Most music videos can be classed as one or as a mix of the following three types:
Performance based- Footage of the band or artist performing the song on stage or in a warehouse, studio .etc.
Narrative based- Where a story-line is evident throughout the video. The artist doesn't have to feature at all.
Abstract/ Artistic- A creative and imaginative music video that uses animation or surreal and innovative art forms.
Most traditional videos are a combination of performance and narrative. They will show the artist performing with a visual story-line interwoven.
What camera angles, shots, movement and position are still used today from the “Hard day’s night” Performance music videos?
Close up shots of instruments and the members of the band/ the artist are frequently used in performance based music videos. Richard Lester, who intercut these shots with medium or wide shots of the entire band, first used this technique in the Beatles’ music video “If I fell” taken from “A Hard Day’s Night”. Some handheld shots are used when moving closer to and around the band, giving a more intimate feel to their music and performance. A high angled shot of the band and the cinematic setup is used, giving the audience a unique and insightful insight into how the band performs and works. This concept has been widely recreated by contemporary artists in an attempt to give audiences new and more interesting shots during a performance based video.
The appeal of MTV in the 1980s:
MTV was highly popular in the 1980s as it
pioneered the music video business by displaying music videos and news
unavailable anywhere else. Before the popularity of online services such as
YouTube, television was the main medium for audiences to access music videos.
The first music video to be shown on MTV was “Video killed the Radio Star” by
the Buggles. This arguably kick-started the popularity and success of music
videos, as the wide publicity via Television led to a significant increase in
the artist’s record sales. MTV effectively changed the music industry by
introducing contemporary music videos to the masses.
Originally there was great controversy over the lack of black artists being shown on MTV. The former director of music programming at MTV Buzz Brindle reported to Jet magazine in 2006 that "It was difficult for MTV to find African American artists whose music fit the channel’s format that leaned toward rock at the outset.” Explaining that MTV's main musical focus was on the genre of rock, which has always been pioneered by Caucasian artists. Michael Jackson was the first black artist to be regularly broadcast on the network after “Billie Jean,” the second track from Michael Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller Released Jan. 2, 1983 was pushed by record producers to be shown on the channel. This was arguably the point that opened up the door for black artists to gain coverage and have their music videos shown on TV.
Originally there was great controversy over the lack of black artists being shown on MTV. The former director of music programming at MTV Buzz Brindle reported to Jet magazine in 2006 that "It was difficult for MTV to find African American artists whose music fit the channel’s format that leaned toward rock at the outset.” Explaining that MTV's main musical focus was on the genre of rock, which has always been pioneered by Caucasian artists. Michael Jackson was the first black artist to be regularly broadcast on the network after “Billie Jean,” the second track from Michael Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller Released Jan. 2, 1983 was pushed by record producers to be shown on the channel. This was arguably the point that opened up the door for black artists to gain coverage and have their music videos shown on TV.
(Information taken from:)
http://racerelations.about.com/od/hollywood/a/MTVsRaceRelatedGrowingPains.htm
Discuss what elements of the Marilyn Monroe musical scene are borrowed by Madonna? Think in terms of the similarities of mise en scene: location, setting, costumes, props, body language etc.
Madonna effectively deconstructs Marilyn
Munroe’s music scene of “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” in her music video
for “Material Girl”. The costumes, setting and concept are essentially the
same, as Madonna is dressed in a remarkably similar outfit to Marilyn’s
original, with her hair and makeup arranged in Marilyn’s iconic style. The
concept of Madonna being surrounded by men, dressed in clothes with
connotations of luxury and wealth, suits the themes of both of the songs
“Material Girl” and “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. Both songs are
essentially about materialistic women with desires to be surrounded by wealth
and luxury, which is symbolised within both videos by the female protagonist
being physically encircled by the men.
No comments:
Post a Comment