Analysis of a Rock Video 3

The Killers - Somebody Told Me

The Killers' 'Somebody Told Me' was the band's debut single and so promotionally, the video introduces the band and their music so therefore the video is really important to the band's career and hopefully 'springboarding' them into success.


The main feature of the video is, of course, the band simply playing the song and most importantly frontman, Brandon Flowers. Unlike some rock music videos, dark and understated, 'The Killers' debut video is colourful and flambuoyant in comparison, however in-keeping with the conventional band set-up. 


The video was shot in a desert location with a giant LED screen set-up with the band's logo rolling across the display. The LED screen in particular adds to the flambuoyance of the song's video, which Brandon Flowers refers to himself as 'Our most Vegas-influenced song on the album'. This reflects the essence of the band who are referred to as more of a New Wave/Alt.Rock genre than pure rock, this allows for new trends and styles without entirely breaking the conventions of rock music videos. 


The video works well as a promotional tool because the viewer understands the essence of the band and is introduced effectively to Brandon Flowers. 'The Killers' come across as fun, bright and fresh which again, appeals to their audience.

Analysis of a Rock Video 2

Arctic Monkeys - I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor

Arctic Monkeys' 'I bet that You Look Good on the Dancefloor' music video promoted the release of the band's first single release following their signing to 'Domino Records'.

The video itself is set in a small studio and whilst being watched by a small audience - both film and audio were recorded live. The footage was shot on a 1970's television shouldercam which makes the video appear aged in comparison to other music videos of the time (2005). This technique worked successfully with the 'indie-rock' style of Arctic Monkeys which the band helped to revive since it's metaphorical 'death' in chart music since Oasis, Blur and the long list of 90s Brit-Pop/Indie bands. Using the 70s camera and a live recording of the song rather than a studio version makes the video unique and edgy which fits in with the indie-rock genre and the band itself; Arctic Monkeys often tend to distance themselves from the 'glitz and glamour' of the music business, they're rarely associated with the celebrity lifestyle, paparazzi, glossy magazines and tabloids but instead are purely known for their careers as musicians. Further to this, costume is highly casual for a music video and also noticeably dull colours are worn which again matches the casual and supposedly 'effortlessly cool' essence of the band (as pictured below).

The top image depicts the typical style of 'Arctic Monkeys' in comparison to similar indie rock band 'Two Door Cinema Club' who despite in keeping with a similar sense of style (blazers, jeans, parkas etc) appear much more bright and colourful due to both outfit choice and editing. The camera movement is somewhat fluent however in true shouldercam style, the frame does move naturally and adds to the 'effortless' style of the band. The editing for the most part sticks to basic cuts apart from a title at the beginning of the video in a 70s style font.

All of these components make Arctic Monkeys come across as amateur, raw talent which works well in a promotional format as it taps in well with the genre and therefore target demographic.

Analysis of a Rock Video 1

My Chemical Romance - Helena

The music video for 'Helena' is highly conventional for MCR's brand of 'emo' rock. The colour scheme is prominently black and red (which is also typical of the band itself, which in keeps with this colour scheme throughout most of their career in music videos). The aerial shot of dancers on the floor is inconsistent and unconventional to the video and genre as it comes across as somewhat light and playful which isn't often attempted by rock bands particularly of this calibre and also opposes the depressing nature of the video itself. The video is set in a church funeral scene, again very conventional to the genre which is often connected to death and depression. In fact, the media has often made examples of such music to be directly linked to suicides of young people - 'The Sun' directly associated the death of a 13 year old girl with My Chemical Romance in an article named "Suicide of Hannah, the Secret emo" with the belief that she was involved in an 'emo suicide' cult. However, despite the band discussing bleaker thoughts and relations to death in their music they claim they cannot be held entirely responsible for fan's behaviour. In fact, frontman Gerard Way rejects the term 'emo' in relation to the band and himself refers to the band's music simply as 'rock'. The reference of 'emo' to MCR is sometimes considered to be an injustice of depiction by the media to make a scapegoat of the band for deaths such as 13 year old Hannah's. 

The video carries out a narrative structure and the band's presence is worked into this as if they are performing at the ceremony so the band are a consistent feature throughout - typical of a music video as this is a promotional tool so therefore the viewer needs to know the artist rather than watch the video like they would a short-film. The genre conventions also help to ensure that the video promotes the band as it taps in to the exact target audience of people who would perhaps dress in this way and listen to this sort of music by maintaining the stereotypically 'emo' edge. A lot of close ups are used when showing the band to emphasise their importance as well as the main dancer. 

