When the Beastie Boys released their video for Sabotage, they drew inspiration from TV Police Dramas in the 1970's. The fast shots and jump cuts used enabled to film to keep pace with the music, and gave the video a feeling of fast action and adrenaline. The video was almost a spoof of 1970's cop dramas, with the titles being portrayed in a way synonymous with this genre, with the frame freezing when the titles appeared. The Mise en Scene used, including the setting, clothing, lighting and make-up, was also very similar to the TV Drama's many people were used to seeing. Many people will have wanted to watch the videos as they will remember this sort of TV programme, which therefore encourages more people to watch the video.
Robbie Williams' video of Let me Entertain You was in many ways similar to the video of Rock 'n' Roll all Night, released by American band Kiss. The use of the face masks were very similar to Kiss videos, and the close-up camera shots used were also similar to those used in videos by the American band. However, Robbie Williams breaks convention, however, as the style of the video is often used with punk/heavy metal bands, and not with pop artists. This could have been because Williams had recently broken up from Take That, and therefore wanted to differenciate himself from the typical boy band image that he had become attached to.
REM's Bad Day music video also made links to 24 hour news channels, with the presenters miming the song. The song's lyrics made reference to the way that news is reported, and the fact that people will believe anything that is reported on television. Therefore, comedy stories were included in the video, such as rainstorms in somebody's bedroom - something that could clearly never happen. This is clearly a very different type of music video, which many people will have watched because of its unique features.
Californation by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers was a very successful music video, because of its links to video games and films. The video uses animated footage and gameplay to make reference to many films and video games, linking into one of the main themes in the song - how the idolised California lifestyle of people in California very rarely comes to fruition. The artist will have chosen this technique, as it is different, and will capture people's imagination.
Without Me by Eminem used a Cartoon/Comic book style to base their video on. The video represents the close link between cartoon fiction and real life, with the images helping people to decipher what they are actually saying, because they are speaking so quickly and unclearly. Both the lyrics and the visual material make many intertextual references to films such as Batman and Spiderman. Many controversial features are included, such as references to the death of Elvis Presley on the toilet, which many people, especially Americans, may take offence to.
The video of Blur's The Universal made references to the highly controversial film The Clockwork Oroange, with a shot of the band composed in a similar way to a shot from the opening of the film. This could have been done to show the sophisticated abilities of the band. A lyrical reference is also made in the video, with the song talking about the future, and that things could happen to anyone at anytime. This links into the plot of the film, with people unintentionally getting involved with drugs and crime.
Finally, when Oasis released their music video for The Importance of Being Idle, it made many intertextual references to the 1960's Drama Billy Lion. The show was a 'kitchen sink' drama, featuring realistic day-to-day activities of people living in Northern Britain. The video starts with a similar pan shot, showing a person lying on a bed, and is appropriate for the band, who were themselves from Manchester. In comparison to the video from Blur, this represents the differences in social class at the time, with Blur creating a sophisticated link, and Oasis producing a video with references to their past and background.
0 comments:
Post a Comment