PREP Explain how music videos use media language to promote their artists. Refer to the pair of music videos you have studied from the list below in your answer.
Our music videos are Wheatus Teenage Dirtbag Avril Lavigne Sk8ter Boi
HOW TO ANSWER: Media language points to consider:
the prioritising of the star / the group; the privileging of the star / the groups in the frame
authenticating the star's performance / the band's performance to show their skills
the use of close ups; lip syncing to camera; eye contact with the audience
In the music video "Wheatus" it is clear who the main band is. We see close ups of the lead singer, the drummer, the guitarist and the bass guitar. the close up shows us who the main people are in the music video, and who we need to be looking at. Close up shots also allow us to see the lip syncing and direct eye contact of the artist on the camera, when the artist stares deeply into the camera we automatically think that they are the star of the video, which is what we are wanted to know to help promote the artist In "teenage dirtbag" the band is singing but also someone is acting to relate to the words of the song. We again have a close up of the Teenage Dirtbag to show us that this is the boy they are talking about in the song. We see a panning shot of the band to highlight who is in the band and to show us the whole band itself, these two shots also show us to see the bands skills and what they can do with their instruments, which proves to us that it is the band playing the song. In the shots of the band there is a big crowd gathered around them enjoying the bands music, this emphasises that they are the main important artists in the video.
In "sk8ter boi" it is made very clear that Avril Lavigne is the main person of the video. We see lots of close ups of her and her actions, she makes direct eye contact with the camera highlighting to us that she is the main character and the artist of this song. Her eye contact can also come across as quite intimidating as it makes it seem as though she owns the place and she wants us to know that. We get panning shots of her and her band while they perform on top of the car, which is also followed by a whole crowd of people around them enjoying their music. We are also presented with close ups of the bands skills, we see each member doing their part, shown by a close up shot. Avril laviegne is lip syncing the song which shows to us that she is the singer/artist. It emphasises to us that this is her music and no one elses.
Good understanding and subject knowledge, Jasmine
ReplyDeleteWheatus – Teenage Dirtbag (TD) and Avril Lavigne – Sk8er Boi (SB)
• SB’s use of lip syncing to camera promotes Avril Lavigne as the artist as she is singing to the audience directly
• SB’s use of multiple close ups of Avril Lavigne, further emphasising her status as the artist and her distinctive grungy ‘look’ which she is known for
• SB’s use of a range shots of Avril Lavigne looking directly into the camera to connect with her audience
• Avril Lavigne’s dominance of screen time allows for the audience to understand that she is the artist.
• TD’s sweeping use of pans to show the band performing as a collective emphasising their musical skill and to promote this to their audience
• TD’s use of MCU of the individual band members playing their instruments to further emphasis their status as the main artists
• TD’s increased pace in edit as the video reaches its climax, accompanied by the adoring fans, promotes the band to the audience as we see them being appreciated by fans.