Lily Allen-Smile

Aspects of the performance/mode of address

The video is aimed at the man in the peice, however it is sung to the audience. It is both direct and indirect mode of address. The artist is the actor. There is also no dance routine.

Narrative

A girl is dumped by her boyfrend, and she pays a group of teenagers to mug him and reck his flat to her her own back.

How does the video create an image for the band/artist?

The whole thing makes Lily look rebelious and fun. She's powerful and gets her own way. Sh's also very normal and down to earth. There's nothing superficial about her. Powerful and indipendant.


Mise-en-Scene

It's set in a very normal area which we could all relate to. A bed-sit, a cafe, normal streets and an apartment. It adentifies with the audience. The story in the video is not far fetched, and it's something we could all relate to. The costumes are all ordinary clothes which menmbers of the audience themselves may wear. Everything about this video is geared to make the audience relate to and sympathise with the artist. It's all very normal and the story is something that could or will have happened to anyone.


Use of camera

Alot of zooms and close-ups of the artist are used in this video, this is so we can see reaction, and the quick pace of the shots matches well with the pace of the music. The close-ups work well here. SHot reverse shot is also used alot to show the contact between the two of them. It also allows us to see their bosy language and how they interract with eachother. Shallow focus is also used to draw the viewer into what's happening at the front of the shot.


Editing

Fast paced editing is used to go from shot to shot. We can see all the different frames, and they fit together to make a story. It's all used so we can see the narrative because the performance of the artist is encorperated into the performance. THe pace of the editing matches the pace of the music.



Representation

The teenagers which mug the man in the video, are striotypically dressed as the kind of people who we would think to mug people in th UK today. We can relate to this in their tracksuits ect because it's what we are shown by the media. The hit-men used to ruin the male's flat are dressed in dark clothing. This makes them look intimidating and is contrasted to the rest of the costumes in the video. They stand out and look like the enemy in the video. The singer is sat in her appartment eating chocolate which is something we can relate to when a girl breaks up with a boy. Alot of the girls in the audience would've been through the same thing, and find it easy to identify with the charecter/artist. The whole thing is meant to be very working class which is the kind of people who would be watching this.


Special Effects
Effects such as dissolves are used in the video. They are put on afterwards in the editing process and are used instead of CGI and polytechnics.


Genre-Pop.


Audience- Teens to lats 20's.

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The Chemical Brothers-Hey boy Hey girl.

Aspects of performance/Mode of address

There was no performance from the actual band themselves. It was all narrative based. There was an indirect mode of address.

Narrative

There is a young girl on a bus going on a school trip. She appears to be obsessed with bones and skeletons. We see her growing up and later on in a club, she is able to see everyone there as a skeleton. There is a clear beginning, middle and end and there is a linear narrative used.

How does the video create an image for the artist?

The visuals create the image for the band. They give the impression of drug use which is connected to dance music listened to in the 90's. This is the era in which the song was released. This type of thing is popular among the target audience, and although it doesn't directly say that it is to do with drugs and the whole rave culture,you get the impression that it is. However, the music is more important than the imageray.

How do the visual elements relate to the lyrics?

There isn't really much relation to the lyrics and the visuals. However, at one point we see a couple in a bathroom which could relate to the lyric 'Hey boy, hey girl.'

Mise-en-scene

The girl is dressed all in black all of the time/ She's very plain considering she's the main charecter and blends in very well. She's not sexualised. Is she at an illigal rave? This shows us she's envolved in social activities which were popular at the time the video is set. It is possible for us to assume she has taken drugs, as she's drinking water which is associated with drug taking in clubs. It is also to do with the whole rave culture. The fact that she's seeing everyone might be an indication of drug taking also.

Use of camera

Throughout the video, trakking and panning is very popular. I think this is because it gives us a good view of everything and really goes with the pace of the video. There's also point of view shots used as the girl talks to a man at the bar in the club, looks in the mirror, walks through the museum and leaves the club. High and low angle shots are used throughout. Perticulaly when the girl is younger.

Editing

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I wish I knew how it would feel to be free-The Lighthouse Family

Aspects of performance/mode of address
The man from the band is looking at the camera and therefore looking directly at the audience.

Narrative
The man from the band is walking through the tube station and looking into people's lives and thoughts. It's not based on the performance of the band. There are flashbacks into the lives of the charecter. There's also a clear beginning and ending. When the charecters move up the escalators they all move together suggesting they're all in the same boat. Also, they move up the stairs towards the light which suggests going from hell to heaven.

