Music Videos Through Time

The first video is: Bee Gees Stayin Alive

The video was released in 1977 and is performance based,
common for music videos of that time. This is shown through
camera work, where mid and long shots dominate the video,
showing the whole group of three, while they lip sync to the
music. A pan movement is
used at the start, following
the group as they walk
around, allowing the
audience to take in their
surroundings and to create a
sense of mystery as they
cant be fully seen, obstructed by the building in front. This
would make them want to watch on for it to be revealed. The
shots and movements, therefore, are not adventurous and
are quite basic. Camera quality is bad here compared to what
it is in recent years, such as the last analysed music video.
This is down to technology and there not being better quality
cameras around. For its time, though, it would be deemed as
good.
The mise en scene of setting is based outdoors in locations
such as a house and train station. It is representative of the
lyrics, using Goodwins theory, as they say: were going
nowhere. This fits as the state the places are in is derelict so
the train is not functioning; they cant go anywhere.
With clothing, they wear what was trendy at the time of the
late 70s, such as tight jeans and shirts. This would make them
relevant to the time of release and appeal to a lot of the
mainstream audience Blumler and Kats.
They have used minimal editing
for creativity, but where it does
appear is near the start, where it
gives credits to a special guest
star. The lack of editing would be
due to lack of technology and
editing software. However, the song does use editing at the
ending, where a fade is put in place to bring the video to a
close, as shown below.
Sound wise, there are
no effects used, again
due to there not being
anything commonly
available. It uses natural
sounds, meaning the
vocal and instruments
so nothing was added in post-production.
All considered, the purpose of the video was most likely for
recognition and income.
The second music video is: The Verve Bitter Sweet
Symphony

This video was released 20 years

later in 1997. Again, this video is
performance based as the artist
lip syncs the whole way through
while walking down the street.
However, it has elements of
narrative as there are still
other people involved such
as the girl shouting at him
for standing on her car.
Despite this, the story line
is unclear so it is mainly
performance.
In sound, theres an echo effect used towards the end of the
song, when lyrics overlap and repeat each other. This shows
that at this point in time, there was more creativity and
development within sound and editing.
The camera work is made simple and is used more for effect
rather than visual enjoyment as the character he is
portraying it careless,
reflected through the
point of view shot used,
before he bashes into the
woman. This could be
because it began to be
recognised that people cared for the music video as well as
the song or band members so they wanted to reflect their
audiences wants and needs by putting it together in a
certain way.
The mise en scene connotes the bands alternative rock
genre identity as the colour scheme is dark, shown by the
dull lighting and black clothing he wears. In addition, the
setting promotes their genre as the street is dirty with
rubbish, engaging niche audiences as it is their aesthetic.
The editing comes into play for the colour gradient as it looks
like it is tinted blue and desaturated. This again, is being
more adventurous with editing than the previous music
video.

The third music video is: Flo Rida Let It Roll

This music video takes on the
concept style as it explores the
idea of good times, also a
repeated lyric in the song.
The editing in this music video
shows how much music videos
have changed overtime as it uses many effects not seen
beforehand such as creative camera movements and shot
transitions. It also uses black outs to replicate strobe lighting,
as well as the musics pace. The editing links to Versallis
 theory of music video editing.
There is also text at the start of
the song, giving people
recognition such as the
director and Flo Rida himself.
There are more intertextual
references in recent videos like
this one, for example, at the
end of the song he promotes
his website as well as his
album.
Another editing point is that merge shots are used to create
the look shown to the left. This adds style and interest as it is
a new development in
editing, visible from the
editing of the other two
music videos compared
to this one.
For sound, unlike
before, different
sounds are used, constructed electronically. Before, they
wouldnt have had the means to achieve this sound effect so
they had to use instruments whereas now, there is a lot more
choice and variety. For example, within the video, there is a
whirring noise. Another example is where let the good times
roll is repeated, and every time is gets less distinct and
fades. At this point it shows him falling into water, mimicking
the fade as talking against water sounds unclear, shown at
2:14.

In camera work, a lot of close up

shots of the artist rapping are used
to maintain the audiences
knowledge of his identity, giving
him a better branding as he can be
seen. Long shots are also used to
give an overview of the situation so the artist can be seen but
so can other characters, especially girls, and the sunny
setting. Jump cuts are
also popular in this
music video, showing
the people moving
quickly.
The mise en scene for
the video is bright and
vibrant in terms of colour as it has the setting of the beach,
relating to summer as there are blue skies and colourful
dress. The character
choice relates to Laura
Mulveys male gaze as
attractive females
were used in the video
and are seen wearing
bikinis. This is for the
male advantage as it prompts voyeurism.