ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEO

FROM CHOSEN GENRE

Indie pop music generally has an establishing shot outdoors. The lighting in certain videos create a different mood. In the music video ‘Summertime Sadness’ we imagine freedom by just looking at the establishing shot. The picturesque establishing shots are a conventions followed in most Indie pop videos.

However, in the music video ‘Blue Jeans’ the video is more abstract. As well as having a narrative the video has a lot of symbolism and concept. The very first image makes is blurry which suggests there being confusion within the relationship. Moreover, the whole video is in monochrome which connotes sadness and heartbreak. The target audience for this video would be teenage girls as they are likely to experience these feelings.

Lana Del Reys music videos are very abstract and it fulfils the conventions of an Indie Pop Music Video.

In this music video there are many close ups which allow us to see the facial expressions of the singer. In this image we can establish that she is upset and the low/mid length angle shot allows the audience to see a little bit of her clothes and the background. Her hair and make up is natural and through Lana Del Reys videos we have taken inspiration from this.

In the music Video ‘Blue Jeans’ we get a side shot of the male actors. This image allows the audience to see his earring, tattoos and the cigarette. He is portrayed as a ‘bad guy’ through the mis en scene and immediately expect this video and song to be about love and a corrupt relationship.

In this video most of the music video we see two girls. The actress is depressed and we assume that they have broken up or are going through a rough patch. The whole video is blurred and there is a lot of smoke which makes the audience imagine that the actress is a lesbian and has lost her lover after consulting her feelings towards her. Moreover, we get a lot of cross cuts between the actress and Lana and flashbacks randomly with repetition suggests they are in a relationship. There is not a specific narrative however, through the actions and lyrics we can make assumptions.

In the music video ‘Blue Jeans we get this powerful image of the couple which suggests that they are both bad for each other however, they cannot let go. The image allows us to identify Lana’s facial expression which tells us she is afraid. The fact that his hand is round her neck tells us that is the predator of thier relationship and he has control.

In both videos we get a clear shot of their facial expressions. In the video ‘Summertime Sadness’ we see a tear and smudged eye make up which explicitly tells us she is going through heartbreak. In ‘Blue Jeans’ she is shuffled to the right. This is significant because everything else is blurred. This could represent her thoughts about her relationship.The indie pop genre tend to focus

a lot on facial expressions because through this we are able to identify the actresses emotions. Indie pop music videos are dark and depressing. In different shots we get different thought as concepts of love. For example, in the top left image she is wearing red lipstick which shows the glamorous side. Whereas, in ‘blue jeans’ it is more neutral. Through these trend are created on social media.

This image (top left) shows that the actress is trying to commit suicide. This is important in genres like this as they focus on dull and depressing things. The lyrics also says “I know if I go, I’ll die happy tonight”.

Moreover, we are able to relate the visuals with the lyrics as the singer say ‘Got my red dress on tonight’ and in this image we see the red dress.

The image on the bottom right could also suggests that she is committing suicide. Part of the lyrics says ‘I know love is mean and love hurts’. This specifically relates to sorrow which the audience of this genre favour. This image could also symbolise that she is over thinking and wants to give up on life.

In both music videos the director uses abstract objects which have no relation to the actual lyrics but are symbols which fit in with the theme. In the video ‘Summertime Sadness’ the glass object breaks at the bridge of the song which implies that their relationship is officially over.

In ‘Blue Jeans’ the crocodiles in the water symbolise danger. This could relate to the couples relationship, the idea that both of them are dangerous for each other. This specific image looks gruesome which the target audience would like.