood. Not only does he represent women as being weak and only a problem in someone's life but also he identify's the culture as being masculine and the 'tough guys'.



The representation of culture is shown to be facing poverty and racial discrimination. For example there is a close up of an innocent looking youth shown to have no prospects who soon turns to crime due to having a lack of opportunities. This is shown in the next shot as it shows him pulling the mask over his face which is heavily associated with crime.



The shots in this music video vary in their technique, there are several close up shots of individuals enabling the audience to develop a personal connection with them. Furthermore, establishing shots are used to feel a sense of the location, for example the guetto neighbourhood is strongly portrayed in this video. The shots are unsteady which create a sense of urgency as well as matching the fast pace of the beat, the audience are therefore engaged with the video due to so much that is going on.

References to African culture are displayed in this video, for instance there is a shot of a Native African man in tribal clothing dancing showing the roots of this culture, it then quickly cuts to a shot  of more contemporary street dancing performed by African people.This shows the vast modern change of this culture reflecting social and political influences.

The black community are represented as criminals as shown in this image from the music video, it's almost as if they are trying to kill racism, and instead of them being the criminals the other cultures are really what's wrong with the society.

Goodwin's theory is made evident in this video due to the voyeuristic treatment of the female body,  this already male orientated video includes close ups of women in bikinis focusing on their body parts. This exploits women in the video and represents them as simply being possessed by a man they are merely objects that a man can pick and choose when he wants. The lyrics also connect with the visuals as when the women are shown in the video he says "I got 99 problems but the bitch ain't one.." meaning that he is demeaning the women and showing them off to be a problem he doesn't have to deal with.

Criticisms facing this music video:

The representation of women is somewhat controversial in this video due to the misogynistic lyrics as well as the voyeuristic images objectifying women. Even Jay Z admitted in a recent book of his the extent to which he portrayed women as merely possessions:

 "Some [lyrics] become really profound when you see them in writing. Not 'Big Pimpin.' That's the exception.  It was like, I can't believe I said that. And kept saying it. What kind of animal would say this sort of thing? Reading it is really harsh."  


This video showed that young black men are discriminated as shown by the judgments that the police men of them stopping them for going 1mph over the speed limit. This shows that as young black men are at the bottom of the pecking order, black women therefore have less status and respect. Therefore, this music video represents women as weak and the voyeuristic shots of them give off the impression that the only thing that they are good for is there looks and physique, other than that they are merely a problem in a mans life.


The representation of African Americans in this music video contrasts to the representation shown in the music video by Leftfield, Africa Shox. This is due to the fact that although both the robotic black man in Africa Shox and Jay Z are shown as the victims in the video, Jay Z actually stands up for himself to an extent and rebels against the racial discrimination whereas in Africa Shox the protagonist looking out for help and slowly giving up due to the lack of compassion and respect given to him.

Bat for Lashes- What's a Girl To Do- Music video analysis-

The reason for choosing this specific music video to analyse was due to the connotations of the video and intertextual references shown throughout. The artist's stage name is 'Bat for Lashes' and is an English singer songwriter focusing predominately on the indie pop genre as well as aspects electronica and folk supposedly known as 'Folktronica'. First of all, in reference to Goodwin's theory this music video demonstrates the use of intertextual references to media texts. For example, after researching the importance of the masked men on the bikes in the background I have found the link between them and the horror film Donnie Darko. This film shows a troubled teenager who is plagued by a large threatening bunny rabbit who is believed to be a figment of his imagination. Therefore this is referenced in this video as the bunny is featured with the other masked creatures behind the girl until the chorus connoting that they are all part of her imagination and the different animals could reflect the range of emotions she could be feeling. For instance, the bunny rabbit representing her fear and angst and fact that her emotions may be torturing her which links to the feelings of manipulation of the protagonist in Donnie Darko.
                 In reference to Goodwin's media theory one could argue that there is actually a relationship between lyrics and visuals as in the lyrics of this music video she says "..and when your dreams are on the train to train wreck town..." the visuals being her on her bike travelling down a misty road and the dreams and imaginations of her are the masked creatures following her which pop out from behind her when the chorus begins. Another point of Andrew Goodwin's theory which is contradicted in this music video is the idea that 'There is frequent reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body'. This video first of all represents the artist in a different way, instead of her being provocatively dressed which is shown in videos of Beyonce- Single Ladies for example, she is instead shown looking rather girly and young instead of looking ahead of her years. Also, the camera focuses on her face rather than her body meaning that she may not be looked at in a sexual way like other artists. Another main factor of Goodwin's theory which is 'Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics' is made evident in this music video. For instance, the electronica/ dance genre is primarily represented through the bright lights shown in the distance in the forest as well as being on the bikes in the background. They represent the disco lights that would be expected to see at a club connoting the dance genre. Furthermore, close ups of the artist are shown in this video which is another point from Goodwin's theory, the artist is shown at the center of the mise-en-scene showing her importance to the video and to enable the audience to identify with her.


To some extent this video links to aspects of our idea for our own music video due to the fact that it highlights the dream like state that the girl is in conjuring up all of the creatures behind her who are literally and mentally following her which is also shown in our music video which connotes the imaginary world that the protagonist is trapped in- the 'wonderland'.

Also, in reference to the style of music for our music video this artist also uses a variety of instruments in her music meaning that the genre of this music is not completely defined like ours.

Props

Audience Research- Finding Acoustic/Folk

Audience research-finding acoustic on Prezi

First shoot

This is our raw footage which after feedback we have decided that it is in need for some improvement. For example we focused on too many long and mid shots which portray little style and are not interesting enough for our music video. Therefore, we need to focus on creating more extreme low angle tilts of the big buildings aswell as close ups and zooms on the protaginist enabling the audience to see her emotions. Furthermore, after hearing feedback from our teacher we have decided on some new urban looking locations for our main character to walk through, we especially need to create extreme low angle tilts of big industrial buildings, for examples high street shops.

Although there are areas of our first shoot that need improving we have decided to keep the shots where the protaginist is walking out of the underpass and up to the busy street showing cars and buildings. We will also keep the shots of the graffitti due to the fact that they are perfectas a cultural signifier to the urban locations of Britain. 

Location shots

Beginning shots.

This location which is the Plantation Gardens could potentially be used as the protagonists world- where she will wake up and explore as well as being followed by the masked creatures. It gives a 'wonderland' effect to it meaning that it links perfectly to the idea of our main character referencing to Alice in Wonderland.





Straus' theory of binary opposites will be reflected due to the juxtaposition of our locations for our video. The protagonist will begin in the plantation gardens which reflects the idea of  the wonderland due to it being an aesthetically pleasing location full of joy. This dream like location will contrast with the next location which will be the urban city, shots of graffiti on walls and a bleak atmosphere. Furthermore, the contrast between illusion and reality will be represented by the locations as well as the protagonist. This confusion between reality and illusion may lead the audience in questioning which is the reality and which is the illusion.

Storyboard ideas