Synaesthesia

"A condition in which one type of simulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a good sound produces the visualization of colour"
so.... in song

In songs the narrative rarely is complete and therefore often fragmentary.

Fragmentary narratives ma help the repeatability of promos.

Andrew Goodwin

illustration-the promo basically illustrates the ideas / narrative in the song lyrics.

Amplification - uses a key idea / image from the lyrics and development I into a concept within the promo.

Disjuncture - the promo bears no resemblance to the lyrics or its meaning; abstract; often seen as unconventional / arty videos; creates a new range of meanings for the songs.

Conventions of a music promos

Camera Movements:

Camera shots are used to trace the steps of the artist/band or the actors they may have chosen to use within the storyline. Camera shots such as tilts, pans, tracks and crane shots are used.

Conventions can alter with genre, such as with a hip-pop song the shots will more than likely be very still and simple, however with a heavier song, the camera will be more slack and realistic, this is because the camera usually moves with the beat of the song and 'bops' with the music.

Camera Shots:

The main three types of camera shots used are long, mid and close up shots belong shots are used to help show location and can emphasise a location's scale, mid shots are used to help show the artist/band members clearly, giving you chance to know the look and feel of the band and also lets you see the instruments they play and lastly close up shots are used to emphasis emotion and also to reflect what is in the lyrics down to the movement of the lips.

Mise-En-Scene:

 Mise-en-scene is pretty much everything within the shot, such as:

 Lighting

 Props

 Location

 Costume

Lighting is important as you are able to have lighting to represent or emphasis a certain aspect of your video or you could use it to set a mood, such as the use of black and white in 'Street Spirit' by Radiohead.

 Props are vital to help add to a scene and create significance to a specific object or person; props could also be seen as the instruments they play.

 Location is one that usually changes with genre, such as heavier music will usually use quite run down or derelict style buildings, however dance music will use places such as nightclubs or large party type venues, this represents the type of music they play as it also gives off a sense of emotion and presence.

Costume depends on the type of song, this could be done to a theme, such as a party theme or a war theme, however, usually heavier rock bands just wear their normal clothes as they like to keep themselves raw and don't like to dress up, they usually wear other band merch to represent their bands however. Bigger artists such as FUN will wear fancy clothes, or have a theme, such as in 'Some Nights'.

Editing:

 Editing also changes with genre, however, one rule still always tends to apply to conventional music videos, and that is editing to the beat of the music, this makes the video catchier and more professional which gives it an overall more professional feel and makes it more enjoyable to watch. They will also really only tend to use straight cuts, this is because they want the music video to be strong and punchy for the viewer

Eminem Stan Analysis

The video starts with an establishing tracking shot into a women’s bedroom where it follows with several long take Arial shots of her in bed clearing showing she is pregnant and giving a brief insight into the "state" of the room. This quickly cuts to a young male in a grubby bath room looking in the mirror who the proceeds to pour bleach over his height changing the colour of his hair just like the artist Eminem did. 

The women then rushes to the bathroom as she needs the toilet in her condition and they have a small scrap mentioning "aren't you taking this too far". This immediately shows that the male character in the video is attached and fans of Eminem. The audience learn that relationship isn't stable by the mixture of the bad conditions of the dirty house and the way the male character snaps at the woman while she constantly pleads for his attention or help. In this part of the intro we see a bird’s eye view of the situation despite it being in separate rooms. I think this is a really clever technique which shows us the distance between the characters, not just physically but mentally in the relationship. We can see in the photo below the woman banging against the door but the man barely caring.

The song then starts just as the door shuts with the male character leaving. The song plays as if it was on a radio with the non-diegetic sound of the rain playing over the top of the song. The video cuts to a shot of Eminem sitting in his tour van being handed some letters and then it cuts back to the lady sitting on the toilet singing the chorus. 

The song is being sung from the women’s point of the view and this is the first Intertextual conclusion we have with the video as the lyrics of the chorus are very literal with the scenes shown to the intro of the music video. The sound of the music then comes into full volume after the thunder sound effect and the camera tracks downstairs into a basement as the male character walks in. The lyrics "My teas gone cold and I wondering why I got out this bed at all" Shows how dull and rundown her life is going. She describes her life as "tea gone cold" to show it was hot/good at the start but has now dramatically changed into something she doesn't like.

This is the first time the viewers see the characters enthusiasm for Eminem with the posters all over the walls, the video playing of the singer etc. The video scenes change with the beat of the music, the footsteps and light flashing are in sync with the music beat to give it a dramatic effect. The camera cuts from various angles all looking at and around a desk where the character sits in the centre of the room to show the significance of this scene. 

The light flickers like thunder to relate to the whether outside and creates a very dark and scary atmosphere. The collaboration of the dark basement setting and with the lighting and sounds effects hints to the audience that it is going to be a "dark" rap often telling a story about something the artist has experienced. As the chorus finishes the character starts to write and the lyrics are sung as if they were being said in the characters head as he writes them down. 









