Music Video Analysis
Music Video Analysis
What are the songs about?
I feel the song Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack is a about a broken heart of the group or someone within the group and the video represents her and the group going down the street to clear their head. But i think the deeper message within the song is that the song is trying to show that they want to be seen as normal people and they are the same as any other person and they want to be treated that way. The music video shows this because they show all walks of life in it from different ethnicity's, disabled, young/old and different ages.
I think that the song Burn the Witch by Radiohead is about the beliefs of different cultures like the element of Paganism in the music video from the film The Wickerman. They have clearly taken the Trumpton and Wickerman theme for a reason and I think that is because they have had two common interests and also two extremes of the scale, from a children's program to a cult horror film. The band is a very unique band and they may have made this two show how two things very different can make something incredible.
What message or messages do they convey to the audience?
I think that the band Massive Attack in their song Unfinished Sympathy is sending the message of treat as no different then anyone else. This is implied by the slight glimpses of Daddy G and 3D blending into the background and walking alongside everyone else like they belong with people. They clearly grew up in any normal background back in Bristol and they know that so the only difference to people and them is their different type of job and they embrace the fact they are from such a normal background as seen in their video.
In the song Burn the Witch by Radiohead I feel the message is very vague. They have used two extremes in the video and the song lyrics are about, obviously 'burning' a 'witch' but I think the message is more than that. I think it is showing that two things or two people that are very different can work well together like in the video of Trumpton and taking the plot of the Wickerman. But in the lyrics I think the message in that is that they like to explore different Religions and cultures and that may be a common interest with in the group, they are a strange group.
How have the artists been represented in their respective videos?
In the video for Massive Attack it represents the group as normal, everyday people that just want to fit in with society. We can see this representation throughout the video because as it focuses on Shara Nelson you some what tricked into watching her but in the background, blending in is Daddy G and 3D which shows that they are normal people and if they were walking next to Shara Nelson then they are stars which is what they don't want to put across.
In the video for Radiohead it represents the group as strange. They have taken a children's program that was on in the late 60's and given it the Radiohead twist by turning it into a horror film with enlightening characters. Both of the elements are only a few years away from each other which could have inspired them to make it because they may have all grown up with both things which inspired the music video. So they could also be presented as old because of the let 60's and early 70's elements in the video.
Why have they been presented in such a way?
Massive Attack have been presented as normal because of the blending in of the band members. Without them being pointed out to me, I would have never realised that they were even in the video because they just seem like normal people and that's the way they want to be presented.
Radiohead have been presented as a strange and old band because of the two different ends of the scale that they have put together because of the child's show and the adults horror film. And they are presented old because of the times that they were on in the late 60's and early 70's was a while ago.
Do the videos present the artists successfully?
I think that Massive Attack have successfully achieved what they wanted to be presented as normal because of the blending in of Daddy G and 3D, also because of showing different people like the disabled and different ethnicity's.
I feel that Radiohead have successfully been presented in the way that they wanted to be presented because they definitely showed the strangeness of the group, almost the opposite of what Massive Attack was trying to present themselves as. They did it through the two extremes and they putting together of those things.
What style of film-making has been used? Why utilise such styles?
In Massive Attack's song of Unfinished Sympathy the camera uses the dolly zoom which is a focus on one person which constantly zooms in and out while focusing on that specific character. At the start of the music video though it uses a high angle shot to look down upon on the Latino gang at the start it then focuses on the little boy by using a close up shot and then finally comes round to Shara Nelson with the dolly zoom. The mise-en-scene in the video is based around everyday life. Not one person stands out in the video they are all wearing everyday close. It is set in LA which is a very popular location but the way it is set up suggest everyday life there. The attitude of the song and music video shows heartbreak because of lyrics and the passion when she is singing in the video you can see that is is genuine and makes you believe the words of the song. They utilise these things throughout the song and music video because they want to create the effect of normal life throughout of the video so it looks real and even with the camera following Shara Nelson it is shaking to represent someone, like the viewer following her down the street.
In Radiohead's song of Burn the Witch the camera is mostly a two-shot of the two main Trumpton Characters in the video of what I am guessing to be the Mayor of the village and the inspector or policeman if the character is take from the Wickerman. The only other shots of the video would have to be the slow arial shot at the end of the song to show the Trumpton community and the wide-shot to show the car at the start and the other Trumpton Characters through out the video. The mise-en-scene of the Radiohead song would have to be children's dress as they are Plasticine models. It would also be based around the 60's because of when the show was on so the clothes and buildings would be made in the idea of the 60's show. The attitude of the music video and song seems to be curiosity because the lyrics represent burning the witch and in the music video it has elements of Paganism like in the film of the wicker man.
Why does the Radiohead video reference Trumpton and The Wickerman?
