Unit 1.2 Our Infograph on Rihanna

Unit 1.1 Goodwin's Dancing In A Distraction Factory

Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and See (2011) 

Music Video Demonstrates the Genre of the Audio

The Arctic Monkeys are a indie rock band formed in 2002 and consist of four members. The single Suck it and See was released in October 2011 off their fourth album Suck it and See. The music video is largely narrative and follows the story of a young couple who have a 'love-hate' relationship. It is set in the American outback and the characters are made to appear to fit in to the 'indie rock' genre by the mise-en-scene. The clothing they both wear, the area they live, their possessions and pastimes all illustrate the genre of the music. 

The band does not appear in the music video due to the use of narrative, this allows the audience to feel more involved in the video and audio as it makes them focus on the couple and the lyrics. 

Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals

The relationship between the couple is portrayed throughout the video in a bitter-sweet manner; the male and female are shown to convey both love and hate towards each other. However, their love always out ways the hate and it seems whatever they do to hurt each other will not affect what they feel for each other, 

'Be cruel to me 'cause I'm a fool for you'

These lyrics show that the girl could do anything to him and his view of her would not be altered; this puts him in a submissive position, willing for her to treat him in any way she feels. It is presumed that it is the man who is submissive to the girl due to the male voice of the lead singer, although the lyrics could also be what the girl feels for the man as visuals are also from her point of view. 

“You're rarer than a can of dandelion and burdock and those other girls are just post-mix lemonade”

Dandelion and Burdock is an uncommon drink and it is fairly rare to find some one who enjoys this drink; by comparing her to this drink he is saying she is rare and one of a kind. He refers to other girls as being 'post-mix lemonade' which is an extremely common drink and he is therefore saying that the other girls are boring in comparison and do not take his fancy like her. This is demonstrated through the visuals as she is the only girl featured throughout. 

"You have got that face that just says 'Baby, I was made to break your heart'”

These lyrics illustrate how despite his attraction towards this girl he knows he will get his heart broken. Her physical hurtful actions towards him will hurt him both physically and emotionally. The visuals show that even though they may fight he cannot stop himself from going back to her and comforting her. These lyrics link to the other lyrics within the song, all explaining his complicated feelings for the girl. 

Relationship between the visuals and the music

The visuals link to the music in various ways with the use of different camera shots and angles, the use of fast cutting and slow motion clips also creates a link. The speed of the visuals and transitions depends on the speed of the music; for example when the music tempo speeds up, between the end of the first verse and the chorus, the visuals are fast cutting and show the audience the first signs of violence towards each other. 
The music tempo always increases for the chorus and to show the change the visuals change to the violent scenes, whereas in the verses the visuals portray them as being calmer and more loving towards each other. The couples intimate moments such as hugging are shown in close up or medium shots as this illustrates their love to the audience. Some of the 'fighting' scenes are shown in medium/long shots, this therefore indicates the distance they feel towards each other. 

Intertextuality 
Relating to or deriving meaning from the interdependent ways in which texts stand in relation to each other. There is no clear intertextuality within this music video however the scenes with the motorcycles could related in some way to motorcycle chases seen in other films such as 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day' (1991).

Selling the artist

The Arctic Monkeys are hinted at throughout the music video in a variety of ways such as on the mans 'Suck it and See' jacket. At the bottom of his jacket there is a label saying 'AMs' which stands for Arctic Monkeys; this reminds the audience of who is signing the song. The mans jacket plays a key part in selling the artist and the song due to having 'Suck it and See' written on the back; this jacket is worn many times throughout the video and stands out causing the audience to remember the song title. 
The band are not featured in the music video so the audience cannot see them throughout, therefore the small details will sell the artist. 

Voyeurism and the 'Art of Looking'

Voyeurism is portrayed throughout the music video from both the girl and the boys point of view. The man is seen to watch the girl, through the mirror, getting changed as he preens himself. This clip illustrates the man watching the girl whilst doing normal activities such as gelling his hair, yet she is naked and attracts him to her. 

