Analysis Comparison

Rizzle Kicks - Lost Generation

The fourth music video I have chosen to analyse is Lost Generation by the British hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks. The song's genre is hip-hop and rap, which we can establish through the lyrics of the song - witty rap and a smooth, catching chorus. The song's tempo is upbeat and catchy, much like many of today's hip hop songs. The video starts with the two singers, Harley and Jordan, coming back from a night out. Their laddish
behaviour and the neighbourhood they're in hint at the hip hop/rap vibe. For example, we see a group of young lads out on the streets late at night. This gives the video a sort of urban feel which in turn relates to the genre of hip hop and rap.

The video is a mixture of narrative, performance and concept. Jordan and Harvey lip-sync throughout to lyrics that directly relate to the video whilst they are surrounded by dozens of phone-clad dancers. The type of video suits the music as many intertextual references are made throughout the song, which are shown in the video. As well as this, the use of the dancers, who all wield phones and appear uninterested in the happenings around them relate to the idea of the song - that we are living in a lost generation; lost to technology and today's 'yoof' culture.

There is a direct link between the lyrics and the visuals; this is a constant through the video. There are many instances, such as:

"Switch on the TV to keep it real..."

"Talent shows have seen
some of our friends..."

"I turn the channel and just see
somebody's life displayed..."

   











This is similar to Summertime Sadness; however there is an even more distinguishable relationship presented in Lost Generation than in Del Rey's song. The lyrics are portrayed almost exactly through the video (of Lost Generation). The story told is depicted in an amusing manner, which ties in nicely with the quick wit of the lyrics. It relates to it's intended audience, which is young people, and who the song is also seemingly aimed at.

There are many intertextual references to be found within the video; references towards popular TV shows and mainstream youth culture. This is unlike Bigger Than Us, which focuses on one main reference. For example, "hashtag trends" is a phrase used repetitively throughout the song, a reference to Twitter and/or Instagram, popular social networking sites. There are also references towards shows such as Big Brother, Jeremy Kyle and Britain's Got Talent. These are all portrayed because of their relevance to the song's
message; the singers are talking about a lost generation, and these are things we (the lost generation) are interested and involved in. As well as that they boost the songs' popularity, as many people not just from the intended audience will be familiar with them and thus will take more interest.

Star image motifs and close ups are seen in abundance in the video to Lost Generation, much like

Summertime Sadness. The two singers, Harvey and Jordan, are featured from start to finish, with lots of close up shots focusing on the both of them. The lighting starts out dim but as the scene changes so does the lighting, until we are filming in natural lighting. The lighting was used this way purely to aid the story.

There are some voyeuristic elements incorporated, as much the same in other videos, there is the notion of us, the viewers, looking in on the events in the video. However there is another element which is shown
through scenes in the video, such as when the singers are sat on their couch, eating innocuously until they find they're being watched by a live audience. These instances occur throughout the video, like when the singers are being filmed on camera phones, and so on.

The misc-en-scene is made by two main sets; the house, and the park the singers walk through. There are other places used such as a black room with a chair (in reference to Big Brother) and a neighbourhood street. However the first two are featured more prominently. The park is filled with dancers who all seem to be more interested in social networking than their actual lives; all of them are young looking, fresh faced and dressed in contemporary fashion. They are part of the GoThinkBig initiative, who were hired for the purpose of the video. They all fit the theme of the song well, which was important to the video as they all had to fit a certain look.

Music Video Analysis Comparison #2

White Lies - Bigger Than Us

The third music video I have chosen to analyse is "Bigger Than Us" from the British band White Lies. The band and song are, like Yeah Yeah Yeah's, indie rock as well as post-punk revival. There aren't many defining characteristics to be inferred from the band, who appear in the video, but the band is shown playing a bass guitar and drums which provide the song with a steady beat, similar to many other indie rock songs (such as Cough Syrup, Young The Giant). This helps to define the band as indie rock.

The video is a mixture of performance and narrative, with the 'singers' switching between a child actor and the bands' lead singer throughout. This is similar to Summertime Sadness; however it differs from Sacrilege, which highlights an even greater difference as both bands and songs are indie-rock. The video seems to be telling a story, almost a short film in it's own rights (again like Sacrilege). We are shown a boy and a life-sized chocolate bar being experimented on by - presumably - scientists in a large white area. The band are present throughout the video, both as scientists and as the band, performing, towards the end of the video. The lead singer plays an integral role in the story, destroying the chocolate bar and removing a girl, whom he carries outside.