Analysis of a Pop Video 4

Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song

'The Lazy Song' music video is highly unconventional for the genre as only one framed shot is used throughout (to create the effect of being filmed on a webcam which links to the lyrics of the song as it is filmed supposedly without leaving his house). This is very rare in music videos which usually consist of many, many varying shots to avoid viewer fatigue. As well as this, Bruno Mars has no costume or location changes which again contrasts the ideas of what creates a good music video and avoids viewer fatigue. However the video does manage to keep the viewer interested despite the 'samey' costumes and lack of change. 

In terms of cinematography, although the actual camera isn't moved or re-framed in any way, the subjects (artist and actors) move far away from and towards the camera throughout the video which creates the idea that there are close-ups, mid shots, long shots etc which helps to avoid viewer fatigue. There are no costume changes, and all of the subjects wear very similar costumes (sunglasses/checked shirt/black trousers), in fact the only time there is any form of change in costume is when Bruno and the dancers drop their trousers and dance instead in boxer shorts. Use of dance and props such as a guitar, wheelie chair and ticker tape further help to avoid the viewer's boredom and keep them interested.


I think the video does work well as a promotional tool for Bruno Mars as an artist and for sales of 'The Lazy Song' as although the video does oppose the traditional ideas and values of 'what makes a good music video?' it creates interest due to it's difference to other music videos in the pop market. As well as this, the lack of shots allows the viewer to create more of a virtual 'relationship' with the artist as it allows Mars to portray a playful, lad-ish character more effectively through dance and facial expressions which appeals to a young market as the artist comes across as fun, friendly and energetic. This is a good foundation for promotion as somebody is much more likely to want to buy a single and pay money to somebody they like as a person rather than somebody who may come across as unfriendly or arrogant.

Analysis of a Pop Video 3

Beyonce - Best Thing I Never Had



Beyonce's video for 'Best Thing I Never Had' is somewhat a contrast to Beyonce's usual music videos which tend to use darker colour schemes and costume to create a sultry and seductive effect. Her video for 'Best Thing I Never Had' does somewhat fulfill the conventions for sex appeal in a music video however in a much more 'classy' and pure fashion for only one scene is considered seductive and features the artist in white corset-style lingerie. The use of colour for costume is white/off-white/cream throughout and portrays Beyonce's 'classiness' as an artist as she becomes somewhat a veteran of r'n'b and pop amongst the new generation of younger artists as she's been active in the music industry since 1997 (despite being only 29 years old). The decision has been made in Beyonce's case to portray the artist as being able to show classiness yet be sexy in a market dominated by new artists using sex appeal shamelessly to sell records. Both of Beyonce's music video styles are conventional to the pop genre - 'Best Thing I Never Had' taps in to the luxurious and expensive portrayal of artists, she's filmed in a stunning setting on a rich golf course, in amongst beautiful architecture and in a large, insanely clean white apartment (all of which pictured beneath).

Best Thing I Never Had by Beyonce (Current Style of Music Video)

'Sweet Dreams by Beyonce' (Former Style of Music Video)

The video overall is effective as a promotional tool for the artist's single as it creates an image of classiness and respectability as well as sex appeal which would attract both men and women who see Beyonce as an inspiration or role-model. The artist, as following convention, is the main focus of the whole video and this is accentuated by the highly cinematic use of cinematography and camera work which literally makes Beyonce the only 'focused' subject and all background out of focus as if the video has been filmed on an SLR camera.

Analysis of a Pop Video 2

Rihanna - California King Bed


Rihanna's music video for single 'California King Bed' is highly conventional of the pop genre, particularly from a female artist. Her costuming remains clean and white which conventionally suggests purity however as an artist in general and in this particular music video Rihanna uses sex appeal and costuming to appeal to a mass audience, including men being attracted to the artist and young females who may see Rihanna as a role model and inspirational figure. 

However, in juxtaposition to the purity of the colour 'white', Rihanna's deep red hair,  warm make-up and warm lighting which creates connotations of seduction and portrays Rihanna as the artist and subject of desire. The luxurious setting of the video, the large apartment and white furniture further links to the conventions of a pop music video as it portrays the artist as rich, luxurious and expensive - not like the 'average' person but instead as someone that could be considered more important.


As with most music videos, for the majority of the shots, the artist is central within the frame which is conventional of any promotional video (particularly popular music genres such as pop and rock). The video also features an actor as Rihanna's love interest, the actor himself fits the conventions of a pop video male - muscular and conventionally attractive which attracts females and is inspirational to males.


