Similar text Analysis

SIA- BREAHE ME



This video is by Sia Furle, (Australian pop singer)- “Breathe me”. The album is called “the machine says yes”. The music genre is mainly electronic. The track "Breathe Me" from the album gained attention when it was used in the elaborate final scene of the Six Feet Under series that aired in 2005.

The video is great, with smart ideas of many pictures being taken and left around an apartment, as she flips them making it a moving image from photographs, showing this video is mainly performance driven. The lyrics are strongly reflected on her past life, problems with drugs. As she says “Help, I have done it again, I have been here many times before, I hurt myself again today…” in the video she uses creative ideas wearing different clothes and doing different things. She wears different masks when she looks in the mirror and has others in her videos, friends family… she seems almost lost at times as she runs around the flat. The pictures are scattered everywhere in her route.

The relationship between the lyrics and music with the visuals show they are not really illustrated or amplified by the visuals. There are not any cuts just a flow of pictures flipped to make a sequence of her in the apartment, but sometimes they are just camera shots which have her picking up the pictures, to start changing to the next set. The lyrics are normally the same but the chorus is repeated a couple of times. The lyrics explain feelings and problems of drug use and how they affected her. Most of the video is fast forwarded and there are dissolved shots within the photograph, that then blend and fade out to make the image real again.

The mise-en-scene in this video allows the camera work to be mainly based around the woman in her flat covered with these photographs of the different scenes, where she sings and does different things… also close up of the different pictures and pans of different shots. The video represents the artist by showing her in the video, in the different shots and pictures, which represent her self and her lyrics explaining her past issues.
Looking at voyeurism of the woman in this video is not seen as sexually as it is about her struggles in life and she wears normal clothes. This video is mainly performance and concept based. Overall I feel this music video is unique and interesting although it may link to the lyrics and may have a hidden message across the purpose of the idea of having these images as memories perhaps (as it shows other people in it once) and the lyrics with a meaning to the bad times in her life. Other people opinions on this video are the song is really nice and touching, the editing and stop animation motion effect with the photos were great and looked expensive, but the ending was hard to understand as it didn’t go with the lyrics.

Chaiya Varsani



FC KAHUNA- HAYLING




This video is by FC Kahuna- Hayling (promo) the album is called “the machine says yes”. It is directed by Johnny Hardstuff and produced by John Payne. The production of the music video by Black Dog films and post production by The Mill. It features Icelandic singer- Hafdis Huldon vocals. The music genre is dance and electronic.

The video heavily draws on the rhythm and studio techniques of FC Kahnunas beats, with robotic vocals/canned electro beats. Machines appearing out of the piano and a woman, who also see is robotic, looking, which is shown at then end with the effects on her, and as she slowly dies out. She almost looks like a wind up doll/ human who is turned to play this music and start machines appearing out of the piano. The robotic effects link with the electronic music/ vocals.

The relationship between the lyrics and music with the visuals show they are not really illustrated or amplified by the visuals. There isn’t any cut to the beat shots and solo instrumental parts aren’t illustrated with the video, as it’s mainly electronic dance type music, with a piano. Only one key is played on the piano which is heard in the music background. Only the woman is singing to the repetitive lyrics with the background music and beats. The shot focuses on the machines appearing slowly out of the piano. The lyrics explain feelings of someone or some fear, as there are pictures shown on the piano and also parts of the machine may represent something they fear too, which she ignores, which would also be seen as an ideological message that is conveyed in this video. The piano animates (CGI), with these unusual machines coming out of it, at the end the machine is almost seen as being sexual as it extends towards the woman’s skirt. The girl sings these repeated lyrics “Don’t think about all those things you fear, just be glad to be here”

The use of an abstract mise-en-scene in this video allows the camera work mainly to circle around the woman and the piano with close ups of her face whilst she sings… also close ups of the different machine structures appearing out of the piano. There are couple of worm’s eye view shots and cranes shots of the piano and the woman. This video is edited with a slow-motion feel. The piano is set on a huge light box, towards the end there are some coloured lights, the lighting effects are reflected of her face. The video represents the artist/ band by showing
Looking at voyeurism the woman wears a green skirt and a corset type top almost fairy like, that represents feminism, but as usual showing a lot of flesh on a woman, which means she is still represented quiet sexually but not as much and not as obvious. Also she doesn’t wear a lot of makeup.

