A2 Media Coursework

1. Andrew Goodwin’s Music Video
Theory
Micro-Analysis

2. Hayley Kiyoko – Girls Like Girls
• The main location of the music video is the house placed in a desert-like area. It is
naturally lit in a sunny area, indicating, which along with the location, the theme of
a summer romance and tension which is showed by the love triangle between
Coley, Sonya and Trenton. The loose and thin clothing they wear suggests that they
are carefree youth and indicates freedom and individualism as they all have
different styles. The character are slow and in some parts sensually which indicates
they are in no rush as they are in the middle of summer. However after the fight
breaks out, movements become quicker and more frantic as Coley and Sonya have
realised their feeling for each other and aren't willing to wait to act on them. The
music video has beginning and end credits similar to a film, which creates a
nostalgic and dreamlike atmosphere as it emulates love triangles shown in
stereotypical teen movies but then subverts them by having the love triangle
revolve around a girl with a girl and a boy. Close ups are used to bring attention to
the body and increases the sensuality or to bring attention to objects which hint at
deeper things, for instance, close ups of Sonya's face or hands are used to show
that Coley is looking at them or the close up of beer bottles at Trenton's feet to
indicate that he is an alcoholic which is later emphasised when he throws Coley to
the ground and starts shouting in Sonya's face as they are about to kiss.

3. Melanie Martinez – Pity Party
• The main location of the music video is the house in a suburban neighbourhood.
The house is decorated in pastel colours which indicate a child aspect which is
emphasised by the children's toys which are placed everywhere. It also indicates
an old-fashioned atmosphere as it stereotypically looks like a house from the
1950s. It is naturally lit but looks desaturated which indicates video will take a turn
for the worse as it looks unnatural which is later emphasised by the character's
breakdown after nobody comes to her birthday party. The pink dress indicates
delicacy and feminity which is then juxtaposed by her violent actions. The clown
outfit emphasises how far she'll go to appear interesting and how it never works
out. Before her breakdown, the character moves smoothly to indicate her
calmness and her certainty that her party will be good. However, once she begins
to get worried, she fidgets more and moves more erratically and after her
breakdown, she moves quicky which indicates anger and panic. This matches the
editing which is simple and jumpcuts at normal speed pre-breakdown, however as
the music video progresses the editing is quicker emphasising the anger and panic
she feels. The music video is mainly told through close ups, mid shots and wide
shots with tracking which emphasise the child aspect of the video as it uses
simplistic cinematography. The slow zooms as the opening and closing shot is used
to show that nothing is going to change after her breakdown as it shows the
narrative beginning and ending.

4. Hayley Kiyoko – One Bad Night
• The main two locations that the music video takes place in is the city streets at first and then the
diner. This is used to show the transition from danger to safety along with the lighting. The
streetlights are harsh and uninviting which indicates that Amber is unsafe when she is walking
under them which is shown when she get attacked and mugged. However, the diner is well lit and
looks warm, indicating that Amber is safe as we can see everything clearly and it looks more inviting
than the streets outside. Her clothing also suggests that she is unsafe as she wears thin clothing
which provides little protection against the outside world. Donald's valet uniform seems restricting
which is then shown by his abusive boss and his bored expression when he's working, however, as
the music video progresses, he loses his bowtie and unbuttons the top button of his shirt,
suggesting that he is becoming more comfortable the further he gets away from his job and life.
Both Amber's and Donald's movements are fast to show nervousness either from being on the
streets alone for Amber or being at his job, and later, after stealing the car, to show excitement for
Donald. However, once they meet, they move slower and more calmer which indicates being at
ease with each other which is shown by their happy expressions. The editing remains at a steady
pace throughout the entire video except for when Amber is getting mugged, in which the jumpcuts
become quicker to indicate panic and commotion. The title and end credits in the music video
emphasises that the music video is a narrative as it gives it a movie-like aspect which is emphasised
by the dialogue between Donald and his boss, which highlight the animosity between them. The
narrative is told through a series of close ups and mid shot but mostly uses tracking shots which
makes it naturalistic and shows that events like in the narrative can happen in the real world. The
camera is constantly moving throughout the video, shakily at first to emphasise the nervousness or
excitement of the characters and later in the diner, more fluidly which emphasises the calmness
that they both now feel.

