Codes: Lighting, Camera Movement, Camera Angle, Camera Shot, Sound and Mise-en-scene
Conventions: Stock Characters, Stock Events, Props, Costume and Settings
Conventions: Stock Characters, Stock Events, Props, Costume and Settings
Music Video Research
Codes:
Many of the shots inside the home have been done with a 'hand-held' camera shot. This makes it feel like a home video, that could have been made by a family member, it also makes everything that happens feel true. Most of the shots throughout the video are mid to long range, the only close up shots we see are of the singer. There are no special camera angles, shots or movements used throughout, it is clear that they want the audience to focus on what is happening within the shots. There has also been no significant editing, apart from the fact that it is faster when there is drama (the abuse) happening. The only sound throughout the video is the song, although people are talking in the video, what they are saying is not hear - we can therefore assume it is not important. The lighting used is not 'fancy', during the 'daytime' shots, natural light comes in through the windows, and in the 'evening' shots, it is much darker, with lamps creating the only light. |
Chase & StatusConventions:
The main characters in this video are a family of 4 - mother, father, teenage daughter and a young daughter. These have been used throughout the video to create a storyline. Most of the shots have been set out to make it seem as though it is in the perspective of the teenage girl. She has some shots where she is on her own, and the ones where she isn't, it's as though it is her imagination. Another reoccurring character is the singer, we see several shots of her sat in a car singing, however she doesn't contribute to the storyline. The stock events of this video (apart from the shots of the singer in the car) all contribute to the story of the family. We see 'happy family' shots of all of the characters in one room together being happy. Then we see the teenager looking unhappy as she leaves her parents alone, she goes to her room, and then the we see scenes of abuse (the father hurting the mother) whilst the teenager is in her room, listening to her music. We then see a mixture of 'happy family' and abuse scenes - every time the abuse gets worse; however the teenager is not happy any more, and the mother is increasingly unhappy too. It escalates when the father throws the mother down the stairs, the teenager calls the police, and the father is taken to prison. One Prop that is noticeably used throughout the video, is the doll that belongs to the younger daughter, this symbolises her innocence. Many of the other noticeable props belong to the teenage girl; her mobile, her laptop and her headphones are not only suggestive of her age group, but also show that she is trying to escape from her family life. The only other truly important props are the alcohol bottles and glasses, to show that the father is an alcoholic. Throughout the film the family dress in mundane clothing, there is nothing notable to suggest they are any different from all other families when looking at their clothing. However, the teenager often wears things that are linked to teenagers - for instance her 'hoody' which she even wears with the hood up. This usually suggest a 'youth' who is antisocial however in this video we see that it isn't the teenager who is antisocial, but one of the adults. The use of police uniforms is to clarify that the two men are officers, and that the father is now a criminal. The father also has to wear clothes (grey jumper and dark trousers) in the prison to show that he is an inmate. Most of the video is set inside the family home, where most of the action happens. We see the dining room, living room, the staircase and the teenagers bedroom (where she hides away). We also see a few shots in a park, by the swings, where it seems that the teenager goes to escape from her family life. Towards the end of the music video we also see inside the prison - the father's cell and the visitors room. |
Codes:
The first shot in this video establishes the setting (the hospital) with a zooming in/panning/tracking motion. The next shot is also a tracking shot, which follows the hospital bed which is being wheeled away. We then see a number of shots where we can see the background moving, but the foreground is steady, this has a bit of a 'dizzying' effect, this could be trying to imitate how the patient is feeling. When the ghost is escaping from the hospital, we see him from the other end of the hallway, the camera moves around and is slightly out of focus, adding to the 'dizzy' feeling from earlier, it makes the scene seem unreal. The shots of the ghost in the town are hand held shots, these add a little bit of movement to the shots, and make the viewer feel as though they are standing/walking along with the ghost. When the ghost sees the other ghosts, the camera goes in and out of focus, this again makes the viewer feel a bit 'dizzy'. These shots make the audience think of two things, that the man/ghost either has a bad head injury causing a concussion like state, or that he is using drugs, which are impairing his vision and other senses. The editing is mostly unobtrusive, the only really noticeable editing are the mixing of shots from different scenes/parts of the music video, for instance when he is at the party towards the end, and we see flashes of the doctor and hospital. This has probably been used to show the ghost as being his dream, and the hospital is reality. The only sound throughout the music video is the song. In the hospital, the lighting is quite 'harsh' - this is characteristic of hospitals, so not too unusual. At the party, there is use of neon lights, which makes an interesting effect, especially when the white ghost is dancing in it. It also makes the sequins on the 'mouse head' sparkle like diamonds, which in turn makes the artist stand out from the crowd even more. Although it is night, and dark outside, the street lights/lights from shops are enough light for the shots of the ghost in the town. The only other noticeable lighting is in the laundrette, when the ghost's sheet is newly cleaned - he stands with his hands up, and bright white strobe lights flicker. This is quite unusual, but makes the pose very significant. |