I feel that this video is mainly performance and concept based. Overall I like this music video because it is unique and interesting although it may link to the lyrics having a hidden message across the purpose of the idea of having machines appearing out of the piano and the woman there too. Other people’s opinions on this video showed the music video as being confusing the music is nice but the narrative is not clear on what they are trying to tell us. Even if it is watched many times its hard to follow the concept. The animated CGI effects are great though and how she is represented with her fairy clothes. There was this contrast with the fairly look and the mechanical piano, which is the contrast of traditional and modern.
Researching this video I found from Wikipedia, that the sound track is used for many different Films, TV programs and even games:
Film:
• Confidence
• Layer Cake
• Riding Giants
• Love is the Drug
Television:
• Fastlane (TV Series Soundtrack)
• CSI: Miami (TV Series Soundtrack)
• Monkey Dust
• Top Gear
• University Challenge: The Professionals
• Nip/Tuck (TV Series Soundtrack)
• Keen Eddie episode titled "Eddie Loves Baseball"
• Hotel Babylon
• The O.C.
• Six Feet Under (Season 3, Episode 35: "The Opening")
• Commercial for Pantene Pro-V Shampoo
Games:
• NFS Underground
• Crackdown

Chaiya Varsani


NOTORIOUS BIG- SKY IS THE LIMIT




This music video is called “Sky is the limit” by Notorious B.I.G. The video is directed by Dir. Spike Jonze. It is a hip hop/rap song and like almost every hip hop music video, this video represents the artist as a very important person who is loaded with lots of money, girls and of course an expensive car. The video is a mixture of narrative and performance.

The song starts with a voice over announcing the singer on to a stage. This is demonstrated in the music video by a kid making an entrance from his mansion’s door just when the name of the artist is being called out. This illustrates that the kid is representing the artist – Notorious B.I.G. Most of the time, the kid representing the artist is lip-syncing to the song. The lyrics are not being illustrated in the video much but as he is talking about how he used to be nothing and now he is a high class person, he is showing off his rich lifestyle.

There are a lot of close-ups and medium shots of the kid, lip-synching to the song. It’s very realistic and he is acting very passionate towards the lyrics which make the video more appealing. This is also following conventions of hip hop music videos.

The video starts by a close up shot of a Mercedes car and an establishing shot of a huge house that looks like a millionaire’s mansion. Then it cut to shots of a security camera, all connoting that the owner is rich. In all of the shots the artist/kid is wearing as hip hop people would call it “blings” like gold chains and big gold rings. The kid is dressed in similar ways as a gangster dress i.e. suit, sun glasses and also driving expensive cars, living in a huge mansion, obviously connoting that he is the boss of a dangerous gang. There are also various shots of the kid in different part of the mansion like his huge bed and sometimes in his swimming pool. He is shown to be a V.I.P. because he has bodyguards and security cameras in his house and he has got fans screaming his name and paparazzi trying to get a snap of him in shots later. There is a low angle shot of him when he comes out of the car to go to the party which makes him look powerful and almighty. He has even got a right hand man who is constantly by his side and even at the end he is posing with him. When he gets to the party, there is a wide shot which shows everyone trying to grab him or reach him because he is a huge celebrity. Everyone’s eyes are on him which emphasises his importance. There are lot of rich colours used like gold, black and red and everything is shiny and classy. Everything looks expensive and luxurious.

The camera is rarely still. Most of the camera keeps panning or zooming in and out and the shots dissolve from one to another which goes with the music as it sounds flawless because the lyrics keeps going on especially during the chorus. At the start, when the artists name is being announced, the video is slow motioned which kind of captures the moment so to establish the main star.

Like in most of hip hop music videos, there are sexual displays of women, girls in this case like shots of the main character in the pool, there are girls in their swim suit dancing in the background and also in the party scene the girls are wearing red clothes and putting on red lipstick. However, the video does not facilitate a voyeuristic response in spectators because they would see it as children and not the same as women. Some people might think it’s unethical to portray the girls in that way while others might praise the children for very good performances.

This music video relates to similar ideas of the movie “Bugsy Malone” which is also a movie with kid actors/actresses representing adult characters. The movie is also about gangsters and it is a musical.

