Music Video Analysis

Andrew Goodwins 7 features of music

videos
Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal
videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with
images. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the
visual reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
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).
There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors,
stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a visual
style)
There are often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos
etc).

'Carry Me'- Bombay Bicycle Club

'Carry Me' is a song by the English indie band
Bombay Bicycle Club. This song was released as
a single prior to the album 'So Long, See You
Tomorrow' (2014).
The single was accompanied by an interactive
music video which was used to promote the
upcoming album. The video was set in a studio
where the band are shown playing the drums
and singing while a couple dance perfectly in
time to the music. Animation has been drawn
over the top of the video which is very unique
and shows the band's sense of originality. The
illustrations have been drawn by multiple artists
as a way to promote their work, as well as the
band's.

Genre description
When comparing 'Carry Me' to other
music videos, it is clearly shown
how original and interesting it is.
Bombay Bicycle Club are an indie
rock band who primarily produce
imaginative ideas for music videos.
'Carry Me' isn't any different to this.
This video (as well as their others)
fits into the indie genre. ' How Can
You Swallow So Much Sleep' and
'Luna' are examples of other
interesting and inventive videos
which the band have created.

'How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep'

Most indie music videos follow the same

conventions. A typical convention is live
performance which is shown during the Carry Me
video. This allows artists/bands passion for their
music to come across. It allows the audience to
focus on the music which is important with a single
that is promoting an upcoming album. This could
describe why performance is such a big element of
the Carry Me video. A lot of alternative artists now
place some narrative aspects within the
performance/have a video which is purely just
narrative. Bombay Bicycle club did this with Carry
Me and Luna for example. A lot alternative/indie
bands have fully performance based videos, which
usually feature some sort of lighting effect. Bombay
Bicycle Club challenge this convention by making
their music videos individual and unique to their
band.

'Luna'

Bombay Bicycle Club's music videos vary from song to song. 'Carry Me'
would be described as fitting into the illustration video genre as there
is a mixture of performance and a simple narrative, between the
couple dancing, have been used. This is similar to 'Always Like This' as
that follows similar conventions to the 'Carry Me' video. However other
videos, for example Feel, could be described as fitting into the
amplification genre. This is where there is a narrative throughout the
whole video. The diversity between Bombay Bicycle Clubs videos
show how their music adapts to different styles of video due to the
original and alternative type of music.

Feel

Always Like
This

Relationship between lyrics

and visuals
Carry Me is largely performance based which means that there is little relationship between the lyrics and the
visuals. However there is an aspect of narrative which forms a relationship. During the video a man and a woman
are shown dancing together. It could be inferred that they are representing the lyrics of the song.
Towards the middle of the video the lyrics say If anybody wants to know, Our love's
getting old. This is shown to describe the relationship between the two actors in the
video as declining and getting worse. The repetition of carry me then begins. During
these lyrics the woman is shown leaning backwards, as if she is going to fall. It could be
inferred that she is wanting the man to come and carry her. The man then appears
running which shows that he is going to catch his partner. The enhances the relationship
between the lyrics and the visuals as the relationship is clearly shown. This again is
developed when the man is shown rescuing the woman when he catches her before she
falls. The lyrics carry me are describing the relationship between the two characters in
the video. As well as having the literal meaning of the man carrying the woman, it could
metaphorically mean that two people in a relationship rely on each other to stay strong.
This strong bond is shown when the couple are shown holding each other towards the
end of the video, after the man has stopped the woman from falling.

Relationship between the music and the

visuals
Throughout the whole Carry Me video the music and visuals match
one another. There is one heavy main beat which continues throughout
the whole video. Throughout the video the visuals always match that
beat. At the start of the video, the band are shown hitting a drum in
time to the beat. A close up shot from a side angle is used to show the
drum playing. The drums are shown moving position at every beat in
the music. This precise editing allows the bond between the music and
visuals to build.

During the video there is a couple

dancing. Their movements are shown
being in time to the beat due to the
jumpy effect that has been used. This
makes their actions seem less smooth
which matches the music perfectly. The
lighting during the aspects where there
is dancing has been manipulated to build
the music and visuals relationship. The
lights flicker in time to the music which
makes the bond between the
movements and the beat much stronger.
The relationship between the music and
visuals stays consistent throughout the
whole video. This makes the video as a
whole very put together and
sophisticated.

Close ups and

motifs
Throughout the video, Jack Steadman is shown as being the main singer. Barely any close ups are used during the video
which demonstrates and reiterates the genre and sense of individuality that the band has. The video hasnt followed
the common convention of using many close ups of the main artist. Mid way through a semi-close up is used on the
main singer. This shot only lasts few seconds but is then repeated later on. This helped to build a relationship between
the audience and the main artist. This would allow a fan base to form, meaning that the band have more sales when
their album is released.

