Target audience/ Narcissism research

When searching for our target audience for our music video looking for the artists inspirations is the first step. The reason for this is due to the fact that artists as well as directors in some cases tend to be narcissistic when creating their music/ music videos or films.Narcissism originated from the myth of Narcissus who was a man who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water, rejecting those around him and becoming deeply selfish he drowned when falling into the water unable to look away from himself.



Furthermore, Narcissism is frequently made evident in music videos due to the many close ups of the singer which are shown throughout the music video. This leaves the audience feeling connected to the audience as they may aspire to be that singer and feel that they have an inspiration to follow. Moreover, music videos, films and literature are all work of an artists/authors/directors imagination, therefore each our narcissistic due to the author creating what they would want to see/read. This references to Goodwin's theory due to the fact that one point from his theory which he believes is shown in music videos is "There  is frequent reference to notion of looking and particularly  voyeuristic treatment of the female body" - This basically shows that a music video presents a narcissistic view of the artists due to some presenting many shots of the artists looking into the camera lens or looking into a mirror at themselves. For instance in Coldplay's video 'Violet Hill' the artist's facial features are the main focus as their is a magnifying glass which is used to zoom up to the singer's mouth. This first of all helps to sell the artist's image as well as focusing on the main point of the music video - the music. 

It is therefore plausible to suggest that in order to find an artist's target audience it is important to find out about the artist themselves (their inspirations, image and genre). After contacting the artist of our music video 'Billy Lubach' who created 'Antiques' I found various inspirations of his as well as picturing an idea of the target audience to his music and our music video. We interviewed him in order to find out various artists that have inspired his own music. Some being, 'The Beach Boys' an American surf rock/rock band who were formed in the 60s, 'Beirut' another American band combining folk rock with world music which includes various styles of music from the world. An independent singer-songwriter who also came under the list of influential artists to our artist to our music video is 'Kenny Anderson' primarily known by his stage name 'King Creosote' who focuses on alternative rock which ranges to folk music as well. Last of all is the indie folk-pop duo 'Kings of Convenience' - "the musical group is known for their delicate tunes, calming voices, and intricate and subtle guitar melodies" (source: Wikipedia) 

 When considering the idea of Narcissism in music videos it is plausible to suggest that our music video shows aspects of our own preoccupations and what we as an audience would like to see in a music video. For instance, when deciding to create an Alice in Wonderland style to our music video the idea was instantly appealing due to enjoying watching them myself and the nostalgia I've always felt when watching or being reminded of the classic fairy tales. It can therefore be argued that I have developed an idea for our music video based on what I would find appealing, for example fantasy stories have always been an interest of mine so watching a music video with that particular theme would enable me to connect with the artist as it would lead me to believe that I share the same interests as them.  

Furthermore, due to many artists basing their work on themselves and us demonstrating this in our music video, our target market would be those of the same age group as us from the 16 - 20 age bracket. They would more than likely enjoy reading stories by Lewis Carroll as well as other fairy tales.

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

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.

Intertextual references- Alice in Wonderland

This particular clip is the first ever film version of  Lewis Carroll's tale 'Alice in Wonderland', it was filmed in 1903 and shows a perfect example of a silent film which links to the idea for our music video as we have chosen a track which is purely instrumental with no lyrics. As in our music video the main girl will be shown in Alice's style of costume lost in a whole new world it therefore links to this silent film which would work perfectly with instrumental music in the background. The flickered effect on this film is something that would be appealing to use in our music video due to the vintage and out dated feel of it.

This is a screen shot from our music video and shows how our character is influenced by Alice in Wonderland in her costume. Also the idea of their being a burst of colour in the opening to our music video is appealing due to it being aesthetically pleasing as well as drawing the audience's attraction to the character. Furthermore, beginning in black and white and then dissolving into a vivid image references to the oldest color film which dates back to 1901/1902.

The sepia effect is also interesting and could potentially be used in our music video signifying the dream like state that our main character (Annie) will be in. As in reference to this particular video we thought it would be interesting for the young girl in our video to be asleep on a field in one of the shots with the masked creatures looming over her.

Our idea of our main character being followed and taunted by the masked creatures contrasts with this short film as instead of following the creatures like Alice she is trying to get away from them.


The Wicker Man has been somewhat influential when planning our music video, this is due to the masked creatures shown left which we decided to include in our music video. They are interesting due to the fact that they can relate to being evil which links to the fact that they come from Pandora's box and can never be escaped from by the young girl.

