Music Video Analysis
Aphex Twin Music Video Analysis
The music video to Aphex Twin’s ‘Come to Daddy’ is a fascinating example of how a short video can contain an abundance of themes and ideas.
The music video appears to be set around a council estate in a large city within a deprived area. These tall, grim buildings work as an effective backdrop for the opening, which feature shots of an old woman walking with an aggressive- looking dog. As the volume and intensity of the music picks up, the cuts become quicker, and the camera moves erratically to create a dizzying effect. Fairly unusually, diegetic sound can be heard in certain parts, most notably when the dog barks. However, the audio is distorted to appear distant, furthering the dizzying effect. These effects are designed to unsettle the viewer – to create a psychological fear.
The cuts match the beats of the music, so as the speed of the music increases, the length of each shot decreases, creating a tense and panicked atmosphere, akin the thriller/ horror movies that it is possibly mimicking. The opening shots of the aforementioned council estate use canted angles to create a sense of unease, and low angles are used throughout, for example on the Granny’s aggressive dog. This is a prime example of Opposition theory. The Granny, who in most people’s minds would be linked with innocence and naivety has a Pitbull, a dog normally associated in most people’s minds with aggressive gang members. This distortion of preconceptions
The low lighting, the blue, washed-out colour of the image and the decrepit background hint at horror, and the brief interlude with an ominous nursery rhyme seems to be a direct reference to several horror films (most notably, the 1984 slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street) , as is the creature coming out of the television.
There are several nods to movies and other media scattered throughout the video. Perhaps the most outstanding of these is the two girls, skipping together while a gentle yet ominous nursery rhyme plays, giving a direct nod to the Stanley Kubric thriller The Shining. This intercontextuality is a large part of the music video’s appeal; it gives the video an underlying essence of humour, while also drawing more from the constant influence of media.
The video features a mob of small children with the superimposed head of the musician running around causing havoc; vandalising, kicking over bins and so fourth. It is interesting to note quite how young these children are – all the violent actions they are performing goes well with the stereotype of the modern teenage boy, but these individuals appear to be females no older than 10. This could represent either the decreasing age of criminals in the UK (a particular worry at the time of making the video), or it could be a purposeful exaggeration of the fear adults have for younger people. The fact that all these children feature his face not only gets the artists image out there, but also gives a sense of homogenisation - a menacing lack of identity and personification, reflecting the worry that TV and was spreading its own ideologies and stealing identity. Also featured are shots of a grey-skinned, wide-mouthed character on a TV screen miming along to the grim lyrics of the song, and the aforementioned old lady, getting more and more terrified.
It is possible that the demonic children and the demonic monster on the television have certain satanic connections – indeed, the way the children end up treating the television suggests possible ritualistic worship – but this is mere speculation. A perhaps more obvious theme is the idea of the worrying influence of television on young children. This video was made in the late 1990’s when the idea of kids spending too much time in front of the box was first becoming prominent. It is possible (or even probable) that the video is referencing the notion that TV could be influencing youths to become aggressive. It could also be referring to controversies related to subliminal advertising, which was particularly notable at the time. When a monster comes out of the TV and attacks the old lady, it could well be referring to (at the time) recent attacks on elderly people by youths.
There is some underlying sexuality within this video, two children are seen attacking another child before pushing her on her a back, legs splayed. This particular scene caused notable controversy, as it implied both rape and paedophilia, two subjects that are very much taboo. The way the children huddle up to the demonic monster also implies paedophilia, which furthered the controversy.
To summarise, this music video contains themes of the overwhelming influence of media on youth, the misconceptions involved between younger and older generations, while using the artist’s face (superimposed on all the children) as a tool for spreading his image – after all, a music videos preliminary job is to sell the artist.
Whether such a video is likely to provoke copycat crimes is debatable. It is certainly reflecting (then) current events and actions, so it is certainly not the primary cause, although it could be argued that these videos sell this controversial action as ‘cool’, making the current situation worse. What is certain is that the more controversial videos almost always become more popular (due in part to the news attention they receive), so perhaps the makers of the video wanted certain people to get upset by it.
The music video appears to be set around a council estate in a large city within a deprived area. These tall, grim buildings work as an effective backdrop for the opening, which feature shots of an old woman walking with an aggressive- looking dog. As the volume and intensity of the music picks up, the cuts become quicker, and the camera moves erratically to create a dizzying effect. Fairly unusually, diegetic sound can be heard in certain parts, most notably when the dog barks. However, the audio is distorted to appear distant, furthering the dizzying effect. These effects are designed to unsettle the viewer – to create a psychological fear.