Even through not many close ups are used, many motifs
have been used. This is another common convention used
in music videos, which Bombay Bicycle Club have followed.
The shot of the band playing the drums is repeated
multiple times. This allows the audience to feel connected
to the music as well as the band. When the singing begins
Steadman is shown stood forward while the rest of the
band stand behind him. This demonstrates how their record
label wants there to be a main singer who leads the rest of
the band. This is different to the beginning of the video
where Steadman is stood with the rest of his band
members. This showing diversity throughout the video.

Reference to the notion of

looking
During the Carry Me video the notion of looking is
used by the band members. Eye contact with the
camera is gained which allows the audience to feel
more involved with the band themselves. However
this is mainly only used at the start of video. This is
because the visuals match the main beat which
continues throughout the song. The bands head
moves in time to the beat which results in a lack of
eye contact. Due to the indie genre, the lack of eye
contact and notion of looking is expected. The
reference to the notion of looking is a very common
convention in pop videos. This demonstrating why it
hasnt been used that often throughout the Carry
Me video.

The notion of looking, when used, is mainly used by

Steadman. This allows him to stand out as being the main
vocalist and leader of the band. Record labels like bands to
have one main leader/vocalist. This has been achieved in
the Carry Me video by Steadman having the most eye
contact with the camera. This allows the audience to feel
more involved and it helps build a relationship between the
band and the fans.
Even though eye contact is used, the band members facial
expressions do not allow a stronger bond to form between
the audience and themselves. They look emotionless
during the aspects with eye contact. This doesnt allow
their personalities to come across to the audience. The
band have followed the common convention of using eye
contact and the notion of looking. However they havent
used it as much as most videos. They also haven't used it
in a seductive way which a lot of music videos do. This has
allowed them to keep their originality as well as using
aspects of common conventions during music videos.

Intertextual
References
The main story throughout the video is about a couple who are struggling with their relationship. However despite
this, they still rely on each other. This relationship is shown through their movements. Their dancing is very intimate
and shows their love for one another. There is a line in the song which says if anybody wants to know our love is
getting old which is telling the audience that they arent as close any more. However, the man is later shown
running to catch his partner which shows that they are still there for one another.

Despite the meaning behind the song and

video, it has no intertextual references to films
or other music videos. This is expected due to
indie genre of music. The bands style is very
original and therefore the Carry Me video
doesn't have any intertextual references.

Falling- HAIM
Falling is a song by the American girl band HAIM.
The band consists of the sisters Este, Danielle and
Alana Haim. Falling was apart of the bands Days
Are Gone album which was released in 2013. It was
the third single from their debut album, showing that
it was used to help promote the band and album.
Falling was accompanied by a music video which
was nominated for an NME Award for Best Music
Video. The video is set in a jungle and it introduces
the band members and their relationship with each
other. It allows their unique Indie-Rock style to
come across. Over the top of the video a filter has
been used to make the picture seem vintage and
unique to any other video.
As well as the video itself, a behind the scenes video
was put together for the making of falling. This
would allow the fans to see the bands real
personalities as well as seeing how the video was
made and what they thought of the process. This
may have been used to help market the album as
fans are more likely to buy the album if they feel like
they know the band.

Genre description
Haims music videos follow similar conventions throughout them all. They all fit into the illustration description as they
involve both performance and narrative. Falling is no different to this. Despite the similarities between the bands music
videos, they are all still very unique and well thought through. They all fit into the indie-rock genre of music which is
expected for the style that Haim aim to achieve. Haim are a pop rock band with a slight edge. Their music videos are
always extremely different and stand out as being their unique style.

Falling is about the three sisters exploring a junglelike area. During the video viewers get to see survival
activities as well as the band messing around and
being their usual selves. Small dance routines
commonly feature in Haim videos which is an
individual trait that the band have adopted. The
dancing is never normally too serious however, this
making it more interesting and rare. For a part rock
band, dancing and acting isnt common throughout
music videos. Therefore these features allow their
indie approach to be shown.

The mise-en-scene chosen for Haims music

videos are always very individual and
interesting. The location for falling is very
different to other videos. The use of the
environment during the video allows it to have
a professional and individual finish.