Controversial and Intriguing music videos

An example of a particular video which instantly showed the zeitgeist of Britain whilst also showing a political message is the video 'God Save the Queen' by the Sex Pistols. The beginning lyrics say "God Save the Queen, the fascist regime" this shows straight away that this is an example of anti royal and how the people of Britain may have been feeling at that particular time. What is interesting in this video is their iconic style of the black leather skinny jeans was originated back to mods and rockers which were two conflicting British youth subcultures of the 1960s. Just be this particular style audiences can be influenced due to the fact that they can identify with an aspect of the band, for example wearing similar clothing of the bands genre to feel part of something. Not only can audiences identify with the style of a band but they can also identify with their political views, gender, image, genre and so on. For example this controversial video by the Sex Pistols may have lead others to connect to the band as they may have the same political views. This gives the audience a sense of belonging meaning by following the particular image of the band they feel a part of something. In reference to our music video an iconic style and image is needed in our video to first of all fit with the specific genre and to appeal to the audience who already listen to music of the folk/acoustic genre.




Another artist who looked towards sending out a message of peace in his music was Bob Dylan who was thought of as an activist singer. His political message in his music was aiming for civil rights, some audiences identified with his music due to similar political views meaning people were drawn to his music as they could feel a sense of belonging.

   *include more on the history of folk music and image + link to music video*

Intertextual references-

One particular intertextual reference which links to a possible idea for the music video, is this clip from Jane Eyre. As an ellipse is an idea that may be added to the plot of the video where the transformation of a young girl to a young women is shown in a matter of seconds. This clip shows Jane Eyre drawing as a little girl, she then turns the page which then shows her painting as a young women.

The ellipse begins from 4:49- 5:24. >

Intriguing Music Videos

                                                             
                                                            Lady Gaga- Judas

This particular video strikes out to me as intriguing due to it's religious connotations which cause controversy and spark interest from the viewers. This video conforms to Andrew Goodwin's theory as Lady Gaga is frequently objectified due to the skimpy costumes which she is wearing throughout the music video. This makes her seem like a sexual object linking to the idea of voyeurism of the female body. Also there are many close ups of her showing her iconic image of extravagant make up and costume which make her image recognisable  this also links to Goodwin's theory. Intertextual references are shown in this video which are about religion, for example the crown of thorns which is shown in the video.

                                                             Radiohead- Just


In contrast to Lady Gaga's overall style of music and outrageous image, Radiohead reflect a more subdued and melancholic style.The music video for Radiohead's 'Just' is that of the rock genre which is made clear as it follows the conventional rock video as nothing is glamorous but instead quite dark and bleak. However, the band are playing in a brighter setting showing their importance to the video. In reference to Goodwin's media theory there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals in this video, for example the opening lyrics "Can't get the stink off it's been hanging around for days.." are followed by a shot of a man getting into a bath which links to the idea of washing of the stink. Due to the randomness of the man lying down on the ground the audience are left curious and frustrated which adds ambiguity to the video. The band are partially separated from the action but kept in power as there are several shots of them looking down at the people who are on the streets.

Andrew Goodwin's theory!

Andrew Goodwin's theory! on Prezi

Analysis of the music video 'Afrika Shox' by Left Field

Before even analysing this music video the ideology of the band is shown through the name which connotes what type of music they are making as they are called 'Left Field' this could connote there position in the political spectrum suggesting that they are part of the left wing party. Therefore, in reference to this video it is clear that they believe that in the USA there is still racism and inequality going on due to how New York is represented like a dystopia where life is extremely bad because of deprivation or terror the complete opposite to living in a utopia. The nightmarish representation of New York in this music video references to that of post war Vienna in The Third Man, this is due to the dim lighting and bleak feel to it, there are no signs of happiness or hope.
         Furthermore, from the very beginning of the video aspects of the electronica/dance genre are shown through the shot of the police car as the bright lights flashing on the car represent the genre as they resemble the bright flashing lights of a being at a club where you would hear the dance music. Another way the genre is represented is through the sharp clear edges of the buildings and everything within the mise-en-scene, everything is inanimate connoting the fact that this city is lifeless maybe suggesting the lack of emotions in the people which is shown through the expressionless faces of those surrounding the main actor in the video.
          The main actor in this video is shown completely isolated and cut off from society and the misfit of the mise-en-scene throughout the video. There is a sense of alienation in this video due to how alienated the main character is from everyone else in the video, it is almost as if he is not considered as a human being. This references to the film Animal Kingdom where the main protagonist is completely isolated from his uncles after not complying to their wishes. Also the location of this film also references to this music video as it shows Melbourne as being a disturbing city with no sense safety, security or warmth.
             There is a sense of confusion from his body language and facial expressions as if he has just randomly arrived into a strange new world, this links to the music which has a feel of confusion to it. The main actor is a metaphor for the slave trade and therefore represents a slave arrival in America which is also an extended metaphor of racism as this video suggests that it is still continuing in America. Therefore due to the representation of the slave trade there is an intertextual reference within this song to a poem called 'Limbo' which is by Edward Kamau Brathwaite. He writes about the fact that going under the limbo stick is like the slaves going down into the slave ship which carries them into a living hell. 