The video is effective as a promotional tool for Rihanna's single 'California King Bed' as it sells her as an artist by making her the central figure to the video and promoting her as attractive/sexy/etc which appeals to many audiences and is very typical of contemporary selling techniques in the music industry.

Analysis of a Pop Video 1

Lenka - The Show


The music video for Lenka's 'The Show' works effectively as promotional media for the artist as she is the main subject throughout the video. As well as being the main subject for the 'plot' of the video, in the majority of shots, which range mainly between mid and close-ups, as shown in the .gif image (right) and the contact sheet (below), the artist is placed central within the frame. This is not only conventional for music videos but also sells the artist as the product creates a virtual relationship between the viewer and the artist which may convince somebody to buy the record.


The vocals from the artist herself are soft and sweetly spoken which is further reflected by uses of costume and make-up as shown by the contact sheet below.

 The artist wears feminine costume in all scenes of the music video and soft make-up also which suggests her 'sweetness' and perhaps innocence or vulnerability - a stereotype which is typically associated with females and femininity. This matches Lenka's soft and 'pop-folk' vocal style and the pop/indie-pop genre. 


Uses of stop-motion and puppetry in the video creates a 'childlike' feel and further suggests the artist's innocence and femininity which fits the indie-pop genre - although it could be considered a juxtaposition to pop as a lot of female contemporary artists choose to use sex-appeal and power rather than innocent, vulnerable 'prettiness' (such as Lady GaGa and Rihanna). Lenka's style choice may appeal to young females more so than males as she provides a perhaps more stable and respectable role-model to girls than artists who expose themselves to sell records. The artist herself is smiling almost throughout the whole video which again juxtaposes the conventions of pop as she doesn't pose as sultry or seductive - however does fit the indie-pop genre more aptly as this genre carries common conventions of pop but relies less on sex-appeal. This also builds Lenka's personality for the viewer, she comes across as welcoming, sweet and friendly which may attract people to her character, become a fan and buy the song which would suggest Lenka's 'The Show' music video is an effective promotion for the song. 

Conventions of a Music Video

Most music videos are conventional according to genre, e.g a rock video would be conventional to the rock music genre, and an r'n'b video to the r'n'b genre. However, there are some conventions to a music video which apply to every genre (in most cases).

Most widely, a music video will be based around (or will refer to briefly at least) the artist of the song. For example, in a rock music video, although there may be a linear storyline there would usually be clips of the band playing alongside it. In the example by 'My Chemical Romance' pictured below this is made evident - although all scenes appear to be in the same location, the video flits between a funeral scene with dancers and images of the band (mainly frontman Gerard Way) performing the song.

My Chemical Romance - Helena

Most importantly to a music video, particularly pop, is changes in location and costume which ensures that the video keeps the viewers attention and avoids fatigue. This is really, really important to a music video because at the end of the day, the video is made as a promotional tool to sell the record, so if the viewer finds it boring they're a lot less likely to want to buy it and a lot more likely to just change the channel.

Using location can also set the scene for a video and genre, for example in the My Chemical Romance 'Helena' video (pictured left), the dark, funeral church location is conventional to the band's emo rock genre and thus appeals to their target audience of teenagers, especially those who engage in the 'emo' style cult. However, this type of setting is a lot less likely to appear in a pop or an r'n'b video as it is unconventional to the genre. A consistent change in location and setting is very typical of a music video as well as avoiding viewer fatigue.

Costume is paramount to a music video, costume helps to define an artist as a media personality and within their genre. An example is Lady Gaga (pictured below) who has used bold fashion statements to make herself a household name worldwide and sell her music by creating a fanbase around her flambouyant character as well as causing quite a bit of controversy along the way. Using costume as a tool not only allows an artist to 'express themselves' but also avoid viewer fatigue and create a fanbase around their use of fashion, which is also evident from Florence Welch who has become a fashion icon.


Lady Gaga and infamously controversial 'meat dress'



Use of cinematography and lighting is the final fully transferable convention of a music video. Pop videos often use a lot close ups of the artist's face to introduce them to the viewer and often a lot of bright lighting is used, normally as a tool to flatter the artist as the artist's look is key to sales. As well as a lot of close-ups music videos use a lot of long shots, in rock music videos this is often to show the whole band within the frame and in pop or r'n'b to show the artist's (or dancer's) bodies as they're often performing dance moves. and need to show their costumes.

 In terms of editing shot rotation tends to be fast and fluent in all music videos of all genres mainly to avoid viewer fatigue. However, in general editing is pretty standard for music videos and quite basic, usually a mix of a narrative structure with the occasional performance based shot.