Communications Essay

7/31/2019 Communications Essay

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Stefanie Walker

Unit 2: Communication Skills for Creative Media Production

Task 2 Written Analysis

The music video industry requires a lot of creativity; you need to understand different audiences and what

ropes them in. Whether its hip hop or rock there are specific themes most genres play by, theyll be (most

likely) relevant to the interests of the audience. Abiding to conventions is a sure way to keep the audience;

they are used to music videos being similar within the genre.

Music videos are visual and an excellent form of advertising, whether its for the album, the song or the

band itself. In some cases, music videos are shown as being short films, and a lot of the time they wont

relate much to the lyrics. They are simply a way to captivate the audience or portray meaning and trigger

certain emotions which could potentially change your view and overall opinion of the song you are listening

to.

The three music videos I have chosen to analyze are Links 2 3 4by the German band Rammstein.Keelhauledby the pirate-metal band Alestormand Land of confusionby Disturbed. Ive chosen these

because each one is very different from the other; theyre good examples of how the music videos vary

within the genre.

Link 2 3 4 by Rammstein:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwnV7FIUsSs&feature=related

First off, I started to look into Links 2 3 4by Rammstein. The title itself has its own meaning, the phrase

Links zwei drei vier was an old military chant the German military used while marching (translated it reads:Left two, three, four). The title, of course, related to the lyrics that follow. The song seems to be about war,

but it all depends on your own personal opinion. (The lyrics are in German so any translations may not be

completely accurate). After listening to the lyrics and reading different translations the song seems to be

about resisting government control/being prisoned by society.

The lyrics Can hearts speak? could suggest the desires to get revenge, to act out what the heart wants,

since it cant physically tell someone what to do it makes emotions that then persuade a person to want

revenge. Can you torture hearts? Again, this suggests that in war, when people and loved ones are lost it

hurts the heart. Theyre hidden meanings, not literal meanings. The lyrics dont really match the video,

theres nothing really hinting towards hearts. Ants dont really put the lyric meaning across.

Can you ask hearts? Can you question them on the matter of how they can make someone feel what they

do, how strong they are and what they can withhold. Links 2 3 4 is brought up once again in the lyrics but

with a slightly different meaning, translated it says: They want my heart beating in the right place but I look

below and it beats left from thereCould have a variety of meanings, it could show his defiance and

rebellious nature or the fact his hearts in the wrong place. Its not where society wants it to be, he has

different ideals, a different way of thinking. He isnt influenced by them despite their constant desires to

change him and control him.

Despite some accusations,Rammstein stated in an interview that its about the political spectrum and how

they swing to the left rather than the right. They wrote it to clarify that, unlike all of the accusations, they are

not Nazi sympathizers. This is, unfortunately, what a lot of people think of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwnV7FIUsSs&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwnV7FIUsSs&feature=related


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Its true that they seem to use some Nazi iconography, such as marching and taking control of something,

making a situation go their way. In this song the marching is associated with German soldiers. So this could

be the reason some people make such accusations.

Moving on to the music video itself, the director uses stop motion and live footage to show ants in a colony.

The ants arent going about the typical routine their species is associated with. They are, in fact, acting like

humans. Taking food from a fridge, playing football, raving and going to the cinema. This relates them to

the human race, giving us a way to relate I suppose, to show what were like. Grouping in numbers, all

living together in the same place more-or-less.

Its an unconventional music video, the use of animals like that isnt commonly seen. But its very well done.

They even advertise the album cover; on the DJ desk when theyre shown dancing is the album itself,

picture on full view to the audience as they rock to it. So already, theyve advertised the song and the

album the song belongs to. Otherwise known as product placement, but there are no copyright issues here

since they own the product.

Moving on, theyre in the cinema watching the band play. The Rammstein band members are shown on the

screen, the picture is sepia and grainy, giving it an old movie type look. So here, the band is being


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advertised, theyve managed to advertise all three things mentioned earlier. This is the equilibrium but from

this point the dis-equilibrium starts (This is Todorovs theory). A beetle crashes its head through the screen

and the ants scatter. This is an attack of three large beetles that have now started tearing the colony apart,

even killing some of the ants with their huge jaws. This is an example of Claude Levi Strauss theory of

binary opposition, two separate forces set off against each other.

Later, one of the ants is seen to be addressing the rest of the colony, they do an aggressive gesture thats

something ant species do when threatened. They begin to pour out of the nest, the moment theyre outside

they get into organized, lines and sections. Much like the military and how they organize their troops when

on a march. When moving into formation they get into the shape of the Rammstein logo too, so more

advertising is used.

The three beetles are shown, and the three divided sections swarm over each one. Actual footage is used

here of ants actually taking down something of such a large size, their jaws biting into it and it finally dying

without much of a fight. Gain with the military, it shows the strength in numbers and how the opposition can

be taken down when an army comes together. In the final seconds of the video it pans out, a hand and

arm coming into view which is also covered in ants like the beetle corpses. This change of camera shot

focuses more on the world outside of the ants nest, instead of close ups on the insects themselves its as if

the camera has decided to focus on humans instead. That leaves it open, theres no closure and it leaves

the audience wondering why this person was taken down and whether or not it was the ants who did so.

Keelhauled by Alestorm:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta-Z_psXODw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta-Z_psXODwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta-Z_psXODw


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The second music video I looked at was Keelhauled by Alestorm. Alestorm is a pirate metal band which

focuses on, well, pirates. Their songs are all related to the theme of pirates and the music videos are more

than often set on a pirate ship. Like this one.

Pirate metal is a pseudo genre of heavy metal.