       Furthermore, the main actor in the video is kicked out of society just like a slave which is the story of black culture in America. He is looked at and treated as if he is beneath everyone else, the white people surrounding him see him as no better than animals, unequal to them and inhuman. This is made evident in this shot where a middle class white man merely looks over his newspaper to glance judgementally at the black man without any look of concern or empathy but instead an emotionless glare in his eyes. This shows how the white people of America in this video cannot get involved or even associated to the black people as if they are invisible and nothing to them. However, after watching this video it is not clear as to whether the zombie is in fact the isolated black man or the emotionless white middle class men? This is due to the fact that they seem to have no care for other racial groups in society due to their lack of empathy and how they can simply ignore someone in need. As the black man looks up to the white man with a look of needing help and a hand but gets no response as the passer by continues to walk past him.

      The fact that the location of the video is set in the streets of the contemporary city New York establishes the dance/electronica genre further as it has an urban feel to it due to the noir lighting of the  dark and grungy streets. Urbanisation is strongly linked to  that particular genre which is represented clearly in New York. 

     There are also some shots which are shown in an underground dark and eerie feeling car park which adds to the genre matching with the mise-en-scene. During the car park scenes there are several white adults break dancing which also represents aspects of the genre, for example aspects of Leftfield's music have been influenced by progressive house which fuses house music with dubstep and reggae.Therefore the break dancing shown by the white males is ironic as that particualar aspect of dance is originated from black dancers. So therefore this scene contradicts the ethnic stereotype of reggae/dub/electronica music being danced by only a black group of people. Also, the fact that the break dancers are of an older age group than other break dancers one would normally see this shows that this video and music is aimed at maybe a more niche and sophisticated older audience. A dancer knocks part of the black man's leg off and it shatters showing how black people are having there culture stolen from them by the white dancers. He is invisible to those around him, whilst he looks on no-one seems to see him apart from Afrika Baambaata who is the only one in the scene who acknowledges him and offers him a hand, him being the only other black man in the video. The fact that the black man is literally shattering to pieces symbolises how black culture is in New York, falling apart. 

    In reference to Andrew Goodwins music video analysis this video shows aspects of a relationship between lyrics and visuals, for example the lyrics "Lets get electrified" could symbolise the fact that his culture is getting electrified by everything surrounding him. For example, the fences around him could signify an electric fence meaning that he is trapped by the danger of New York which links back to the idea of him being an slave arrival.

INSPIRATION FOR MUSIC VIDEO

Here are a couple of videos from a particular artist whose style of music and videos appeal to me, first of all Jack Johnson who would fit into the acoustic, folk and occasionally soft rock genre. This is an example of a couple of his videos which stood out to me.

and..

In the first video the effect which appealed to me as being a good way to open the video and introduce the audience to the music and the artist is this shot. This is due to the fact that it enables the audience to get to know the artist with the close ups in certain boxes and also see all the different instruments which are being played. There is also certain boxes showing a cheering crowd at his gigs showing straight away that this artist is popular. The continual close ups of the artist also enable the audience to notice his emotions and therefore notice the mood of the music without even hearing it.The cuts from him playing at various different gigs to him with his friends first of all enables the audience to find out more about him. I also like the shots which are done in black and white which I would find aesthetically pleasing to add in my music video as it often connotes a sense of nostalgia, the artist could be remembering a pleasant past memory which could then lead the listener to do the same.

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