The Goodwin Theory- Two Door Cinema Club- Something Good Can Work

Two door Cinema Club are an indie rock band. The members of the band are

Alex Trimble – lead vocals, guitar, synths; 

Sam Halliday – lead guitar, vocals; 

Kevin Baird – bass, vocals.

Their song “Something Good Can Work” was released as a single in the UK in 2009.

The video is Narrative and Performance as there are both bits of performance and narrative, however I would personally say it is more a performance video as there are more scenes of performance. The use of Goodwin's Theory The typical conventions of indie music videos include a mixture of performance and narrative in the video, the narrative is usually shot in a different location to the performance which makes it look more interesting, These locations are usually outside and urban.

There are usually close ups of the band members and instruments used to show the id and the use of instruments in indie music. The narrative is usually gaining a personal problem, as young audiences can relate to these issues.

The bands sense of fashion, shows there individuality and also shows they’re identifiable as an indie genre. Genre conventions of Indie They have met all the conventions as they truly are a indie rock band. They have used different locations for performance and narrative parts of the music video. They also have close ups of band members and instruments which shows the way they fit in with the Indie genre.

Codes and Conventions of a music video

Styles of Music Video - Music video’s can be categorized in terms of style.

• Performance – Band / artist playing.

• Narrative – Includes story.

• Mixture – Both performance and narrative based.

• Cameo – Band / artist features in the narrative but

• doesn’t perform.

• Animation – Digitally (flash) / Stop-frame.

• Abstract

• Camera Variety of shots depending on the style A lot of Close Up’s (especially in performance music videos) - Perhaps ECU of lips, guitar strings being strummed.

• Examples -

• Crane shots

• Low-angles

• Long Shots and Extreme Long Shots

• Pans / tilts – move from different

• performers.

• Tracking.

• Editing and Sound There are many different editing techniques used in music videos. Music videos usually feature jump cutting. Footage is usually edited to match the music.

• Examples –

• Split-screens

• Computer Generated Images

• Diegetic sound.

• Non- Diegetic sound

• Change in levels of sound

• Mise-en-scene

• The mise-en-scene can vary greatly depending on the genre of music and the type of music video.

• Props – performance equipment, band

• merchandise.

• Costume – certain outfits.

• Location – concert halls, venues, street.

• Facial expressions

Different Music Videos

Music video analysis- Two Door Cinema Club- What You Know

The song was released as a track on the bands 2010 debut album tourist history. The music video itself was released on the 11^th of Jan 2011 to youtube. It was directed by Lope Serrano. 

Lyrics:

In a few weeks, I will get time
To realize it's right before my eyes
And I can take it, if it's what I want to do

I am leaving, this is starting
To feel like it's right before my eyes
And I can taste it, it's my sweet beginning

And I can tell just what you want
You don't want to be alone
You don't want to be alone

And I can't say it's what you know
But you've known it the whole time
Yeah, you've known it the whole time

Maybe next year I'll have no time
To think about the questions to address
Am I the one to try to stop the fire?

I wouldn't test you
I'm not the best you could have attained
Why try anything?
I will get there, just remember I know

And I can tell just what you want
You don't want to be alone
You don't want to be alone

And I can't say it's what you know
But you've known it the whole time
Yeah, you've known it the whole time

And I can tell just what you want
You don't want to be alone
You don't want to be alone

And I can't say it's what you know
But you've known it the whole time
Yeah, you've known it the whole time

Narrative and Genre:

In respect to the indie genre that the music is the music video pays great homage to artist like the Beatles with 60’sesce style filming previously seen on black and white screens in years gone by. This draws focus away from the narrative itself, seeing the artists as themselves (as they are playing instruments) and adding a slight bit of obscurity (dancers).

Video Analysis

Lighting – the lighting in the video itself is used (on white background) to highlight the features of the artists. This gives focus to the subject matters in the video drawing the observers attention to the band  members.

The building of the storyline in terms of the dancers is also something notable as a key feature. The constant addition of the female ensemble draws attention with vibrant colour (on white background) and establishes the female roles as a key feature. Furthermore these colours contrast not only with the white but with the more two-tone duller colours of the band, making the band also stand out. The outfits of the band further fit into establishing them as a ‘group’. 

Music video analysis- Vampire Weekend- A-Punk

Lyrics-

A-Punk" is a single by indie rock band Vampire Weekend. released on February 28, 2008 as the second single from their 2008 self titled album. It was written by Ezra Koenig, the lead singer.


Johanna drove slowly into the city
The Hudson River all filled with snow
She spied the ring on His Honor's finger
Oh-oh-oh

A thousand years in one piece of silver
She took it from his lily-white hand
Showed no fear--she'd seen the thing
In the young men's wing at Sloan-Kettering

Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"

'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey!