There doesn't appear to be a direct relationship between the lyrics and visuals, unlike Summertime Sadness, which defines a clear relationship. There are a few points in the video, such as when we focus on the chocolate bar wrapper, which is labelled "Bigger Than Us"; a direct reference to the chorus and title. As well as this, there is the repeated line "...I feel like I'm breaking up" which could relate to the breaking of the chocolate bar. However the lyrics tell a different story to the one that we are seeing.

There is one enormous intertextual reference to be found in the video; the fact that it pays tribute to the film E.T. The music video is a re-telling of the film, with one particular scene being re-enacted to make the music
video. The child singer acts as Elliot whilst the chocolate bar (and the girl inside) act as E.T himself. Most of the music video is independently created, but the video does indicate clear intertextual references, such as when the basketballs appear to float around the band; in the film, E.T. levitates a model of the solar system to demonstrate where he lives. There is also the reference to the woods where E.T. manages to find his way back home.

There are many 'star image motifs' throughout the video, with the lead singer being heavily focused on for a large portion of the video. His two bandmates are also shown but not as extensively. This is probably due to popularity and the band's then-rising fame; more people would recognize the band with them being shown throughout the video. This again is similar to Summertime Sadness, which has many close ups of Lana Del Rey. The close ups of the lead singer (White Lies) are well lit and allow us to see his face well as he sings. It would be strange and detrimental to the video to have the lead singer in a dimly lit close up, especially one not as well known as Harry McVeigh. 

There is the general voyeuristic element present that always occurs in music videos; the notion of us, the viewers, looking in on the video and usually the story being told. However there are also other elements, such as the group of people that form around the quarantined area and the family that watch the boy.

The misc-en-scene is extremely well thought out and detailed. For instance, the scientists wear large white suits; the quarantined area is done up realistically, and all of the equipment used (like the defibrillator) looks to be completely real. All of these things were used to re-create the scene from the film E.T.; it's important that the misc-en-scene is good in this video in particular, to realistically pull off the scene. 

Music Video Analysis Comparison

Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness

The second music video I have chosen to analyse is "Summertime Sadness" from American singer Lana Del Rey. I will be making comparisons with my previous video analysis ("Sacrilege" by the band Yeah Yeah Yeah's) to this video.

The genre of the song can be classed as trip-hop, which is electronic music; a more experimental version of breakbeat. Breakbeat is influenced by jazz, funk and soul. There are not many defining characteristics appearance wise - Lana Del Rey, who features in the video, looks more like a pop star than anything. The music is very subdued and has a steady, rhythmic beat; it carries an element of soul or jazz infused with electro. 
 
The video is a mesh of narrative and performance, unlike Sacrilege, which is purely narrative. Summertime Sadness tells the story of two women who are in evidently in love but commit suicide. There is not much concept present - no dancing, no abstract ideas - but performance is, as Lana Del Rey lip-syncs along to the words throughout. It was directed by Kyle Newman and Spencer Susser, filmed in Santa Clarita.
 

"Telephone wires..."

There is a clear, direct relationship between the lyrics and the visuals for the majority of the video. For example, the line "cruising down the coast" coincides with the shot of Jamie King (video actress) driving her car angrily. As well as this, "telephone wires, above" is incorporated by the image of telephone wires being projected onto a wall. Within Sacrilege, the lyrics and visuals had a vaguer link, whereas Summertime Sadness seems to concentrate largely on the story being brought to life through the visuals. The relationship between the music and the visuals is apparent through the use of heavy sepia tones and the slow, almost melancholy music. The sepia tones give the video an old, worn look that melds with the atmosphere of the song; vaguely reminiscent of Super 8 film cameras and days gone past.
  
There are dozens upon dozens of close up-shots that focus on Lana. She is shown making various poses and looking into the camera with a sultry gaze; this could be a form of self-promotion, as she is signed with large, well known labels. This is much unlike Yeah Yeah Yeah's, who instead had their video directed for them and did not appear in it at all.