I think they reference those two classic videos because they would have grown up with them when they were children and maybe a little bit older so Trumpton would have been on when they were small and the Wickerman would have been on when they were a little older so they might want to bring a bit of their past into the video.
How and Why has 'the street' been used in the Massive Attack video?
The Street has been used by showing everyone. Their are elements of old, young, black, white etc. They have used it to show that they were born in the streets and that it is their home. They are also showing that they came from nothing to something but they just want to give back to the community.
Do the visuals work well with the musical and lyrical content?
In the video the visuals work well in the Massive Attack video because they capture all they need to, with the sneaky cameos of 3D and Daddy G. They also work well with the lyrics because it focuses on the passion of Shara Nelson singing her heart out in front of the camera which really goes together nicely.
In the Radiohead video the visuals work well with the lyrics and musical side because they really show that 60's look with the Trumpton side and the Wickerman elements added in. It works well with the song as well because at the end it shows the Trumpton characters with an arial shot but puts horror music behind it to mix both genres.
What pleasure does the audience get from each video? consider fans of the artists in the question?
In the Massive Attack video the 'pleasure' that the people watching the video would be a sense of belonging because if your a fan of their music and they are taking it back to the streets it makes you feel better because they saying you are the same as them. But if you are not a fan of their music like me I felt the visuals were very realistic and I liked the little cameos of Daddy G and 3D because it gives it a nice element of them blending in.
In the Radiohead video the 'pleasure' that people could get from the video would be if you are a fan of their songs I am sure that you like the weirder things and it might be quite interesting for them. But if you are from the 60's or 70's it might be quite nostalgic for you because of the Trumpton element and the Wickerman.
What style of film-making has been used? Why utilise such styles?
In Massive Attack's song of Unfinished Sympathy the camera uses the dolly zoom which is a focus on one person which constantly zooms in and out while focusing on that specific character. At the start of the music video though it uses a high angle shot to look down upon on the Latino gang at the start it then focuses on the little boy by using a close up shot and then finally comes round to Shara Nelson with the dolly zoom. The mise-en-scene in the video is based around everyday life. Not one person stands out in the video they are all wearing everyday close. It is set in LA which is a very popular location but the way it is set up suggest everyday life there. The attitude of the song and music video shows heartbreak because of lyrics and the passion when she is singing in the video you can see that is is genuine and makes you believe the words of the song. They utilise these things throughout the song and music video because they want to create the effect of normal life throughout of the video so it looks real and even with the camera following Shara Nelson it is shaking to represent someone, like the viewer following her down the street.
In Radiohead's song of Burn the Witch the camera is mostly a two-shot of the two main Trumpton Characters in the video of what I am guessing to be the Mayor of the village and the inspector or policeman if the character is take from the Wickerman. The only other shots of the video would have to be the slow arial shot at the end of the song to show the Trumpton community and the wide-shot to show the car at the start and the other Trumpton Characters through out the video. The mise-en-scene of the Radiohead song would have to be children's dress as they are Plasticine models. It would also be based around the 60's because of when the show was on so the clothes and buildings would be made in the idea of the 60's show. The attitude of the music video and song seems to be curiosity because the lyrics represent burning the witch and in the music video it has elements of Paganism like in the film of the wicker man.
Why does the Radiohead video reference Trumpton and The Wickerman?
I think they reference those two classic videos because they would have grown up with them when they were children and maybe a little bit older so Trumpton would have been on when they were small and the Wickerman would have been on when they were a little older so they might want to bring a bit of their past into the video.
How and Why has 'the street' been used in the Massive Attack video?
The Street has been used by showing everyone. Their are elements of old, young, black, white etc. They have used it to show that they were born in the streets and that it is their home. They are also showing that they came from nothing to something but they just want to give back to the community.
Do the visuals work well with the musical and lyrical content?
In the video the visuals work well in the Massive Attack video because they capture all they need to, with the sneaky cameos of 3D and Daddy G. They also work well with the lyrics because it focuses on the passion of Shara Nelson singing her heart out in front of the camera which really goes together nicely.
In the Radiohead video the visuals work well with the lyrics and musical side because they really show that 60's look with the Trumpton side and the Wickerman elements added in. It works well with the song as well because at the end it shows the Trumpton characters with an arial shot but puts horror music behind it to mix both genres.
What pleasure does the audience get from each video? consider fans of the artists in the question?
In the Massive Attack video the 'pleasure' that the people watching the video would be a sense of belonging because if your a fan of their music and they are taking it back to the streets it makes you feel better because they saying you are the same as them. But if you are not a fan of their music like me I felt the visuals were very realistic and I liked the little cameos of Daddy G and 3D because it gives it a nice element of them blending in.
In the Radiohead video the 'pleasure' that people could get from the video would be if you are a fan of their songs I am sure that you like the weirder things and it might be quite interesting for them. But if you are from the 60's or 70's it might be quite nostalgic for you because of the Trumpton element and the Wickerman.
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