Case Study 2 Paramore - Now

Paramore - Now

Usually when watching Paramore's music video we tend to see a usual performance based structure like Greenday, However in this case Paramore's new album has turned alternative giving a different style music video. This music video i decided to use because the lyrics are interesting and the music video that is played with this is also interesting in how they both link to create this emotional connection. This music video has been directed by Daniel Cloud Campos

One point on the Andrew Goodwin's theory points list to make a good music video would be Lyrics and Visuals. Especially for this music video. The video itself is very powerful and if you look into the lyrics alot deeper than usual you can sense the emotion that is coming across rather powerful and strong. For instance at the start of the video we are given an intense long shot of two characters presented as different forces. For instance Hayley Williams being one side and the Captain as the others.

the long shot showing surrounding and settings

When we see Hayley close her eyes it represents that she is hiding her pain. or covering up her pain that she is feeling. We can see this through the use of white makeup at use. it creates this vulnerability and pureness because of the color white. When Hayley is knocked out due to grenade that has been thrown at her from the opposing side. She is lying on the ground unconscious we see this through the use of effects in slow mo and blurry camera shots. She is lying on the floor until her band member "Jeremy" helps her up. Showing the bond of true friendship.

From this moment on from the lyrics and visuals we can see that this video is about people obviously tearing something up between the band and the fans and a fellow band member helping to piece it together. One thing i liked about this music video would have to be the use of special effects. E.g slow motion, the use of smoke motions and powder paint. The lyrics and visuals at this point seem to combine together to create this image for us the audience to finally understand whats going on. For example "feels like i'm waking from the dead and everyone's been waiting on me"At this point Hayley is lying on the floor with smoke around her face suggesting some kind of unconscious state. The smoke around her is representing the blankness fulling her head and body to feel in this state. Which is how the lyrics and visuals play together at the point of the music video.

Showing Hayley's Unconscious State

Throughout this song visuals and lyrics are at use for instance near the end of the song we see Hayley getting hit with the use of powder paint representing some kind of gun powder. This suggest that she has been shot. When she kneels to the floor she looks up dramatically towards the opposing partner "Captain" and starts to mime the lyrics "There's a time and a place to die but this aint it" suggesting that shes stronger and she doesn't want to go down yet because she knows she had the right to win this battle.

"There's a time and a place to die but this aint it"

Not only has visual and lyrics been at use but so has music and visuals which is basically when a certain beat has been hit and the video adds something at the same time to create this emphasis on this particular beat. In this music video we see it done alot throughout the chorus. When listing to the song you can actually feel the build up in the pre-chorus to the music and visuals. When the chorus hits so does the fire and grenades. This is where it tends to create the foot tapping effect. It becomes alot catchier at this point in the song and by making the video do the exact same thing with special effects on this beat it can change the whole emphasis on this too.

Throwing of the bomb and exploding on chorus

The use of these visual and  lyrics and music and visuals combining together to create this music video really helps to create the emotional side which in someway is haunting and yet spine chilling. I think this is done by the use of slow mo and the way we are presented with the "Star Image" or "Record Label". We are constantly seeing Hayley Williams in every shot weathers that's middle, long or close up its shows that she is the main attention that the audience needs. Through the use of these shots it also links in with the visuals of music and lyrics to combine this powerful story line. Which is rather moving. When watching this video clip over and over again it took a couple of times before i finally understood it. However when I did it was just a WOW! feeling. As if gobsmacked you wouldn't of though this alternative style music video could do something inspiring like this. Which is good because it keeps the audience in tack and make them want to watch the video to see what is going to to happen

As we go further along with this music video Hayley Williams is ripped of her clothes. This is to state and show that she is vulnerable and showing her in a emotional state by exposing herself. She is taken out of her baggy jumper just wearing her usual strap top. It shows that she is being ripped from her comfort and exposed to show that she is now going to protect the ones that she loves such as her family and friends.

Hayley exposing her vulnerability

When the captain and Hayley hug. There's a sudden change of light which seems to brighten the video by showing the emotion of love. The background changes to a sunset representing a new dawn. The other band members are in close up shots showing their facial reactions of joy and happiness that they no longer have to fight. We get a close up of the hand and the baton that the captain holds as it slowly drops to the floor. It shows that there is no more war only love. 

Throughout these screenshots you can see there has been a narrative based structure for this video. Showing a story line throughout the video which seems to be very powerful and emotional for the band themselves. Having a narrative structure, music and visuals, lyrics and visuals, star image all combined together. We can see just how powerful one music video can be. For instance there's a use of color to create the mood change of the song and video itself. Going from darkness to the light suggesting that what ever has been going is now finished and its for the best to start fresh. The facial reactions to the last hug in this video seem to be great full yet there is a sign of sadness and regret. Regret of starting something so evil to ruin something so special. I think because of Goodwin's theory's put together to create this music video we can now see what this music video truly means its a sign of conflict of war love and hate.

Just like the lyrics state "if there's a future we want it" it shows that there is a future that they want the only way they will get to live that future is if they accept the change. I think because of there previous albums having gone 2 years doing the same old stuff and they've changed people have had mixed views about them and now this video finally shows the change in a way of showing the conflict between fans and the band.

Paramore 2013 Album cover Artwork

Overall we can see that Goodwin's theory has been applied here to create this powerful meaning through the lyrics to the music video to the performance to the fans. When coming to create my own music video i will defiantly be looking back over these notes and this Paramore video for ideas on how to make our music video relate so well with the Goodwin's Theory like this video has done. 