There is a vague voyeuristic element to the video that comes from the fact that we, the viewers, are watching the events of the video transpire - intimate events, such as suicide. After Lana jumps she is shown in front of some large wrought iron gates. Presumably, she has passed on; however she is seen in the car of her lover, who looks over disbelievingly, almost like she doesn't believe Lana to be there. If this is the case, Lana is in fact a ghost, watching over her lover - another voyeuristic element to add to the mix.

There were no clear intertextual references that I could infer from the video. However, Lana Del Rey does take much inspiration from artists such as Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra, amongst others. Whilst this isn't clear in this particular video, it is evident in others, such as Chelsea Hotel, etc.

The video doesn't feature anyone other than Jamie King and Lana Del Rey. As such, there isn't much that can add to the misc-en-scene other than the set. The video was filmed in California, Santa Clarita. Various shots of greenery and a bridge are shown - the bridge that King jumps from and the ravine-like area Del Rey throws herself from. This is dissimilar to Sacrilege, which used numerous characters and different scenes to make their video. Their (Yeah Yeah Yeah's) video was shot in Texas, opting for wider, clearer shots that included much more background to give it a more authentic feel. The most apparent difference between the two is that Sacrilege is a short film, in it's own rights, whereas Summertime Sadness is just a compilation of shots put together to create a small story.

Music Video Analysis

Sacrilege - Yeah Yeah Yeah's

The music video I chose to analyse is ‘Sacrilege’ by the band ‘Yeah Yeah Yeahs’, an indie rock band originating from New York. The genre of the song is indie rock; but there are not many defining characteristics present in the video due to it’s film-like nature. As well as this, the band is not present in the video at all, meaning no characteristics can be inferred from their clothing or style. However, the song itself has a certain “atmosphere” that most indie rock songs give off - more melodic and not as heavy as rock, incorporating the electronic music genre more than rock. 

The video does not feature the band, but it does tell a story, making it a narrative. There is no singing or lip syncing from anyone in the video, nor any sort of dancing or routine, which erases the idea of it being a conceptual or performance based video. It literally is a small film, shot in non-chronological order, starting at the finish and ending at the beginning in a sequence of shots. The video was directed by the French director group Megaforce, and was shot in Texas.

There appears to be an evident relationship between the visuals and lyrics - the song is titled ‘Sacrilege’, which is to desecrate something regarded as religious. The whole idea, or concept, of the video is the desecration of marriage. The video depicts a congregation of people who are burning a woman and her presumed lover alive. 

The video then travels backwards, where we see the girl having multiple affairs with various people of a town, until we reach the beginning, where she marries a man with all the townspeople present. The video is heavy throughout with religious connotations, which relate to the lyrics - for example, “fell down from the sky” and “halo ‘round his head” etc. The video does not correspond to the lyrics exactly but it does relate to the religious theme of the song. As well as this, a gospel choir was used alongside the band, which adds to the religious aspect of the music. This hints at a little intertextuality - Madonna similarly used a gospel choir in her hit single ‘Like A Prayer’.

Whilst the band was not present, they did use Lily Cole as an actress, Cole being famous enough that it would likely garner the attention of a wider audience - much like Weapon Of Choice, Fatboy Slim; famous actor Christopher Walken starred in the video. However, most Americans would not know Lily Cole if they saw her, in comparison to Weapon Of Choice. There were many close up shots of Cole, who was present throughout the majority of the video.

There was a very voyeuristic element incorporated into the video, which begins with the townspeople being present at the wedding - they are avidly watching the union; or rather, they are avidly watching Cole, whom most of them desire. If the video were to be in chronological order, the start would be the wedding, and the affairs would come afterwards.

However, upon closer inspection, it appears that the affairs might not have even transpired. Cole isn’t caught in the act once despite having multiple affairs, which begs suspicion - did the affairs occur at all, or were they just the fantasies of the townspeople? If so, it adds greatly to the voyeuristic element of the video, especially the sexual side of it. In addition, when Cole and the priest are found together, a man watches them together through the window. It looks like he mumbles the word “sacrilege” which again relates to the lyrics and title. The video itself seems to be voyeuristic, or giving the impression of looking in, as we - the viewers - watch on as the events occur.