The cuts match the beats of the music, so as the speed of the music increases, the length of each shot decreases, creating a tense and panicked atmosphere, akin the thriller/ horror movies that it is possibly mimicking. The opening shots of the aforementioned council estate use canted angles to create a sense of unease, and low angles are used throughout, for example on the Granny’s aggressive dog. This is a prime example of Opposition theory. The Granny, who in most people’s minds would be linked with innocence and naivety has a Pitbull, a dog normally associated in most people’s minds with aggressive gang members. This distortion of preconceptions
The low lighting, the blue, washed-out colour of the image and the decrepit background hint at horror, and the brief interlude with an ominous nursery rhyme seems to be a direct reference to several horror films (most notably, the 1984 slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street) , as is the creature coming out of the television.
There are several nods to movies and other media scattered throughout the video. Perhaps the most outstanding of these is the two girls, skipping together while a gentle yet ominous nursery rhyme plays, giving a direct nod to the Stanley Kubric thriller The Shining. This intercontextuality is a large part of the music video’s appeal; it gives the video an underlying essence of humour, while also drawing more from the constant influence of media.
The video features a mob of small children with the superimposed head of the musician running around causing havoc; vandalising, kicking over bins and so fourth. It is interesting to note quite how young these children are – all the violent actions they are performing goes well with the stereotype of the modern teenage boy, but these individuals appear to be females no older than 10. This could represent either the decreasing age of criminals in the UK (a particular worry at the time of making the video), or it could be a purposeful exaggeration of the fear adults have for younger people. The fact that all these children feature his face not only gets the artists image out there, but also gives a sense of homogenisation - a menacing lack of identity and personification, reflecting the worry that TV and was spreading its own ideologies and stealing identity. Also featured are shots of a grey-skinned, wide-mouthed character on a TV screen miming along to the grim lyrics of the song, and the aforementioned old lady, getting more and more terrified.
It is possible that the demonic children and the demonic monster on the television have certain satanic connections – indeed, the way the children end up treating the television suggests possible ritualistic worship – but this is mere speculation. A perhaps more obvious theme is the idea of the worrying influence of television on young children. This video was made in the late 1990’s when the idea of kids spending too much time in front of the box was first becoming prominent. It is possible (or even probable) that the video is referencing the notion that TV could be influencing youths to become aggressive. It could also be referring to controversies related to subliminal advertising, which was particularly notable at the time. When a monster comes out of the TV and attacks the old lady, it could well be referring to (at the time) recent attacks on elderly people by youths.
There is some underlying sexuality within this video, two children are seen attacking another child before pushing her on her a back, legs splayed. This particular scene caused notable controversy, as it implied both rape and paedophilia, two subjects that are very much taboo. The way the children huddle up to the demonic monster also implies paedophilia, which furthered the controversy.
To summarise, this music video contains themes of the overwhelming influence of media on youth, the misconceptions involved between younger and older generations, while using the artist’s face (superimposed on all the children) as a tool for spreading his image – after all, a music videos preliminary job is to sell the artist.
Whether such a video is likely to provoke copycat crimes is debatable. It is certainly reflecting (then) current events and actions, so it is certainly not the primary cause, although it could be argued that these videos sell this controversial action as ‘cool’, making the current situation worse. What is certain is that the more controversial videos almost always become more popular (due in part to the news attention they receive), so perhaps the makers of the video wanted certain people to get upset by it.
Bohemian Rhapsody Music Video Analysis
Queen’s video to the 1975 hit ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is often considered revolutionary, and is one of the first music videos to become widely popular.
The video starts with a silhouette which gradually distinguishes itself as the image fades in. After a time the lighting drastically changes (indeed, almost inverts) to reveal the silhouette as the 4 members of Queen, lip-syncing the preliminary lyrics to the song. The switch to visual coherence goes neatly with the line “open your eyes” – as if the viewer themselves if opening their eyes, removing any ambiguity. Periodically super-imposed over this image is the face of Freddie Mercury questioning whether life is "real" or "just fantasy" before concluding that there can be "no escape from reality”. Mercury’s face is lit from above, giving his face a skull-like quality, possibly reminicent of Death.
As the song begins the ballad phase, the image fades to the band playing their instruments on a circular stage, under dark blue lights. They are all dressed in bright white, making them stand out from the dark surroundings, creating an effect of stark contrast. The context of the stage on which the are performing is left interetingly ambigious; it should be noted that the most common interpretation of the song is of a man’s decent to hell, so it could be an implication that that is where they are. The ominous lighting (which gradually turns to green) would certainly support this theory.
