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LANY - ILYSB

The first music video that I am going to be analysing is ILYSB by the band LANY. This is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles and contains 3 members including the lead singer Paul Klein. They self-released an album however their recent albums have been from the label Polydor which is a subsidiary of the Universal music group. The target audience for the music video is 16-25 as it contains some violence however the narrative of the music video would not appeal to an older audience due to the themes of teenage love. The music video has been released in order to not only entertain but also as a form of advertisement for the band. Audiences will use music videos as a form of entertainment, this is especially relevant to videos such as ILYSB as this follows a narrative which makes the music video more interesting to watch, and engaging for the audience. LANY may have created a music video as well in order to promote their music. By them having a strong music video and narrative, people will watch the video and talk about it with friends or share on social media which will mean a wider audience can see their product. By having a music video it could also allow for promotion on other platforms such as MTV as this is a channel which has specific channels for the different genres of music and shows the music videos for the top 40 songs.  

The music video ILYSB follows a narrative, this strengthens the message that the band is a Televised Bard. To be a Televised Bard an artist or band must act as a storyteller with the aid of their music. LANY do this through the use of images onscreen in order to anchor the lyrics to a storyline, shown through the narrative in the music video "ILYSB". The lead singer, Paul Klein, is a part of the story that is being told along with other band members such as Jake Goss the drummer and Les Priest the guitarist. Throughout the video the star persona, Paul Klein, is shown. This is a theory by Richard Dyers (1975) which is to say that a music video is not only to create profit and boost sales but also to help to define the image of an artist and contribute to their brand. Paul Jason Klein is a recognisable model who has worked with top brands such as Prada, this is  Carl Rogers would describe Paul Klein as an ideal self or ideal partner due to his appearance as many women, especially due to Paul being attractive. There is mise-en-scene in the form of cars. Car shots are included as this is something that is used to strengthen masculinity, this is a convention of R&B music videos due to the iconography behind these type of shots. The band LANY have described their music as “dream pop meets R&B” which is why their music videos may include some of the general conventions that would be found in an R&B video. Cars are shown to be something that only males are interested in and are used to try and attract women, which is what is also happening in the narrative. There is also a connotation with violence swell, this is also shown in other parts of the music video such as when Paul Klein is shown to be wearing a mask and holding a baseball bat. The use of the mask in the music video could be to connote how Paul Klein, and other males, put on a fake persona or change themselves so that they are more attractive towards women. It could be to strengthen the way that men feel like they have to be overly masculine and violent so that women will like them more. However this is not the case.  This could link to the key theory said by John Berger (1972) which is that “men act and women appear”. The way that males are seen to be overly masculine could be interpreted as an action as they are choosing to appear in that way to females by acting a certain way. This is to fit to male stereotypes. The mask is symbolic in the music video because  it shows that men are insecure about themselves too and it could go to say that Paul Klein feels like the only way he can be with the girl that he wants is through acting differently and not like himself. It is only after he has hurt her that he removes the mask. Also we see a shot of Paul looking into a mirror and removing his mask, this connotes that he knows that he’s acting differently to how he really is. Andrew Goodwin (1992) identified six common codes and conventions that establish the form of a music video. A music video may not contain all of the common conventions but will include some of them. In a music video there is a relationship between the visuals of the video and the lyrics of the song that the music video is for. In the music video ILYSB, there is a link between the lyrics of the song and the narrative. During the song there are the lyrics “lets drive around town holding hand”, whilst these lyrics are being sung, there is a visual of the band driving around in a car. This relationship between the lyric and visuals of the music video, this strengthens the narrative of the music video and subsequently the message that the video is trying to get across. This relationship is also strong in many other aspects of the video. Another time being when there are the lyrics “hella obsessed with your face” and the visuals cut to the band wearing masks. This could be said to be contrasting to what the lyrics are suppose to mean as it could connote that the lead singer Paul Klein loves and is “obsessed” with the girls face however he doesn’t like his own, due to the way that he is wearing a mask. This still strengthens the narrative because the visuals do link to the lyrics. 

Billie Eilish - you should see me in a crown

The second music video that I am analysing is "you should see me in a crown" by the artist Billie Eilish. Billie is a 16 year old  American singer and song writer, with her debut single "ocean eyes" went viral with over 132 million streams on Spotify (as of October 2018). 

