Analysis of 3 video structures.

Andrew Goodwin who was director of music at Oxford University seperated music videos into 3 groups; Illustrative, Amplification and Disjunture. The following videos are three examples of these.




Dizzee Rascals 'Holiday' is an example of of illustration. Rascal plays the narrator and the character in this video which shows the the stereotypical view of men towards women. From the offset the first thing we see is a young lady dressed in a bikini and it immediately sets the tone for the rest of the video. When Dizzee is first shown on the screen we can see him sourounded by women on the edge of the pool in a foreign country hence 'Holiday'.

This video depicts out exactly what the lyrics quote with masses upon masses of women with a miniscule number of males to represent Rascals love for women.




Ruben Studdard - I need an Angel
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'I Need An Angel' by Ruben Studdard is a perfect example of amplification is music videos. It reflects the needs for videos to now show a deeper level of meaning to help the lyrics and to also increase the number of views it has to increase its popularity thus its sales.

The story features 3 narratives of different peoples who's lives are intertwined. A mechanic who loses his job and his girlfriend who thinks she is pregnant. The last is a homeless drug addict who is looking for someone to help him through his struggles. The narrative follows the conventional structure of gospel music with a normality, a problem then a resolution. The issue that everyone has to face life's tough challenges and others may leave you but if you have faith in God he'll come through for you.

The mise en scene is very melancholy and gloomy in the introduction when Studdard is singing. He plays the narrator whilst images of the characters living through their struggles is illustrated. He is wearing dark colours and it is raining and dark to represent the sadness and how bleak things may seem at times.

However as the song progresses and we reach the climax with augmented tempo and deeper beats the if a bright flashing light which represents the light of God. Once this happens thus begins the transformation. The background of the mise en scene is now bright and sunny and Studdard is wearing brightly coloured clothing and joined by a choir who are dressed in similar attire. This represents a change in events a new beginning and a brighter future.

In correspondance to this the mechanic comes across a corporate business man who works for an automobile company and he offers the mechanic a job. His girlfriend takes a pregnancy test and finds out that she is not pregnant and the drug addict is taken in by a priest. The structure of these amplified video gives the viewer more to understand and forces them to think more when they are watching because we find it interesting.

'Number One Enemy' By Daisy Dares You ft Chipmunk is a fantastic piece of modern intertextuality in music videos. This example of Disjunture in music video's now shows how post mordernism has had an effect on music that we need to see beyond that of what is simple and illustrative.

The Daisy Dares You and Chipmunk play the narrators and the participants in the video, and with the lyrics being about an argument with Daisy's Sister 'Scarlett' and her trying to resolve it the video contradicts the lyrics and the message.

The video use of intertextuality relates to its imitation of a Donnie Darko/ Alice in Wonderland theme. It features Daisy as Alice almost exploring a new world of strange things including coloured sheep, and being trapped in a maze and a small dolls house. This may represent that although she is only young hence the dolls house and the bright colours she is trapped in this feud with her sister that is beyond what she expects and she doesn't really understand how to deal with it which is the problem.

These three video i picked out specifically because they all have a feature in which have given ideas of what to include when making my own music video. Location like Dizzee Rascal in 'Holiday', The ability to be able to convey a strong message in my video in order to keep the viewer interested and wanting to watch it again from 'I Need An Angel' and the vivid visual displays and creative imagination used in 'Number One Enemy'.