Relationship between lyrics

and visuals
The falling video is largely performance based as the band is constantly lip syncing throughout the video. This
makes it hard for their to be a strong relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. There are many interpretations
as to what the lyrics mean, however some may think that they are about falling in love. It could be believed that the
person that they are falling for isnt approved by others due to the lyrics dont stop, no, Ill never give up. This may
be the narrator encouraging herself to do what she wants to do; rather than listening to the voices.
This analysis of the lyrics shows that the bond between the lyrics and visuals is very weak. By just watching the
video, without the lyrics, this meaning would not be seen. The only link is the band actually lip syncing the lyrics
during the video. Other than that, the visuals are very unrelated to the lyrics and the meaning behind them. This
demonstrates that the band is diverse and doesnt just do the expected. They think of something exciting and create
a video based on that- rather than the lyrics. This makes the band much more interesting as their videos are
unpredictable. The Wire however does have a stronger relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This shows
how diverse Haim are when it comes to their videos.

Relationship between the music

and the visuals
At the start of the video there is a quieter beat
which continues four times. These beats indicate
a cut and change of mise-en-scene. This builds a
relationship between the music and visuals from
the very beginning of the video. However,
despite there being a strong continuous beat
throughout, the band have not chosen to match
that beat with the visuals all the way through. At
certain points there are cuts which match with
the beat, this mainly happens towards the
middle of the video.
The bands movements match the continuous beat at
certain points. Most of the movements are very slight but
this makes it more effective and professional. For example
slight head movements have been matched with the
music. This creates a bond between the music and
visuals. Towards the middle of the song the music gets
slower and the lyrics falling is repeated. The band is
shown running in slow motion during this part. This
strengthens the bond between the visuals and the music.
When the music begins to speed up again, the band is
shown dancing in time to the music. The relationship
between the music and visuals is very subtle.

Close ups and

motifs
Close ups have commonly been used throughout the falling video. This is expected as it is a camera angle that
Haim often adopt. All three sisters have long hair which has been used during the video. Close ups of band
swishing their hair has been used multiple times. The use pf these close ups allows a close and personal
relationship between the fans and the band to be built up. There are many close ups of the band whilst they are
singing. This would allow the viewers to feel connected to the lyrics as well as the band. As falling was used to
help promote the album, these close ups are an important aspect of the video as it would encourage fans to buy
the album due to the closeness. Towards the end of the video, the colour palette gets a lot darker and the band are
shown with shadows over their faces. These close ups make the band members look fierce, showing a different
side to them.

Dancing is a very common feature throughout all Haim music videos. It is always the band themselves who dance
too, this showing that they are not afraid to get involved, this making them much more likeable. This allows all the
bands videos to stay consistent and similar. Falling features a small dance routine towards the end of the video.
The dancing isnt really that serious however it is still at a high standard, showing that they have found the correct
balance. The dancing aspects shows their personalities and confidence. This would make the audience feel
connected to and like they know more about the band members.

Reference to the notion of

looking
Eye contact is quite common throughout the Falling video. This allows the
audience to feel more connected to the band and the song. As falling was a
single before the bands album was released, the use of the eye contact would
allow the band to gain more fans and promote the album better. The use of the
eye contact allows the video to feel more performance based as the band
interact with the camera. They dont act like the camera isnt there, like a lot of
artists do in their own music videos. Haim find the correct balance between
performance and narrative. This is partly due to the notion of looking. The use
of the interaction with the camera makes it more of a performance, compared
to the acting parts which is more narrative. Majority of Haims videos have a
similar balance of narrative and performance, due to the use of eye contact. I
believe that this balance is one of the reasons that Haim are so popular.
Eye contact is used at different points in the
video. Some parts involve the whole band
interacting with the camera, while other parts
involve individual band members. These
individual parts are commonly close ups. This
allows the audience to feel even more connected
to the band. This would help with sales of the
album as the band would seem more likeable.

Intertextual
references
The falling video is very similar to Hothouse
by 78Violet. Both videos involve the same
amount of performance as one another. The
mise en scene is very similar as both involve
fields and flowers etc; they involve a lot of
nature. The women in both videos are wearing
similar clothing, all outfits are quite plain but
effective for the location that they are in.
Other than the 78Violet video, falling doesnt
have any direct references to any other film or
TV programme. Haims videos are very unique
which is why there might not be any intertextual
references. Programmes such as Skins use a
similar location to be free and chill out with
friends. This is a similar idea to Haims video
which is set in a jungle. This band are shown
exploring the location which is similar to the
activities that the Skins cast get involved in.