The music video itself doesn't really follow a narrative and more just includes mise-en-scene which supports the lyrics. This is unlike the LANY music video, where the narrative is an important part. This video can be linked to Richard Dyers (1975) theory about star persona. This music video will help to define who Billie is and create a branding for her. It could be said that Billie Eilish is quite quirky, with her style being oversized baggy clothing and a love for the weird and wonderful. This is something which can we seen within many of Billie's music videos, with "you should see me in the crown" not being an exception to this. The star persona theory is that a music video will help to define the artist by contributing to their star persona or brand. I believe that this is something which can be seen through this music video, especially through the way that Eilish presents herself with the facial expressions she makes as well as hiding being her hair. It is hard to determine whether Eilish goes against the female representation theory by John Berger (1972). It is said that women watch themselves being looked at and aware that they are being seen by a male spectator. In most cases this would normally cause female artists to play to this part as they know that they are getting the attention of males however it can be seen throughout the music video that Billie dresses in a way where she wears baggy clothing, this could be due to the way that she is only a young female and therefore is aware of male spectators and does not want to be objectified. The clothing which Eilish is wearing within the music video are an oversized white jumper paired with baggy white joggers, further accentuating this idea that she is aware of the way that females are objectified within music videos and thus going against the typical stereotypes. Within the music video you can see how it fits into the six common codes and conventions which Andrew Goodwin (1992) established. It is apparent that there is a link between the lyrics and the visuals within the music video. The crown which Billie Eilish wears is a key part of the music video, this links to the lyric "you should see me in the crown" which is also the title of the song. The crown however is unconventional and covered in spiders in order to portray Billie's style. There are lots of spiders throughout the whole music video, this is due to the way that Eilish describes her own music as terrifying so the mise-en-scene needs to fit to this. There are lots of close up shots of both the crown by itself and it also on Billie head, both being covered in spiders. The music video also includes a relationship between the visuals and the music meaning that the editing is to the beat of the song. This can be seen in many places throughout the music video, especially being prominent at 00:40 due to the way that visual effects have been added to make the camera look as if it is shaking when the bass drops or the line is drawn out.The way that this is edited also adds a creepy feeling towards the music video. The best example of the music and visuals matching is at 1:14 as the word "all" is drawn out and the way that Billie sings it as well as the way that the audio is edited elongates this. The camera work cross cuts between close up shots and wide angles of Billie, cutting very quickly in time to the music. 

From looking at LANY's "ILYSB" and Billie Eilish's "you should see me in the crown" music videos, I have noticed lots of similarities and differences. This could be due to the varying genres of music I chose for the two video however I believe that by doing this I have developed a wider understanding of a range of different music videos from different genres. The LANY music video followed a narrative, fitting closely with the idea that the lead singer Paul Klein is a televised bard. This contrasts massively with the music video from Billie Eilish as she is more about being conscious of the objectification of women, going against the normal stereotypes within music videos but still appealing to a mixed gender audience. Her music video is a lot more technical, including shots where the visuals have been edited to match the music which contrasts with the story which is being told within the LANY video. 

He Named Me Malala - Documentary

"He Named Me Malala" is a documentary which is about a Pakistani teenager named Malala who was shot by the Taliban as she tried to speak out on behalf of girls education. The film was directed by Davis Guggenheim. 
At the beginning of the trailer theres a backstory to how Malala was named after a girl who was killed for speaking out. This is a voiceover supported by shots of Malala stood on the top of a hill with her clothing flowing in the wind. By including this at the beginning of the trailer it gives a clear introduction as to why the film is named "He Named Me Malala". This is an engaging start to the trailer and makes the audience want to carry on watching and potentially see the film to find out more about both of the Malala's stories. Graphics and text screens are an important part of this trailer as it  further explains the narrative of the film. There are many clips from the news during the beginning of the trailer which continue throughout but not as many. This gives further context to the story engaging the audience. The bright orange of these fits nicely with the bright colours which are within the trailer. The mise-en-scene is accurate as the film is a documentary meaning that things within the film needs to be accurate. At the beginning the music is peaceful and slower however this speeds up and is motivational, being uptempo as Malala's intentions are good. During the middle of the film the music slows back down as we find out about the Taliban shooting her, telling parts of her story about what happened. At the end of the promotional trailer the music has sped back up in order to show how Malala has never stopped with her mission, starting with her being awarded with the Noble piece prize. In the background you can hear inspirational things which Malala has said within her speeches. The trailer ends with the name of the film and the date that it is going to be shown. This is important in order to make sure that the audience receives the information that they need from the promotional trailer so they will want to watch the full documentary. 

