Music Video Analysis

Andrew Goodwin, in Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992, Routledge) has identified the features of music videos as:
- Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
- There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals
- There is a relationship between music and visuals
- The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist
- There is frequently reference to the notion of looking
- There is often intertextual reference

The Killers - Human


- Demonstrate genre characteristics
The Killers video is performance based with the band performing as if on stage. The video is set in the desert with the equipment set up as if the band is performing to an audience. The equipment includes a microphone, guitar and drums portraying that the band plays all their own music without having other instruments brought in. All the band members are present in the video which is not typical of many genres and seen in many videos. For example, in a pop video you would see the lead singer but not necessarily all of the band playing the instruments. The spotlights over the band also emphasises that they are the main focus of the video and that it is very much performance based, although some narrative elements are brought in.

- Relationship between lyrics and visuals
Close ups of animals link to the lyrics 'are we human?' showing a relationship between the lyrics and visuals. The lead singers costume also conveys a link to the lyrics because the detail on the shoulders of his jacket could signify an animal, such as an eagle or another type of bird. A high angle long shot shows the lead singer on his knees, linking to the lyrics 'I'm on my knees looking for the answer..' conveying that the relationship between the lyrics and visuals in this video is amplifying as the visuals are used to emphasise the lyrics.

- The demand of the record label
A close up of the lead singer is the first shot of the band, portraying that he is the main member of the group and that he is the main focus. This is reinforced when mid shots and close ups are shown of the other members of the band, but only for a short time. The focus is then drawn back to the lead singer by another close up and for a longer period of time.

A smoke effect reveals a long shot of a picture of The Killers album. This long shot is used to promote the album in a subtle way without making it the main focus of the video. The end of the video is used to promote The Killers album because the last image that the viewer is left with links to the front cover of the album. The colour schemes and images subtly makes the viewer remember the video when buying the album; encouraging them to purchase it.

The Kooks - She Moves In Her Own Way


- Demonstrate genre characteristics
Although the video is not a stage performance it is very much performance based as the band play their instruments throughout the whole video. Linking with The Killers video this emphasises that the band play their own music and all the members are present in the video. The main focus is on the band, helping to promote them as well as the song and video.

- Relationship between lyrics and visual
The setting of the video is on the bands tour bus as they tour around the country/ world. This links with the lyrics as the first line of the song is 'So at my show on Monday..' which in the next verse follows 'So at my show on Tuesday..'. This shows an illustrative relationship between the lyrics and visual because the story of the video is that the band is on tour when they meet a girl. If the lyrics weren't there and the video was shown by itself you would not know that this was the story, making the relationship also amplifying.

- The demand of the record label
Many of the shots in the video are close-ups of the lead singer and the band. The mid shots and close-ups are mainly of the lead singer portraying that he is the main focus of the video and the main icon of the band. Close-ups of the other members of the band are shown for a shorter period of time showing they are less significant than the lead singer. Long shots and extreme long shots of the whole band are used frequently to convey the closeness of the group and to reinforce that the band play their own music, and also to emphasise the performance element of the video.

Other music video I looked at include:
Scouting for girls - She's so lovely
Kasabian - Empire