Houdini- Foster the

People
Houdini is a single from the American band Foster the Peoples debut album Torches (2011). It was the bands
forth single from the album, following "Helena Beat", "Call It What You Want and "Don't Stop (Colour on the
Walls). The single Pumped up Kicks kick started the bands singing career, landing them a record deal with the
company Startime International.
Houdini was accompanied by a music video which featured the band members Mark Foster, Mark Pontius and
Cubbie Fink. The video would be described as being in the amplification category of music videos. It is primarily a
narrative as it has a strict plot throughout it all. The plot is that the band have an accident and end up being killed.
They have a gig the next day so they get turned into robots so that they can still perform. Towards the end of the
video there is a slight performance, however despite the performance it is still part of the narrative as they are still
acting.

Genre
description
Foster the People would be described as being an Indie Pop band due to the upbeat, infectious albums. The bands
music videos are usually very inventive and unusual. They predominantly fit into the amplification category of
music video due to the common use of a narrative. The bands videos arent necessarily that similar however this
makes each video very individual and exciting. The single Pumped up Kicks was the bands first single which got
them famous. The video for that single is one of the bands only video which is mostly a performance. This show
that the band might have decided afterwards what sort of path they wanted to go down for their videos.
The use of the narratives throughout their videos makes them a lot more interesting and exciting. Houdini is
about the band getting turned into robots after they were killed rehearsing. They go on to do a gig while they are
robots. This plot is very inventive and different to other music videos. This sort of plot is not common, this making
the video popular and unique. The videos shows that the band do not mind getting involved and having fun with
their videos- a lot of indie bands would not be like this. This would make them a lot more likeable, helping them to
sell their single and later their album.

Relationship between the lyrics

and the visuals
The Houdini video is very bizarre and random. It is very unique
and has a very unusual, comical plot to the narrative. Due to this,
the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals is very weak.
There isnt as bond between the two. The band decided to create a
video that doesnt have any relevance to the song, other than the
slight aspects of performance. For an indie band this is expected.
After watching many of Foster the Peoples videos, you can see
that they enjoy creating weird videos. They stand out as they are
so uncommon. As a viewer, you would be able to pick the video
out as being a Foster the People video. This is very important and
would make the band as a whole a lot more popular due to their
unique music videos.

Relationship between the music and

the visuals

The relationship between the music and the visuals is much stronger than the relationship between the lyrics and
the visuals. The visuals throughout the video matches the beat and most phrases in the music. At the beginning of
the video the band are performing and therefore the music matches the visuals perfectly. After the lights fall the
relationship weakens slightly. The visuals are just of the production crew panicking, so therefore this isnt in time to
the music. However once the lyrics begin the visuals begin to match the music once again. For example the crews
heads all turn in time to the beat. The Asian man is also shown clicking in time to the main beat with continues
through the song. The relationship is very subtle as there are only slight movements which match the beat in the
music. However all of these slight movements together make a strong bond between the music and visuals.

Mid way through the video the band are

shown being made to dance. Their
movements are in time to the music
perfectly which builds the relationship
between the music and visuals. This bond
grows once again after the band have
been turned into robots and begin to
perform. The visuals match the beat
perfectly.

Close ups and

motifs

Throughout the video close ups arent commonly used. Closer shots have been used to show facial expressions
and emotions but this isnt always just on the band. After the lights fall onto the band, the crews emotions are
shown by the use of close ups. Throughout the video a lot of zooms to close ups have been used. This
camerawork empathises the emotion in the actors face. A close up has been used to show the process of one of
the band members being turned into a robot. This is very unusual for a music video and therefore reiterates how
unique the band are. Throughout the video the band are shown performing the song multiple times. Due to this
being repeated, mainly on the chorus, repetition occurs which allows the video to look professional.

Reference to the notion

The video has a strong plot which means that the band are constantly acting throughout. This results in there
of
looking
being a lack of eye contact with the camera. If there were eye contact with the camera it would ruin the
effect that they have desired. The only slight part which has eye contact with the camera is after the band
has been turned into robots and are walking to the stage. There is about 3 seconds of eye contact which
shows that it isnt that significant.

Intertextual
references
Houdini doesnt have any direct intertextual
references however it has had some Television
features. It appeared in series five, episode one
of Gossip Girl and the video game SSX. These
features show that their music is very popular
however so unique that it doesnt have any
references to films. For example the music
video for the single doesnt have an direct links
to films or any other music video. This is
expected however due to how unusual the
video is.
The plot for the video is very unique and well
thought through. No other band/artist has
created a video with a similar storyline. This
would be because it is so unusual and some
might say brave. Despite the video being very
different, it is incredibly entertaining and
interesting. This is what makes it so popular.
However this is also why it doesnt have any
references to films- its so exclusive.