Deadmau5Conventions:
The main character in this video is a young adult male. For the majority of the video he is in a costume/disguise which covers him entirely. At the beginning we also see two people we assume to be his family, and two hospital staff (doctor and nurse). These 4 characters are also briefly seen at the end. Another stock character in the film is Deadmau5 (the artist) himself, who we see in the party scenes. The stock events of this music video begin with the man being brought into hospital. Then he is alone in his hospital room and his ghost steps out of his body. This ghost then travels around the town, using anti-social behaviour (for instance when he 'scares' random people who are walking around in the town, these traits are often associated with teenagers. The ghost even gets a tattoo at one stage, and we see occasional shots of a party. He ends up in the costume party/rave, where everyone is dancing. We then see some shots from the start of the video (as he is being brought into hospital), and gradually the character wakes up, so we are lead to believe that it was all a dream. However, the character at the end has the same tattoo that the ghost had. The props used in this music video include all of the hospital equipment that set the scene at the beginning and end. Another main prop is the ghost and man's tattoo. Also the ketchup bottle used to squirt the ghost in the fast-food shop, therefore also the washing machine used to clean the ghost again. Costumes are very important in this music video, not only does the main character spend the majority of the time running round as a ghost, but the artist has his signature 'mouse head' on. The main character starts the music video in mundane clothing, this is not unusual, and the medical staff wear uniforms to make it clear who they are meant to be. Then, when the man turns into a ghost, he wears a large white sheet, with two large black patches with eyes holes in them. Although white is usually a sign of purity and innocence, here the colour is not that significant. The ghost costume is very unusual, as a viewer you are not quite sure why it has been used. I personally think it is to show a second side to the main characters personality, possibly his subconscious, that is the 'rebel teenager'. The costume also makes the main character stand out. At the party, many of the 'ravers' are wearing costumes and masks, possibly to imply that these are their 'wild sides' at work. The artist himself wears a large 'mouse head' which stands out from all the other costumes as it is so extravagant this is his signature outfit, for all of his music videos and live performances, he always wears one of these heads. This is coincidentally also his logo. The start of the video is set inside the hospital, but when he turns into a ghost the setting changes to within the town, he goes into a tattoo parlour, fast-food shop and also a laundrette. These three places suggest a 'working class' part of a town, most likely near to the town/city centre. When we see the party scenes, it is unclear where the party is taking place, as you don't see enough of the room, you just see the party-goers. Right at the end, we are taken back to the hospital. |
Codes:
The majority of the shots within the music video are still shots, however there are a few tracking and panning/zooming shots. The editing in this music video is fairly unobtrusive, the shots are all in chronological order, however there is mixing of the storyline and the live performance. The music video starts off with household sounds as the lady opens the curtains, turns on the cooker, etc, however when she puts the record player on, the song is the only thing we can hear. The lighting throughout the music video is either natural, or from a light source that can be seen in the shots (e.g. lights inside). |
ModestepConventions:
The main characters in this music video are 2 old men, and one old lady (approximately around 80 years old). This is very unconventional for a Dubstep music video as they usually use characters who are in the age range of their target audience (late teens, early twenties). They are also making fun of elderly people who find the kind of behaviour in the video very disgraceful. The other stock characters are the artist and the people at his live performance. The first important event in this music video, is the opening of the record player, and the starting of the track. This is iconic to all of the Modestep music videos. The old lady sitting at home, drinking tea is very peculiar as this is not something someone would expect from a Dubstep music video. However, when the two old men arrive things start to seem even more odd. The way they knock on the door, and the way the elderly lady greets them is what you would expect from teenagers, not people in their age. They then go out on bicycles, and ride around in a manor that is characteristically teenage. They then go in to a shop, where they shoplift bottles of alcohol, this shows the influence of crime, under-age (usually) drinking, etc. We then see them at home again where they are drinking shots out of tea cups, one has a beer-hat on, and then we see them playing drinking games. We also see them smoking, which is another common trait used in Dubstep music videos. Later they are in a bar, and one of the men flirts with a young bar maid (approx. in her twenties). She then takes them to a party/rave where all of the other people are roughly late teens to mid-twenties in age. The three main characters dance and enjoy themselves just the same as all the other party goers. We then see scenes where the elderly men are in a room with two young females, who are both in their underwear, this suggests a culture of casual sex. We also the suggestion that one of the men is sniffing cocaine. Throughout the music video it is clear, that although