Music Video Analysis

By Aidan Cheng

Connan Mockasin Forever Dolphin Love

 The video begins with a long shot, showing a group of bizarre and strange looking people. They wear strange costumes, made out of ramshackle bits and pieces as though thy have been put together from old clothes and decoration kits. They have paint slapped all over their features and strange hairdos. Amongst the geisha-like figures, a cat man, a green-faced woman and others, there stands the central figure of Mockasin himself. Placed in the centre and donning a costume of white it is clear he is the main focus of the story. They stand in a bland, nonchalant manner for a whole minute of the song, the first minute of the song being a single, long note. Their environment appears to be a green room, also sloppily painted and before them sits a bowl of fruit. The effect is immediately surreal and confrontational. We establish the fact, the music is experimental and will not keep to the norm. Together, the image is reminiscent of a Picasso, due to their deforming quality their costumes and make-up make. As the figures slowly begin to move, the camera changes from this single long shot to a series of medium shots portraying each character dancing individually in their own peculiar manner. As the tune picks up and changes, the action of the video follows suit.

Blur The Universal

The music video The Universal by Blur follows a narrative set chiefly in what appears to be a futuristic bar fashioned to the style (with its padded, white-washed walls) of a mental asylum or hospitalised environment. This conflicts with the conventions of a normal bar, where the dcor usually emulates revelling, relaxation and glitz, rather than surgical cleanliness and austerity seen here. The narrative is somewhat ambiguous as there is no clear story-line however it reaches a crescendo at the end, with a series of subtitled silent monologues growing progressively more obscene. The video makes blatant references to the work of Stanley Kubrick in particular, his film A Clockwork Orange. The front-man Damon Albarn has taken on the role of the psychotic anti-hero Alex DeLarge, with his eerie demeanour and costume. He breaks the fourth wall with the audience by directly winking at them and fixing them with manic, bestial grins suggestive of his dominating force in the video. Kubrick s work is also referenced with the golf-ball-like mass which appears before a group of people who stare at it transfixed yet nonplussed by the floating mass. This echoes the film 2001: A Space Odyssey when the black pillar appears before a group of apes, who seem to revere it. The unusual, warped pop-art style imagery is intercut with the events of the video as well as shots of the band performing on stage in the bar environment. They form together as a satirical stab at modern society. A woman is seen wallowing in the company of her male colleagues who fawn over her as though she were a piece of meat. In her hands she holds sheet music another reference to the opening sequence of A Clockwork Orange when a woman sits with her colleagues in the milk bar singing to Beethoven. The woman allows herself to become a sex object before their eyes, flirting along with them and adopting a seductive body language. A priest is seen drinking what appears to be some kind of alcoholic beverage and growing steadily drunker with his companion. This conflicts with his role as a religious figure. He also (in the climax of the video) appears to tell his drinking partner something shocking and heinous and his laughter is abruptly replaced with a look of despair. All the conversations in the video are silent adding to their ambiguity. This is also seen in the conversation between the man in a tuxedo and the red man who have a surreal and nonsensical conversation which is subtitled. Other characters we see are a pair of twins who wear strange glasses which hinder rather than improve their site. The theme of voyeurism is again enhanced by the naked female mannequins used as decoration in the bar. Also, a man simultaneously kisses and touches two women furiously. The image is grotesque, with the female s lipstick staining the male s cheeks and the fact they are in traditional Chinese women s dress, a subversion of its symbol of purity and decency. Females contrast greatly to the white-washed environment. Most wear some kind of red (clothes or makeup). This allows them to stand out and be seen images of sexual pleasure. More references to Orwell s 1984 are given through the gathering crowds who listen to the events in the bar via the golfball like masses with the speaker and camera. The crowd appear devoid of emotion, reminiscent of the passionless Inner and Outer Party members of Oceania. The use of Warhol-like art is in keeping with the racy and surreal theme and the orange background the unusual drawings are set against is a reference to A Clockwork Orange . The slummy council estate environment of the emotionless people outside the bar is representative of a dystopian future. This fits in with the perverse goings-on in the futuristic-styled bar and the song lyrics themselves which sing of the future; this is the next century.... There could be implications of anti-religion, through the use of the drunk priest and an image of an embryo falling into a cocktail glass. This could be a representation of the Catholic Church s stand against abortion or perhaps could suggest that human life is not valued in modern society.

The Naked and Famous Young Blood

The video of Young Blood tells the story of youth, rebellion, a desire for freedom and anti-authority. Though it does not follow the sequence of a narrative story, the video reaches a clear crescendo with the already speedy cuts, quickening towards the end with the speedy music. The video is full of movement. Nearly every shot portrays an action of some kind, it is random, haphazard and dangerous representative of this rebellious fire seen in youth often which is oppressed. The video begins with a mixture of colours an indicator of liberalism and openness. Wiry, child-like letters appear spelling the words Young Blood . From this, we understand it to be a song about the power of the youth. Most of the shots are filled with energy and violence the majority being shots of young adults leaping, frolicking, bounding, climbing, running through grand, open, outdoor landscapes. It is a call for freedom and expression. There are also shots of violent acts, such as the crushing blow of a jump on a car bonnet, the destruction of cars in a dump yard all are indicative of the song s theme of rebellion and anti-authority. With these, are shots of skateboarding and BMXs, both sports to be associated as acts of rebellion. Juxtaposing this, are shots of more innocent things such as tree-climbing and kite-flying. This is used to counteract the somewhat negative image from the other shots of Youth s destructive force ultimately youth are portrayed in a positive, elegant light. The tracking shots of running, energetic figures fits in well with the rising, chant-like anthem which is the song. The audience also see lots of water imagery water being a symbol of freedom and depth of character. There are shots of blood, emphasizing the title of young blood and youth. It also portrays the carelessness of teenagers their dangerous ways of living and the attitude of not caring what happens. Many low angle shots are used particularly during sequences of high action, so as to portray the youths as powerful and full of life. Imagery of sunset and light is also used to emphasize this zest, along with mixture of colours youth are dynamic and bold. Some shots emphasize the physique of the actors, a man lies naked (but concealed) in a lake. This represents the openness and lack of conservatism seen in youths. Fireworks, sparklers and smoke are also shown so as to create a loud, explosive energy and to remind the audience of youthful gatherings with friends at night they may have had themselves. The panoramic landscape shots of the mountains and the forests place emphasis on the adventurous side of youths as well as the beauty of a dangerous existence. The lighting in most shots are high-key , almost over-exposed to create a dream-like idyllic effect this is how youth want to live. The final image of the video ends with a now empty lake, devoid of human swimmers. However, the water still churns and ripples from it s previous occupants, almost in suggestion that even when absent, youth leave behind a crashing, stormy presence.