Oasis-Dont look back in anger

Screen grab showing how the edge of the shot has been blurred
in Dont Look Back in Anger

This is the video for the 1996 Oasis song, Don’t Look Back in Anger, form the album (What‘s the story) morning glory? This video was directed by Nigel Dick, who has also worked on the Guns and Roses videos Sweet Child of Mine, Paradise City and Welcome to the Jungle. He has also worked with the band on their videos for other singles including, Rock and Roll Star, Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova. Using the same director for some of their videos means that there are some similarities in the bands music videos. This is particularly true for the videos to Wonderwall and Don’t look back in anger as they both create the feel that they have been shot on old film as the edge of the shots are blurred. Another similarity between the two videos include that both opening shots are mid-long shots of lone objects, for example in Don’t look back in anger it is a chair and in Wonderwall (below rigt) it is a box.







In this video there is some relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with references to beds and summer there is shots of the band laying on beds and of Liam Gallagher surrounded by bright yellow flowers, clearly implying summer. These shots do not necessarily help reinforce the lyrics to the song, nor do they amplify or contradict them but they do however help illustrate what the lyrics are saying. There is also a relationship between the music and the lyrics as there is reoccurring images of guitars and drums, reminding us that this is a rock band, who play their own music. As with most rock bands they are performing in their video, something you would expect of this genre of music. This is shown in there other videos including ones for Wonderwall.

Genre iconography in Wonderwall video.



Genre iconography in Dont Look Back in Anger.

 

In this video there is a reference to voyeurism, although not in the way that we would normally expect to see it in a music video. Instead of us there being a sense that some one is being watched in a sexual way, how Goodwin implies it is normally used in music videos, in this video it is a man who is being watched and instead of the technique being used to make the video seem sexy, it is being used to show that the band is being watched because they are doing something wrong. With the lead singer, Noel Gallagher, looking back at the camera it complies with the image of them having an attitude, something you would expect from a rock band. It also suggests that the band are cocky, an attitude that we expect from them.

Throughout this video there is a lot of use of iconography. In the 1990s the band were synonymous with the Brit Pop scene and this is shown throughout this video. The iconography is mainly centred around British icons, something you would expect from this genre of music. There is a small union jack at the start of the video, a black taxi and a stately home, all things that recognisably British. The fact that Noel Gallagher, lead singer, is wearing a pair of round coloured glasses like John Lennon, a member of The Beatles, another band who were part of an earlier British music movement, the British Invasion in the 1960s, shows another reference to British culture and the bands own admiration for Lennon. The lyrics also mention John Lennon as they say “I’m gonna start a revolution from my bed”, referencing John Lennon’s bed protest in 1969.

John Lennon wearing the round glasses.

'John Lennon glasses' worn in Wonderwall.

'Bed In' refered to in song

Throughout the video for ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ there is a number of close ups of the singer, Noel Gallagher, and his brother Liam, who is the bands front man. There are both shots of them on their own and together, playing on the relationship of the brothers, something that is sometimes focused on in the press. The reason that they have done this is possibly because, as Goodwin tells us, there is often a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close ups.



Florence and the Machine- Rabbit Heart (Raise it up)

Florence + The Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)

This is the video to Florence and the Machines single ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up), from their debut album Lungs. The video was directed by Tom Beard and Tabitha Denholm. The pair have also directed other videos for the band including ‘Cosmic Lover’ and ‘You Got the Love’. The video for ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’ is most similar to the original video to ‘Dog Days are Over’, also directed by Beard and Denholm, with both the videos shot in similar locations and with the lead singer, Florence Welsh being surrounded by a number of colourful characters. Both the videos have a vintage feel to them and one that is quite intimate with the lead singer, which has been aided by the use of close ups. The image that has been created of the lead singer in the videos is something that has been carried over outside of the videos and therefore building a star image. With the help of the videos we would now expect to see big performances from the band, similar to the ones portrayed in the video. The white dress that she is wearing in the video to ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’, is something that is we would also expect to see in her performances as she often performs in white dresses. Her red hair is also becoming a trademark of hers and the close ups in this video help highlight this.

Close up in Dog Days Are Over, showing how she is surrounded by people in her videos.

Close up in 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up), showing how she is surrounded by people.



Wone of her many stage performances in white dresses.