As the balled transforms into the guitar solo, the lighting turns into a more firery and appropriately aggressive shade of red. Perhaps most interesting in this section is the part when Mercury leaves the piano to dramatically grip the microphone as he continues singing. Despite leaving the piano, the piano chords continue in the song, implying a super-natural element. Or it could even be self referential: an admittence the music playing is purely non-diagetic, entirely separate from the actual image. Whichever it is, it is a moment of great surreality, furthering the idea that they may in a place not within the known world.
When the music makes a dramatic switch to opera the visuals also change dramatically too. With the first line of this phrase, where Mercury sings of seing ‘a little silhouetto of a man’ two sets of silhouttes in two different shots – one of (presumably) a man, clearly dressed extravigantly, potentially a reference to the dress that many opera players wear.
As the Opera suddenly becomes more intense, a honeycomb effect is used on the image of the band members, posed similarly to their position in the beginning of the video. The fact that the music grows louder when there are ‘more’ people singing it (albeit duplicates) makes the music seem almost diegetic, as if it actually being sung, in vivid contrast to the previous, aforementioned phase in the music video.
The effect of the band member’s images being echoed, achieved on camera, matches the theme of someone descending into hell. It also furthers the supernatural element – as the song gets more powerful, and possibly even more sinister, the video appears to become more bizarre – the continuity is more sporadic, the camera pace is much faster… reminiscent of nightmare.
This video was made on a very low budget, so special effects were minimal and all done on set. However this low key approach may well have proved a blessing, as the ambiguity in regards to many parts of the mise-en-scene (such as set, props etc…) go nicely with the mysterious message of the song, and the special effects work nicely despite their relatively primitive nature.
When the music reaches what could arguably be called its ‘climactic stage’ – the blend of hard rock and heavy metal – the band are finally revealed on full stage – a wide shot featuring all of them on their respective instruments, as if viewing them from the auditorium. The pacing is quick, and the lighting is both speedily paced and aggressive in design: a ferocious mix of flashing blues, reds and greens, giving the impression either of being at rock concert, or possibly referring back to the hellish themes of earlier.
When the music slows for the outro (which is similar to the ‘balled’ section), the lights dim to a more placid green, the shots are longer, and the cuts consist of extended fades. Just as the final line is heard (‘Any way the wind blows…’) we see a shot of the four band members in a similar pose as they were in the opening shot of the video; as the other three fade away we see Freddie Mercury (who is in the centre of the shot, and who is also lead singer) alone, suggesting it he was the sole protagonist in the song, the ‘boy’ the lyrics were mentioning. Just as the image is fading we see a large gong being hit. This not only gives the sense that ‘judgement has been passed’ but also gives the entire music video an ultimate sense of finality.
The video starts with a silhouette which gradually distinguishes itself as the image fades in. After a time the lighting drastically changes (indeed, almost inverts) to reveal the silhouette as the 4 members of Queen, lip-syncing the preliminary lyrics to the song. The switch to visual coherence goes neatly with the line “open your eyes” – as if the viewer themselves if opening their eyes, removing any ambiguity. Periodically super-imposed over this image is the face of Freddie Mercury questioning whether life is "real" or "just fantasy" before concluding that there can be "no escape from reality”. Mercury’s face is lit from above, giving his face a skull-like quality, possibly reminicent of Death.
As the song begins the ballad phase, the image fades to the band playing their instruments on a circular stage, under dark blue lights. They are all dressed in bright white, making them stand out from the dark surroundings, creating an effect of stark contrast. The context of the stage on which the are performing is left interetingly ambigious; it should be noted that the most common interpretation of the song is of a man’s decent to hell, so it could be an implication that that is where they are. The ominous lighting (which gradually turns to green) would certainly support this theory.
As the balled transforms into the guitar solo, the lighting turns into a more firery and appropriately aggressive shade of red. Perhaps most interesting in this section is the part when Mercury leaves the piano to dramatically grip the microphone as he continues singing. Despite leaving the piano, the piano chords continue in the song, implying a super-natural element. Or it could even be self referential: an admittence the music playing is purely non-diagetic, entirely separate from the actual image. Whichever it is, it is a moment of great surreality, furthering the idea that they may in a place not within the known world.