How does the video create an image for the star or artist?
The image given is that of calm. The man in the video is part of the band and he effects people's lives on the tube train by listening to them and their problems and helping them out. This tells us the band's music could be life-changing.

How do the visual elements relate to the song?
'I wish' Looks at the sad sapects of people's lives and how the charecters react makes them look desperate to get out and upset. The main charecter in the video is able to calm them and help them out by singing to them. He's helping them realise how they could change their lives. The visuals amplify what's going on and allow the people to feel free by discussing their problems.

Mise-en-scene
The people in the video are singing on the tube train. It's set in an underground tube. Everyone's dressed in dark plain clothes apart from the main man who is dressed slightly smarter than the others, but in similar colours. The first girl stands out because she has blonde hair which is considrered attractive by society, and she also has a different coloured lighter coat on.

Use of camera
Blend 2 shots together. Shot reverse shot is also used. Close ups of the charecters faces occour often. Panning and tracking shots are used through out the video also. Over shoulder shots are used as the main charecter travels through the train. There's also an long shot at the beginning of the video asthe train enters the underground.

Editing
2 shots ontop of eachother showing the flashback of the pseron's life. Match on action. Traindrivers perspective as he goes down the train. Straight cuts are used. Slow paced editing is used all the way through. It's in time with the music. There's also eyeline match as the main charecter looks at the people and we see form his perspective. THis helps us to associate with the charecter.

Representation
People all walking together represents unity. They all go up the stairs together towards the light which represents them becoming free as the go into the outside world after being trapped underground. ould this be a relgious theme?

Special Effects
Blending and distortion are used.

Genre
The genre is contempary soul

Audience

The audience is adults ages 25-40.

Music Theory

Some would argue that music video have made pop superficially based on image. Are pop songs enough on their own to give meaning and pleasure for the audience?

"Good music videos, are clips that respond to the pleasure of music, in which the music is made visual, either in new ways or in a way that accentuates assisting associations" - Andy Goodwin

Video questions

What is the basic funtion/purpose of a music video?
The music video is used to promote the song in it. It is used by the record company as a promotional tool. They're also used to make the audince enjoy the song and possibly help to persuade them to buy the record.

When were the first music videos produced?
During the early 1960's The Beatles were producing films and playing their songs in the background however they wern't considered music videos. I'm 1965 they released 'a hard days night' which was considered as short film. Music videos became more mainstream in 1981 with the launch of MTV where music videos were played constantly to promote music and bands.

How were music videos comissioned?
The companies who produce music videos are in touch with people called 'AR men' They are able to contact the record companies. They then review the band and decide on the budget for the video. They look at how much the artist and song need promoting and how popular the song is.

How long does it take to make a music video?
Making a music video takes around two weeks to make.

Andrew Goodwin said that there were 3 ways in which a video can relate to the lyrics in a song:

By the video illustrating the meaning of the lyrics through visualisation by providing an, often, over literal set of images.

Amplification of visuals making the director the artist, as he/she then develops and enhances the ideas to make the message in the lyrics clearer.

Disjuncture is a way of completely contradicting the lyrics by using visuals and imagery that may be unrelated or something to opposite to what the lyrics may convey.

What is a music treatment or pitch?
The music treatment is basically the plan of the video. It's what is done before the filming begins. It tells us what is going to happen in the video, the location for filming, who is going to be in it, the pace and the general set up.

What are some things to avoid when making a student video?
No research-If you don't do research, watch exsisting music videos, look at how they have been created and what went in to making them.
Not planning- You need to plan what you're actually going to do in the video instead of just going out and filming. Planning is very important in a music video to make it all run smoothly and make sure the right ideas and messege are given across.

Notes on music videos

Music videos are marketing devices used by record companies, they aim to increase the record sales and the overall popularity of the song featured in the video.Music videos have been very popular since the 80's although they were made quite a while before this, The Beatles contributed a lot to the development of "The music video", most famously for their work in the film "hard day night". The film contains songs from the Beatles but also contains narrative making the film's content, musical sequences rather than music videos.In 1965 The Beatles began to made film inserts as a promotional tool, other bands soon followed suit but The Beatles led the way with "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane", directed by Peter Goldman. These musical sequences were described as "Avant-garde" meaning experimental but sophisticated, this was achieved by the use of slow motion and other effects that hadn't been experimented with before this.In 1981 MTV was born are made music videos more commercial than ever, the first music video that aired on the channel was "video killed the radio star". Music videos became a standard practise for bands, as they could be cheaply produced using high - tech equipment such as the chroma key.