using micro codes

1. Music Videos Through Time
The first video is: Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive
The video was released in 1977 and is performance based,
common for music videosof that time. Thisis shown through
camera work, where mid and long shots dominate the video,
showing the whole group of three, while they lip sync to the
music. A pan movement is
used at the start, following
the group as they walk
around, allowingthe
audienceto take in their
surroundings and to create a
sense of mystery as they
can’t be fully seen, obstructed by the buildingin front. This
would make them want to watch on for it to be revealed. The
shots and movements, therefore, are not adventurousand
are quite basic. Camera qualityis bad here compared to what
it is in recent years, such as the last analysed music video.
This is down to technologyand there not being better quality
cameras around. For its time, though, it would be deemed as
good.
The mise en scene of setting is based outdoors in locations
such as a house and train station. It is representative of the
lyrics, using Goodwin’stheory, as they say: ‘we’re going
nowhere’. Thisfits as the state the places are in is derelict so
the train is not functioning;they can’t go anywhere.

2. With clothing, they wear what was trendy at the time of the
late 70s, such as tight jeans and shirts. Thiswould make them
relevant to the time of release and appealto a lot of the
mainstream audience– Blumler and Kats.
They have used minimal
editing for creativity, but
where it does appearis
near the start, where it
gives credits to a ‘special
guest star’. The lack of
editing would be due to lack of technologyand editing
software. However, the song does use editing at the ending,
where a fade is put in place to bring the video to a close, as
shown below.
Sound wise, there are
no effects used, again
due to there not being
anything commonly
available.It uses
natural sounds,
meaning the vocal and
instruments so nothingwas added in post-production.
All considered, the purpose of the video was most likely for
recognition and income.

3. The second music video is: The Verve – Bitter Sweet
Symphony
This video was released 20 years
later in 1997. Again, this video is
performance based as the artist
lip syncs the whole way through
while walking down the street.
However, it has elements of
narrative as there are still
other people involvedsuch
as the girl shouting at him
for standing on her car.
Despite this, the story line
is unclearso it is mainly
performance.
In sound, there’s an echo effect used towards the end of the
song, when lyrics overlap and repeat each other. This shows
that at this pointin time, there was more creativity and
developmentwithin sound and editing.

4. The camera work is made simple and is used more for effect
rather than visual enjoyment as the character he is
portraying it careless,
reflected through the
point of view shot used,
before he bashes into the
woman. Thiscould be
because it began to be
recognised that people
cared for the music video as well as the song or band
members so they wanted to reflect their audience’swants
and needs by putting it together in a certain way.
The mise en scene connotes the band’salternative rock
genre identityas the colourscheme is dark, shown by the
dull lighting and black clothing he wears. In addition,the
setting promotes their genre as the street is dirty with
rubbish, engaging niche audiences as it is their aesthetic.
The editing comes into play for the colour gradient as it looks
like it is tinted blue and desaturated. This again, is being
more adventurouswith editing than the previous music
video.

5. The third music video is: Flo Rida – Let It Roll
This music video takes on the
concept style as it explores the
idea of ‘good times’, also a
repeated lyric in the song.
The editing in this music video
shows how much music videos
have changed overtime as it uses many effects not seen
beforehand such as creative camera movements and shot
transitions. It also uses black outs to replicate strobe lighting,
as well as the music’s pace. The editing links to Versallis’
theory of music video editing. There is also text at the start of
the song, giving people recognitionsuch as the director and
Flo Rida himself. There are
more intertextual references
in recent videoslike this one,
for example, at the end of
the song he promotes his
website as well as his album.
Another editing pointis that merge shots are used to create
the look shown to the left. Thisadds style and interest as it is
a new developmentin
editing, visible from the
editing of the other two
music videos compared to
this one.

6. For sound, unlikebefore, different and new sounds are used,
constructed electronically.Before, they wouldn’t have had
the means to achieve this sound effect so they had to use
instruments whereas now, there is a lot more choice and
variety. For example, withinthe video, there is a whirring
noise. Another example is where ‘let the good times roll’ is
repeated, and every time is gets less distinct and fades. At
this point it shows him falling into water, mimicking the fade
as talking against water sounds unclear, shown at 2:14.
In camera work, a lot of close up
shots of the artist rapping are used
to maintainthe audience’s
knowledge of hisidentity, giving
him a better branding as he can be
seen. Long shots are also used to
give an overview of the situationso the artist can be seen but
so can other characters, especiallygirls, and the sunny
setting. Jump cuts are
also popularin this
music video, showing
the people moving
quickly.

7. The mise en scene for the video is bright and vibrant in terms
of colour as it has the setting of the beach, relating to
summer as there are blue skies and colourful dress. The
character choice relates to Laura Mulvey’smale gaze as
attractive females
were used in the video
and are seen wearing
bikinis. Thisis for the
male advantageas it
prompts voyeurism.