Music video analysis - (Disciples - They Don't Know) & (Disclosure - You&Me (Flume remix)

So to begin with, in order to analyse the video you must watch it. I have chosen to analyse two quite different videos, although featuring similar music in order to see how it works.

The first video Disclosure - You&Me is based mostly in concepts, as there is no clear narrative or performance (based on the theory of Lynch 1984).

Camera is always stable, eye level of the two main characters, therefore we feel like we are equal with them. Director also picked two very 'normal' looking characters, so therefore target audience would be able to relate to this, rather than see them as role models.
Director mostly used mid close ups, however when the music get quicker, there are a lot of extreme close ups used, in order for target audience to give the feeling that there is no one else around them, they feel like it's just him and her in the world, therefore basing it on three words used as lyrics 'You and Me'. Background colour was also picked accordingly to the main idea that it is about young love and passion, it is all about the pink world when you are in love and nothing else exists.
To make sure target audience understands the meaning, main characters worn no visible clothes, so when audience is watching the video, that would not distract them. And also it has been used to show the intimacy of those two individuals.
Lightning always bright enough to show how they look at each other, or how they touch each other (moreover you can notice they mirror each other's actions which simply connotes they love each other, and that was the main idea director wanted to show), also lightning bright when we get the close up of characters face, however lighting changes, flashing lights used to show the importance of the change in music. When the music reaches it's peak the pace of visuals changed by getting quicker, connoting passion rising between two characters. Also in order to show the rising passion director uses the open mouth close up, the guy touching girls jaw line close up, also lots of close ups of them kissing.
No significant use of any special or visual effects, however everything done with the change into lightning, focusing the camera on different parts of their body, or just their head. This again connotes the closeness of the two characters. Visuals always matching the music (based on Goodwin's theory) illustrating changes in music by changes in camera angles, and length of actual shots. However slow motion used at all times so audience would focus on exact things the direct was trying to encode into the visuals, and decode them in the way director wanted audience to do so. When it comes to Gow's theory, the video would be found as anti-performance video. The video also did not have it's artist's style or iconography, however the first thing we see is the icon of Disclosure which is a small face. This helps to build brand identity and kind of makes it as an expectation for the audience to always see the icon in the beginning of their music.


The other video I have chosen is the same video I uploaded on Director's study, just because his work, this exact video really made me think I want to make something like this.



So the first thing we see the same in this video as it was in Disclosure video is the icon of Disciples. Therefore audience is aware who made this song even if did not read the name of it before starting to listen.
The biggest difference of the two videos I am analyzing is that this video is purely based on narrative (based on Lynch theory), they use different beautiful locations to make it feel as if it is a short movie rather than music video (based on Goodwin's theory of inter-textual references to TV films).
Director also used a lot of diegetic (in the shot) and non-diegetic (out of the shot) sounds which also connotes it is made like a small movie. The main similarity is the use of slow motion in order to show as if it happened long time ago, and to make the target audience more aware of surroundings and the storyline.
They have used a variety of different shots starting with the establishing panning shots to show the landscapes (connotation of mini film again), but also used close-ups when the drug dealer was forcing himself on the local girl, in order to show the reaction of the girl, so target audience would understand what is happening. Mostly used empty frame shots, to show that there is no one and nothing else around them, just fields, horses and the sea. Loneliness and freedom connotation. Not all of the visuals goes together with music, which again shows that the visuals go more like a movie than an illustration for those, however in some places visuals do match the music very well, together with changing shots to the beat (in relation to Goodwin's theory).
When it comes to lighting, director wanted as natural lightning as possible, so audience would feel like they are on the scene, therefore used the light of the moon and the light of the car (fake moon, just the impression). All the colours used in the video were more dark and sad, although the whole video had like a greyish - blueish filter on it, connotation of the cold weather and freedom again.
More of the shaking camera was used to connote the action within the shot, so the audience would feel like they are actually there, like it has been filmed with a mobile phone or so. Makes the audience feel more related to the characters.
The change between the day and night (as the guy is much more protective over the girl, the day looks sunny and much warmer) gives us the feeling they know each other better, also because of slow motion it connotes that there was a period of time that actually passed before the drug dealer came for the bag that local girl took out of his car on purpose. Again shaking camera, and focusing on to the point not straight away makes audience thing like they are there filming it themselves.
In the very end when the drug dealer has been drugged by the same local girl he tried to force himself on, the angle of the shot changes, at this time its no longer the lower angle or eye level. Now the camera is looking down at the drug dealer which connotes that he lost the power in here, he cannot do anything to those kids.
When it comes to editing director have used a continues editing, so therefore we understand the story better, we together with the audience are not aware of how it has been edited. Mostly cutting from one shot to another, no disolves used, but focusing from the main character to blur has been used quite a long.
When it comes to Gow's theory, the video is anti-performance piece once more.

The genre of both songs is the same - house / electronic dance music. The reason I have chosen to analyse two different video (narrative and conceptual) is in order to see how many different things with the same or similar piece of music it is possible to make. Both following the genre expectations such as a slow motion video being used, a lot of mid close-ups and close-ups, the appearance of the icon of the Dj/ artist in the beginning of the video, matching beat with lyrics or at least visual to music. Usually at least partially matching lyrics with me visuals as well.