MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
MUSIC VIDEO 1
FOO FIGHTERS - LEARN TO FLY
Costume, Hair and Make Up
Facial Expressions and Body Language
The music video features two different locations: an aeroplane (as see above) and a live show (seen above). The whole narrative of the music video takes place in the plane however there are occasional shots of a Foo Fighters live show. Although the video was released in 2009, the video is set in an older time, using filters on all the shots and the costumes used helps to give the retro illusion.
The props are a key feature of the humourous narrative which is based around janitors trying to sneak drugs onto a plane, getting caught as they hide them so hide them in the coffee machine, the flight attendant accidently serving the coffee to everyone on the plane not realising the contents, and the band taking over the pilot in the ockcpit and learning to fly - linking to the title of the song.
The costumes used inthe music video reinforce the comical nature of the video. All the characters are played by the same people in the band however in order to play different characters they have exaggerating costumes making ti easy to differenciate between the characters. The costume, hair and make up use stereotypes of the characters being played to emphasise the comical nature. For example, there is one woman who is clearly overweight and is wearing brown tracksuits however instead of being slightly obese, she is extremely fat to the point she cant fit in her seat on the plane. Another styereotype used in the video is the (what looks to be) teenage girl who has typical pig tails and pink innocent outfit. The stereotype is reinforced when she blushes and gets excited to see the lead singer of the band (Dave Grohl).
The facial expressions and body language change depending on the character being portrayed. For example, the teenage girl is quite ditsy and clumsy in the way she holds herself, she comes across as very shy. In terms of the actual performance, we can see that the lead singer Dave Grohl is enthusiastic about his music, crowd surfing and singing into the mic. Alternatively, the male flight attendant who appears to be gay acts in a very different way. His posture is very up right and you can tell he takes pride in what he looks like and how people see him. The way he acts in terms of body language is flamboiant.
Lighting and colour
The lighting and colour used in the music video is very basic - for the plane scenes it is the same lighting as it would be in a real life aeroplane, most likely togive a realistic feel to the plane. However for the shots where there is a live performance of the band, the lighting is very minimal and dark, making Dave Grohl stand out more and emphasising he is the main focus of the shot. As for the colouring, the saturation of the shots appear enhanced. This may be to give the video a retro feel as this is what it owuld have looked like in the 90's.
Positioning of characters in frame
In most of the shots, the main character is in the foreground making it more obvious what the main focus of the shot is. This has mainly been done because the joke of the music video is that every character is played by the same people (the band members). Most of the shots consist of mid shots or mid close ups.
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There is one particular shot where Dave dressed up as a teenage girl walks up to Dave (in normal form) and asks for an autograph. It is a a medium shot with Dave in the foreground signing an album while the teenage girl is in the background making suggestive faces towards Dave who is ocmpletely unaware. The characters have been positioned like this os that the audience can see whats going on but Dave cant - although we are aware of what the teenage girl is doing, he isnt.
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Another significant shot is a medium shot from behind of the pilots after drinking the coffee containing drugs and as it hits them, ou can see through the front windscreen of the plane, the horizon tlting - showing that the plane is tilted and implying something is going wrong. This shot has been set in the perspetive of someone stood in the doorway of the cockpit, making it as if the audience are in the plane in this current situation.
Setting and props
FOO FIGHTERS - LEARN TO FLY
MUSIC VIDEO 2
PARAMORE - MISERY BUSINESS
Costume, Hair and Make Up
Lighting and Colour
Facial Expressions and Body Language
Setting and props
Positioning of characters in frame
The colouring used for the performance part of the video revolves around a black, white and red theme. These colours could be argued as typical for the genre of music as monochrome is regularly used and red is as well as red connotes danger - a common theme in rock music. The outfits are coordinated with the colour theme along with the lead singers hair colour. The lighting is saturated and bright for most of the video, enhancing the colours used in the video. This may be to do with the fact that the video is set in a school which usually has very bright colours within. Therefore the lighting helps to develop the setting.
The setting plays a key role in the music video. For the performance shots in the video, the setting is a room with the word 'Riot!' repeatedly scribbled on the wall. This is significant to the video as it emphasises the chaos in the narrative and also relates to the name of the album (which is called Riot!). The other setting used in the video is the hallway of a high school. This has been intended so that the target audience can relate to the video - putting the audience on a mutual level with the song. The reason they want the audience to relate to the video is because it puts Paramore on the same level as role models - for exposing a bully within a school. The setting helps to teach the audience a life lesson about people and bullies - making it one of the most aspects of Mise En Scene within this video.