It is also illustrated within the clip at the 'Death Ramps' where the couple are seen watching the other motorcyclists. This clip portrays how the couple are watching the others have fun with each other, whilst they sit out with their backs to each other, no doubt after another fight. 

Unit 1.1 Goodwin's Dancing In A Distraction Factory

Maroon 5 - Payphone ft. Wiz Khalifa

Music Videos Demonstrate Genre Characteristics

“Payphone” is a single by the American pop band Maroon 5, from the album Overexposed which was released on April 16 2012 by A&M/Octone. This song also features the American rapper Wiz Khalifa, signed to the record label Atlantic after leaving Warner Bros. Record (coincidentally both are subsidiaries of Warner Music Group. The genre of the “Payphone” is, as aforementioned, pop and this is evident from the way the music video has been constructed. The whole music video is a story which has a beginning, a middle and an end, similar to pop music videos such as “Material Girl” sung by the acclaimed “Queen of Pop” Madonna the second single from her sophomore album Like a Virgin. The video explores the fantasy that a man has over Madonna and eventually goes to see her at a film set. They meet and inevitably fall in love, with the audience presuming that they live happily ever after. Another example is the Chris Brown single featuring Justin Bieber “Next to You” which starts off with both the singers with their partners, happy and content. But then misfortune strikes and an explosion occurs, separating both the singers from their on-screen girlfriend. The video concludes with Justin Bieber finding his partner and sharing a tender kiss.

Another convention that is projected through this music video and various other pop videos is the fact that the song and music video is about relationships and love. This seems to be a common theme through pop genres and is shown, once again in, in “Material Girl” and “Next to You”. Material Girl shows the love of the actor in the music video for Madonna, claiming “she's fantastic” and expressing a desire to meet her, resulting in them both falling in love. In the music video its is made obvious that both the singers are in love and have a healthy relationship. But then they are tragically divided and the video is about both the singers having their love tested. The music video reaches a climax with Bieber sharing a kiss with his girlfriend.

One more convention that can be listed in nearly all music videos is the fact that the artist will always appear in the music video singing their songs. The best example would be Michael Jackson and all his music videos. It is in fact these videos (after appearing on MTV) that had launched Jackson. The previously mentioned music videos, “Material Girl” and “Next to You” also feature Madonna and Chris Brown singing their songs respectively. 

 

There Is A Relationship Between Lyrics And Visuals

This song is about Adam Levine saying how that his and his girlfriends relationship is not the same anymore and this is expressed by him remembering the events that we presume happened earlier and resulted to him arriving at a payphone at the beginning of the song and that is where the song actually starts:

“I'm at a payphone trying to call home

All of my change I spent on you

Where have the times gone

Baby it's all wrong, where are the plans we made for two?”

The above lines are the chorus and they are constantly sung throughout the song and from the video begins with Levine physically in a payphone calling a girl and this is also how the video ends. It repeatedly echoes the title of the music video and brings the audience back to this. This music is about how the relationship that the two people share are turning sour and that is resonated by the following lyrics that Levine sings:

“And in our time that you wasted

All of our bridges burned down...

“If happy ever after did exist
I would still be holding you like this

All those fairytales are full of sh*t”

The scenery and action that surrounds Levine throughout the video is desolate and shows that something is wrong. First of all there is a bank robbery in which he and his assumed girlfriend are running away, but towards the end of the music video his car explodes and “burned” to rubble. He is being chased by the police although he is not at fault, this just shows that the relationship they have is anything but a “fairytale”. 

 

Links Between Visuals And Music

In “Payphone” the relationship between visuals and music is not as apparent as it would be in other music videos, however there is a relationship there. For example the scene would change from Levine in the payphone to the actual narrative of the bank heist once Levine starts singing the chorus “I'm at a payphone trying' to call home...”. The director of the music video has had the scenes change at certain drum beats, which gives the effect that they are running and are taking part in an action sequence. There are a lot of diegetic sounds such as bombs exploding, shooting, glass smashing etc. which accentuates the action that is taking place in the music video, including the car chase, robbery, explosions.

