Wednesday, 27 November 2019

Music Video Analysis


Image result for EMELI SANDE heavenDesignated videos:
Emeli Sande – Heaven
feature their respective artist(s) and are a mixture of performance and narrative, and raise a number of similar representational issues surrounding ‘street life’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=883yQqdOaLg
Image result for radiohead - burn the witchRadiohead - Burn The Witch
does not feature the artist(s) but celebrates the power of narrative and signification and a postmodern emphasis on intertextuality. The video contrasts clearly with the representations featured in Heaven




A music video can be defined as a filmed and edited performance of a recorded song. The main
purpose of a music video is to promote the single, the album the single is from and the artist to a wide
an audience as possible.  
To do this the album has to:
1.Sell the sing in a way that helps the audience remember it from the video
2.Provide the viewer with a better understanding of the song so that they can engage with it visually and audibly
3.Entertain the viewer by highlighting the talents of the artists – dancing, singing performing and their physical appearance.

Historical, social and cultural contexts:

Emeli Sande – Heaven:

The music video, that was released in July 2011, was filmed in Bethnal Green, London. In this period "The East London constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow has the highest levels of child poverty in the UK, according to the Campaign to end Child Poverty, with more than half (51%) of children stricken by poverty."
The Meaning behind the song has cultural aspects. In an interview, Emeli said that when writing the song with Naugthy Boy "We got into a very deep conversation about religion and how to be good – what we all try to do in this day and age and how difficult it is. He said, 'I guess you just have to keep your heart clean' and that sparked the whole song. It was done really quickly and we knew it was a special one as soon as it was done." Religion is shown through Angel Wings, Cross necklace etc.
October 2011- 408 arrests for drugs in Bethnal Green- Links to clips in the video like the passing of the lighter and shadow of gangs

Men were also arrested in Bethnal Green for the use of prostitution- "purpose of obtaining sexual services in a public place during the operation in Bethnal Green." Which links to the clip at the start of the lady in the red dress going down the alley at 0.08- Red dresses can connotate prostitute.

Social Classes shown are E/D contrasting to Emeli, who came from this area who is know a B class. 

2011 Census, the most ethnically diverse region was London, where 40.2% of residents identified as belonging to either the Asian, Black, Mixed or Other ethnic group

Radiohead - Burn The Witch:

The video, which was directed by Chris Hopewell and inspired by the British children’s TV series the Trumptonshire Trilogy, shows a man who is given a tour of a picture-perfect town in which the residents do unspeakably creepy and violent things to each other. The video culminates in the man nearly being burned to death inside a massive wooden effigy — a clear homage to 1973 British horror film The Wicker Man.
The band wanted the video to raise awareness about Europe’s refugee crisis and the “blaming of different people… the blaming of Muslims and the negativity” currently engulfing European politics.
After the election of US President Donald Trump on 8 November 2016, Yorke tweeted lyrics from the song and linked to its music video, interpreted as a criticism of Trump's rightwing policies.