His Honor drove southward seeking exotica
Down to the pueblo huts of New Mexico
Cut his teeth on turquoise harmonicas
Oh-oh-oh

I saw Johanna down in the subway
She took an apartment in Washington Heights
Half of the ring lies here with me
But the other half's at the bottom of the sea

Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"
Look outside at the raincoats coming, say "oh"

'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!
'Ey, 'ey, 'ey, 'ey!


The music video directed by Garth Jennings, that was said to convey the song's "spiky energy," used footage of the band performing as sped up stop-motion figures, simulating winter and underwater scenes during the performance. Despite the band being sped up, they "never miss an upstroke beat." The video made its worldwide premiere on January 7, 2008 on MTV2's Subterranean indie video block.



Audience

I think that this video would be for a more ambient viewing as it is simple so you do not have to concentrate and think hard about it to understand it. It could be the type of video that you can just put on in the background and watch as you do something else. I think that as this video is not a mainstream video, and the band isn’t really famous then they would have quite a lot of say in the video and the record company will just give them a budget and let them get on with it, the record company may just give them a list of things they want to do within the video.

Narrative and the Genre

Within the music video for ‘A-Punk’ by ‘Vampire Weekend’ there are several key feature of a music video as identified by the Goodwin theory. The video is performance based as it features the band performing the song to an the audience, being the viewer. The video could also be seen as concept based as there is only a loose relation between the video and the lyrics. The video is a slightly illustrative video. This means that there is some relation between the video and the lyrics, but the video does not explain what is being said in the lyrics it just illustrates the main parts. The video is quite lo-fi and simplistic, making look more unique and not mainstream. For the most of the video, the band are just standing in front of a white background, wearing bright, bold coloured shirts and playing there instruments in a very exaggerated, extravagant. The genre of this music video would be indie rock. We know this as this is the typical genre of the band and they conform to the typical styles of the genre by being band playing instruments like guitars and the drum kit.


Representation
The band are breaking many conventions within the video and if you break conventions in society you are seen as rebellious. This again supports the uniqueness of the video and how it is nothing like a charts music video. They break conventions in the way they move around as the video is quite jerky and fast as it has been sped up, and they break conventions in the way the play the instruments. The band are represented as quite childish from the video. They use finger puppets and the way the exaggerate hitting the drums as hard as they can all makes the video feel quite childish.


Camerawork

There is only one camera shot used during the whole video and that is a long shot. The camera does not move throughout the whole video. The editing techniques are very simplistic. The editor uses a fade when the background changes from white to black and then it fades back to white. When it comes to the shot of them underwater which illustrates the lyrics which say ‘at the bottom of the sea’ a blue filter is used over the camera lens to connote the blue of the water and fish are used to connote the bottom of the sea. There are no any special effects used in the video and this creates an authentic, budget feel to it as they the fish in the video are just finger puppets that they are holding in front of the camera. There is a reference to popular culture in the clothes that the band wear, within in the genre that the band are aiming for the clothing that they wear is considered to be stylish. The the clothes are representative of the genre the band belongs to being the mise-en-scene. When it comes the with cold winter shot the band are all wearing hats and scarves which suggest the cold along with the snow on the black background which creating the idea of night time and implying that night time is cold.

Alternative Genre

The definition of alternative music is an umbrella term used to describe music that is not played on mainstream radio or consumed by the mainstream audience, or whose music does not fall into any other genre.

 

An example of an alternative music band is Pearl Jam.

Music video analysis- VARIOUS CRUELTIES- Chemicals

Firstly I am going to analyse the music video for a song named 'Chemicals' by one of my favourite bands Various Cruelties.





These are the lyrics to the song:


The song was written by the lead singer, Liam O’Donnel.The song is very upbeat with simple lyrics, which are very catchy and aren't very emotive.There is no clear narrative to the song but the continuous reference to chemicals such as ‘the chemicals’ and ‘It’s rushing through my blood just like an energy’ suggests that the song may be about illegal drug use. Another thing that supports this, is the continuous use of flashing lights and bright colours which give a drug looking effect.The structure of the song is the general verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus.



“If it’s meant to be,
The universe is gonna throw it back to me
It’s just how I feel,
So tonight,
We’ll spin around the planets
Like a satellite.

Mercury,
It’s rushing through my blood,
Just like an energy,
It’s just how I feel,
If it’s meant to be,
The universe is gonna throw it back to me.

Oohhh to get it back all we need is to let it go.
Oohhh put your faith, put your trust in the chemicals.