The diegetic sound of the pencil scratching against the paper shows this to make the video more realistic and the quiet background non diegetic sound of the rain reinforce the depressing atmosphere across the song scenes as it cuts to numerous cameras shot of him writing. He mentions things to relate the characters to Eminem from naming the daughter "Bonnie" after one of Eminem's songs "97 Bonnie and Clyde" to the suicide of one of Eminem's family members. It is clear that the character is restless and agitated from his body language and certain lyrics are mimed by the character to signify their importance such as "I'm your biggest fan".

The narrative then continues in the chorus showing a small argument between the woman and man and a separate shot of the post office dropping and "losing" his letter. In the second verse it is clear that he is a lot more aggressive and frustrated. The sound effects of the pencil writing have become a little louder to show the emotion of the character. As verse continues it is accompanied with several 360 shots rotating around the camera from low and high angles to show his anger at the singer. 

The voice of the singer has become louder as if he was in a argument and the language is a lot more eccentric swearing more showing his bitterness when Eminem refused to sign an autograph in the "blistering cold". The video becomes a lot more personal with cuts between the character and his girlfriend to how her disappoint and sadness when he says "I talk about you 24/7" and the shot of him replacing a photo of his girlfriend with slim shady in the last line when he says "We should be together". This shows the audience how deluded he is about the Eminem and is a hint to what could happen.






 
This is then followed by the chorus once again and shows a narrative of the girlfriend discovering his "lair" with all the posters and finally the photo of the character and Eminem. The third verse is the final verse from the characters point of view. It’s staged as him talking into a cassette player while driving a car. The weather has got worse with torrential rain which sets the atmosphere and the guy has been drinking, said in the lyrics "drank a 5th of vodka", and the way he is driving. 


 
The final verse is from the third point of view, Eminem himself. It’s an apology letter for why he took so long to reply and the reality of why he was unable to be in contact. The scenes such as when the character was waiting out in the blistering cold are replayed but in a slightly different context revealing that Eminem was ushered and pulled away from the crowd. Externalising the blame Eminem claims his innocence and the audience see how we saw what the character wanted us to see and not the full truth. It also suggests how he interpreted Eminem being pulled away as not wanting to talk to him rather than not being allowed. This reinforces how mentally confused the character is during the video and causes the audience to feel pity for the fan


This narrative is very unconventional for a hip hop song because stereotypically hip hop songs are about upbringing, money, women, and gang influences throwing underlining signs etc. however this brings a totally new approach on hip hop culture. This video also shows how society look up to celebrity influences how much one person can’t reflect on another person’s life. Some people that view Eminem as just an entertainer are opened up to a totally new light and point of view on the inspiration he can have.  

Ed Sheeran A Team Music Video Analysis

This music video uses narrative structure throughout the video and there is no band performance. The narrative is told in a circular way, the video starts at the end. It is told from another perspective, a person watching the girl’s life.

Within the video there are many close ups of the protagonist. This creates a feeling of sympathy from the audience towards the protagonist because the lyrics link to what we are seeing, a wasted life. The target audience for this video are the younger generation, between the ages 15 - 25; this is similar to the singer’s age. The song is about drugs and this is a topic that young people get caught up in. The music video appeals to both genders because, although it is only a female in the video. It targets both because the song is about drugs which relates to both genders.

 The music begins when it has been established that drugs have killed the girl lying in the room. The shot when the music does start is a long shot of a girl lying on a bench with a sleeping bag. This suggests that she is unfortunate and doesn't have a place to live or sleep. This puts all focus on the protagonist as the audience want to know more about her and they ask questions about why she is there and what has happened to her. They are curious about her life. There is then a close up of her wiping her face and pulling the sleeping bag in around her which shows the audience she is cold, creating the audience to feel more sympathy for her.

 

The mise en scene also suggests that the girl is unfortunate because the costume she is wearing. She is wearing ripped tights and also a man’s coat which is too big for her. Along with this she has thick make up on which suggests she has been trying anything for money. This is also shown later on the video when there is a series of close ups of the girl putting make up on in a dodgy flat and then the long shot of her showing her legs to get the car to stop. It shows that the girl has turned to prostitution, making the audience sympathize yet again because she must be desperate to be doing that. The lighting is very natural all the way through the video which makes it realistic. However, there is key lighting is on her face which shows her negative expression. The protagonist has no power in the video, she is a damsel in distress and the drugs are there to take her away from reality.

 

 

When the girl is walking up a hill on her own and there is nobody around her creates a sense of panic for the girl. This shows because she starts to look around as if anyone is following her. It soon changes when she looks up to the sky and smiles and then changes to a mid-shot of her opening her arms. This gives the sense of freedom which contrasts with the rest of the video. The close ups in the video contrast with this shot because they are very closed in and we feel like the girl is trying to escape but can't. This is the reason that she takes an overdose at the end of the video.

This video attracts its target audience because they are people who could be involved and trapped and it shows that it isn't a way out. The circular structure intrigues the target audience causing them to be attracted to the video.