1. Noah and the Whale- Five years Time (Director: James Copeman)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8YCSJpF4g4
The promo begins with its title being displayed in a font similar to that used in may Wes Anderson movies which immediately creates a sense of offbeat humour and quirckiness. Each band member is shown with their name next to them creating a sense of identity and allowing the audience to become accustomed to them in a friendly manner. The promo itself is set in a quiet bar in an unknown location with fairly realistic furniture if a slightly brighter than normal colour scheme which also includes their clothes which are identical to each other and give them the look of a cruise band.
The promo seems to be aiming towards looking to be fairly low budget by the fact that its only other location is a park which is available to film in to us as students. There isn't a sense of difference in scale. The camerawork is slightly wobbly indicating hand held cameras and as a result the director mainly employs mid shots with artificial lighting being minimal. There is also a rather grainy texture to the film itself making it look more homemade. Furthermore there are some interesting use of editing techniques such as wipe edits, split screens and a dissolve in the form of a clock face. You would not expect to find these in most films which implies that the promo is embracing its indie slightly quirck character and not trying to impose itself as a serious work.
The promo is also a mixture of performance and narrative as there are many stretches which show the band performing but there is also a loose narrative in the form of the lead singer's relationship with the only girl in the promo which is his girlfriend. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals such as when he mentions going to the zoo and we see a shot of the two of them at a zoo as well as holding wine bottles when they are mentioned in the song. The result of this is that it suggests to the audience that the song is based on the band's real life experiences which supplies a degree of realism to the promo and allows the audience to empathise. The lyrics also supply one example of intertextuality which is when James Dean is mentioned in the lyrics and this suggests that the target audience is if not old enough to understand then a young person who has interests slightly less mainstream. For example they could have mentioned a more modern movie star such as Brad Pitt.
The promo ties in with expected codes and conventions of this genre, indie, as it is designed to be offbeat and a little quircky, i.e antithesis to pop music. The theme of the song is also young love which means that the target audience will probably be young people probably of both sexes who have or are experiencing that feeling. The band play their instruments energetically but not aggressively like someone like a rock band would. They create a feeling of warmth and this is furthered with their bright costumes which look like a throwback to those worn in hi-di-hi. This also suggests that the band is not particularly self conscious and not bothered about their image which means that this promo is not just a star vehicle but something they enjoy doing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8YCSJpF4g4
The promo begins with its title being displayed in a font similar to that used in may Wes Anderson movies which immediately creates a sense of offbeat humour and quirckiness. Each band member is shown with their name next to them creating a sense of identity and allowing the audience to become accustomed to them in a friendly manner. The promo itself is set in a quiet bar in an unknown location with fairly realistic furniture if a slightly brighter than normal colour scheme which also includes their clothes which are identical to each other and give them the look of a cruise band.
The promo seems to be aiming towards looking to be fairly low budget by the fact that its only other location is a park which is available to film in to us as students. There isn't a sense of difference in scale. The camerawork is slightly wobbly indicating hand held cameras and as a result the director mainly employs mid shots with artificial lighting being minimal. There is also a rather grainy texture to the film itself making it look more homemade. Furthermore there are some interesting use of editing techniques such as wipe edits, split screens and a dissolve in the form of a clock face. You would not expect to find these in most films which implies that the promo is embracing its indie slightly quirck character and not trying to impose itself as a serious work.
The promo is also a mixture of performance and narrative as there are many stretches which show the band performing but there is also a loose narrative in the form of the lead singer's relationship with the only girl in the promo which is his girlfriend. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals such as when he mentions going to the zoo and we see a shot of the two of them at a zoo as well as holding wine bottles when they are mentioned in the song. The result of this is that it suggests to the audience that the song is based on the band's real life experiences which supplies a degree of realism to the promo and allows the audience to empathise. The lyrics also supply one example of intertextuality which is when James Dean is mentioned in the lyrics and this suggests that the target audience is if not old enough to understand then a young person who has interests slightly less mainstream. For example they could have mentioned a more modern movie star such as Brad Pitt.
The promo ties in with expected codes and conventions of this genre, indie, as it is designed to be offbeat and a little quircky, i.e antithesis to pop music. The theme of the song is also young love which means that the target audience will probably be young people probably of both sexes who have or are experiencing that feeling. The band play their instruments energetically but not aggressively like someone like a rock band would. They create a feeling of warmth and this is furthered with their bright costumes which look like a throwback to those worn in hi-di-hi. This also suggests that the band is not particularly self conscious and not bothered about their image which means that this promo is not just a star vehicle but something they enjoy doing.