It is typical in the rock/alternative genre that the body language of the band when performing is very enthusiastic and energetic, which Paramore have proceeded to do in this video.The body language also plays a huge role in the narrative of the video. We see the main character (the female bully) who struts around the school halls, her poster is very upright and intimidating, a representation of her personality. this helps the audience to understand what type of person she is - which is key in a music video as there is no dialogue. The facial expressions in the music video are highlighted by the camera shots used. Where there are key moments of the video (e.g. when Hayley pulls out the fillers in the bully's bra). The facial expressions help to conduct the narrative.
The costumes of the band are very laid back and relaxed, connoting that they are just like everyone else - they aren't something special. However, the costume of the bully is very bold and bright suggesting she wants all the attention she can get. The costumes used in the videos help the audience to identify between the different stereotypes of people. For example there is the cheerleaders dressed in their full uniform, the jocks, quiet girls, bullies
etc. The eye make up of Hayley (the lead singer) matches her hair however the rest of her make up is very natural and flattering. The bully, in contrast, has a very overdone make up with bold eye make up and lipstick - again, emphasising the boldness of her appearance and her need for attention.
The video opens with several long shots showing each band members quickly, cutting each time to the beat of the track. This immediately shows the audience the genre of the track as they know it is going to be one lead by a variety of instruments. This is also shows by the close-ups of guitars throughout the introduction of the song. The shots of the band also vary between close-ups of their faces, giving a detailed view of each member and long shots of the whole band to give the audience an over all image. The shot then cuts and pans up and back down to show a long of a cheerleaders, connoting the difference in the two groups of people (the band and cheerleaders) and giving the audience an idea about what the video is going to be about.
MUSIC VIDEO 3
ALL TIME LOW - SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE
Setting and Props
The setting of the video is what looks to be an American street. They have done this to give the impression that this is a normal day, however as the narrative proves, it is not. The props used are instruments in order to connote to the audience the genre, as you wouldn't see a boyband with instruments - therefore separating them from this genre and making this obvious to the audience. Another prop used in the music video is a mirror in the shop window of a homeware shop. This is a key prop as it represents the moment of realisation Alex has when he realises that the reason everyone had been running away form him was because he was a zombie. The mirror is key as it contributes to a major part of the narrative.
Facial Expressions and Body Language
The body language and the facial expressions help to determine what is going on in the narrative. At the start of the video we see Alex all cheery and happy - which is enhanced through his upright and bouncy body language and smile on his face. However this immediately changes after he looks in the mirror. We then see that his body language becomes more 'dead' - which helps the audience to understand that the whole time he has actually been a zombie. His posture is more limp and uncoordinated and just 'not with it' in general. In all of the other characters involved in the narrative of the video, their body language is constantly on edge and skeptical especially when they are around Alex - which explains why he was a zombie the whole time and why people were reacting n that particular way.
Positioning of characters in frame
Throughout both the narrative and performance, Alex is always the main focus, he is mostly in the foreground of all shots he is in however there are a range of different positioning throughout the video. For example, when Alex corners Jack and bites a chunk of flesh off his arm, there is a shot from Jack's perspective as he we are in his option while Alex bites his arm. This gives the audience the full effect and enhances the feeling of no escape as form Jack's perspective, Alex takes up the whole frame and is right in his face. When the band are performing, they have the typical formation of where each member stars (lead singer at the front, guitarists on each side and drummer at the back).
Costume, Hair and Make Up
Lighting and Colour
Everyone in the music video is wearing everyday natural clothes, suggesting that this has taken place in the everyday world - as suggesting also with the natural setting of the road. However, the lead singer Alex wakes up in a french fries mascot outside a fast food branch. We never find out fully why he is wearing this costume and it does not even relate to the narrative. However, after the moment we realise that Alex is a zombie, all the costumes change as they then become 'zombified'. Their make up shows flesh wounds and dark circles under their eyes and white skin. This helps to emphasise the difference between a normal person and a zombie. The girl in the video loosely fits with Prop's theory on characters as she is shown to be the damsel in distress. This is counted by the white top she is wearing as it was suggested that usually the damsel in distress wears white to suggest innocence - which has been done here. In terms of Prop's character theory, Alex would be the male protagonist however he eventually the villain as he tries to eat everyone.
The lighting used in the video is a natural midday type of lighting. This is to show that the narrative is set in the middle of the day. There is no specifics in terms of colouring as they have tried to make it look as natural as possible.