By Richard Morelli

Music videos, where did

they come from?

- A music video is simply a fast paced short film made to parallel a song or piece of

music.

- They became most popular when record companies started producing more and more music

videos as a method of promoting the band and ultimately selling records.

- Originally they were known as „Promos‟ (short for promotional videos) as that was their

primary asset as far as the studios were concerned.

- When the term „Rock Video‟ can around in the 1980s, it became very popular as a from of

portraying a new form of visual entertainment.

Photo from Queen‟s

Bohemian Rhapsody.

This was the first ever

synchronised music

video

What impact has MTV had

on alternative videos

- As the turn of the century approached, MTV had implanted their

presence deep inside everyone‟s minds as the best exporter of

tunes since 1981.

- What MTV managed to do was deliver the most modern music to the

consumer, their most successful approach of course being music video.

- MTV‟s first launched music video was “Video Killed The Radio

Star” (ironic) and was a huge success!

- It gained nearly £7 million in the short space of 18 months.

- Acts as diverse as Michael Jackson and Green Day, Guns n‟ Roses

and 2Pac have been featured.

- What a difference from today, Where the company is more focused on

reality television than music videos.

Analysis of an existing

video

I will be doing an analysis of the

video „Rusted from the rain‟ by

„Billy Talent‟ which is in the

alternative rock genre. I have

picked out and expanded on the

elements that make the codes

and conventions of alternative

rock in the moving image. The

two main factors are „video‟ and

„sound‟, how do these two play

off of one another and parallel

the typical traits that come with

the genre?

Analysis of an existing

video

After a series of slow paced shots of

the homeless man picking up litter and

putting it in his trolley. As an audience

we then see the lead singer make his

first appearance as a close up. This is

often done in alternative music videos,

either the lead singer or the lead

guitarist are shown first as its what the

audience/fans want to see first and

secondly identify the band playing the

song in order to carry on watching. The

fact it‟s a close up register that it wants

you to identify with him.

Nirvana - SliverNickelback – How you

remind me

Green Day –

Basket Case

Other alternative

rock videos with the

same editing

structure

Analysis of an existing

video

The plot line and „live‟ shots are edited to a

one after the other sequence. This is typical

for alternative rock music videos. We then

see a left panning zoom-in of the guitarist,

this further establishes that this is a band

effort rather than a solo artist with a backing

track. Notice though this he is portrayed as

a subordinate character in this video, not as

close as the lead singer distorting the face

slightly – Identification may prove difficult for

the audience as intended.

Nirvana - SliverNickelback – How you

remind me

Green Day –

Basket Case

Other alternative

rock videos with the

same editing

structure

Analysis of an existing

video

Next we clean cut back to a mid shot of

the homeless man pushing his trusted

trolley around. The song is bordering a

drop in depth by adding bass and

drums for harmony, but for the

moment, it‟s staying the same to

emphasise loneliness. The arpeggios in

the song portray the lyrics through an

alternative source. The pitter patter of

individually stricken notes with a lightly

distorted reverbing echo afterwards

has an overwhelming sense of rain

falling down upon us.

Nirvana - SliverNickelback – How you

remind me

Green Day –

Basket Case

Other alternative

rock videos with the

same editing

structure

Analysis of an existing

video

Finally, when the bass guitar and

drums fill in, we as an audience are

thus introduced to the drummer

and bassist in a series of quick

shots so that we are made aware

of their presence: they are a band.

The song now is very bass driven

with the riff being carried louder on

the bass than any other instrument.

The speed change on the shots

has crescendoed now to match

the progressive tempo of the song.

Nirvana - SliverNickelback – How you

remind me

Green Day –

Basket Case

Other alternative

rock videos with the

same editing

structure

Further analysis of an

existing video

Next I will be doing an analysis of

the video „Heart Shaped Box‟ by

„Nirvana‟ which is also in the

alternative rock genre. Like the

prior video, this too follows the

same basic guidelines of

structuring an alternative rock

video. It raises the question once

again, of how is the genre

represented through the images

portrayed accompanied by the

sound track?

Analysis of an existing

video

This opening aerial shot is a unique

way of establishing the narrative

setting. Clearly the man in the bed

is the focal point of the video, and

the use of the curtains and empty

floor space gives the audience the

impression that he is not well in

hospital. The music itself is (at this

stage) just the arpeggio guitar riff

with a light distortion accompanying

a gentle minor keyed melody.

Analysis of an existing

video

By this point in the video, we appear to

enter the subconscious dreaming mind

of the man asleep. The bizarre

surrealism of the surroundings reflects

this idea. The song now has progressed

from a simple electric guitar riff to the

addition of a soft drum beat,

harmonious bass riff and gentle vocals.

In some ways, the lyrics are as bizarre

and irrelevant as the video itself,

reflecting perhaps Cobain‟s drug

problem, or the hallucinogenic power of

a dream.

Analysis of an existing

video

The high contrasted lighting used to

cut between shots is used to

emphasise some kind of divine

tranquility. The image concept

however of what the audience sees

is reflective of religion, a subject

often tackled by the alternative rock

genre. “She eyes me like a Pisces

when I am weak” is the lyric that

accompanies this long shot, and

what it does is exaggerates the anti-

religious message portrayed

through visual metaphor

Analysis of an existing

video

This close up is used to portray the

emotion the song is trying to

message through. It‟s successfully

done, as this accompanies the

minor keyed dreariness of the first

verse „Heart Shaped Box‟. The lyric

“I‟ve been locked inside your heart

shaped box for weeks” is once

again parallel to the emotion

expressed on screen. He‟s tied to a

crucifix, constricted, “locked”.