Analysing Dancing In the Dark by Bruce Springsteen

Style	Tick Box
Romantic
Socially Conscious
Nihilist
Classical
Post-Modern
Parody
Film Tie-in
Performance
In-Concert

Explain your choice of Styles/s I chose the performance style for the song because it shows Bruce Springsteen performing in front of a live audience. It doesn't have any narratives however it does have a lot of camera angles of Bruce dancing and singing, plus of the audience in the hall. I also chose the In-concert style for the song because the music video of Bruce and his band was filmed by they were on stage, personally I think that the performance and the In concert style of this music video, both have similar meaning. Doing some research, I've read that the song was part of his 'Born in the USA' Tour, usually played as the second song of the second set. What is the purpose? The purpose of the music video is to promote Bruce Springsteen's first single released from Born in the U.S.A. album, which later became one of his bestselling album of his music career. Bruce had said in an interview that when he was writing the song, he found it really hard because he was trying to please people and was, however the song he stressed so much with became one of his best song.  Identify and explain the conventions used Interpret the lyrics: The track was written two years later after most of the other songs on the album. In the lyrics, it deals with his frustrations at the continued lack of success of his music’s. In the opening scene, Bruce sings: I get up in the evening and I ain't got nothing to say I come home in the morning I go to bed feeling the same way I ain't nothing but tired Man I'm just tired and bored with myself Hey there baby, I could use just a little help He is talking about someone who wakes up in the evening to go to work and goes home in the morning, doing the same boring routine day in day out without having anything to look forward to. He's bored of the life he is stuck in as has asked a girl to help him ease his mind. You can't start a fire You can't start a fire without a spark This gun's for hire even if we're just dancing in the dark He is talking about his goals and needs for success. He needs that 'spark', the girl’s affection to get him motivated and move out of his boring existence to start a new life. The character is offering himself to her, but he can't promise her of anything more than 'dancing in the dark', this is like a no-strings attached physical romance. Implied meaning: Release from difficulty  Links to other artists: None; however it the lyrics do have a similar meaning of going through changes like 'Tighten Up' by the Black Key's. Generic Conventions: This music video does reflect the rock pop genre. Bruce wears a white shirt sleeve shirt opened up a little at the chest, which is tucked into his light blue jeans, he also wears a black patent shoe which is pointy. The outfit and dance moves that he does goes well with the late 1980's rock-pop period.     Identify and explain the techniques used Camera Shots/Movements:  The mid length close -up shots are mainly used to on Bruce's shoes, and legs in the beginning sequence to show that he is dancing, just like the title of the music track. It then moves on to his top half as he is seen swinging is arm a back and forth whilst holding the microphone and singing the parts where he wakes up in the evening and goes to work. The camera then moves on to the full length shot, highlighting the fact that Bruce isn't the only one dancing to the song, it shows the audience's face, movements and expression as they are enjoying the music. The close-up camera shot of Bruce’s face, shows the viewer that those moments feel like he is in his own small world (like he's reflecting on something) but still is dancing along with the crowd. I've also noticed that the camera focuses a lot on his eyes as if to tell the viewer to look into them and see that he is trying to say something. Lighting:  Normal black stage set, but with red, purple, blue, white and orange lights. The colours do work with the 'Dancing In the Dark' music theme. Editing:  In the beginning shot, the camera is moving up in a medium pace whilst showing Bruce's black shoes and legs moving into a dance rhythm. It also shows the fingers and a small part of his arm clicking into the beat. It then moves on to his legs again while he is tapping the ground. As a whole because the music style is a performance, in-concert theme, there isn't a lot of editing techniques used in this video. Effects: You can see camera flashes every now and then in the video and smoke towards the back where the musicians where playing their instruments.  The smoke is a common prop used in concerts by many artists alike. This creates special effects and brings out the colours of the concert light. The camera flashes add the concerts feel to it, making it feel as if your there dancing along to the song. Miming/Lip-sync: No because the music video is filmed during a live concert.

Analysing Figure 8 by Ellie Goulding

Style	Tick Box
Romantic
Socially Conscious
Nihilist
Classical
Post-Modern
Parody
Film Tie-in
Performance
In-Concert

Explain your choice of Styles/s

I choose the romantic style for the song because it explains the one-sided love from the girl. The girl needs the boy a lot, chasing his love as if she's addicted, while the boy fools her into believing that he will be there forever but he breaks the promise and leaves her. It's like a never ending circle of love that goes on forever because the boy lets it happen.

I chased your love around a figure 8

I need you more than I can take

You promised forever and a day

And then you take it all away

What is the purpose?

