Kanye West: Stronger

Kanye West is an American rapper. One of his songs is Stronger. The lyrics don’t really stand out or mean much until you read then. West doesn’t use diction so it is hard to understand what he is saying. You do get the main point of the song by listening. You hear a need for strength and a desire to be with a girl. The song can push you into a negative and dirty state of mind if you let it. This song is still a bit inspiring and is mostly for entertainment purposes. If you want something, then you have to work to get it by making yourself known.

The focus of the song is on West, which is brought out well in the music video. It sticks on his character because he is rapping the whole time. We are drawn to his side and desire because he is talking to us. The video opens with a light and closes with lights. The end focuses less on West and more on his desire. He grows crazy and impatient so he seems to have lost his self control. This shows his determination.

The combination of clips where well mixed and chosen. They flowed and changed with the beat well.  The choreography was done appropriately with the dancers. The scenes were a lab with robots, a machine West is in, a highway, brick walls, tunnels, a hospital, and various city building scenes. The Oriental police force was not developed well to explain its significance along with the language they showed in red on the video. It possibly gives context to the city or it could be showing that with strength there is still confusion and fear.

            Body language and facial expressions where perfect in the hospital because he was seen to be a monster. He had grown stronger and you could see he had become something different/stronger. There isn’t much emotion in this song so the people didn’t need to show much. The main place of entertainment was in the beat and extremes of the song shown by color and darkness in the video. So don’t be “haters!”

The music video shows conviction and determination. The video clips really bring out what the song means and it creates a greater understanding. This music video is a very effective portrayal of the tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsO6ZnUZI0g

Little House on the Praire

This TV series is a remediation of the books the Laura Ingalls Wider wrote.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhHrOgOkXZw&feature=player_detailpage

Nickelback: Photograph

Nickelback is a Canadian rock band. One of its songs is Photograph. The lyrics highlight how often/importantly the band and everyone else should look back on their childhood and remember what they did and who they did it with. Photo albums, videos, and reunions are all great because every place you go and every person you meet has a meaning. Don’t forget what made you who you are because those memories and feelings should be cherished.

The lead vocalist, Chad Kroeger, opens the song, but the story isn’t just his. The music video covers a variety of places in the town of Hanna, which is where the band is actually from. It really shows a personal connection for the musicians to the message they are getting across. Chad is also wearing a shirt that says “HOME” on it. It shows that they are leading by example and that they are expecting just as much from us as from themselves.

The town is displayed as old but all of the people are what make it amazing to come back to. They have head shots of a couple older people later in the video and it again shows the importance of everyone in our lives. Emotions of happiness are shown and the honesty of admitting and laughing at mistakes is inspiring.

The combination of clips where decent and they built up over time. They included too many shots of the band members playing their equipment which took away from the story. The choreography was done poorly in the same sense but the locations where appropriate like the school, train yard, sunny open field, a ball park, and of the cars leaving at the end.

            Body language and facial expressions where dull but showed the face of reflection and deep thought. The focus wasn’t directed at a particular member of the band after the opening and really opened up to show the audience that everyone is a part of the story.            

The music video shows a desire to remember and never forget what makes us who we are. In this part, it trumps other poorly done parts so it is an acceptable portrayal of the tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB0DU4DoPP4

Cascada: Everytime We Touch

Cascada is a German Eurodance act. One of its hit singles is Everytime We Touch. The lyrics highlight how much she is in love with a guy and the music video extends it to even show that everyone has the right and ability to express themselves uniquely. Your qualities shouldn’t be hidden because of what others label you as. Everyone has hidden talents that can be brought out through passion and by getting past fear. Love should show your excitement and bring to light what makes you one of a kind.

The girl (Natalie Horler) is determined in this music video to get this boy back. At the beginning we see her holding a picture of him as she speaks her first sentence. We can tell she is hurting.  She discovers what she wants (him back) so she carries out a plan. It took a little time to come up with this plan of action but she got an idea. So she goes to the library where he works and just lets her personality and zeal show.

She enters the library and walks right up to him and gets his attention. He follows her farther into the library where other people are and she gets up onto a row of cabinets like they are a catwalk and she solo dances at a very fast rate with the music. The flashing lights really add to the beat also. The use of her hair brought out her feminine side and how she needs attention. She is just beginning to raise havoc. People have to be creative in self expression.

             The choreography was done very well in this music video to match the beat and to fill the instrumental section. The fast sections of the song had fast dancing and the slow section where he admits his love to her is given a slow visual to show the sincerity. The overall tone of the song is made to be truly romantic and fun. The music video brings it out all the more.

The combination of clips where good because they connected each part of the library together to show us the progress and to show us everything Natalie was doing. At first when she is on her catwalk, her guy is trying to get her down. She also found it necessary to throw catalog cards around too so he had to pick them all up. Then all of the other people who are in the library start to notice her and they soon join into her excitement and break dance too. They all come together to form a dance group that is perfectly woven. The dance solos show how everyone can express personality: scholars, janitors, and large men with fanny packs. The guy she is trying to get, also shows his soul too.  Love should allow every party to be themselves.