“Sky is the limit and you know that you keep on
Just keep on pressin on
Sky is the limit and you know that you can have
What you want, pressin what you want
Sky is the limit and you know that you keep on
Just keep on pressin on
Sky is the limit and you know that you can have
What you want, be what you want, have what you want, be what you want”

The chorus of the song is inspirational and the video shows what you can get to if you try hard. However, the rest of the lyrics is not so inspirational and more of misleading to young boys and girls because it is promoting a positive view on gangsters.
Thus, in my opinion, the directing is very good and the performance too but the concept of the video is questionable.

Nilima Thapa

APHEX TWIN- COME TO DADDY



This video is called “come to daddy”, music by Aphex Twin. It is directed by Dir. Chris Cunningham. It’s electro music.

The music starts with slow industrial sound so there are long establishing shots of the setting. It’s already giving a creepy feeling about the video. An old lady and her dog are in focus. There is also something or someone luring in the dark spying on her which gives a thrill to the audience. We know there is something because there is an over the shoulder shot of someone looking at the old lady and the dog and another close up shot of someone’s legs. As the dog pees on the television that is amongst the garbage outside the state building, we can hear an incidental music of a TV tuning in and this is when the TV turns on and the lyrics starts and the beat is faster as well so the shots cuts quicker which creates even more tense atmosphere. There are shots reverse shots of the dog, the TV and the old lady which cuts quickly to create tension as the dog is barking at the TV and the TV is chanting the lyrics. The dog barking at the TV connotes that the TV is a bad sign and is dangerous. The face is saying “I want your soul, I need your soul” constantly which makes the old lady scared. There are medium and close up shots of the old lady so we could see her reaction and body language which is obviously scared and frightened. As she runs inside the building, a gang of children with their head similar to the face on the TV runs outside and the old lady gets terrified. The children are being called for by the TV. There are shots reverse shots from the TV to the children to show that the children are running towards him and he is calling them.

The video cuts to the beat of the music. For example the shots are short and cuts quickly to the music but it changes and the shots are longer when the music suddenly changes to a child singing which sounds like a lullaby. Come to daddy contains only 3, 4 lines of lyrics which are repeated several times and sounds like a ritual. Most of the time, the lyrics are lip-synched by a face in the television screen in close-up shots.

I think the video is based on a view that media promotes violence. The TV connotes media as a whole. The dog barking at the TV connotes that it’s dangerous hence the director is saying that media is a dangerous thing. The head of the children looks like the face of the evil inside the TV to connote that the children have been influenced by the media. The TV keeps saying “I want your soul, I need your soul” this connotes that the TV is an object and feeding on our soul because it wants one for itself. The TV keeps saying the lines like a ritual or a subliminal message, the media is brain washing its audience. There is a shot towards the end where the evil looks like a godly/fatherly figure for the children when they surround him and look up to him and the evil is also referring himself as their “daddy”. This connotes that we worship and follow the media as if it’s God. I think the old lady and the guy are there to represent older generation and their view point of the media. The old lady was more frightened than the guy because she is much older and television and media seems new and alien to their generation. At the end a man is born out of the TV because he has been given a soul which connotes that media is merely a representation of real things but we, the audience give it so much attention and importance that it has become the real thing.

Some viewers might say that it is very thoughtful and intellectual music video and is portraying the current issue which makes it very good. However, some viewers might say it is not a good music video because it has violent scenes and children acting in violent way and the head of the children replaced by the artist’s head is disturbing. The older generation are shown weak and helpless.

In my opinion, the video is very disturbing but also very clever in the way it sends the message about media influencing, taking over our life.

Nilima Thapa



CHRISTINA AGUILERA- HURT



The music video begins in black and white film with a circus taking place back in the olden days. The music playing is bubbly and circus stereotyped and is like an introduction to her song because this isn’t actually the real song. This introduction is setting the story and hinting the plot. The camera is panning the circus and showing different people doing different tricks. In the editing they have made the clip go faster as if the people were all being fast forwarded. As this is showing a voiceover is presenting over the clip.

The whole atmosphere then changes to Christina behind the scenes of a circus sitting in front of a dressing mirror in colour connoting the present. This change then identifies that she was reminiscing about something in the past. The music then changes from the circus to slow calm piano, indicating the song is about to begin. As she is sitting there, there are people around fanning themselves and getting ready for their show. All the woman are wearing thrilly type dresses with over exaggerated make-up along with the men who are wearing black suits and white foundation connoting clowns. The scene is lit up dimly with the only light coming from her dressing mirror. There is a close up of her as the music starts becoming thicker the camera is moving out slowly giving us a peak of the action going on around her and distancing the performer from the viewers.
This part of the music video is representing the older generation to be show people and circus orientated.