The purpose of the music video is to promote Ellie Goulding the second single from her second studio album, Halcyon (2012). The video highlights on breaking up with an ex but still missing them. The video shows Ellie doing everything she can to be loved back, many times suffering from it as it drains her from being the proper person she could be, however she still is holding on to a love that is one-sided. The video is a perfect visual image from the lyrics.

Identify and explain the conventions used

Interpret the lyrics: In the opening scene, Ellie is seen lying in bed, with her face turned away, it then moves on to her walking but its upside down in black and white before it shows her legs facing the right way in colour, background music of her voice plays on. After 30 seconds into the song, it shows her face covered in a red veil as she stars singing, 

'Breathe your smoke into my lungs

In the back of the car with you I stare into the sun'

This could be about the time they were in the car together while the boy was smoking, the girl was breathing in the toxic fumes, but because she loves him, she turns a blind eye to his doings 'I stare into the sun'.

Later on in the song, Ellie goes on to explain that couples don't give up quickly and easily during a fight, holding on to every piece that is breaking,

'The lovers hold on to everything

And others hold on to anything'

In this video, Ellie plays the role of a girl who's absolute love for a person isn't returned back, despite all her efforts, and thinking that things will go better, the boy leaves her.

Implied meaning: Unrequited love

Links to other artists: None, although her lyrics for this song, has a similar message to Lana Del Rey's 'Without You' lyrics. I can also see the meaning of a bad relationship from Ellie's own and Lana's own.

Generic Conventions: This music video does reflect the electronic pop, dubstep genre of the song. Ellie wears basic colours like white, I also wasn't surprised that the video was set in a plain bedroom scattered with feathers in one scene or Ellie's hair was blond and pink, shaved a little at the sides, with her triangle tattoo showing, a ring on her finger and her nails painted a light pink in one scene, red in the other. These are the type of things that you would expect to see in her folk, indie pop songs. She's minimalistic but with an edge.

I haven't seen a music video or come across something that has similarities to this song.

   

Identify and explain the techniques used

Camera Shots/Movements:  The Close-Up shots are mainly in the scenes that Ellie not only sings but also when she is lying on her bed, this mainly happens so that the audience can she the sadness, loneliness and pain that she is feeling. The Mid length shots are use used in the moments where Ellie is moving around in her bed, moving on the chair, walking barefoot on the floor or when the boy is seen breathing out smoke, this shows the audience more of the story of the good and bad times of the relationship, this shot is good because it makes shows the movements of the characters in more detail.

Lighting: Lighting is a strong feature in the video. In the opening scene, even though it's in black and white, you can tell that the room that Ellie is in is bright, it brings an angelic theme to it, like someone who is in limbo, it reminds me of the film 'Lovely Bone's' limbo scenes. The next scene then changes to colour, showing her legs as she walks, even though the walls are grey, I think that the room was dark but they used some kind of lighting to create a shadow behind her legs. I believe that the whole thing was made to create the present state that Ellie is in. When the images where in black and white, it shows the past relationship between her and the boy.

The lighting then changes to red in another scene, however the room is still dark. In this sequence you feel as though Ellie is the corpse bride, dressed in red satin with a thin red veil that covers her face. There is a similar scene throughout the middle ad ending of the song, this time though the room is completely red. In the lyrics, she says that 'I'm buried in the snow', that is exactly what it looks like but with red for the blood.

Editing: 

There are a lot of editing techniques that happen in the video. In the beginning scene, it shows Ellie walking on the floor barefoot, but it's shown upside down with feathers going floating down, before it goes down to normal in colour, then in black and white again, this time, the feathers are in reverse, floating up instead of going down, it's as if their showing the past, present then past again. The next scene shows her in bed breathing into a rose, it's in black and white in the beginning then slowly changes to colour as she breathes life into the rose. This editing technique is quite clever because it feels like Ellie has just woken up from a long sleep, like sleeping beauty, and is coming back to the present.

In the next scene in the chorus, there is a overlapping of Ellie as she is spinning back and forth in a chair. They edited it to become like a slow motion piece. It looks like an unnatural force is pushing her to move that way, like she is possessed.  The scene then moves on to quick cuts as she says 'Place a kiss on my cheekbone, Then you vanish me', the scene shows six really quick images of her kissing a boy on the cheek, then of her face covered in a red veil, then of her on her bed (close up) then it moves to the kissing shot again however this time the boy she is trying to kiss, turns away from her (black and white).

Effects: A lot the overlapping of Ellie spinning on the chair, in slow motion. I've also noticed that there are scenes that look animated, like the part when she is scrunching red cloth at her hands but it looks like she isn't moving, I believe that they used something that provides strong wind to make it looks like she is moving. At the final scene, Ellie’s lit-up galaxy like body is shown levitating off the bed, as she lets go of the red cloth she is holding. 