Intertextuality

Pastiche - “An artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastiche

The intertextuality shown through this music video is pastiche of many action/thriller films. This is strongly shown through the bank robbery that takes place within the music video and the chase that commences straight after. This is reminiscent of many films that has graced the screen over the years, for example a recent film which includes a similar bank robbery is the 2008 film The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger. The film comprises of a bank robbery carried out by The Joker (played by Ledger) and his accomplices, in which The Joker orchestrates their death one by one so that he can have the money all to himself. The robbers, just like the ones in Maroon 5's “Payphone” were masked and entered a vault to fill their bags with money. The antagonists in both scenes faced a civilian with a gun. Another film which shares a media relationship with this music video is the 2010 film The Town, starring and directed by Ben Affleck. This is a American crime film that has multiple ban robberies, including one where the actors in the film dress up in a nuns outfit and rob a bank. After they are chased and cornered by the police, only to fire at them which eventually leads to them escaping. In “Payphone”, Levine carries out a resembling act by forcing the police cars to crash into each other and blow up into smithereens.

 

The Demands Of The Record Label Will Include The Need For Lots Of Close Ups Of The Artist And The Artist May Develop Motifs Which Recur Across Their Work (A Visual Style).

Being the lead singer of the band, this music video constantly focuses on Adam Levine and the director makes the audience very familiar with him by creating the video using a lot of close-ups of the American. The music video starts off with Adam Levine and also ends with him, leaving a lasting impression of him on to the audience. The beginning starts off with a fade in of Levine at a scene that is on fire, the fade in allows the audience to slowly come to terms with what they are witnessing and forces them to pay attention to Levine. The first clear image of Levine is one of him wearing a white vest, with his tattoos bulging and blood running down the right side of his mouth. This composes a mental image of an action man figure, and it is this style and characteristics that become his motif throughout the music video. Roughly 27 seconds into the video we have 6 quick close-up cuts of Levine's face, which emphasizes his importance in the video, especially after quickly browsing through the face of surplus actors. An important scene of the music video is when Levine is in the payphone alone and it is a mid-shot of him singing through the phone. The fact that he is in the payphone, all alone, would give his figure added impetus considering the title of the song is “Payphone”. Once the robbers have got everyone on the floor with their hands on their heads, it is Levine who jumps up, grabs the gun and makes an escape. This little action shot would make the audience more familiar with Levine due to the role of the protagonist Levine plays. Another part of the music video which helps promote Levine and Maroon 5, is when he steals Wiz Khalifa's car. After doing so he is chased by numerous police cars but manages to evade their clutches and drive off to safety. The fact that all the cars in the scene are the same except for his, would single him out and make him stand out. Even more so due to the fact that he executes impressive stunts with the car, and reinforces the idea that good will always prevail.

Shot 1

Shot 2

Shot 3

Shot 4

There Is Frequently Reference To Notion Of Looking (Screens Within Screens, Telescopes, etc) And Particularly Voyeuristic Treatment Of The Female Body.

This music video, “Payphone”, has voyeurism appearing throughout the video, although it is kept to a minimum. The narrative of the music video is about Levine escaping a bank which is is being held hostage by robbers and the video is hugely influenced by action movies, which inevitably would have people looking. The best example of this is when Wiz Khalifa is standing outside the compound where Levine is driving into before his car explodes. This is like a typical action film scene where extravagant action takes place and then all seems normal. This allows the audience to understand that the scene has reached an equilibrium. Another notion of looking within the music video is when the police officers chase Levine and the lady but then lose track of them. They are left standing there watching after them, which aides the audience understanding by making them aware that both the characters have escaped the clutches of the police, and they would expect the video to unfold from here.