Take a fear,
Release it watch it burn up in the atmosphere,
Just give up the ghost,
And let it be,
You know it doesn’t have to be a mystery.

Oohhh to get it back all we need is to let it go,
Oohhh put your faith, put your trust in the chemicals.

If it’s meant to be,
The universe is gonna throw it back to me,
If it’s meant to be,
The universe is gonna throw it back to me,
It’s gonna throw it back to me,

Oohhh to get it back all we need is to let it go,
Oohhh put your faith put your trust in the chemicals,
Oohhh to get it back all we need is to let it go,
Oohhh put your faith put your trust in the chemicals,
Put your faith, put your trust in the chemicals,
Put your faith, put your trust in the chemicals.”



Editing -
The transitions used used the most in the video are cuts. During the bridge, after the second chorus, a wipe is used in the shape of a circle to move from individual shots of each member of the band. This allows the audience to see each member of the band as they play the music and for all of them to to receive some focus rather than it just be mainly on the lead singer, creating a spotlight effect.The main words in the lyrics are shown in the video through the use of typography (which i find really effective) as they are sang which gives a contrast with the band shots and adds a diofferenmt edge to the video. They are shown on a plain background throughout the majority of the song but in the final chorus they are shown against images of the band performing which helps to tie the two images together.



Camera Work –
The majority of the angles in the video are at eye-level, meaning that the camera – and therefore the audience – is looking directly at the band performing.
The camera moves around with the band so there is occasionally some high and low angles which are mainly during the chorus of the song. All horizontal angles are used including frontal, three-quarter front, profile, three-quarter rear and rear as the camera tends to pan around the band whilst they perform during the chorus and at the end of the song, giving the impression that the band is spinning. The largerst shot size used is the medium wide shot and the closest is the extreme close up which is used on the singer’s face. These different shots are used to show the band performing and their instruments indicating their position in the band. At the end of the video, it goes completely out of focus which helps to signify that the video has ended.

Change of Plan

Before the summer, had a few vague idea ofi wanted to go about creating my msuic video, I ahd the perfect idea in my head on the genre, style of music, the style of the artist and as I could not decdie on what kind of music video to make. I decided to go with a random, much different idea of a music video that has absolutey no significance or meaning to the song it is for. No relevance or relation to the lyrics and was just something fun to create and mess around with. Artists such as Ed Sheeran was a big inspiration as alot of his music videos include feel good footage or something very different, being very random. His video for his song 'Don't' really caught my eye, as I wanted to use a remix of this song and film a documentary, very rough cut style video of an artist and his guitarist. I have now completely changed my mind and decided ona more typical music video that will more likely relate to an audience as a whole asi it is something that is very popular. I am still using the same genre and types of music, however, I have now chosen to create a four piece band and explore different bands within my genre, to create which i think will be a better outcome in the end

Evaluation of my Don't video

Looking at the video I have created with this song. My initial ideas haven't really gone to plan and the concept  I came up with doesn't look as good or effective as I thought it would look. The editing is very loose and the idea of not have a much performance or singing, doesn't really fit. I would have if i did it again, change the whole idea of my video and have a performance based video including a band as just having the singer and the guitarist doesn't look very effective. I would have a song that is full of lyrics and doesn't have just music playing at points. I don't think it looks as professional as it could look and I think this is at I have looked at a very different, not used very much kind of style and I should have picked a more popular, current style of music video as it is a huge risk using something different. I am going to re-evaluate my ideas as as possible and try and create a new idea that has a lot more potential to be successful and entertaining.

'DON'T' rough cut of idea for final piece

'DON'T' rough cut of ideas on final piece from Charlotte Greaves on Vimeo.

Shooting

Over the summer I have been very busy and have found it especially difficult to fit a time peroid large and spacious enough to shoot footage. It's also been hard to find time where people were all free at the same time due to holidays being on different date and the hours we were doing at our jobs. I have a lot of different ideas and really seem to like the documentary style music video like tour life etc. I got my best friend and my boyfriend to mess around for a couple of hours while I filmed it. I included a miming part right at the beginning just to add it in and see if I will want miming in my final piece. I understand that miming needs to be perfected and I will have to practice and work with my actor a lot before shooting my final piece in order for it to look good and effective. I chose to use the the remix of Ed Sheeran's song 'Don't' by Netsky. I know it's quite a rough cut and I think I am going to edit another cut as after I have discussed with Mr Earl, I was thinking of including a variety of video effects to go with the speed of the song and also speed up certain clips to look more effective. I have included typography in this video as that is something I really like and have come across in a few videos, more recent ones like the Various Cruelties music video for Chemicals.