A man wearing black approaches her and gives her an envelope – black conotating something dark and mysterious. As he was reaching out to give her the envelope it becomes a mid- shot putting emphasis on the fact there’s something important in the envelope. She reads the telegraph and a new scene comes up. It’s a shot of Christina sitting in the middle of an empty circus area on a neatly presented hay stack. She is sitting there remembering the time when her and her father first went there together. The scene then gets darker and becomes sepia toned connoting unhappiness. It’s a long shot with light coming through a window giving it an angelic feel, as to say she’s going to heaven. Christina is the star image of the entire video as everywhere she is present there is also a light source coming from her direction.

Throughout the whole video it’s of Christina’s memories of her dad therefore she is singing and shots intercutting of that memory.

Eleanor Folivi


MICHAEL JACKSON- BLACK OR WHITE




The beginning of the song has a sequel of an annoyed father telling his son to stop playing loud music. The father keeps getting angrier and angrier which makes the son get more mischievous. The son then plugs 2 hugely sized speakers in the living room plugs it into his electric guitar and turns the knob to ‘you must be nuts’. After he does this he plays one note on the guitar.

The song then starts with a bird’s eye view of a man in a sofa flying over the world. This then changes to a long shot of this bizarre image so we see him actually going around as to say he is orbiting the earth. After this it cuts to a mother and son looking at a hole in their roof in birds eye view. This Looks like a typical mother and son in this opening scene.

After this the scene cuts straight into a beautiful African landscape. All sunny and sandy, it tracks around the trees and wildlife slowly but pausing slightly on a lion which sends out a loud roar connoting danger.

Stereotypical African men wearing nothing but a cloth around their privates and paint on their faces and bodies stand around are all holding spears. There is then a mid shot of them walking towards the lion’s connoting hunting and bravery as they get closer and closer.

The man in the sofa who was just orbiting the earth then lands behind this scenery where the camera then zooms into his facial expression showing disbelief as well as anxiety and confusion. He is wearing a shirt and trousers sitting an ordinary seat which is completely out of the ordinary given the situation. The camera then snaps back to Michael Jackson the lead singer with this tribe who are doing a dance routine. Everything in this scene is wonderful, light and summery with only Michael Jackson wearing a white shirt, one bandage on an arm, black trousers with black tap shoes. The camera then tracks left into another scene which has changed from Africa to a grey set with Chinese woman dancers around Michael Jackson. The Chinese women look cute and friendly as they are smiling. They are wearing traditional clothing with a simple backdrop of just grey behind them. The camera remains in the same place changing from mid to a close shot of Michael Jackson.

Then scene then superimposes into red Indians around Michael Jackson in some sort of desert. The red Indians are wearing traditional clothes with painted faces of red stripes around their eyes. They are the stereotypical red Indians with long hair, long earrings made out of bird feathers. They are around Michael creating chaos on horses as well as on foot dancing about. Some of them are shouting to the sky and ground co notating violence and aggression. The camera is constantly cutting to individual red Indians in this scene. Showing there facial expressions and letting us know as an audience what there feeling.

An American bus then speeds pass changing the scene to an industrial place with feathers and smoke coming out of chimneys. Cars are passing through as an Asian woman dances in the middle of the road with Michael Jackson wearing her traditional outfit with an excited expression on her face connoting notating confidence. There is a bird’s eye view which helps us establish she is in the middle of a road in a huge city.

Snow begins to fall on this scene connoting winter but changes into Russia where 6 men wearing red trousers, black boots and patterned tops do a Russian dance routine with Michael joining in. The camera remains static as this happens. There is like a village like scenery.

A hand then appears to pick up the scene as if we were watching a close up of the Christmas ball. This was certainly done in editing along with Michael Jackson walking towards the camera in fire background. This looks much edited as if they were cut out from another backdrop. As he puts his right arm up shouting ahhh. The scene changes again to kids on a street wall in gangster clothes wearing era caps, sunglasses and bling. Acting in a stereotypical street manner. A blonde boy in front of the rest connoting leadership lip sync a rap before being joined by Michael.

The last scene is the camera staying static as one face changes to different races, sexes and ages as if they were evolving.

The message in the whole of the song was it doesn’t matter about your race.
We know this because in the chorus Michael repeatedly sings “It don’t matter if you’re black or white”

Eleanor Folivi