2. Massive Attack- Angel (Director: Walter Stern)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbe3CQamF8k
The setting for this pop promo is an almost empty car park late at night which we can tell by the fact that only artificial low key light is employed. Initially there is a cut in exact time to every beat which creates a feeling of momentum. The camera straight away focuses on one character with both mid shots and close ups and this establishes him as the protagonist and he is dressed in black which creates an image of a loner and possibly a character with less than innocent intentions. However, there quickly shots of other characters and the performances of these characters immediately establish as the enemy whilst the original character is then framed with a slight circle of light over his head which could be interpreted as a halo which may mean that he is the 'Angel' of the title.
Following this tracking shots are used when he begins to flee which creates a sense of real time and therefore added suspense for the audience. There is then a series of slow motion so that the audience can fully appreciate the scale at which the 'Angels's' predicament is increasing. There is a brief pause when we focus on one of the chasing pack stopping and miming the lyrics in harmony to the song. This is the only example of the lyrics and visual being linked as the promo is narrative based rather than performance based, in fact unless you knew the what the band members looked like beforehand you wouldn't be able to tell which people are the band and which are actors. Despite the lyrics and visuals being linked there is a link between the music and the visuals as there seems to be an increased level of momentum in the instrumentation when the chase also increases in volacity. Also the music almost grinds to a halt when the chase stops and enables the promo to take on a sort of stand off situation between the 'Angel' and the pack.
This promo suggests to me that the band are not focused on promoting their own physical image but are instead more interested in giving themselves a reputation for being melancholic, which is the sort of tone that may especially appeal to teenagers, and to have a darker heart. It is also interesting to note that that prior to this song the band were previously known for a more laid back ambient and the extremes of this promo suggest that the band wants to move away from their previous image and into to something darker and edgier and they are attempting to do so here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbe3CQamF8k
The setting for this pop promo is an almost empty car park late at night which we can tell by the fact that only artificial low key light is employed. Initially there is a cut in exact time to every beat which creates a feeling of momentum. The camera straight away focuses on one character with both mid shots and close ups and this establishes him as the protagonist and he is dressed in black which creates an image of a loner and possibly a character with less than innocent intentions. However, there quickly shots of other characters and the performances of these characters immediately establish as the enemy whilst the original character is then framed with a slight circle of light over his head which could be interpreted as a halo which may mean that he is the 'Angel' of the title.
Following this tracking shots are used when he begins to flee which creates a sense of real time and therefore added suspense for the audience. There is then a series of slow motion so that the audience can fully appreciate the scale at which the 'Angels's' predicament is increasing. There is a brief pause when we focus on one of the chasing pack stopping and miming the lyrics in harmony to the song. This is the only example of the lyrics and visual being linked as the promo is narrative based rather than performance based, in fact unless you knew the what the band members looked like beforehand you wouldn't be able to tell which people are the band and which are actors. Despite the lyrics and visuals being linked there is a link between the music and the visuals as there seems to be an increased level of momentum in the instrumentation when the chase also increases in volacity. Also the music almost grinds to a halt when the chase stops and enables the promo to take on a sort of stand off situation between the 'Angel' and the pack.
This promo suggests to me that the band are not focused on promoting their own physical image but are instead more interested in giving themselves a reputation for being melancholic, which is the sort of tone that may especially appeal to teenagers, and to have a darker heart. It is also interesting to note that that prior to this song the band were previously known for a more laid back ambient and the extremes of this promo suggest that the band wants to move away from their previous image and into to something darker and edgier and they are attempting to do so here.
3. Mika - We Are Golden (Director: Jonas Akerlund)
This pop promo is set within Mika's bedroom and features him dancing around in his under pants in an exuberant way. The very first shot is of him putting on a cassette tape, which is quite a retro image, of the actual song and his name which immediately establishes with the audience who the artist is and the name of the song. There then follows a mid shot of his bedroom which gives the audience a very general idea of the tone of the song because the room is brimming with bright vibrant colour both on the wallpaper and with posters as well as dozens of shirts and trousers scattered on the floor which are similarly vibrant. The room is also very untidy which could have connotations of rebellion and the idea that your bedroom can look like whatever you want it to be.
Following this opening there is a series of rapid cuts which cut in time to the rythm of the song and help to emphasise the frenetic energy of the music and this is furthered by Mika's chaotic movements mirroring a teenager dancing around in his bedroom. More close up shots are used now and the audience gets to see more detail of the room which includes several cuddly toys which create a childlike sensibility as well as provoking empathy amongst the audience. There are also several poster referencing popular culture which indicates that that is his main interest and is also useful for establishing that the target audience are probably teenagers or even younger children with an interest in pop culture.
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