The white dress in the video.

There is a relationship between both the visuals and the lyrics, particularly at the start when she sings “looking glass so shiny and new”, she is looking through something that is shiny and new, and as the song says “how quickly the glamour fades”, the object also disappears from view, symbolising that she is now seeing this work for real. There is also a reference between the music and the visuals as we see a harpist playing and also hear him on the soundtrack. The harp is something that features in a number of her videos and performances also, notably her show at the 2010 BRIT awards.

"Looking glass so shiny and new"

Harp used in the video.

Harp used in the performance at the BRITS.

Close up in 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)'

Close up used in 'Cosmic Love'

 One inter-textual reference is that of religion and offerings. She is giving herself up for slaughter, hence why she is put in a white coffin and left to float in a lake, like a story we would expect in the bible or other religious books. The main inter-textual reference is that of Alice and Wonderland. In the lyrics she sings about “the looking glass”, something associated with the Alice in Wonderland novel and film, as Alice falls through the looking glass. The other reference to Alice in Wonderland is that she appears to be at the mad hatter tea party in the video. She is playing the role of Alice, giving her some vulnerability.

Mad Hatter's tea party in 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)'

Mad Hatter's tea party in Alice in Wonderland



According to Goodwin there is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close ups of the main artist or vocalist to sustain the establish star-text as a way of the music video assisting in the sale of the single and album. This is the case in this video as there are a number of close ups of the lead singer, which show her as we would expect to see her, performing with bright red hair. Similar close ups are also used in her videos for ‘Cosmic Love’.

Analysis of Marina and the Diamonds- Oh No.

In this video there is a clear relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. When the singer, Marina Diamandis, sings “don't need love” and a cartoon graphic of a heart appears on the screen and when she sings “I'm only after success”, there is again a cartoon graphic of money and a look of determination on the singers face. This continues throughout the video, with graphics appearing to accompany the lyrics, amplifying their meaning. The visuals in this video do however remind us that the lyrics are meant to be taken as ironic and 'tounge-in-cheek'. She does not actually believe what she is saying and the fact the cartoons reminds us that what she is saying is suppose to be taken as a joke although she is trying to get a message across. As well as the cartoons that appear in the video there is also an obvious relationship between music and lyrics, especially in terms on money in the video. Throughout the video she holds piles of cash, is wearing a dress that is designed to look like a dollar whilst laying on a bed surrounded by money. These shots emphasise how the desire for her to succeed, and for her success means having money.

There is also a relationship between the music and the visuals. This song is a pop song and therefore as you would expect in a pop video there is lots of bright colours, a dance routine and an emphasise on the lead singer. The dance routine also ties in with the fact that this is an upbeat song.

In order to maintain 'star-texts' there is often the demand from the record company to have a number of close ups of the artist or vocalist. This is also the case in this video where throughout the video there is a number of close ups of Marina. These shots remind us of the emphasise there is on how videos are used to sell the music and the artist as a package. One thing this video doesn't do, which is often the case with music females in music videos, there is not a sense of voyeurism, throughout the video she is very aware that she is being watched and is therefore performing to the cameras. Although the record company is playing on the lead singers looks and are using female dancers in short dresses, the voyeurism is lost because these women know what is going on and are acting up to it, which is something that also ties in with lyrics as it is clear that she wants to be noticed because of what she is singing about.

This video is similar to other Marina and the Diamonds videos, as her music videos tend to be colourful and bright, particularly her single 'Hollywood'. The use of close ups is also something used in her other videos, with shots of her nails also becoming recoccuring. She is also becoming synonymous with having this look that involves her wearing bright, quirky dresses, which she carries over into her videos. The look of 'Oh No' is not a one off for Marina and the Diamonds, but it is instead an image that is being built around her, her music and her videos. She does also have this appeal of being a bit like a cartoon character with the clothes she wears, which is being referenced with the graphics. (Shots from 'Hollywood' on left)

There are many other intertextual references in this video. The main one is the link between the cartoon graphics and work by artists such as Roy Lichenstein and Andy Warhol (on right), again something helping build on this image of her being like a cartoon character(on left).

M.I.A.- Paperplanes

This is the video for M.I.A’s single ‘Paperplanes’. This video is mainly performance based with the singer, M.I.A playing the role of a girl who works in a truck selling sandwiches but wants to be rich.

