Michael Buble - Lost analysis

This video has an evident use of two worlds where the singer is singing and there are actors that are portraying the lyrics through the narrative. The video starts off with a tracking shot going across some stairs which leads to the singer. There is also the use of fading black (below) with some of the cuts which is in sync with the beat of the music that is slow and corresponds to give a gentle pace to the video. This is a typical convention of a music video as the cuts are in sync with the beat of the music.

The audience is aware of the editing process of the video andis not drawn into the narrative. This is due to the bisected close up shots of the singer frequently as the camera is always very slowly so that the camera work does not become static as Vernallis says “It provides a simple way for a music video to catch and sustain a songs momentum”. Therefore, this is a typical convention of a music video as the camera is never static and is always moving.

There is also the frequent use of close up shots on the actor of the narrative, which suggests that the narrative is understood by the audience through the facial expressions and movements of the actors which also link to the lyrics of the song which represents how they feel.

There is the use of establishing shots throughout the video to commence the beginning of the narrative of the video, as the audience is fixed on the lives of several different actors and how they link to the narrative and portray that through their lives. In the establishing shot, it is also evident how a medium shot is used so that we are able to see the actor and everything in the room which may represent how vulnerable he is and insignificant he is in the narrative.

The mise en scene of the video is realistic as it is set where everyday people will go which is seems a block of flats or apartments. Also, the singer is dressed casually smart which reflects the genre he is representing which is pop. The singer wearing a suit or smart clothing which is his trademark because he is always wearing his black suit or another suit and nothing else. The actors also wear realistic clothing to add to the realistic mise en scene trying to be portrayed which is a typical convention of a music video.

There is the use of tracking shots that are constantly used throughout the video and links the singer’s world and narrative world where we can easily access them as the singer’s world represents the narrative world. This is done without too much notice (below) and is a typical convention of a music video to represent time changing.

The 180 degree rule is broken by the singer for the majority of the video as we see the front of the singer walking towards the camera and we also see the singer walking in front of the camera and tracks him from behind. This could be code for freedom and that there are no boundaries surrounding him which juxtaposes the narrative where people are trapped. This is conventional of a music video nowadays, where before not many videos broke the rule, but it can now be found in many music videos to usually connote freedom and allows the camera to move more freely.




There is also the use of codes such as when we see the actors trapped in window as if in a shop. This could be code for how they are trapped, while everyone gets along with their lives. This also links to the title of the song "Lost" where the actors are lost in the narrative.

Paramore - Ignorance

The music video is original as it does not have a clear narrative to it. There are obviously different sceneries from the dark room, to the stage to the unknown place of the singer dressed in white. Therefore, throughout the video, there is an array of different shots that focus mainly on the band constantly and do not link to the lyrics of the song. This is conventional of a music feature because the video wants its audience to focus solely on them and not a narrative.

The cuts of the camera shots are in sync with the beat of the music throughout the video. There is a clear example of this syncing when the singer in the confined room gets to the chorus, the camera begins to cut to the next shot but instead flickers fast from the original shot to the next as it does in sync with the fast beat. Therefore, this is a typical convention of a music video.

The beginning of the video uses a hand held camera view leading into a confined room where the band begins to play. There are many close up shots of the band playing such as on the instruments they are playing and the singers movements. This is conventional as the band want to show off their musicality to the audience.

The mise en scene of the video is not realistic and surrounds the bands genre of indie/punk. This can be seen through the type of clothing that they wear which are black, jeans, t shirts and typical indie hairstyles. The setting of the video also reflects the genre as it is dark, urban, unknown and mysterious which is what the artist is trying to portray in their image and music. This is also portrayed through the light bulb which only the singer holds throughout the video, which can be code for how she is in control of the video. It could also suggest how she could be fighting the “Ignorance” and is enlightening people, as we see her shine the bulb on members of the band.

The audience is made aware of the editing process as the shots of the band are bisected and the shots are at angles which gives a disorientating feeling for the audience. This is a conventional feature of a music video of this genre as it links to the fast tempo of the music’s beat as Vernallis says "quick cutting on the beat".

