Further Music Video Analysis

Genre

The music videos i have analysed fit under the genre of "blue-eyed soul". I know this due to the codes and conventions which include stereotypical baggy, individual, stylish clothing and subtle make-up. Also the band which is present in both VV Brown and Gabriella Cilimi Videos' which play the guitar and support dread locks for example.

Audience

I think the audience for "blue-eyed soul" is mainly women because the lyrics along with the music videos, empower women. Unintentionally all of the videos i have analysed feature lyrics which support women and relate to them during the break down of a relationship. Stereotypically it is known for women to relate to lyrics, what is happening during the music video is relating to them personally. This helps the audience form an artificial relationship with artist.

Narrative

Joss stones video follows a clear narrative in which we see Joss leaving her Boyfriend because she found out about what we can only assume is him cheating (this is shown through flash backs as Joss is writing her letter). VV Browns video also follows a clear narrative, as an audience we follow VV's story of how she has witnessed her Boyfriend cheating on her. The shots of him and his other lover are shown through the point of view of VV empowering women. Amy Winehouses' video doesn't follow such a clear narrative, as the audience we assume that she has just broken up during a serious relationship and she is experiencing different emotions.

Representation

The representation of females through out the videos i have analysed empower them and show them as powerful and independent, especially in Joss Stones, Gabriella Cilimi and VV Browns video. In Amy Winehouses' and Adele's video it portrays women in a much more typical way experiencing difficult emotions, however staying positive and therefore reinforcing the inner strength women have, challenging stereotypes.

5 Album Covers - "Blue Eyed Soul"

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black

Amy is in the centre of the frame, posing with
a natural facial expression looking directly toward the camera.

This holds connotations that the album is open and honest.

She is dressed in her iconic beehive, thick black eyeliner and red lipstick. She also has a white cotton dress on teamed with a red leather belt. This is her own indivudual style.

The photograph itself is reletivley simple, its taken from a medium shot of Amy sitting on a wooden stool against a black background.

This supports the albums title "Back To Black". Which also holds some negative connotations that the songs included in her album relate to sad times in her life.

The title is at the bottom of the picture, because the attention should be focused on Amy herself. Her name is written in the biggest size and in a stripey font, then underneath "Back To Black".

The lighting is artificial and focused on Amy herself. Because she is in the press alot, and especially during the time her album was released - 2006 - the record company must of relied on her image itself, therefore keeping the rest of the factors quite simple.

Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions

The title of the album is "Soul Sessions" letting the potentional audience know exacly what kind of music to expect.

The photograph is yet again relaetivly simple and is a close up shot of Joss singing into a microphone in what looks like a recording studio.

This has been edited to a dark purple colour connoting mystery and sexuality.

At the bottom right of the picture it says in bright yellow almost stripey font "The Soul Sessions". This catches the audiences attention but following the main picture of herself singing.

It is a modern album made to look like a vintage one, suggesting to further possibley older audiences - rather than the target demographic of 16-30 women - that her music is how soul used to be.

Gabriella Cilimi - Lessons To Be Learned

Gabriella looks directly into the camera and poses naturally, with her hand scrunching her hair. This has been taken from a medium shot.

This has also been edited to a 'sepia' effect which also makes the album looks like an old one, suggesting her singing style is that of typicial soul.

We can see she is wearing alot of necklaces and a black vest top, the same as what she wore in her first single and the video i have also analysed - Sweet About Me. Because this reached number one (and therefore was played alot) the audience can recognise her immediatley from this.

The title and her name is written at the top left of the album, with out captials in an italic bold font. This is used to reflect her laid back, easy going personality much like her music.

At the bottom right is her record label and company logo and small details which is written in a tiny font and the colour matches the sepia effect on the photograph, so not taking the attention away from her picture and the title of the album.

Nelly Furtado - Whoa, Nelly!

The album title reflects real speach by using prosodic features, connoting ideas that she is laid back and down to earth going much like her music.

This is supported by the image of her lying on the grass, taken from a medium shot. She is wearing an orange top with her hair tied back and jeans, this is a very relaxed style and would have been relevant to the fashion scene when her album was first released - in 2000.

Her name is in the middle of the album in a huge curly green font and underneath is the title of the album, written in a light blue colour in the same font but smaller. The connotations of these colours and natural and fresh, reinforced by the image of her lying flat on the grass.

Like the other albums she faces the camera and looks at it directly also pulling a natural facial expression. This tells the audience she and the music featured is honest and relaxing.

The lighting is natural been as the photograph is taken outdoors, however this must have been edited because it's very bright.

It isn't particuarly clear that we know who the target audience is because she isn't doing anything encoded in the idea we have of stereotypical soul, so soul fans may not notice this.