Miming/Lip-sync: Yes, because there is a lot of actions throughout the video. Alone without her singing, you could still understand what the music was about. I was pleasantly surprised with the power and raw emotion that Ellie delivered not only in the lyrics but in her expressions. It made it feel more personal to the viewer like you’re the one experiencing the one side relationship.

Analysing Read My Mind by The Killers

Style	Tick Box
Romantic
Socially Conscious
Nihilist
Classical
Post-Modern
Parody
Film Tie-in
Performance
In-Concert

Explain your choice of Styles/s

I choose the Post Modern style for the song because the whole video from beginning to the end includes a random array of things, like the riding of weird shaped bicycles and a green stuffed teddy like to brushings its teeth.

I also choose the Performance style because the music video has short scenes where the band is playing instruments like the electric guitar and drums. The music video has a pop-rock feel to it.

What is the purpose?

The purpose of the music video is to promote the band's latest single and the latest album 'Sam's Town'. It also shows that band are seemingly having a good time in Tokyo (where it was filmed), and doing activities relating to the freedom of youth.

Identify and explain the conventions used

Interpret the lyrics: In the opening sequence while the background music ids playing; there are three different landscape/city shots of the mountain and buildings of Tokyo. It then moves on to Brandon's face (the front man), before it shows him singing with his hands clasped as if in prayer, as he starts singing: 

On the corner of main street

Just tryin' to keep it in line
You say you wanna move on, and
You say I'm falling behind

Can you read my mind

This sounds as if the song is about a couple who were in a relationship but soon realize that they have grown apart. The beginning of the lyrics sounds as if they are talking about the streets but I think it has been used metaphorically to highlight that a street has different turns and intersections like their relationship. It then says 'You say you wanna move on, and You say I'm falling behind'. It then says 'Can you read my mind', inclining that he was thinking the same thing. In another verse he is talking about how he never gave up to break 'out of his two-star town' and there is a 'green light' this means that he has seen his chance to change 'I'm gonna turn this thing around', to get out of town and start a new life.

Implied meaning: Freedom of youth, changing ways.

Links to other artists: None, although there has been a Pet Shop Boys remix and the Like Rebel Diamonds remix and the song 'Paradise' by Coldplay, have similar randomness (like the stuffed toys) and similar use of the sunset scene shots of them dancing.

Generic Conventions: This music video does reflect the rock-pop song that is set in an eccentric and busy city (Tokyo) the typical rock band outfits worn smarter of black leather jackets, tight black skinny jeans and pointy black shoes, Brandon Flowers however wears a white shirt, black buttoned waistcoat, a black blazer and black trousers. The music video doesn't look like any music video or artists that I know or seen.

Identify and explain the techniques used

Camera Shots/Movements: The Mid length shot is used mainly in the scenes that Brandon is singing, this is to show the emotions of the lyrics. The full length shots are used more on the parts where the band where doing random things like blowing balloons and teaching some Tokyo school children how to dance.

Lighting: The lighting of the music changes throughout the video. In the beginning scenes of the landscape/city shots, and then in the middle scene of the Elvis look-a-like, it was growing dark, showing shades of a greenish tinge, these moments have a slight laid back appeal to it as if everyone is about to rest. In the middle of the song, when the band is teaching the school children how to dance, it is set in a sunset. This orangey colour highlights the happy moments between the children and the band. In the day, where the weather is bright but with a white sky, the band do most of their random actions here and you get to see the busy  and vibrant city. This is also the parts where you see Brandon singing to the camera.

Editing: 

There are quick cuts at the beginning when the video shows the landscapes. This shows us that the city is still asleep but gradually waking up from the quiet scenery. It then moves on tho show Brandon's face, who looks up to the sky. You can tell that the actions will start because everyone's woken up. Because the video is very random, you can tell that all the scenes have been put together. I've also noticed that the camera shots look hand held, there are a lot of shakes but it brings a strength to the scene actions, making it more raw.

Effects:  There are a lot of fading scenes in the video mostly at the parts of Brandon singing, these parts excludes everything else and focuses on the lyrics sung, it's like he is in his own little world, trying to figure out what to do. I've noticed that they also zoom in on some of the characters faces in certain parts of the video, like the one near the beginning were the teddy like green toy peeps from the corner and blinks its eyes. This is like the green toy is showing the audience that it's here.

Miming/Lip-sync: Yes, because of the way that the video is shown, it has so many random moments to make it hard for Brandon to be shown consistently singing live. There are some scenes that show him singing and it looks real. If they didn't mime, then the video wouldn't be as funny or random.