Through the use of a long shot, the audience constantly sees the band performing on a stage through a hand held camera which gives the audience the perception that they are a part of the video, such as at a concert. This is conventional of a music video as it links to the idea of the video being surrounded by the band and no narrative.

There is also the use of low angle shots which allows the reader to see the confinement of the room and how they are in the room with the band. Linking to that idea, Vernallis says that low angle shots and the interpretation it sends out "Such shots confer authority upon performers and assert their sexual charisma, often crudely, by highlighting the erogenous areas/zones of performers". This is a typical convention of a music video.

There is also the use of graphic matches to continue the video without incontinuity. The use of the graphic match below is unnoticeable to the audience in terms of carrying the video along. We see that from the shot of the singer, the camera zooms into her face and then the camera zooms out exceptionally fast, with a different shot of the singer, in the same position as the last. As Vernallis says “It provides a simple way for a music video to catch and sustain a songs momentum" which is therefore a typical convention of a music video.

There is also the use of panning shots throughout the video, especially in the room, where it allows us to follow the singer and see the other members of the band performing. This gives the audience the perception that they are in the video with the band and is watching the movements at first hand.

At the end of the video, there is the frequent use of the shots being speeded up which is once again in sync to the climax of the beat of the song. There is also the frequent use of defocuses on the other members of the band which links to the idea of the video focusing on the band at all times.

Linkin Park - What i've done

It is obvious that in the music video, the use of two worlds are used which is the bands world and the world where the images are being portrayed as a narrative of the lyrics to the song. At the beginning of the video, there is the use of a dolly shot that surrounds the different members of the band. This is conventional of a music video as it allows the audience to see the bands musicality and keeps the pace of the video continuous as Vernallis says "most music videos make such extensive use of the dolly that a static shot seems anomalous".

The close up shot of the singer of the band is conventional of music videos as it allows intimacy between the band and the audience and that everything behind the singer is blurred out to allow focus. This also links to the idea of how the band do not want the audience to be too drawn into the narrative of the video but them instead.

There is an evident balance between the different elements in the music video where there is the evident narrative and artist world which is all balanced which is a typical convention of a music video as Vernallis says "No single element (the narrative, the setting, the performance, the star, the lyrics, the song) gains the upper hand".

There is a high angle shot of the band allows the shot to capture all of the members of the band. This links to the idea of how the video draws the audience away from the narrative of the video. This is also conventional of a music video as it gives the idea that the audience are watching the band as a performance and to show off their musicality.

There is a long shot of the mise en scene and the singer. The shot focuses on the vast scenery behind the singer which could be code for freedom and escapism that juxtaposes the negative lyrics of the song. However, the scenary behind is slightly blurred which allows the audience to focus on the band.

The use of a low angle shot of the other members of the band is code for a halo and that the audience to be looking up to the band as if they are once again in a performance, watching the band. The sun behind the member may also be code for them being portrayed as saviour's or that they are enlightened which links to negative portrayal given in the song lyrics of the bad things that have happened.

The cuts and editing are in sync with the beat of the music. As the pace of the music slows down in the bands world, it is also slowed down in the narrative world. This links to the idea of the two worlds being linked through the pace of music being cut at the precise time as Vernallis says "quick cutting on the beat" which is conventional of music videos.

The use of the focus on the stage of the band gives the idea of the band performing and showing their musicality. This is conventional of a music video as the audience are expected to feel like they are in a concert focusing on them. The mise en scene of the video is representing the genre of indie/rock through the dark clothing, tight jeans, leather jackets and dark glasses.

There are temporal loops within the video as the video starts with the same images. At the beginning of the video, the grass is seen going down which may be code for death and decay and at the end the grass comes back up which may represent the cycle of the video. This may also represent the life and death cycle that everyone and everything goes through, which is portrayed in the video.

Maroon 5 - Misery

Throughout this video, the audience is fully engaged within the narrative through the different camera angles. The video is acted out like a film with the use of point of view shots and the audience is constantly put into the characters positions. However; they are also made aware of editing techniques which shows them the editing process and to not fully submerge them in the narrative like a film.The song is constantly in sync with the narrative pace. Every part of the song is portrayed through the narrative. The audience is made to presume that the song acts as the conscience of the singer as a way of conveying his feelings and attitudes to their weird relationship, which is the message. Therefore, the merging of the bands world and actors’ world is evident in the video as the singer and actor are together for the majority of the time. This is not a typical conventionof amusic video, but is frequently being used more often.

