Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Yeasayer - 2080



I think that this music video would be classed as illustration as the video represents the song 2080. Throughout the video we see only one setting where the video is located appearing to be space which is how Yeasayer are trying to interpret there idea of what 2080 will be like. In the video we see very little people but they are all shown wearing space suits showing that in 2080 they have the idea that everyone will be living in space. We are also shown images of space shuttles which indicates also about the place of which they are at. Although they are showing what they think it will be like in 2080 they use the lyrics 'In 2080 i'll surely be dead but don't look ahead, never look ahead' which indicates that they think anything could happen just like they think in their video.

The Drums - Best Friend




In this video they have used what is called a disjuncture technique. This is were the video doesn't create any meaning what so ever to the song. Like most disjuncture music videos we are shown a video of the band playing the song. We are only shown one setting throughout the whole of the video and only one shot is used throughout. As you only see one shot the band keep the video entertaining by dancing and moving around. Such as when the song starts you cannot see the singer but you can hear him and then he comes in through a small window at the side of the room. As the room is small you can see everything which is going on so that the video looks busy.

Friendly Fires - Hawaiian Air


Again this is another illustrate video as it relates to the video throughout. It is mainly revolved around the singer on a plane which is known as the Hawaiian Air which is the name of the song and is what the song is about. And although we do see the band playing instruments and singing they become part of the meaning on the video as they are sat on the plane. They also become part of the problem on the plane along with many other problems which the song indicates such as when the song says 'aching my leg from a broken seat' we see the drummer sat behind drumming on the singers chair which is the cause of the broken seat. In the video we do also see clips of what is indicated to be Hawaii and Friendly Fires in Hawaii but this again relates with the song title and what the song is about.

Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma


I think that this video also in a way illustrates the meaning of the song, because the song is talking about why does something as little and unimportant as an oxford comma really matter? The lack of editing used throughout the video and the fact that its just one long shot maybe represents lack of punctuation used, and this is because they are trying to convey through the song and the video that punctuation doesn't really matter. Another thing i think that they are trying to say through the song is why complicate things with grammar and such, which also implies why complicate a relationship with small things like that, which i think is why the video is simple to show that he is trying to say he wants everything to be simple. When he says "i haven't got the words for you" the people with the cameras and such go away which illustrates what he is saying. Another meaning of the song could translate as him asking why do people try to be perfect and all the same when everyone is fine being different anyways, this is portrayed when he says "i met the highest lama, his accent sounded fine to me" and also when he says "check your handbook, its no trick, take the chapstick, put it on your lips" and this is illustrated in the video when we see different people sat around and to him, they are all fine doing what they're doing. This idea of everyone wanting to be the same is illustrated again when he plays guitar walking past 4 men dressed exactly the same and playing the same guitar as him, and they even mimic what he is doing. When he sings "check your passport" he walks over to a table where there is an official looking man, who he hands his passport to, this illustrated the lyrics in a simple way which again conveys the meaning of the song. The fact that he is wearing a plain white suit also represents the meaning of the song to be simple and gives us the impression that he didn't want to complicate things.

Warpaint - Stars


I think that this video illustrates the lyrics of the song, throughout the video it is dark, this links to the lyrics as they are talking about stars. The lyrics also say "glow in the darkness thats how we do it" which links to the sparklers, although more is added to the video to amplify it as the sparklers are going backwards and there is also smoke, the sparklers also can be seen as representing the stars. The beat of the music is also represented at the beginning, because as soon as it starts, we see the sparklers and then the person holding them begins to light up.
The video is done in a fantasy/dreamy/fairy-tale style, which gives the song more of a meaning, it also goes with the lyrics when they sing "put you to sleep after". They also sing "glow in the darkness thats how we do it" which links to the sparklers that they are holding, and it also links to the being illuminated whilst in the darkness. The song also talks about sleep, as it says "just like the stars up on your ceiling that put you to sleep after", because the video is so mystical it suggests that it is a dream or fantasy, and this illustrates to us the meaning of the song. The fireworks and the colours going backwards and blurring into one and also the fact that the sparklers are going backwards also illustrate the idea that somebody is sleeping and this is their dream. The pace of the video is slow which matches the pace of the song, which makes the video calm and relaxing to match the mood of the song, and when the beat changes and gets a little faster, the beat is represented by flashing lights on the wall behind the person dancing. Also during this part when the beat gets slightly faster, there is more stars/lights and they are moving faster, also the pace of the people in the video changes, as they are moving slowly at first and when it gets faster they begin to dance more and faster. Also, near to the beginning of the video the band members are all running through the woods, but this is put into slow motion, which matches the pace of the song and also adds to the idea of it being a dream. The mise-en-scene throughout the video also adds to the idea of it being a dream as they are all wearing white, and the location of it being in a woods also adds to it, as well as the part where they are underwater awake. At around 5:50 through the video the editing and lights begin to match the drum beat again, as it gets faster we see different flashing images of lights and band members. Finally the video ends with a reflection in the water of the moon going down, which suggests that it is no longer night time, also that people are waking up and therefore the dream is over, and the stars are no longer there.