Music videos from history - analysis

7 years - Lukas Graham (2015)

Directed by René Sascha Johannsen 

This music video is a concept video, it doesn’t have a clear storyline but it does have a theme. Throughout the music video different people are shown and parts of their backgrounds or cultures. The main singer singing is intertwined with these scenes and in some cases he is there with the people being shown, it creates a sense of community and equality.

Furthermore it sometimes cuts to a band playing which is a convention of pop music videos, they often include the artist/band in order to promote the artist themself as well as the song. The whole video is in black and white, I believe this is done to reflect the mood of the video as well as to further create the sense of equality, no one stands out from anyone else they’re all the same. Many of the scenes are quite bleak and this reflects the lyrics of the song which are about growing up and life being fast paced and meaningless. Although the lyrics don’t match up to what’s going on in the video, it is clear that the theme of the video is based around the idea of life moving quickly and learning as you grow up. The video includes people of all ages which I believe is to show that everyone goes through life and we’re not as different as it sometimes seems.

There is a scene towards the end where a big explosion appears behind the main singer, this is a very dramatic effect and it further illustrates the point that nothing is permanent and life isn’t as meaningful as it sometime seems. As with many pop music videos the video does relate to what they’re singing about, often they have a storyline but this one has a concept. Overall the video is about the singer wanting to enjoy life while it lasts rather than dwelling on the bad things which I think is a really strong message and one that the audience can learn from. 

Andrew Goodwin’s conventions:

The video definitely has a relationship between music and visuals, the visuals match the pace of the song. It’s not necessarily slow but it’s definitely slower than a lot of pop songs so the video has a slower pace and each shot seems to go with a bar of the music. It also fits the convention of having lots of close ups of the main artist, this is so that more attention is brought to the artist as well as the song. When the artist is shown he is singing to the camera and usually looking at the camera which means it has the convention of voyeurism. 

Baby one more time - Britney Spears (1998)

Directed by Nigel Dick

This video is an example of a performance video, a large proportion of the video is Britney singing to the camera or dancing on her own with a larger group of people. There is no real storyline to it. The video is set in a school which means it appeals more to Britney’s younger audience due to the fact they can more easily relate to it.

However, the video is overly sexualised especially considering it is set in a school and the people in it are meant to be teenagers. This was likely done to cause controversy which would bring more publicity to Britney and her music. Britney Spears is known for having these themes in her music video, it is largely the reason her music is so well known today. The video is very focused on Britney due to her being the singer, it is conventional for pop music videos to have a primary focus on the main singer to bring attention to the artist as well as the song. This video has a variety of different choreographed dance routines.

Britney does some far more complicated dances which shows off her talent not just as a singer. It also means she stands out from the rest of the cast. Dancing is another convention of pop music videos because it inspires the audience to copy Britney as they look up to her. For most of the video the lighting is bright which suits the genre of pop music as it is typically happier music. This music video is very similar to the themes that appear in many videos around a similar time, by that point music videos had developed to a point where artists knew the right way to get an audiences attention, such as by over sexualisation or other controversy. 

Andrew Goodwin’s conventions:

This video definitely has links between the music and visuals, this is mainly due to the fact the video mostly consists of choreographed dances which were designed to go with the beat of the music. It clearly takes inspiration from other videos in the pop genre as it has a clear style in the way they dance and the fact that the main singer is heavily focused on throughout the whole video. Again this music video follows the convention that there is lots of close ups of the main artist. Britney Spears definitely has her own style and iconography across her music videos, a large part of this being that she is often quite seductive despite still being young at the height of her career, many female artists in history and now have used these techniques as they know it can bring in certain audiences and often cause controversy which brings more attention to them. Another convention used in this video is voyeurism, throughout the video Britney is looking directly at the camera which makes it appear as though she is looking directly at the camera so it feels more personal. 

Like a Virgin - Madonna (1984)

This music video is another example of a performance. The video focuses on Madonna and she is the only person for the most part of the video, this is likely because she is known for being a diva and would want all the attention on herself. Furthermore the videos purpose is to promote the song and the artist so it’s important for the artist to have a main role. There isn’t a storyline to the video, its set in Venice and is a series of shots of Madonna on a boat and some scenes on a grand looking boat and there is a lion.

Lions represent bravery and power so she likely included one to show she is a powerful woman and not afraid of anything. Especially at the time women were still often seen as inferior to men so Madonna would’ve wanted to prove her position as a strong independent woman. The whole video is quite extravagant in the way she’s dressed and the locations, this shows that she was very successful as an artist and showing her wealth in a sophisticated way unlike typical genres which would flaunt their wealth such as rap or hip hop. At the time this music video would’ve been much moe extravagant than many music videos up to that point so it would grab people’s attention, therefore bringing in more sales for the song. People are more likely to tell other people about the video if it stands out (such as featuring a lion). A lot of the dancing in the video appears seductive, this would have brought in a certain audience. Madonna is often known for sexualising herself and now it is part of the image people have when they think of her music. The video starts and ends in a similar way which makes it feel finished.

Towards the end of the video a man does feature and this links to the lyrics which are about love and finding new love again after heartbreak, at the start of the video she’s alone and is proving she’s a strong independent woman but by the end she finds someone she can love whilst loving herself. The man appears and sweeps her off her feet which connotes fairytales and shows she has found her happy ending. 

Andrew Goodwin’s conventions;

Similarly to Britney’s video, a lot of this video involves choreographed dancing which means it goes with the general beat of the music. Another similarity is Madonna also is known for sexualising herself in her music videos and now it has become a part of her iconography. Madonna is the main and almost only person in this video so it includes many close ups of her face.