Throughout the video, the audience rarely sees the other members of the band, only the singer, as he is carrying the narrative. However, near the end of the video, we catch glimpses of the other members in the narrative. Therefore, we do not see the band showing their musicality which is not a typical convention of a music video.

There is the frequent use of phallic images. This can be seen when the actor grabs the fence behind the singer which is code for sexual and arousing movements that are not conveyed explicitly to the audience. This is conventional as it draws the audience into the narrative and causes titillation which can be seen in an array of music videos.

Close up shots are used lots of the time in this music video, mainly focusing on the singer and actor. The singer sings toward the camera to the audience as a way of portraying his feelings to what is happening. The shots are used to carry the narrative, such as when the singer puts his hand on the actor’s hand, it carries the plot to another scene. This is due to the importance of those people to effectively portray the narrative and carry the plot.

The use of low angle shot shows the extent of the danger that the woman does to the singer which shows how their relationship is nice to very aggressive and violent the next as if she is playing around with him.

Also, the use of a low angle shot when the singer is up close next to the woman's body while at a low angle. This places the audience into a close place within the characters as Vernallis says "Such shots confer authority upon performers and assert their sexual charisma, often crudely, by highlighting the erogenous areas/zones of performers". This is a conventional feature of a music video as it allows the audience to fully be a part of the narrative and video.



The frequent use of reaction shots of the singer allows the audience to capture the reaction of the singer throughout the video. The use of this shot allows the audience to see the reaction from the action that had just taken place. This allows the audience to know how the narrative will unfold throughout the video.

There is also the point of view shot from the singer’s view which puts the audience face to face with the singer. This is code to allow the audience to once again interact within the narrative and be drawn into it. We are also put in the point of view from the woman as she looks at the singer, which links to the idea that the video is acting out like a film, which is unconventional of a music video to keep on engaging the audience into the narrative.

There is also the use of low angle shots to see the vulnerability of the singer. This angle allows us to see that the singer is in a more vulnerable state while the actor is in a more dominant position over him. A perfect example of this is when the actor drowns the singer in the sink and we see this from a low angle view to see his vulnerability in the video. As Vernallis says "Low angle shots are used more extensively in music video, partly because they reproduce relations among the audience". This also puts us in the narrative constantly as we are there while the actions take place. This reminds the audience of what they are watching and are not submerged into the narrative too.

The 180 degree rule is constantly broken by the act or and singer throughout the video. This is not a typical convention of a music video as the actors or the artist, were not supposed to cross the boundary as it would confuse the audience of what was happening next which is shown in the shot below of how we see the front of the singer then we see him running away, as he has crossed the 180 degree line. However, the 180 degree rule is constantly broken throughout different music videos as it captures the narrative successfully.

With the focus of the narrative throughout the video, the audience is aware of the editing process through the way that match cuts are used to continue the direction of the plot. An example of this is when the singer runs toward the actor, the actor pushes him away and without the audience noticing too obviously, the direction of the plot has smoothly trailed on. This music video exhibits the rhythm of the music to the narrative as Vernallis says "quick cutting or editing on the beat". This is a typical convention of a music video to not get the audience too engaged into the narrative.

The editing process can also be seen through the editing of the explosions when the actor fires the grenade launcher for example which is obviously through an editing process. Therefore, this allows the audience to disengage from the narrative and focus on the song and characters instead. The editing process of a music video is very important as Vernallis says "Music video editing bears a far greater responsibility for many elements than does classic Hollywood film editing".

The mise en scene of the video is in realistic scenery that people visit everyday. This links to the aggressive relationship of the singer and actor to be “real” for other couples. The clothing that the singer and actor wear is mainly denim, tattoos, boots and leather, which makes them stand out from the rest ofthe people and to focus on them solely. This is also code for the free spirit and individuality which is trying to be portrayed throughout the video. The costume also juxtaposes the realistic mise en scene giving the impression that they are different and makes them stand out.