The opening shot establishes that the video is set in New York, as we see shots of the city's iconic skyline. These shots are romanticised as they have been filmed in black and white and are showing the wealthy Manhattan areas of New York, however this shot is in contrast to the rest of the video, which is set in down town New York. In comparison to the establishing shot of New York, these shots are bright and colourful, highlighting the contrast between these two areas. This shot is very similar to the opening shot of Jay Z featuring Alicia Keys video (below left), Empire state of mind, which also shows shots of New York in black and white. The videos are very similar in the sense that they show different different areas of New York.

It is obvious from the start that this woman does not live in the wealthy part of the city, illustrated by what she does for a living (it is clear she does not live in Manhattan from the fact she is selling sandwiches out of a truck), the clothes she wears and the landscape that surrounds the singer. One shot that I find interesting in this video and the shot I feel illistrates the other side to New York is the shot of M.I.A surrounded by fake designer clothes and handbags. Instead of showing the side of New York that you would see in shows such as Sex in the City, where everyone wears real, expensive designer clothes because they are relatively wealthy, in this video we get a glimpse of the side of the city. The people still care about the labels they’re wearing but they cannot afford to buy the real ones so wear fake ones. The copies of clothes also suggest that there is a lot of crime taking place in the area. Crime is something present throughout the video, with M.I.A talking talking about how she want to “take your money” and the gun shots in the sound track and the singer making her fingers into the shape of guns. I like these shots because they reinforce that this video is not about the sophisticated, wealthy area of New York.

Although the lyrics and the video are not related, it isn’t difficult to believe that the woman in the video would be singing about this. She is clearly a person who dreams of bigger things and thinks money is going to take her places. The reoccurring line “All I wanna do is take your money” and the shots of cash in the till register and the money flying through New York as paper planes shows that M.I.A wants the money that the rich have and that money clearly has a huge importance to her as she is seen counting the money throughout. This video does help us understand the lyrics better because we learn more about the situation that these people are faced with and their desire to escape.

The shot of her surrounded by a group of women when she is walking through the streets of New York also confirms that she is probably not the only person who thinks like this and she is representing the views of many other people who lived in impoverished areas of this wealthy city.

The aspect of this video I enjoy the most is the performance because it shows the singer has attitude, which we would expect from someone living in this setting and it matches the genre of the song. The audience for this song is likely to be young people who are into urban and hip hop music.

Kasabian-Fire

This is the video for Kasabian's single 'Fire'. The concept for this video is that the band are robbing a bank in a small, practically deserted town. Along with the setting, the shots all have a slight yellow tint, which means the video feels like it is an old western movie, with the band members playing the roles of the villains.

The video and lyrics are not directly linked to one another in the sense that the lyrics tell the story of what is happening in the video but the lyrics could be interpreted as being how the singer and band are feeling before the robbery. Because parts of the song are being sung by the lead singer in the video, it means we associate the lyrics with them even more so. The lyrics give us an insight into their minds and help us understand better what is going on.

 

This is one of my favourite shots from the video. You can see the reflection of lead singer, Tom, in the window, showing that he is perhaps apprehensive about what he is about to do, which means that we still like him despite the fact he robs a bank, because the shot shows he has a conscious and remorse for what happens. This shot also shows that this video is not purely narrative based but there is also an element of performance to it.

This is also another of my favourite shots from the video because not only does it make the video seem like it is from a western movie but also because it is a parody because the guitars they are holding are playing the parts of guns. In the next scene they are also seen throwing a bag full of paper, which you would expect to be money but is instead sheets of music. These icons, especially the guitars, suggest that this video video would fit the rock genre. The shoot out scene also helps increase pleasure for the viewer because they feel as though the video is now coming to it's climax. This moment is what the video has been building up to.

One of the features that I like best about this video that it comes full circle. It starts and ends with a voice over and the start of the video shows you what happens towards the end of the video, whilst the very end of the video comes back to the beginning, before the robbery has even taken place.

This is similar to other Kasabian videos as they tend to always have a powerful story line running throughout the video and mild violence, for example in another of their songs, 'Empire' the band are in the army and are at battle. The way that this video is shot is also like The Killers 'When we were Young' as they both have similar settings and although they both have a story running through them there is still a performance by the band.