Analysis

Buddy Holly - WeezerThis is an example of a video which recruits intertextuality as a method of gaining recognition. There is a set style of ‘Happy Days’ the T.V show from the 70s, which advocates a very bright, jolly mood and is set in the 50s. This is reflected in the band and indeed entire casts clothing and behaviour. The video has also been edited in such a way as to produce a vintage feel, which again agrees with the overall style. On the topic of editing they have also spliced in footage from Happy Days which features the Fonz and other characters. Their reasoning for having a 50s vintage feel is because their song is titled ‘Buddy Holly’ who was big in the 50s as an early rock and roll producer. By putting themselves in the same court as Buddy Holly, what Weezer have essentially done is made an association. All this kind of thing is good for publicity and sales, which is what music videos are all about. Another thing they have done to increase exposure is put this video on the Windows 95 install disk. This may seem serendipitous but it would have been inexpensive to do, it would help draw a larger audience, and on top of all that push a quirky style for the band. When looking at the lighting it has a washed out feel, which also gives a vintage feel.

This video complies with Andrew Goodwin’s book from the 90s in that there are frequent close ups of Weezer, and has an audience that looks at the band as they are playing, on top of that the band look at the girls in the audience, and the root theme of a TV show also re-enforces notions of looking at something. The video also reflects the genre of the music in that it is rather churlish and playful. In terms of the mise en scene they are all wearing cloths from the 50s. The lighting is standard. The camera work references Happy Days in that the whole video is shot from only a few angles, much like the multi-cam sitcoms of the 70s. Another example would be Seinfeld.

Additionally this video was directed by famous music video director Spike Jonze, who has directed many famous music videos throughout the 20th century. Having this name attached to the video draws in a crowd which also aids in exposure. Link to video

Foo Fighters – Long road to ruinThis is a video which uses humour to keep its viewers entertained. The video is a parody of ‘Telenovelas’ which are low budget TV dramas from countries like Mexico and other Latin American countries. They are characterised by overly dramatic actors, constant love affairs and overzealous colour correction, and these are exasperated throughout this feature with a specific lighting and acting style. The main essence of the video is that it is fun, and this is reflected by the fact that the band members play roles within the narrative. This is a common sight when it comes to the Foo Fighters as their video for the song ‘Learn to Fly’ also employs humour as it’s recognition gaining tactic. Other famous actors are also involved such as Rashida Jones which helps the video gain extra recognition.

The video has sections where Dave Grohl, who is the lead singer of the band is singing to the camera. This is something which is typical in music videos and also gives the viewer a break from the narrative and caters to the portion of the audience who aren’t as interested in the narrative. During one sequence in the video (1:17) Rashida and Dave are being spied on by Little Jimmy. This complies with Andrew Goodwin’s theory of voyeurism in music videos, and much like the first video I analysed this is supposed to be a TV drama which is also something to be viewed. There is also footage of the band playing live which supports Andrew Goodwin’s theory further. The narrative of the video alternates between a soft washed out colour filter and a natural uncorrected colour filter. This is to show the difference between the fiction of the TV show, and the harsher nature of reality. The switch is motivated by something violent happening in the narrative.

Link to video

Pearl Jam – Do the EvolutionThis is an example of a video in which the narrative coherently follows the message of the lyrics. This alone co-insides with Andrew Goodwins music video staples in that music videos have a direct connection to the music. There are various queues throughout the song with relate directly to the shot you see. Examples would be the images on this slide with the lyrics being sung in the audio track.This music video is an animation, which is a relatively unexplored style. The benefit of using animation is you can capture far more complex concepts which would otherwise cause great difficulty if captured using live action, for example at the start of the video ‘life’ is supposed to set in motion with the splitting of microorganisms. This video is in some areas rhythmically matched with the audio, certain clips such as the blacksmiths hammer and the judges gavel have each wielder hit a surface in time with the song. This helps tie the song with the video and also complies with the fluid editing style of all the clips put together.

“Im at piece, I’m the man”

“All the rolling hills, I'll flatten 'em out, yeah”

“Admire my son, he's my clone”

Link to video