Our top three choices for songs to use for our video are from either the Dubstep or Indie Rock genre. Therefore I analysed three videos, one from the Indie genre, one from Dubstep and one from Funky House, which was not on our list, in order to see the differences in the use of costume, props and location. This is important, because when making our video, we have to decide whether we will follow or contradict these conventions in regards to setting, costume and our use of location. As well as whether we will draw inspiration from videos of different genres.
Example. 1.
"The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony"
COSTUME: There is only one costume used for the artist who is both the narrator and participant. This is a black leather jacket, dark coloured t-shirt and boot-cut black jeans. This costume fits in with both the genre, lyrics, narrative and location. This is because in the narrative he is just an average man walking down a street, as if he was just following his usual daily routine. Therefore, to coincide with this, he is wearing average clothes that he would wear any day of the week. The location has also been made to look like a dreary street/place in England and thus this theme is carried on through the dark colours of his clothing. This average style of clothing also reflects the lyrics "your a slave to your money, then you die," because this lyric suggests that he is struggling with money, so it would not support the lyrics if he was wearing designer clothes with expensive jewellery. In terms of the link between costume and genre, Indie bands usually wear simple clothing to show that they are not in the music industry for the money, but to be able to carry on making the music they love. Although this video goes against the convention of showing the band playing their instruments, the shot at the end shows the band come together and walk down the rest of the street together. This supports the convention of Indie music videos introducing the audience to the band, and this shot also shows us that all the members are also wearing simple clothing, which equally adds to the authenticity.
LOCATION: This video contains one location. This is a street, which the artist walks down for the entire video. However filters have been used to enhance the look of the street. For example, a blue contrast filter has been used to make the scene look dull and washed out, almost like it had or was about to rain. It also forms a link with the lyrics, which are very melancholy. A dull rainy day is often said to be an average day in England, therefore this effect used on the location works well with the simple costume. This location may not be a well-known location, but the way in which the street is filmed gives the effect that it could be any street in England, and thus makes it easy for a wide range of audience to relate to. Again, one location is something that is not uncommon for music videos of the Indie genre.
PROPS: There are two cars used as props in this video. The first is the car which the artist steps on to cross the street and the second is the limo type car, which the artist uses to check his reflection. These are quite selfish acts, which reflect the mood/theme of the song, that in this life you just have to look out for yourself. I would say that this use of props is typical of Indie music videos, because props are often used to amplify, reinforce or add meaning to the songs.
Example 2.
"Chase and Status - Let you Go ft Mali"
COSTUME: There are three costume changes in this video. These are not complete changes in clothes, but throughout the video, the character goes from wearing a full suit, to wearing just a shirt and suit pants, to wearing just his pants, before returning to his full suit again. This forms a link between the song and the narrative because the narrative is of a man who runs a talk show, similar to Jeremy Kyle, where he judges others. However behind the scenes he is doing everything his guests are doing. Therefore the slow progression of one item of his clothing slowly disappearing in every couple of shots, shows his slow progression from bad to worse. The costume links to each location and setting, because it shows him losing his inhabitation. For example, in the Motel room, he is with the prostitute he picked up and he is only wearing his pants. This shows he is losing his sexual inhibitions, because he is about to preform sexual acts with the prostitute in a location that is stereotyped to often cater for this type of behaviour. There are elements of disjuncture in this video, therefore it is hard to draw parallels between the use of costume and the lyrics. However on interpretation which suggests a link between the costume and the lyrics is, that the lyrics which state "Wherever you go I will track you down" could be symbolic of his addiction and pursuit of his secret hedonistic lifestyle, and even though he has the suit on to differentiate him from his guest on his show, when the suit is removed, he is still the same as them. I would not describe this costume as typical for videos of the Dubstep genre, however, the darker narrative, simple clothing and having an actor play the character rather than the artist are popular traits if a variety of Dubstep videos.
LOCATION: This video uses 7 different settings and locations. These are, the dressing room, the studio, the car, the block of flats, the bar, the club and the motel room. Again, as I explained earlier, these locations link to the costume by showing his decline. There are no well-known locations used, however again, these are generic locations, such as clubs and bars, that different groups of people, such as younger and older generations, can relate to. I don't think these locations are typical for Dubstep videos, but were used to aid the narrative and are typical to this particular Dubstep artist.
PROPS: Drugs and alcohol are props used in this video. These are significant because the effects are reflected through the camera work, such as the close-up and rotating shot on the characters face when he is in the club. This shot is to show his state of mind. The editing is also very quick pace and jump cuts are used to show the effects of the drugs and alcohol.
Example. 3.
"Katy B feat. Ms Dynamite - Lights On"
COSTUME: Katy B has three costume changes throughout this video. This is, the grey jumper and chino pants, the black top and leather jacket and lastly, the white vest top and colourful pants. The chorus shows her in all three costumes, because it flashes between the base tracks and each costume is worn in the three different locations. The costume with the grey jumper is worn when she is in the alleyway and has the effect of making her stand out against the dark shadowed background. The costume with the leather jacket is against the skyline of London, with many lights of the city and done from a high angle shot. The city conjures up images of formal clothing and perhaps people dressing up to go out. Therefore, in this shot she is quite dressed up. In the last underground location, she is dressed in a simple vest top, however she is wearing quite urban colourful pants, which accompanies the urban underground atmosphere. The use of costume is linked to the genre, because she is wearing clothes which is typically styles from urban culture and the genre of this song is more Funkyhouse, which is a particularly urban genre focused mainly on the younger generation.
LOCATION: Three locations are used in this video. These are, an alleyway, a balcony showing the city skyline and an underground setting with many lights like a club. These locations are typical of popular youth culture and thus typical locations to see in urban genres of music such as House.
PROPS: I would say that the lights used in this video are a motif to the song, which is "Lights On." Everywhere Katy B is in the video, there are lights, such as the spotlight illuminating her in the dark alleyway, the lights in the underground and the city lights. Lots of lights is typical of House videos, because this genre of music, because the music and beat of the music is quite simple, so the audience gets drawn in the most by the visual. It is also because House music in some ways stems off of the Dance music genre, which is known to by very colourful.
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