A relationship between lyrics and visuals/music and visuals
Illustration
Vance Joy - 'From Afar':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYUcqmpHJbk
Illustration in music videos is a technique which creates the idea of narrative using the lyrics of the song. In Vance Joy's music video for 'From Afar' the video is linear and single-stranded. The lyrics clearly depict a person who is unable to love or be with who they want to be with. Either the love is unrequited or forbidden, for example in the video there is a young homosexual boy who feels unable to express his love towards a heterosexual friend and there is also a married couple and the husband is attracted to a young woman rather than his wife. The lyrics to the song include the line, "I always knew I would love you from afar". The videos ending concludes that the wife and the homosexual boy are not loved by who they want to be loved by. The tone and the atmosphere of the visuals reflect that of the music because they are both simple and sweet which is reflective in the simplicity of the music and the garden party the friends and family are having.
Illustration in music videos is a technique which creates the idea of narrative using the lyrics of the song. In Vance Joy's music video for 'From Afar' the video is linear and single-stranded. The lyrics clearly depict a person who is unable to love or be with who they want to be with. Either the love is unrequited or forbidden, for example in the video there is a young homosexual boy who feels unable to express his love towards a heterosexual friend and there is also a married couple and the husband is attracted to a young woman rather than his wife. The lyrics to the song include the line, "I always knew I would love you from afar". The videos ending concludes that the wife and the homosexual boy are not loved by who they want to be loved by. The tone and the atmosphere of the visuals reflect that of the music because they are both simple and sweet which is reflective in the simplicity of the music and the garden party the friends and family are having.
Amplification
Madonna - 'Vogue':
The technique of amplification in music videos is used to take a concept from the lyrics of the song and enhances this concept while remaining linked to the original meaning of the song. For example, Madonna's video for the song 'Vogue' clearing emphasises the fashion industry and modelling which is taken from the signature word 'vogue' meaning 'fashion' in French while the meaning of the song as a whole is about escaping your life and dancing your troubles away. The video is linear and is also circular because it opens and closes with large feather fans revealing and concealing Madonna. The tone and atmosphere of the visuals reflects that of the music because the music is about classic fashion and having a good time which is reflected in the classes black and white filter and the choreography.
Disjuncture
Sia - 'Chandelier':
The technique of disjuncture is used in music videos to create an abstract and unconventional video which are often seen as very artistic and creates a new range of meaning to the song. For example Sia's video 'Chandelier' features a young girl performing an interpretive dance and it can be seen by some that the girl dancing in a dark and dingy apartment does not relate to the song lyrics which are about escaping your troubles by drinking, partying and being free. This video is single stranded and also can be thought to be circular as the dancer starts and finishes in a door way. The tone and atmosphere in the visuals is not reflective of the music because the music bursts into dramatic choruses and the setting of the video and the costume of the dancer is very simplistic which contrasts the music.
Andrew Goodwin, in 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992) identified these features of music videos:
- Music videos demonstrate particular genre characteristics (e.g. Stage performance for heavy metal bands/Dance routines for girl-boy bands)
- There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (illustrative/amplifying/disjunctive)
- The is a relationship between music and visuals (illustrative/amplifying/disjunctive)
- Record label demands will include the need for lots of close up shots of the artist
- The artists may develop their own iconography which over time will develop star image
- There is frequent reference to voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, but also in terms of looking (screens/cameras/mirrors)
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