            Natalie does a wonderful job of using body language and facial expressions to show she really does “feel the static.” The focus was able to stay on her except when she tied in her fellow actors and actresses to encourage others to show what they can do. In the US, individuality and self expression are encouraged but kids still live in the shadows. Cascada is telling you to come out and live life with enthusiasm because no one can keep you down.

            The video definitely shows passion for music and self expression. It is a great portrayal of the tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jylhbkhjfLc&ob=av2n

Avril Lavigne: Sk8er Boi

Avril Lavigne is a Canadian pop rock musician. One of her number-one world singles was Sk8er Boi. The lyrics highlight how peer pressure can leave people with regret. The song is about a girl who turned a boy away even though she liked him because her friends thought he wasn’t good enough. He then turns into a rock star. You should always give someone a chance and not just in a relationship. Everyone has hidden talents so they could surprise you.

Avril is the main focus in the video which works out because it is her side of the story. They used good props and choreography with bikes, guitars, cars, and skate boards.

             This is a very confusing and fast music video. It distracts the viewer too much from the lyrics because it is a completely different setting from what the lyrics say. The video is of teenagers/ young adults running around and setting up a concert in the middle of the street. It is an interesting plan but ends in pandemonium with one girl getting pounded into the street, a windshield getting smashed, and the cops showing up. This shows what outbursts in society can cause- suffering.

Avril lacks emotion in her face in this video which is boring and it shows her as being stuck up. She is telling a story about what happened to her boyfriend but her lips don’t move very well to fit the words. The mixture of clips needs some work because it ends with her having a sad/confused face, which doesn’t fit.  It makes it look like she screwed up when really she is the one that ended up famous and with the boy because she looked into him and held onto what was important- love.
The video definately shows a passion for music and opportunity but it is not a good portrayal of the tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIy3n2b7V9k

The Band Perry: You Lie

The Band Perry is an American Country music group and they came out with the song: "You Lie”.  They created a music video of the song that gives a common story and discovery of the day: cheating. Cheating in the US is too common and people in and around the relationship are affected by the occurrences. It is important in the way you handle the situation though. If you are affected, you should take a deep breath and go about coping with it responsibly and with compromise. Knowing how far to go isn’t easy. We shouldn't hate the country girls who keep their dignity and cut out compromise. Pop/Rap girls go back to the abusive relationships and give up their values. The right way is unknown, but The Band Perry picked a good solution with this song.  

            This music video has an acceptable combination of scenes and angles to get a variety of tones and lighting. The focus was mainly on the bride (Kimberly Perry) and we didn’t get to see much of her brothers’ faces which keeps us focused on her story. There was a lack of facial expressions but it adds to the constant and controlled confusion of not knowing what to do which is why relationships can get annoying. Time to think is necessary and this was shown accurately.

The video starts with a preview of the end when she burns everything and then moves into a scene of a pilgrim/renaissance engagement party. The setting was perfect for giving her a sense of innocence and to show she wasn’t the problem. It fit perfectly with the lyrics and how they were a play on words and gave a picture for your mind’s eye: "The way you lie like a penny in the parking lot at the grocery store." The family interactions are good for this song because of the father authority and the support she gets from her brothers. Another reoccurring clip is of her and the groom together with a red, heart shaped light. This shows a sense of affection and also regret for what has happened. It gives a sense of warmth in the sadness but the mood then changes to anger and the light goes out and he is left alone and he doesn't seem to understand. He smiles but she doesn't run back to him. She has gotten a hold on what she wants and knows but he didn't learn. Then the mood turns to a content sadness when she throws her engagement ring in the river and the visual matched the tone of the music. She then lights paper on fire and has it shower down around her. The video ends with her sitting in her pride with her family beside her in support.

            People have commented that this music video is just a Taylor Swift knock-off. It has very similar qualities because of the genre. The clips were all useful and the band performed well to focus the story on the bride. The video definitely gives a good solution to the problem of cheating and is an accurate portrayal of the tune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCwLsXZnFl4&ob=av2e

Music Videos- Tunes with Visual

I've grown up around analysis. I find it important to look at the pros and the cons to make an accurate decision with every detail accounted for. So I have decided to analyze a variety of music videos, while attempting to write in the style used in “Reader’s Digest”. This periodical contains factual articles (stories), editorials, and jokes. The words the periodical uses are particularly straight forward and the articles attempt to be entertaining, offer advice, and touch on the readers emotions/personal experiences so the writing stlye is geared to draw in readers by evaluating what happens in everyday life and to bring the readers emotions into it. An example from Reader's Digest is: "It's important to stay calm. If you got upset about any of this, you might forget how important it is not to disrupt the record profits of our fossil fuel companies." I am going to accomplish my goal through tone, word choice, referencing, and with minor opinion that is backed up. I intend to bring in the social significance that these videos have in the US and also develop lines that readers can grow tangents off of.  Please enjoy as I look deep into how artists portray their tunes with visual displays.
http://www.rd.com/