(Pseudo means A poseur; false, fake; being other than what is apparent). The term pirate metal was

originally coined by German Speed/Power metal band Running Wild. Its basically anything with guitars and

pirates. Looking at the title of the song, Keelhauling was a form of punishment. Usually practiced by

sailors and of course pirates out at sea.

The person being punished was tied to a rope that looped beneath the vessel. They were then thrown

overboard on one side of the ship and dragged under the keel (could also be done from bow to stern). The

hull was usual covered in barnacles and other marine life that would attach itself to the ship. So when

pulled quickly, these barnacles would most of the time end up cutting them, cutting limbs off and occasional

decapitation. The salt in the water would make these injuries sting even more. If dragged slowly, cuts were

less likely but it usually resulted in drowning.

The music video itself seems to have taken inspiration from Pirates of the Caribbeanand already,

watching the first second its recognizable as a pirate scene. The band is shown upon the ship (Band

advertising) in full pirate costume and playing music that you would typically associate with pirates. They

are shown gambling below deck, spending time with women and generally acting how pirates would on an

average day, when they arent pillaging villages or merchant ships of course.

The man worthy of punishment has stolen something from the captain; the moment they find out they tie

him up on deck and prepare to throw him over the edge. This could be done to show justice and the fact

even pirates have their own laws and guidelines they follow and arent just a bunch of untamed sea dogs.

For stealing treasure he is sentenced to the punishment in the song title and he is then chucked over the

edge, pulled under as the skin on his back is ripped to shred by barnacles. They show all this in the music

video, to make the audience feel varied emotions to the inhumane torture method. It could conflict them,

part of them may approve of the idea of justice and payback for doing wrong but then again, the may

disapprove of the horrific punishment. Once back on deck, they pull him up and the process starts again.


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The difference this time is the tattered end, the rope has cut and hes no longer attached. It suggests hes

either dead from drowning or blood loss or just still in the water. If you look deeply into this it could have

close ties to the saying crime doesnt pay.

This kind of ending could be considered as open since you dont know what actually happened to him. No

dead body is shown. But in most cases the audience will assume the worst, simply because of the camera

shots and images shown.

Another small thing to pick up on is the camera shots of those doing the punishing, each angle looks up at

them suggesting they are dominating the situation, that they are in fact on top. The bosses and the ones

who rule.

I thought this was very unique, pirates arent often used but the theme of pain and torture is quite common

in Heavy metal music videos. This sense of emotional and physical pain that the audience apparently like

to see in the music videos.

Sandmann by Oomph!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k4Xgm9dDMg

The final music video I decided to look at was Sandmann by Oomph! Theyre another German metal band,

the difference here being they sang this song in both German and English. The English version doesnt

sing the exact translation of the German but it comes pretty close and the same message is put across.

By what you can see after only a few seconds of playing the video, its clear that its set in the early 1900s.

Around the time of World War II. Judging by the clothes and environment there are many things hinting to

the time era. Even the band is dressed up in the specific attire that is associated with that time era.

The dress code isnt the only thing that suggests to the early 1900s, even the small details like signs on the

street or by the market hold indicators to that time. The sign held by the man below says: I am looking for

work of any kind. This could be a hint to the

effects of the war, leaving many without jobs and

earning enough money became very difficult. The

second image says: looking for work. So once

again this idea of no jobs being available is

shown.

Looking at the characters in this music video,

there are a few that stand out. A young boy from a
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poor family, a young girl from a rich family and a man in a black hooded cloak, holding onto a hourglass,

which has connotations of time and it running out. A count-down. Lets focus on the hooded man first... He

appears a lot throughout, magically disappearing then reappearing. As if he is a ghost. All we can say is

that hes a supernatural entity, what he actually is remains unknown. (Perhaps the sandmann?).

The sandman has always been part of an old tale, hes the man that visits children and helps them sleep.

Gives them good dreams and sprinkles sand into their eyes. Of course, the original story of the sandman

was meant to frighten children, but the story has been changed over the years into something much more

pleasant. The significance of the sandman isnt too obvious but the lyrics help put across an understanding.

Can you understand their fear when they go to sleep?and Shut off the lights, the truth is horrible so send

me a dreamlink to the Sandman. Hes asking for the sandman to put him to sleep, to let him stay sleeping

forever because he doesnt like seeing all the bad things when hes awake. The word sung La le lu are

from a German lullaby, the lullaby may have some link to the sandman.

Looking deeper into it, the song appears to be about poverty. It has a young girl with a rich family, the girl

pities the poorer family and its clear her family despises them as the father is seen treating them quite

badly, shooing one away as if they werent even

human. The young boy from the poorer family is seen

with next to nothing, his family growing excited when

two loaves of bread are brought in while the rich

family greedily scoff down cake. (The girl simply

watches).

Going back to the Sandman he later kidnaps

children. Both children go together in search of them

and end up getting lost themselves. What happens

here is a bit unclear; its a little confusing and gives

the video a sense of mystery. During this scene a

black screen is shown with the words In 2009 there

were 1.5 million children in Germany living in


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poverty.The video comes to an end when the parents of the children finally find them huddled underneath

a tree.

In conclusion, the metal genre is very much about pain and suffering. Physical and emotional trauma, they

seem to enjoy this theme just to keep away from the usually happy pop genre. Its a way of differentiating

them, so they wont be mistaken for anything else but what they are. The negatives they focus on arent

always heavy, they can be small or even just hint toward something negative but the point is they will

mainly represent human struggle and more than often the song will conclude with them overcoming it or

realising how to overcome it. To sum it up into one genre I think it would fall into the tragedy genre or even

horror in some cases.

Communications Essay

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