Lighthouse Family Notes

Lighthouse Family: I wish i knew how

Aspects of Performance or mode of address

The mode of address is direct, we know this because in the video the man is walking down the train, talking into the camera as if we were the audience. There is no dance routine therefore the performance is set by the band/artist while we follow him walking through the train looking into other peoples lives.

Narrative:

The song is narrative based and not based on performance. it is non linear as we see flashbacks into the lives of other people that the artist is looking at. there is a clear beginning where the artist starts singing then the young girl leads him through the train singing, in the middle he is looking into peoples lives and giving them to courage the share their feelings, then in the end we see everyone get off the train and run up the stairs with a smile on their face as the artist made them happy.

How does the video create an image for the band/artist?
The video gives the audience inspiration to be free, this creates a positive image for the band as it suggests The Lighthouse Family can change lives. The band is a laid back band creating a mellow and caring atmosphere that will uplift you when you listen to their songs.

How do the visual elements relate to the song, illustration, amplification, disjuncture?
When the girl leads the artist through the train we see reflections of peoples emotions and shows the bad memories they have, but at the end of the video we see them all smiling and happy. This shows that the visual elements amplify the song and says speak and be open up about your problems and let them free, the artist also emphasis that everyone has problems, when there off the train its like everyones problems are free and left on the train behind them.

Mise en scene.
The train is set with dark lighting but has a light at the end of the tunnel, which creates a contrast between light and dark and been free or tied up. The young girl that leads him through is very pretty and wearing scarlet lipstick which is quite dark suggesting shes trying to keep things in and hidden by make up. with the setting been underground, people can assosiate with public transport as part of everyday life so everyone in the music video fit in, the only thing that stands out is that the young girl is wearing a light coat creating a focus on her. Although the artist blends in he is wearing a hat to seperate him from the rest of the people on the train but part way through he takes it off and blends in again, and can also be seen as him showing respect to others.

Use of camera.
At the beginning we see an extreme close up of the train coming into the station using different angles, this shows that the main focus is on the train and something will happen in the video including the train. we then go onto a trackong shot followed by a medium shot of the artist walking down the train, the tracking shot allows us to see he is walking slow and singing into the camera and the mid shot allows us to see his costume and that he is dressed like everybody else. Whilst he is walking down the train there are multiple zoom ins/outs when he is looking into other peoples lives allowing us to see there past/present and feeling like we know whats up with them. A pov shot is used on a man cooking making the audience feel more involved. we then see a close up of someone dancing while the artist walks by her as well as different reaction shots throuhgout the whole video.

Editing.
There is a match on action shot at the beggining as the girl takes the artist hand and leads him down the train showing this is the start of his journey. There are lots of straight cuts and cutaways with slow pased editing allowing us to see nearly everyone and still be able to understand what is going on. One or two dissolves are used in the video, followed by an eyeline match from the artist, helping us to assosiate with him and the people around him ourselves.

Representation.
i feel that the main issues the video is focusing on are faith, friendship and respect. All the people on the train are working class people apart from the artist, although he does look like the rest because of the same colours he is wearing a suit which shows the status divide, also he is standing up and most people are sitting down which then shows authority to the artist. The blonde girl is stereotypically pretty and eye catching with her pale/porceline face and dark lipstick she stands out as an individual when she glows on the stairs. Religion could be a great inspiriation in this video, with it been in a place underground where people dont really want to be, going upstairs is like leading them to heaven where they can be free, its almost as if the artist is cleansing the souls of people and there problems before they go to heaven.

Special Effects.
there are not many speacial effects except for great use of overlays as the artist is looking into peoples lives and we can see what there thinking as well as the same train and people.

Genre and Audience.
the genre is soulful pop, we know this because the beat allowsd us to identify the genre as well as the words. the audience would be aimed at 25-40 year olds as they have already lived quite a bit of there lives and can assosiate with some of the problems, there are no restrictions to a train as it includes mixed races, genders and ages.

Music Video Notes

Music videos are a marketing device used by record company's.
The aim is to make sales, music videos have been mainstream since the 80's. it could be argued that The Beatles contributed to 'the music videos'. The film 'A Hard Days Night' contains sings with The Beatles and some narrative involved. Therefore it was a music sequence rather than a video. In 1965 The Beatles began to produce film inserts.
Other bands began to follow suit.
The Beatles lead the way with 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane', both songs were directed by Peter Goldman and they were described as avaguard. They use slow motion and fantasy camera work, and through experiment action they were more sophisticated than previous video sequences. In the 1980's the music videos became mainstream with the launch of MTV in 1981, with the first song been called 'Video Killed The Radio Star'. Music videos became standard practise for bands and artists as they could be cheaply produced with high tech equipment and effects, such as Chromakey.

Sensorship
Products need to be sensored, music videos are regulated by the BBFC (british board of film classification)
Music videos are mini films which is why the film board regulates them. Sensorship must be considered when making a music video. In 1991 Michael Jackson's 'Black or White' video was sensored as Michael was said to inappropriatly touch himself. Other videos have also been sensored, for example 'Prodidgy- Smack My Bitch Up' and 'Robbie Williams- Rock DJ'.

Music Theory
Some would argue that music videos have made pop superficially based on image. Are pop songs enough on their own to make meaning and pleasure to their audience.
'A good music video is a clip that respondes to the pleasure of music, in which that the music is made visual, either in new ways or in a way that accentuates existing visual assosiations.' - Andrew Goodwin 1992.

1.) Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics such as dance routines, normally shown in boy/girl group videos.

2.) The relationship between lyrics and visuals is either contradicted or illustrates the lyrics.

3.) The relationship between the music and visuals will either illustrate, amplify or contradict what is happening on screen.

4.) The demands of the record lable will include lots of close ups of the artist(s). Artist(s) may develop motifs which reoccur across the style or video.

5.) Frequent reference to the notion of looking viarism of the female body.

6.) Intertectual References.