the three main characters are elderly, they act as though they are young adults. The themes of sex, drugs, alcohol, crime, raves, etc, all come up in this music video, however it is much more shocking to see this when the main characters are at such an uncharacteristic age. I therefore assume that they have decided on using elderly people to get the 'shock' factor in their music video. One prop which is very iconic is the record player, which is playing the record with the artist's logo - this is used in every Modestep music video. Another important set of props are the music props (e.g. the microphone and the sound mixers). Other important props in the music video include the bikes/scooter; the speakers in the background at the old lady's house; the alcohol bottles, shot glasses, beer-hat; cigarettes; balloon (probably containing laughing gas) with the artist's logo on it; cards & dice for the drinking games; and although there are many more props used, these are less important because they are not used by the main characters, however in the party scenes we do see the use of props such as a snake and fire batons - this makes the party seem wild and out of control. Throughout the whole video, the main characters wear the same outfits, which are typical mundane clothes for people in their age. At the party, the young people are all wearing typical party/clubbing clothes, even the artist is wearing plain clothes. However, when the two old men are alone with two of the young females, the females are wearing 'sexy lingerie', which is stereotypical of people in that age, but unusual to be seen in this context, as it is only being seen by the two old men. The first setting for the music video is inside the old lady's house, which seems like a normal house for someone like her. It is a semi-detached house in what seems like a middle-class neighbourhood. When we see the images of the party, we are unsure of the setting of this, and it doesn't seem too important. We see the three main characters cycling around the town, which seems to be a seaside town. Then we see the inside of a small convenience store, which is where they steal their alcohol from. After this they go back to the old ladies house for a while, then they go to the beach, and drink some more out under a shelter. Next we see them at a bar, however, when they get kicked out, the bar-maid takes them out in the town, and to a rave. |
Codes:
The first shot shows the shadow of a dog on a wall, the shot tracks along, and the dog runs into the shot. This starts to set the scene, it makes the viewer think of a barron urban area, which has been abandoned. The next shots show a bit of the area around the dog, and we see a red van come in to view. Many of the shots have a small amount of zoom, pan, or tracking in them, but are paired with a still shot. This gives the viewer an aspect as if they were there themselves. We see a lot of close up shots that fragment what is happening, for instance a close up of the van wheels moving along. All of the editing is unobtrusive, so that the viewer will concentrate soley on the action and music within the video. The only sound throughout the music video is the song. Most of the lighting used in the video seems to be natural light, however, when the second robbery takes place, it is night time, here car lights and explosives create enough light for the viewer to be able to understand what is happening. |
SkrillexThe main characters in this music video are three boys, within the video they turn into young adults, but it is the same three characters. Another repeating character is the ice-cream van man, we see him at the start and end of the video. The only other characters in this music video are a group of men who the audience assume are thieves.
The stock events in this video begin with the boys planning an attack, one of the boys is shown with explosives, and another has an electrical current that is connected to his gloves. When they attack the ice-cream man, he is taken by surprise, and is unable to stop them from stealing a large amount of ice-cream cones. However, he almost catches one of the boys, but then ends up loosing his hand when it is trapped in the van door. We then see the boys enjoying the ice-creams, and then we see the shadow of one of the boys growing into that of a man. We then see scenes of what looks like a robbery, and we see the characters of the three boys, in their adult forms stealing the loot. In the last scene, we see the ice-cream van man again, he wakes up, and finds a large amount of money on the counter, the shot widens, and we see one of the men walking away with an ice-cream. This seems to be the boy's way of apologising to the ice-cream van man. One of the main props in the music video is the ice-cream van and also the ice-creams inside it. The weapons that the boys use are also some of the main props (these include the explosives and electric current gloves. Later on in the music video, the getaway car, the thieves' van and the boxes with money contribute to the other main props. The three boys wear hoodie's, and bandanna's, which look quite criminal and are stereotypical of 'youth's'. Later, when they are adults, they still wear bandanna's, which further fuels the idea of them being 'youth's'. The ice-cream van man wears a white and black costume, which looks a lot like a milkman's uniform. He also has over-the-top eyebrows and a moustache which makes him look quite comical. His appearance seems more like something from the opera or theatre, and seems somewhat out of place. Also, the use of the white in his costume makes him seem quite innocent and as though he is the victim. The other thieves in the video all wear black full body outfits, as this scene is in the dark, they are well camouflaged, and the outfits are like those of stereotypical robbers. The entirety of the music video is set outside, with some shots set inside cars/vans. It is in an urban area, abandoned factories on either side of the roads. This is the sort of area where you would expect to see crimes, especially 'gang violence' crimes. |