Institution and audience
-This music video is likely to be consumed by a niche audience who specifically search for the song on YouTube for example. This is obvious as the artist Ben Howard is not likely to be in the charts and does not have music videos for many of his songs therefore would not be on chart shows.
-The main audience for this video would typically be ages 18+ as it is not a chart/ radio played song therefore the younger audience is less likely to know the song exists let alone enjoy it.
-The music video is most likely to be viewed by people on YouTube or who like Ben Howard's other songs therefore come across it.
-The music video is most likely to be consumed through focused viewing as the audience would specifically have to look for the video and it would not be used as background entertainment like those shown on music channels.
-The video is conventional to the genre, the colours are very autumn like for example the sun set orange. The location is also conventional in that it shows a lot of nature connoting the feeling of being at one with nature and conforming to the British cultural codes.
-This is also very conventional of Ben Howard as an artist, all his music is very Folk/ Indie and his appearance anchors the image which is created by his music.
-The music video was Released on October 3rd 2011 by Directors: Mickey Smith & Owen Tozer and Filmed on the Dartington Hall Estate with support from the Arts at Dartington. Ben Howards record label would have played a part in hiring the directors and deciding on the image in which Ben Howard should portray in the video. The would then ensure that all promotional texts portrayed this image of Ben Howard to create his star image.
Genre and Narrative
-The music video is completely Narrative based with no performance therefore no star image is created.
-It both conforms and challenges Goodwin’s theory of music videos. One way in which is conforms is that the lyrics link to the visuals for example, ‘spaces that have grown between us’ and he is positioned in an empty field. Reference to ‘walking’ is also used in this way throughout the video connoting the space and nature that he has in the video.
-The music video also follows the genre characteristics that Goodwin identifies, the video conforms to the characteristics of a indie/ folk genre through the use of iconography, style, form and location used.
-The music video challenges Goodwin’s theory of ‘Notions of Looking’ in that the female in the video is seen as an equal to the men and is to shown to being wearing sexually revealing clothing or being gazed at by the men. This connotes them being friends as opposed to lovers and follows the conventions of the genre in that it is not usually seen to be sexual or exploitative to women challenging the typical gender conventions.
-The video also does not have any inter textual references and is specifically focused on the narrative of the video again conforming to the indie genre being out casted from society and very independent.
-The video also shows some aspects of Barthes theory of Narrative codes, the video has strong cultural codes in that it is set in a very British country side connoting the independent British producer and audience of the video.
-The music video is an example of Amplification in that maintains visual links to the song but develops the ideas to form a more narrative based music video, this works well as it gives the audience an understanding of the lyrics as well as being interesting to watch.
-The video presents many challenging ideas and is not a commercial video, there is no performance like in most music videos. It could be considered an art in that it is all narrative based therefore the audience is more focused on the song as opposed to the star as it is not obvious who the star actually is.
Chewlips, Karen.
Media language
-The meaning predominantly portrayed in this video socially is addressing the way love affects people and how you can’t shut out the rest of the world, the lyrics represent this.
everybody thinks you’re on your way
hope you can keep prying eyes away
everybody thinks of you with secrecy
where you running to selfishly
a careless interview
summer camp photo in the stream
holding back diving after me
you can’t share
you no you can’t share
-A band image is also created through the video in that it is both performance and narrative based creating a star image as well as entertainment for the audience.
Visual techniques show both messages, firstly the social message is constructed through mise en scene the artist is standing in a worn down old room similar to that the narrative is performed in, this connotes the idea of her remembering a past which is the narrative.
This is edited so that the cuts between the narrative and the performance create the sense of remembrance.
-Props such as the dove and worn out old chair work as signifier's to show the status of the characters and also help to create a message, the dove could represent peace and innocence which the young couple feel being shut away. The chair could represent them starting out in that they cannot afford luxury furniture his anchored by the lyrics and non verbal language of the actors helps to get the message across to the audience.
-The lighting used in the video also connotes this idea, firstly we see the orange sunset light shining into the apartment showing them laughing and messing around connoting the happy side of their relationship. We then see darker lighting and shadows to show the darker side which they are being warned about, this is then contrasted by the torch light suggesting that they are trying to brighten up their life.
-The star image created by the band is very accessible to the audience, they are in the run down room therefore accessible to the audience and no star persona is created. Cultural codes such as the furniture connote that the band is British and independent making the audience feel closer to them.
-The costume also works as a signifier of the semantic code, the t- shirt and under ware in which the girl character from the narrative part of the video show how she is comfortable being secluded and is a representative of their lifestyle being presented.
-The intertextuality created in this video makes it more accessible to the audience, the reference to summer camp which is present in some peoples childhood takes away the star image and shows that they are just a normal people with real experiences therefore the audience can create a bond with them.
Representation
-The band are presented in a very accessible way to the audience, the location and mise en scene does not create a big star image and the audience are able to relate to them. This adds to their meta narrative as all their music videos are accessible to the audience following the conventions of the indie genre.
-This would help to sell the product as the more the audience relate to a song the more likely they are to enjoy and like it. Although a star image does create a role model for the audience which this band does not have. But on the other hand the band could still be seen as influential to their audience.
-The only social group represented throughout the video seems to be lower middle class in regards to their home and appearance showing that they do not have a lot of money but may have been brought up with parents with money. The location acts as a signifier of their wealth and denotes their status in society. They are represented as being private yet not disruptive to society so in a overall positive way.
-The ideological discourse reinforces the idea that the youth of society do not have money and rebel against the advice of others. Other dominant ideologies which are challenged in this video is the stereotypical role played by each gender, in this video both the male and the female seem to have the same status shown by their non- verbal language and she does not conform to the typical house wife role of a woman in a relationship, this is be representative of the fact that the lead singer in the band is a woman therefore shows power. As well as being representative of the genre of the music video as it is not mainstream.
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