Case Study 1 Foo Fighters - Learn to Fly

Foo Fighters - Learn to fly

In the music video of Learn to Fly we are given a comedy view to the different viewpoints of a long journey back home. Throughout the Foo Fighters music video we are shown different key stereotypes of what the band itself see's and how we as audience also agree to what they see when we see it. This music video itself has used alot of Andrew Goodwin's theory. However they have gone by it in a very smart way.

Throughout this music video we are greeted with several different characters. These characters are:

• The pilot
• The fan girl
• The air hostess
• Dave Grohl as himself
• The tracksuit couple

Firstly we can see that all these characters are played by the lead singer himself "Dave Grohl". This shows our first point of the star image at used or "Demands on record label". Usually in music videos the lead singer tends to be shown the most especially in rock bands because generally the audience tend to think that the lead singer is better looking. Dave Grohl who plays all these characters is constantly in every frame. There is always a close up of him or a long shot of him in this music video which shows that he has a little bit more of a higher status over the other members of the band purely because he is "Lead" singer in the band. 

Learn to Fly - Star image (Dave Grohl)

In every frame of this bands music video we can tell that the record label would be used to seeing that Dave Grohl is in every shot. This is due to the wide fan base that this band has, also fans are expected to see Dave Grohl alot more than other artist cause its his voice that we hear. 

In this music video we don't just get the typical rock band music video. We see the comedy side to this video instead. For instance most of the comedy in this video has been played out by these characters. These characters are all so stereotypical which is what makes it funny. Usually in rock band music videos we would just get the usual performance based music video of the rock band singing to the camera. However in this case Foo Fighters have combined both the performance and Narrative structure of the music video so the story can be told throughout the video and the lyrics combined makes it easier for the audience to understand and grasp what is going on. For instance this music video seems to show the everyday life situations of a plane ride which the title of the song gives away "Learn to Fly". Throughout this video we see that Dave Grohl is the idea of a "Normal" person such as giving the impression he is what the audience is thinking in these situations. However everyone around him seems to be very overly acting giving particular stereotypes off. For instance the young girl fan girling.. Stereotypes of what Dave Grohl has to deal with every day. The lady in the track suits seems to be larger compared to other girls. Stereotypical called "The Tracksuit Family". Then we have the cabin crew workers which is stereotyped as being a little over the top and constantly smiling. However one point in the music video one guy in the video refuses to buy a drink and we get the glimpse of the "Stuck up" attitude with the facial expression from the close up played. 

Medium Shot of Dave Grohl

Narrative structure is not only what we see in this music video, In fact we see the band them self rocking out on stage at their own concert singing this song which shows the miming towards the audience and the camera. This shows the performance based structure of the band to emphasis the energy within the chorus. This is mainly where we tend to see the performance based part of the music video. We are still presented with the star image of Dave Grohl singing towards the audience and the camera. This shows the energy within the fan base and the concert that they are playing. The way this part has been done is showing it through one of the pull down TV screens you see in the airplanes. To still give this feel of the airplane ride. 

Performance based shot

Throughout the video we finally understand what the meaning is. We see at the start from a guest appearance Technicous D (another rock band genre). They have put drugs into the coffee. Drugs is a symbol towards rock and roll. We see that things on the plane ride start to get out of hand and at one point we hear the lyrics "I'm looking to the sky to save me" At this point we see that the Plane journey has taking a fault and that the ride has become bumpy. The color red is presented in the pilots cabin representing danger. The fact that these pilots are looking to the sky for it to save them as said with the lyrics shows another point towards Goodwin's theory such as the lyrics and the visuals playing together to emphasis what is hear within the lyrics. We see this played in two parts of the music videos once with "I'm looking to the sky to save me" and another when Dave Grohl takes hand of the wheel to save the day playing the hero character (which can relate to the audience because he may inspire his fans and become there hero's) we see the book "Learn to Fly" which is the title of the song. This is shown dead on the chorus of "Make my way back home and learn to fly". emphasizing whats going on and emphasis the lyrics. When we are shown the instruction guide we are given a middle shot to show the text on the book to show the audience they lyrics as they hear them at the same time. This emphasis on the  visuals and lyrics playing together again.

"looking to the sky to save me"

"make my way back home and learn to fly"

We are also shown the "Notions of Looking" in this video with the lady air hostess. She is the eye candy for the men in this video however in all respect she seems to look the tiny bit trashy this is due to her characterization too. She's chewing gum and looks grumpy giving off a negative vibe of women not being polite at all.  She bends over giving both men an eye full of her cleavage that is on show and the other guy a good look at her behind. Shes obviously wearing a shirt that's tight fitting to show her chest area alot more and a short skirt to show her legs. This is giving off a negative image towards the way women dress. It kind of shows that women who wear these outfits are the people that will get the men's attention alot more. Therefore she has been presented as the eye candy. Again this is also shown by the reaction to both of the bands members shown bellow in the screen shot.  We are shown medium shots to show the surroudings and the facial expressions of these characters also the body language they are given off at this point. 

The reactions

Notions of Looking

Overall in the Foo Fighters music video we can see that the video has used alot of Andrew Goodwin's theory to create the music video it self. This is something that needs to be taken into consideration when it comes to making my own music video. We can see from this music video nearly all the points are shown in the music video from Goodwin's theory. Its is important for music videos to use these points of Goodwin's theory so that the music video itself can connect to the audience and let the audience understand it. Not only is Goodwins theory important but working with the camera angles help this to create the message that we need as the audience to understand for instance alot of medium shots and close up shots are needed to emphasis its points.

Andrew Goodwins Theory