Music Video Research

Commentary – Why I Chose These Music Videos As

Research

Metallica – “One” I chose to research and analyse this music video not only because this is a fantastic example of a performance and narrative based video, but also as there are aspects that I would like to apply to our final production. One of which being the dark blue filter effect to create a sombre atmosphere, which would correspond with the ominous tone.

The Beatles – “I Am The Walrus”

There is a constant conceptual element that runs throughout this video, which is what attracted me to it. However, the inclusion of Film and Television references, a variety of performances and a noticeable relationship between lyrics and visuals makes this stand out, in my opinion, as one of the most influential music videos of that era.

Tom Petty – “Into The Great Wide Open”

This song is a perfect example of a narrative story being enforced into a music video, as it follows the rise and fall of the protagonist, Eddie. There are elements of performance interjected into the video, challenging the norm by having both protagonist and original band performing.

Soundgarden – “Black Hole Sun”

This video manages to incorporate all of Frith’s typologies into one video; performance, narrative, and conceptual. Winning the Music Video of the Year award on multiple occasions, I was intrigued into how it manages to execute this effect, and hope to apply some of the conceptual and performance aspects to our own project.

The Pixies – “Here Comes Your Man”

One of the main reasons behind choosing this song is because it is performed by the band that our music is for. This video is a precise example of an “anti-music video” video due to the attitude the band took in making this. There is no lip-syncing and the members are almost always looking directly into the camera, challenging numerous music video conventions.