How do music videos speak to/interpolate their audience?

Cherry Glazerr - White's Not My Color This Evening

Figure 1

Figure 2

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   We are introduced to the protagonist of this music video within the personal and private location of her bathroom, establishing an intimate connection between her and the audience. Over-the-shoulder shots of her looking into her bathroom mirror and applying lipstick (see figure 1) further position the audience with her, showing us the reflection which she sees - this also enforces an element of Andrew Goodwin's music video theory as the prop of a mirror references the notion of looking. The lipstick and tampons could be iconographic props, speaking to the band's target audience of predominately teenage girls due to their typical connotations of femininity. A sense of aspiration is also created for the audience by the close-up shots of her slightly eccentric but fashionable costume as she walks to her car (figure 2), emphasised by the use of slow-motion; these are complemented by an extreme long-shot (figure 3) which displays her entire ensemble, plus the character's car which has a retro aesthetic which would appeal to the 'hipsters' in the Californian band's target audience. The audience are also positioned with the protagonist by a focus pull when the character's 'love interest' enters the bakery which she has traveled to, directing us to follow her gaze and shift our attention to him as he comes into focus. Close-up shots, such as figure 5, further encourage the audience to relate to the protagonist and empathise with the emotions she conveys.

Figure 5

Declan McKenna - Isombard

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   The audience is interpolated through the narrative of this video because it begins with the camera following the artist into a music venue (see figure 5). The use of handheld camera makes this more immersive. The music video's audience are also positioned with the audience within the video who are presented watching the artist perform, especially by shots like figure 6 which is a long shot of the artist on stage so seems to be from the point of view of an audience member. The use of direct address when the artist lip syncs (see figure 7) further interpolates the audience by suggesting a personal connection with the artist. Direct address is also used in clips within the music video which seem to be filmed on a phone, reinforcing the sense of a personal and friendly connection with the artist.

Figure 7

Our music video

   Like 'White's Not My Color This Evening', we will establish a personal connection between the audience and the protagonist of our music video by beginning in the intimate environment of her bedroom. We will also similarly use over-the-shoulder shots to position the audience with her. Additionally, we will use handheld camerawork for some shots, like in 'Isombard', to immerse the audience. Furthermore, the performance elements of our video will include direct address to establish a connection between the artist and the audience.

Treatment

We will be making a music video for the indie pop-rock song 'He Never Shows' by Pom Pom Squad. Our video will combine both elements of narrative and performance.

The lyrics of the song are suggestive of unrequited love and we will try to convey these feelings of longing and disappointment in our narrative, which follows a teenage girl who gets stood up. The protagonist in our narrative receives a text from her boyfriend asking to meet up – she is especially eager to see him because their relationship has recently been conflicted and she is hoping for reconciliation. In her bedroom, where props such as photographs will signify their relationship and suggest that the character is romantic and sentimental, she gets ready to go out. She travels to the location where he suggested that they meet, passing locations which remind her of happier times with him and seeing affectionate couples who she envies. However, after waiting for him, he doesn't turn up; this links to the lyrics, specifically the chorus of the song. We will cross-cut to performance throughout our video, fulfilling a convention of indie rock music videos and creating a sense of authenticity to appeal to the band's audience. We will especially use lots of close-up shots and fast-paced editing in the performance parts of our video to make our video more dynamic.

We are influenced by many music videos of the same genre, which use performance and lip sync to create a sense of authenticity and promote the band's live gigs. This includes bands such as Cherry Glazerr, an indie-rock band, and Pale Honey, an indie band with riot grrrl influences. Cherry Glazerr also has narrative in several of their videos such as 'Nuclear Bomb' and 'White's Not My Color This Evening', which follow similar young female characters. 

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