Analysis Of Narrowed Down Artists

Shannon Saunders - Atlas

Shannon Saunders' 'Atlas' is in the Alternative genre of music - the video is fairly typical due to the concept of the video being a narrative; following her around whilst she is on tour and watching her discover sets and venues as well as interacting with her fans. This narrative also shows Shannon performing on stage.

There isn't a structure to this music video as it is more of a 'Tour Diary,' meaning that the video shows a period of time rather than constantly back tracking on events that have previously happened. Within the whole video a motif of Shannon rehearsing and performing is used, clips of this are shown frequently, which suggests that a new day has come around and she is preparing or preforming in a new show. Another motif used is stills of Saunders either interacting with fans, performing. with friends or on a photo shoot - showing her in action; this tells the audience that Shannon is all about the music rather than the fame, it tells them that doing what she loves most is her main priority.

The mise-en-scene for this video goes well with Saunders' persona and genre; clothing wise, she wears a variety of outfits however all of them include at least one item of denim whether it be jeans, a jacket or a shirt. She also has fairly natural make up which again, emphasises that she is more interested in the music then how she looks. The setting of this video is mainly in 'indie' venues, supporting the alternative genre of music. The lighting used is either bright or dull depending on the location; if at a venue the shot is mainly dull with a spotlight on Shannon and if Saunders is on a seafront or outside the lighting tends to be just that bit brighter. 

A variety of camera shots and angles are used such as a wide shot, long shot, close ups and high angle shots - this makes the video more interesting for the audience as it gives them a different perspective of the same situation. The use of a close up fits with Goodwin's theory of the record label wanting close up of the artists to promote them however, not many are used which tells us the Saunders is wanting to break the typical conventions of music videos.

The editing in this video is extremely good; there are 122 cuts and shots suggesting that the editor really worked hard to create an interesting video also, majority of these cuts are synchronised with the beat in the background of the video, this makes the video physically pleasing for the audience as it all matches up. Also, when clips of Saunders performing on stage are shown, the music fits in with what she is singing, showing a form of lip syncing, this again, pleases the audience as it matches together. 

Overall, I really like this video as it isn't cheesy or has a lot of performance in it, this makes the video feel more personal for her fans as they get to see what she gets up to whilst on tour. I would like to take inspiration from this in our video, maybe if we were to have a narrative video instead to make the video more interesting?

Lana Del Rey - West Coast

West Coast by Lana Del Rey is an Alternative genre video, just as Shannon Saunders' video, it is mainly a narrative, this time of Lana's dates with her current boyfriend in the video, it shows locations such as the beach and on a long road, this shows us that she doesn't mind not going on dates in fancy restaurants and would rather just be with her boyfriend. 

The structure of this video is that the chorus of the video is set in the car on the long road and the verses are filmed at the beach - this is consistent throughout the whole video. The only real motif used is Lana smoking; this is shown frequently, it could suggest that her relationship is slowly killing her just like the cigarette is. 

The mise-en-scene for this video match up with how Lana Del Rey is portrayed in the video; fairly rock 'n' roll, she wears leather jackets, monochrome clothing with a dark lipstick, this tells us that she is fairly edgy, a contrast is made in the chorus when she looks very glamorous with sleek, shiny, wavy hair however, the dark lip is still features.

There is a variety of shots used however, I feel that there probably could've been more. Shots such as close ups and mid shots are used, again meaning that Goodwin's theory is correct here. 

The editing is fairly good due to techniques such as double exposure and cgi (fire has been edited in). Personally, I feel that the fire looked slightly tacky and did not really work for the video however, it was still skill full. The editing was not synchronised to the music making the audience feel more uneasy then they would if it was synchronised however, it was not a mistake as it worked well.

Lip syncing is used in this video at the beginning of verses or mid choruses however, more acting is used, this tells the story better, making it more interesting for the audience.

I like this video as I feel that the idea of a narrative is very good and artistic however, I would change the editing in the sense that the cgi didn't really look good.

Florence And The Machine - You Got The Love

This video is of the alternative genre and the whole video is performance based; Florence is singing on a moon and occasionally there are people below her. There isn't a structure, the whole video is based on the moon she is standing on however, there are some clips of her in a white room, this is to make the video more entertaining.

A common motif used is the dancers and Florence pushing their hands in the air, this is because of the repeated lyric 'Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air.' Therefore Goodwin's theory of the lyrics being represented in the video is proven right. 

There are only two costume changes in this video, both of them are white however one is a leotard and the other is a dress; the colour white symbolises surrender suggesting that that is what the song is about.  

There are some different shots used however the main ones are mid shots and close ups, this is to keep the artist in focus at all times - the editing of this video is not synchronised however there are a large amount of cuts making the video more interesting for the audience also, lip synching is used at all times in this video, which pleases the audience as it matches up.

Overall, I do not like this video as I find the performance repetitive and fairly boring therefore, this is something I would like to stay away from.

Kate Nash - Do Wah Do

Do Wah Do by Kate Nash is in the alternative/indie genre, the video is not typical for this genre though as it is fairly pop/r'n'b like. This video is a combination of both narrative and performance, the opening titles are like a film "Kate Nash in Do Wah Do" and then at the end of the video it says "The End" making it a narrative as it suggests a story. 

The main structure of this video is that in every chorus there is dancing in the isle of the plane. I think this makes the video entertaining for the audience as it is something different to look at however, it isn't something I would intend to have in my video due to it being difficult to get a group of people willing to do it.

There is only one outfit used in this video which is an air hostesses outfit - this fits with the narrative of the video therefore, it pleases the audience due to continuity. The only location used is a plane, which again shows continuity. 

The editing is not to the beat however lip syncing is used at all times in this video which shows that the editing was matched up perfectly.

Overall, I feel that this video is too poppy for the alternative genre however, it is well put together and the narrative is fun for the audience to watch.