ANALYSIS OF MUSIC VIDEOS

WU LYF - Spitting Blood
Click here to view lyrics.
This surreal and quite disturbing video for Spitting Blood by WU LYF is a perfect example of a surreal narrative illustrated within a music video. Filled with medium long shots, ECUs, tracking shots, cut-ins and weather shots, the shots perfectly represent the characters



M83- We Own the Sky

Click here to view lyrics.
As with many lo-fi videos, this is a Romanticist mix of natural scenery combined with more contemporary graphics. The narrative involves a group of teenagers enjoying summer. Of the group, there appears to be romantic tension between a specific couple, who's blossoming relationship the video follows. The title of the song 'We Own the Sky' is illustrated by the flying of brightly coloured kites, and we are directly introduced to the main couple when their kites become tangled, symbolising their entwining relationship. This classic summer activity of flying kites is then contrasted by the introduction of 3D graphic shapes emerging in the sky - the group are hesitant at first, and begin to run, but after the initial shock they become awe-struck. From the main couple, the girl begins to take the first few steps towards the unidentified shapes, and the boy follows her. This could possibly represent the first steps of the unknown adventure that their new found relationship will bring. As the group marvel at them, one of the shapes disintegrates into snow-like confetti, possibly representing the marriage or union of the main couple. The group begin to frolic in the papery snow, as the remaining shapes float over Paris, a classic romantic setting. As its climax, in the midst of chaos, the couple have their first kiss and the video ends.
The first shots of the film are soft dreamy focus on small details of nature such as an insect on a leaf, and the sun shining through the leaves of a tree. These are complimented by diegetic sounds of birds and plants rustling. The music begins at 0:12, and the beat is amplified by the correlating footsteps of a running character. This medium close-up draws the audience into the video, and the use of sound also tries to exaggerate and intensify the relationship between the music and visuals. Furthermore, when the tone of the music becomes less structured and more flowing, the group begin to fly kites, conveying a message of weightlessness to the audience. The kites are depicted in a variety of shots, from long shots to extreme close-ups. This relationship between music and visuals is also strengthened before the arrival of the graphic shapes; the tone of the music becomes almost anticipatory, and the lyrics 'It's coming..' almost foresee them. The lyrics 'secrets from the winds' and 'lost wings floating' represent the mysteriousness of life, which is embodied by the mysterious shapes in the video. The soft but somehow bright lighting is very effective, highlighting the glare of the summer afternoon when the video is filmed. The video is filmed in a variety of shots (cut ins, ECUs, extreme wide angles and two-shots) along with a natural setting and everyday mise-en-scène. This combination of spontaneous characteristics and typical clothing allows the audience to relate to the characters in the video, therefore more deeply immersed.