The Greatest Showman - Musical drama

The Greatest Showman is a film which is based off of the story of P.T Barnum which is a musical about a circus. The film includes massive starts such as Zac Efron and Zendaya. The purpose of the film is to not only entertain but also educate the audience on the story of P.T. Barnum which is something which not many people are familiar with. The film is directed by Michael Gracey and is produced by 20th Century Fox. Not only is the film captivating but it is also colourful and exciting due to the visuals which are within the film itself.

The mise-en-scene that can be seen within the trailer is very much focussed on the period the film is set in. The location that can be seen within much of the trailer is suitable to the storyline as well as being correct as to where and when the real story took place adding a lot effect and emotion. The costumes and props which can be seen within the film trailer are not only accurate to the time period but are bold and bright in order to captivate the audiences attention. The trailer starts 15 seconds into the video, with the way that it has been structured being very important. At the start we see a lot darkness as P.T Barnum feels he is not good enough for his family, living a life of struggles and hardship due to him being let go from his job. Because of what is being shown the shots are very dark and filters have been used on them which denotes sad and dark times, the music compliments this as they use one of the songs from the film which has a very slow tempo and emphasis the sadness shown. 55 seconds into the trailer we see a group of performers come walking onto the stage and coming face to face with an audience that is scared of how they look.  This is in the middle of the trailer so therefore it really builds up the story, as these people are different the trailer shows the positive reaction of the crowd without giving too much away with the graphic "December 2017" as this tells the audience when the film is coming out. Towards the end of the trailer there is lots of cross cutting between the action within the circus and other shots of things that are happening within the film. The music in the background has built up and is reaching a peak as the end of the trailer nears. This leaves the audience feeling excited due to the peak which the trailer has reached and makes them want to go and watch the film. The progression from the struggle of characters to a massive performance captivates the audiences attention. I really like how right at the end of the trailer, after the graphic for "The Greatest Showman" has appeared on screen, there is a short conversation between two of the main characters as this adds curiosity to the viewer making sure that they go and watch the film.  I think the way that the narrative is shown through micro elements without giving way too much of the plot is very interesting as it is based on a real story so therefore people may already know the narrative but to those who don't, it gives a fresh view. The emotions that are portrayed and also how society in that time period came to accept different people is shown within the trailer. This links to the theory by Alverado (1987) and Hall (1995) that highlights ethnicity as people from different ethnicities are shown as ‘exotic, dangerous, humorous and pitied. The cast of the Greatest Showman includes a variety of ethnicities as well as other things due to them being part of a circus, also showing how they may come across as pities and humorous to the general public.  

The two promotional trailers varied a lot due to the way that one was for a documentary, with the purpose to realistically portray something which has happened and the other being a musical. Although this was also based on a true story, the narrative and cinematography within "The Greatest Showman" was less realistic. This is due to the genre of musical dramas. Both the trailers included text which told the audience when the films were to be released, giving them information which  they require. The last part of both of the trailers was the name of the film as this is important so that the audience remember the film as the main purpose of the trailers are to engage the viewers and promote the films. The story is outlined in both trailers however there is more of the action shown within "The Greatest Showman", with key scenes being shown. 

Red Bull - Promotional Video

The promo does not include any talking other than the lyrics from the chosen song which is playing in the background of the trailer. This does not follow a narrative and does not have a structure of a beginning middle and end. The trailer itself includes lots of extreme sports, something which Red Bull as a brand is know for.  The purpose of this trailer is to promote the drink by creating branding which shows the audience a multitude of sports which can be achieved through drinking Red Bull. There is a large product placement throughout the video with the sponsorship being seen on the top of parachutes, planes and on the back of the clothing which is being warn within the video. If it wasn't of these, it would not be clear till the end what the promo is for. At the end of the promo, the branding is shown on screen, showing the Red Bull logo and then showing a can of the drink. By leaving people till the end to find out what the promo is for keeps them engaged and watching as they want to find out all of the details. In this case the advert is not for a specific new product and is just to advertise Red Bull as a drink and a brand in general. 

This type of trailer varies from the music videos and film trailers which I have looked at as although they all have a purpose to promote, the structure is a lot more important in a film trailer or a music videos if it follows a narrative and is something to think about but is less important when looking at a music video which does not have a narrative or other forms of promotional videos.