Duffy - Rockferry

The image is taken from a medium shot, and shows Duffy looking down from the camera away from an old fashioned train.

The image is taken in 'greyscale' and her clothing - a high buttoned coloured coat and thick blonde hair - make her relevant to older audiences as well as the target demographic - 16-30.

Her name looks handwritten as a signature, at the top left of the page, this tells the audience that this is something very personal to her and that the songs like the other albums above i have analysed; are open and honest.

In the image we can also see her holding one side of her coat together, as if she is putting her hand on her heart and that these songs are very emotional.

'Rockferry' is written at the bottom left of the page in capital letters and in a bold and old-fashioned font.

5 Music Videos - "Blue Eyed Soul"

VV Brown - Shark In The Water

• The settings we see in the video include a Canal, a modern street and what looks like the inside of a Cafe. These kind of settings would be easy to copy and film our own music video in because they are local and common.
• VV Brown wears a short floaty floral dress, typical to the Soul/Pop genre. We can also see she is wearing a head piece which makes her quirky and individual, but mainly relevant to the fashion scene today.
• The opening clip is a medium shot of her walking in the middle of a road, which quickly changes to a close up shot of a hand strumming a guitar.
• The editing is fast and matches the beat of the music.
• We also see the band that provide the music, so all of our attention isn't just focused on VV (which can become boring). An example of this is in the cafe, there is a medium shot of a white man with dreadlocks playing a guitar.
• The bands clothing is encoded in meaning, like the white Man with dreadlocks, that is stereotypical of the soul genre but more so the "blue-eyed soul" genre.
• As the video continues, there is a long shot of a couple sitting close holding hands. This begins to unravel the story which VV is singing about.
• Following this scene, there is a long shot of VV in the Cafe flicking through photographs of this particular couple. The photographs look like they have been taken with out the couples knowledge, which then communicates to the audience that VV has been spying on them. Along with the lyrics "Maybe theres a shark in the water" for example, we can understand that her Boyfriend has been caught cheating on her.
• The lighting is natural because the majority of the video is shot outside relying on sunlight.
• In the Cafe the lighting is slightly darker because it is indoors, and the interior design is brown and dark red, connoting danger.
• Toward the end of the song, we can see VV confronting her Boyfriend about his infidelity. In one particular scene a medium shot of her walking in the road, her facial expressions connote anger and determination, which matches the storyline.
• This is then reinforced by her throwing off items of jewellery which we can assume her Boyfriend bought her. A close-up is used of a gold necklace with a envelope charm on it, this hits the floor landing by a drain. This shows how much she doesn't care about him any more.
• The target audience would be mainly women, because the song and video empower women showing them as independent, strong emotionally and fearless, even after discovering her Boyfriend cheating on her.

Joss Stone - You Had Me
Joss Stone - You Had Me found on YouClubVideo

• The video opens with a clip of what we imagine to be Joss' Boyfriend entering the apartment. We hear him call for her, to see if anybodies home. He walks over to the fridge where an over-shoulder shot is used of him retrieving a note off there, addressed to him.
• This then cuts to a close up of a digital clock changing to the time "6:24". Another clip follows this which has a black background and in white lettering says "13 Minutes Earlier".
• The music then begins and a long shot is used of Joss in an empty apartment sitting on a window sill. This reinforces the idea that soul is laid back and a "free spirit". Different to other genres for example classical where you wouldn't find a singer balancing on an open window sill ledge.
• A close up is used of Joss, which quickly changes to match the music beat to a medium shot of her writing a letter. - The one which her Boyfriend discovers at the beginning of the video.
• A close up is again used of the digital clock we saw at the beginning of the video reading the time "6:12". This gives the audience the idea that time is crucial in this storyline.
• There is a medium shot of her boyfriend that we are introduced to in the opening of the video, with his arms around two other females. This is used in between Joss writing a letter, which already gives us as an audience the idea that she has caught her Boyfriend being unfaithful and she is leaving him.
• There is another close up of her Boyfriend looking intimate with another female. This establishes the storyline that the audience have already interpreted.
• The follwing clips include a medium shot of Joss picking up her bag, leaving the aparment and a long shot of her walking down the corridor.
• The settings used are the apartment, a train and train station, the street, and the top of a building. These settings would also be ideal to film in because they are local. The only struggle we would have would be filming on top of a building in a very industrialised city.
• There is a high shot of Joss standing on the building which shows her as powerful and independent, even though she has left her Boyfriend, what the storyline is trying to connote.
• A Two Shot is used of Joss having a conversation with her Female friend, again empowering Women and there Independence and loyalty.
• The target audience would be mainly Women because not only the song itself but the video empowers women.
• Joss wears a pair of baggy denim jeans, her long blonde hair wavy and a black vest top. This is a very relaxed, natural style typical to "blue-eyed" soul.

Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me
Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet about me found on Pop

• The opening clip is a close up shot of a hand reaching for a microphone on the floor. We can already note that this is a females hand because we notices she is wearing lots of wooden / golden bangles.
• The setting is a run-down spacious room, like a loft.
• The lighting is natural looking and because the rooms interior is white this helps it.
• Similar to the VV Brown video, there are shots of the band. There is a close up shot of a Black Man playing the Drums, and there is also a medium shot of a White Man with dreadlocks playing a guitar.
• Gabriella has long brown wavy hair, wearing jeans and a black vest top. This is similar to the clothing Joss wears in her video, which is again very relaxed and natural. She also wears necklaces, one being gold, similar to VV Browns.
• A medium shot is used of a man dangling upside from a ceiling tied in ropes. This begins to tell the audience a story, and matches the lyrics "the worlds a better place when it's upside down boy".
• A panning shot is also used of a man strapped to the floor using duct tape. We are introduced to many Males that are being held hostage in some kind of way, for example a man is strapped to a chair, and Gabriella is seen tempting him with a cold drink of Water. He nods for this, and against his will, she pours it over him.
• This shows the audience she is fearless, independent and although she is behaving what may be seen as quite maliciously she is doing it for a reason.
• Toward the end of the film she is shown dropping the rope which one of the Men is tied to from the ceiling. A close up, low angle shot of the padlock holding the rope is then used shown dangling.
• The video like the two above again empower women because they are shown as fearless, independent, and not afraid of revenge.

Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry On Thier Own
Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry On Their Own found on YouClubVideo

• The video begins of a close-up shot of Amy looking away from the camera, towards a window.
• The editing is fast and matches the beat of the song. The following clip is a long shot of her silhouette walking down a busy street. The colours are blues, purples, greens, all encoded in different meanings perhaps showing her mixed emotions.
• Amy wears a light blue dress with a black belt, her long black hair in a huge beehive style and her make-up is very distinctive - thick black eye liner and red lipstick. This is different to the styles we have seen in the other videos, however still matches with the "blue-eyed soul" genre.
• There is another medium shot of Amy sitting on the bed in a room, which looks like a hotel one with noticable empty bottles of alcohol. This is used to show the kind of trouble she is experiencing in her life at the moment through the storyline.
• A long shot is used of Amy walking down the street looking determined, which is supported by the songs title "Tears Dry On Thier Own". She has been through a tough time however she is not looking for comfort from anyone but herself. Yet again reinforicing women as independent and emotionally strong. Something not often portrayed through other genres of music and there music videos.
• There is also a medium shot of Amy walking down the steet, bumping into a black lady and continuing as if not noticing. This reinforces her determination and how she is not thinking about anything else.
• Following this is a another medium shot of Amy walking down the same street when a young Male approaches her, trying to recieve her attention however she continues to walk away.
• The lighting at the begining of the street clips is natural because it is shot in the day. However towards the end of the video it shows the change in time because it is now darker and the lighting is provided artificially, supposidly from the lighting off clubs and street lamps.
• The video does show a vulnerable side to women because she is not as fearless and angry perhaps as the other videos - VV Brown, Joss Stone and Gabriella Cilimi - however it is more realistic and the audience can still relate because she is determined to get over this break up.

Adele - Chasing Pavements
Adele - Chasing Pavements found on YouClubVideo

• The video begins with a tracking shot of a female lying on a path looking injured. This then cuts to a long shot of Adele looking toward this sitting in a car with a male. The car is crashed into the tree infront of them.
• There is a extreme close-up of her as she begins to sing. Her facial expressions look fed-up and slightly confused.
• The editing is slowest in this video because she beat of the song isn't patricuarly fast.
• There is a panning shot of the male in the car looking at Adele as she looks away, we can interpeate that this is her Boyfriend and they are experiencing trouble in there relationship.
• There is then a high angle shot of the injured female rolling towards a injured male next to her. This is performed like a dance, and portrays she trouble in Adeles relationship, and communicates to the audience that everybody is likley to experience times like this.
• There is then a medium shot of Adele standing next to a tree on her own singing toward the camera.
• "Should i give up" in the lyrics relates to her situation in the relationship and reinforces the storyline.
• I think the male and female lying on the path is a metaphor as to how she is feeling in her relationship, because they are both appear injured, struggle to get close and at times embrace. Like Adele and her boyfriend, they are both confused and unsure whether there relationship has a future.
• This video empowers women showing them as independant but mainly like Amy Winehouse's realistic and shows the confusion they face.
• Adele wears her hair tied back, minimal make-up a black top and a mink coulred coat. Not stereotypical soul but shows her natural relaxed look and so fits the genre.