5. Halsey – Now or Never
• The locations for this music video include a church, the streets, a fortune teller's, and the two different houses for each
"House". The church is used to emulate the spiritual element which is present to Baz Lurhmann's Romeo and Juliet which
the music video is playing tribute to, as religious elements are used heavily in that movie, which is emphasised by the
dialogue as the churchman predicts that they need to join their two houses in order to leave the city they are trapped in.
The fortune teller's is used to indicate the idea of destiny and "star-crossed lovers" which is then emphasised by the
dialogue in which the fortune tells the character that her and her lover "may never align" which is later shown when she
leaves him behind in the city after the gunfight. The lighting varies throughout the video. At first the bright sunlight outside
is overbearing which could be representing how the city bears down on the people which is why they are attempting to
leave. The softer natural light when the two lovers are together indicates warmth and love between them, however, the
natural light becomes too bright when his House is shown suggesting they are unnatural and cold which is emphasised by
their slow and calm character movements and white clothing, the wings on the main character's lover indicating purity and
that he had no part in the gunfight. This is juxtaposed by the candle light and fluorescent light that is used for the other
House which indicates that they are stuck in the dark and are less refined and more passionate which is emphasised by the
shouting between the main character and her best friend arguing over what to do about her secret relationship and their
quicker character movements and red and gold clothing. The lighting used for the gunfight is cold, harsh streetlight which is
uninviting and indicates that something bad is going to happen which is shown when the main character's House is gunned
down, including her best friend and she abandons her lover. The editing throughout the video is slow to show that there is
no conflict between the two houses, however this changes as the gunfight begins as the editing becomes faster paced. The
sound of the scissors cutting her hair is also used to emphasise the cutting off of her lover as she thinks he had a part in the
gunfight and the cutting off of her past, becoming someone new through the cutting of her hair. The House symbols at the
beginning and the end of the music video represent the divide between the two characters. The continuous shot of the
planets getting closer together builds tension as the audience is expecting something to happen when they collide with each
other which is paid off when the gunfight begins. The narrative is told through a series of midshots and wideshots with an
extreme close up at the very end. The extreme close up jars the audience as we have already gotten to used to the midshots
and wideshots. The use of panning and tracking are done smoothly to emulate the movie-like atmosphere.

6. Martin Garrix and Troye Sivan - There
For You
• The main locations for this music video is in various countries, hotel
rooms and a concert. As this is a performance video, the concert is
a typical location as it features the artists' performing in a large
venues. The various hotel rooms indicate that that the artist is in
demand globally as they are always on the move which is also
shown by the various global landmarks. There are two different
lightings, strobe lighting is used in the concert as it heightens
excitement for the audience and this is juxtaposed by natural light
to show that they have a life outside of their stardom which is also
emphasised by the character movements as they switch from the
dancing to slower movements. The costumes are used for aesthetic
purposes to make the artists look cool for the performance. The
pacing and the camera movements matches the song as it goes
from slow to fast and the song title is displayed at the beginning but
unlike the other videos, it is not to create a movie-like atmosphere.

7. Tame Impala- The Less I Know The
Better
• The music video is set in a high school which stereotypically sexualised archetypes
like the cheerleader and the two jocks. The music video begins without sound
explaining how one jock fell in love with the cheerleader who then sleeps with the
other jock - Trevor - who is dressed in a gorilla costume to symbolise that he is the
stereotypically over-masculine jock. The cheerleader is dressed in bright colours to
suit the 80s tone of the song and the first jock is dressed in simple sports clothes.
The video is surreal as it changes art styles from naturalistic to an almost cartoon-
like look similar to "Take On Me" by A-Ha which emphasised the 80s vibe that is
introduced through the song and the cheerleading costume. The video uses
voyeurism to attract the audience as it includes various suggestive, almost graphic
images of the cheerleader and the camera tracks her throughout the video,
focusing on varying body parts. The beginning and end credits make the video
more like a surreal movie, showing that it is playing on stereotypes and is not
meant to taken seriously. The first jock moves quickly compared to the other two
characters as he is nervous and is trying to chase after the girl he loves. However
the cheerleader is more relaxed as she is not considering his feelings and is
comfortable in her relationship with Trevor. Trevor moves like a gorilla and
therefore isn't considered a person by the first jock.

8. Adele – Send My Love (To Your New
Lover)
• The location is an empty room with yellow, blue and
white lighting which bring out the artist's features. As it
is a performance of the song the costume is not used
to represent something but more for aesthetic reasons,
making the artist look nice and making the dancing
more pronounced as the skirt moves as she dances.
The editing is used to overlay multiple shots of the
artist on top of each other, using fades to transition
from shots and the camera zooms in and out when the
song starts and ends and during significant shifts in the
song, for instance when the chorus starts. The shots
are either wideshots and midshots focused on the
artist and therefore on the star appeal .