There is the frequent use of blurred out vision that is code for allowing focus on the singer and certain parts of the actors' body throughout the music video. This also allows momentum of the plot to stay continuous and to not become static.

There is the use of the jittery hand held camera after the singer is run over by the car. This portrays a disorientating feeling for the audience as if they are made to think how the singer feels and to also try to follow his movements at a first hand view. This is a typical convention of a music video as they like to engage their audience into the narrative and make them a part of it while not being too engaged.

There are also temporal leaps within the video as it jumps from the toilet scene, to the café scene to the street scene randomly, however, the song is still sung chronologically by the singer. This is to portray a climax of the video of the message trying to be portrayed to the audience. Therefore, this is a typical convention of a music video as the use of temporal leaps would not make any sense in a film but is always found in a music video.

At the end of the video, the singer is in the same position as he was at the beginning of the video, laying down. What is also noticeable is that at the beginning of the video, the music did not start until the actor came onto the scene. At the end, we can see the opposite, as the woman walks away, the song stops and diegetic music can be heard such as road works, which shows a circular narrative. This is a typical convention of a music video as the video ends how it began.

Three days grace - Pain Analysis

At the beginning of the video, there is a mixture of establishing shots focusing on the different people in society looking melancholic that may suggest a link to the title of the song "Pain". The use of establishing shots which are zoomed in slowly at the beginning of the music video is a typical convention as it allows the audience to understand the narrative. The song may also act as the conscience of the actors which is a link of the two worlds. This therefore adds as the narrative of the video as it allows the songs message to be portrayed effectively.

Firstly, there is a close - up shot of the singer singing the beginning of the song which is a convention of a music video as it allows the audience to see the artists musicality. As the music starts to begin, the hand held camera begins to focus on the other members of the band who are playing in sync with the speed of the music and the camera movement. This is a typical convention of music videos as this shows the gradual speed of the cuts from switching to the different members of the band and gives the audience a disorientating feeling.

The mise en scene of the bands world is typical of the rock genre as the clothing is dark and simple which is a code to reflect they are attitude to life. They also have a certain hairstyle and tattoos on their body parts which is also code for the genre trying to be reflected. While in the actors world, the mise en scene is realistic as the people are situated in different in their everyday places. They are also dressed in typical, normal clothing which is code for a realistic look compared to the other world of the band.

As the singer is going towards the stairs and down them, there is the use of the track shot as we follow where he is going. Also, as the singer sings and moves around with the use of the hand held camera, the camera bisects some of his body. This is typical of a music video, as it makes the audience aware of the production of the video and to focus on the band and not the narrative.

The use of dolly shots surrounds the band and keeps the movement of the song going as Vernallis says "It provides a simple way for a music video to catch and sustain a songs momentum". The low angle shots surround the band playing which connotes how the band are musically able and audience will look up to them. Therefore, this is a convention found in many music videos over a broad range of genres.

The 180 degree rule is broken occasionally by the singer and other member's of the band as the camera allows the audience to see the back and front of the band such as when the singer is opening the door and we can see his back. This is not a typical convention of a music video but is now more frequently used in music videos as this is a changing convention that explains the narrative with better understanding.

The camera once again focuses on the singer and there is a tracking shot that is tracking the singers movements. The background is also blurred which connotes how the audience is made to focus just on the singer. This is a typical convention of music videos as music videos focus much more on the singer, especially in this video as the singer carries the narrative through the use of graphic matches.

Throughout the video, there are graphic matches throughout the video that allows audience to leap from the bands world to the actors world, as Vernallis says "Music video can use graphic matches so freely because the genre has reason to draw attention to its materials and production methods". Also other people can hear the diegetic music that the singer is singing which may connote that the artist has some kind of power or are similar to the people in the actors world. This is not a typical convention as before in music videos because the two worlds are not supposed to merge

but to only reflect each other.

At the end of the video, there is a constant dolly shot of all the members of the band which allows the audience to see the red crosses on the back of the bands and actors necks. This may connote how the two worlds have merged together, which is not a typical convention of a music video and the rules are constantly broken.