When the music makes a dramatic switch to opera the visuals also change dramatically too. With the first line of this phrase, where Mercury sings of seing ‘a little silhouetto of a man’ two sets of silhouttes in two different shots – one of (presumably) a man, clearly dressed extravigantly, potentially a reference to the dress that many opera players wear.
As the Opera suddenly becomes more intense, a honeycomb effect is used on the image of the band members, posed similarly to their position in the beginning of the video. The fact that the music grows louder when there are ‘more’ people singing it (albeit duplicates) makes the music seem almost diegetic, as if it actually being sung, in vivid contrast to the previous, aforementioned phase in the music video.
The effect of the band member’s images being echoed, achieved on camera, matches the theme of someone descending into hell. It also furthers the supernatural element – as the song gets more powerful, and possibly even more sinister, the video appears to become more bizarre – the continuity is more sporadic, the camera pace is much faster… reminiscent of nightmare.
This video was made on a very low budget, so special effects were minimal and all done on set. However this low key approach may well have proved a blessing, as the ambiguity in regards to many parts of the mise-en-scene (such as set, props etc…) go nicely with the mysterious message of the song, and the special effects work nicely despite their relatively primitive nature.
When the music reaches what could arguably be called its ‘climactic stage’ – the blend of hard rock and heavy metal – the band are finally revealed on full stage – a wide shot featuring all of them on their respective instruments, as if viewing them from the auditorium. The pacing is quick, and the lighting is both speedily paced and aggressive in design: a ferocious mix of flashing blues, reds and greens, giving the impression either of being at rock concert, or possibly referring back to the hellish themes of earlier.
When the music slows for the outro (which is similar to the ‘balled’ section), the lights dim to a more placid green, the shots are longer, and the cuts consist of extended fades. Just as the final line is heard (‘Any way the wind blows…’) we see a shot of the four band members in a similar pose as they were in the opening shot of the video; as the other three fade away we see Freddie Mercury (who is in the centre of the shot, and who is also lead singer) alone, suggesting it he was the sole protagonist in the song, the ‘boy’ the lyrics were mentioning. Just as the image is fading we see a large gong being hit. This not only gives the sense that ‘judgement has been passed’ but also gives the entire music video an ultimate sense of finality.
House of Fun Music Video Analysis
The Music Video to Madness’s ‘House of Fun’ is very exuberant in style, which fits the song very neatly. Madness are a ska genre band who were most popular in the 1980s, along with other ska bands such as Bad Manners. A variety of strong colours and different shots is included in House of Fun. The video has scenes from many locations, such as a fairground, a chemists shop and a liquor store. Madness nearly always uses a variety of different locations and strong colours in their videos, with House of Fun being the best example. The lighting in the video is bright to reflect the strong colours. Right from the beginning of the video, a council estate is established as one of the primary backdrops. This fits well with Madness’s East London image, quickly setting off both a good mise-en-scene and spreading the band image.
The video is largely comical (again fitting for the bands public image) and features the lead singer, Suggs, dressed as a boy entering the shop with fellow band members Lee Thompson and Chas Smash behind him, playing the saxophone and trumpet respectively. On entering the shop, Suggs acts out the lyrics of the song, awkwardly attempting to purchase condoms, with little success. Suggs is shot from a low angle to appear small, and the shopkeeper is shown comically high, to assert over-the-top dominance.
Inter-cut between this are shorts of the band members riding a rollercoaster and enjoying other funfair activities, as appropriate to a song about fun. They are all in suits, which not only creates humour, but also contrast – a sort of visual oxymoron.
The video was made in the mid 80’s, when music video were first becoming mainstream. It is actually quite an early video to take some of the lyrics literally, in context, telling us that perhaps Madness was quite a progressive band.
The video is largely comical (again fitting for the bands public image) and features the lead singer, Suggs, dressed as a boy entering the shop with fellow band members Lee Thompson and Chas Smash behind him, playing the saxophone and trumpet respectively. On entering the shop, Suggs acts out the lyrics of the song, awkwardly attempting to purchase condoms, with little success. Suggs is shot from a low angle to appear small, and the shopkeeper is shown comically high, to assert over-the-top dominance.
Inter-cut between this are shorts of the band members riding a rollercoaster and enjoying other funfair activities, as appropriate to a song about fun. They are all in suits, which not only creates humour, but also contrast – a sort of visual oxymoron.
The video was made in the mid 80’s, when music video were first becoming mainstream. It is actually quite an early video to take some of the lyrics literally, in context, telling us that perhaps Madness was quite a progressive band.