Music Video Analysis-JCutts

I have chosen to use a song is a track of the The Script's Previous album, The Man Who Cant be Moved. The track is called ' Talk you down''.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSlFcvcW550&ob=av2n


Institution and Audience;
How might this video be consumed?
This song was released with a video so therefore would have been consumed through music channels as well as virally. This could be seen as both ambient and focused viewing. Some people may like to listen just for the track and not pay much attention to the video, however the narrative based style, with a direct link to the lyrics at times could be seen to be for a more focused viewing audience.
Institutional context of this video;
It is vital there are lots of 'meat' shots of the lead singer as he is prolific to the band in its entirety. This includes plenty of close ups of the artist , so the music label uses his image as an object to be sold , not just the lead singer of a band.

Genre and Narrative;
Illustration, amplification, or disjuncture?
This video is defiantly narrative with aspects that have a direct link to the lyrics and also music. It has elements of performance which is a good and effect way of getting key shots of your lead singer into the video, if the character is not performed by the lead.
This therefore means this video is illustrative, with a very strong link between not only video and lyrics, but also music . With the cutting rate corresponding to the tempo of the track.
Could this be considered as art ?
I would definitely say this video is commercial as it is trying to sell the band , with plenty of band shots and very much so with the lead singer. This is typical of a postmodern music label or band. However it does have some very interesting shots and effects such as slow motion, sped up shots and a few others that we as a group have all discussed and will consider using in our video.

Media Languages;
What is the message or purpose of the video ?
The message is more of a situation directed to the lyrics, with visual aids to help the audience recognise the songs purpose. However it is not all narrative which leave a little for the viewer to decide or interpret for themselves. I think this vital in a music video of this genre, as it allows the audience to put themselves in the position of the singer/ character.
What Visual Techniques are used to do this and why?
There are a lot of camera movement even on the shots of the lead singer and particularly when it goes into narrative, this could portray the minds of the characters who appear to be confused and distressed. The cutting rate also increases when the music speeds up which also helps you to understand the narrative.
Is there any intertextuality / references to popular culture?
This is certainly a post modern type video , as the band are not only selling themselves through various 'meat shots' but also are trying to allow the audience to position themselves with the band through the situation. The video has been made so although the situation is fairly specific, it has an element of personal interpretation, which could increase the amount of people who could see themselves in the same position as the band.

Representation;
How are the Band/Artist represented?
There are various band shots in the video however a lot is just of the main character who happens to be the lead singer also. The close ups are more of his performance shots, which is what the record company is really trying to sell.
How are different social groups represented?
This particular narrative shows a middle age man and women who have obviously had a break up, It shows him being fairly 'mucho' and with a rebellious side as you see him driving away from the police cars. This could be seen as a slightly arrogant but is all part of the attitude that the record company are planning to sell the artist on.

Dyer's Paradox theory;

• Richard Dyer claims that stars will try and sell themselves, depending on their target audience. For example, the reason a star has a particular reason may not necessarily primarily be about the music. It could be down to things such as postmodernism, sex appeal, rebellion etc.
• Dyer explains that a star is an image not just a star. this image is constructed through a range of materials which is better known as the media.
• Richard Dyer speaks of stars being incoherent and this is based on two paradox's;
• Paradox 1 suggests that a star is ''Ordinary'' but also ''Extraordinary''. This means that as a star on stage they are seen as extraordinary, but in reality they are just normal people, which is why people buy materials such as the newspaper and celebrity magazines.
• Paradox 2 according to Dyer is that the star is ' Absent' but also ' present' from the consumer. This means that the star should be able to be absent from the consumer however they should still be listened to and consumed by the audience. This is made easier by a big absence of a star and then a comeback is hyped by the media.