I have chosen to look at All Time Low’s music video for ‘I
Feel like Dancin’. It is a very upbeat song and, like their other songs, the lyrics
and fun and comical. On the 5th April 2011 it was released in the US as a
digital download through Interscope Records. When the video was first played,
it was released online exclusively on Vevo. The director of the video shoot was
Matt Stawski, he had directed All Time Low’s previous video Weightless but also one of Paramore’s music videos.
Paramore - Hallelujah
All Time Low - Weightless
The story of the video is that the band are filming their
music video and the different performance scenes are the ideas that they have
come up with in the scene before. It kind of makes fun and relates to Goodwin’s
theory as some of the ideas they come up with are part of his theory. For
example, one of the ideas is to reference/copy other music videos and in
Goodwin’s theory it says music videos should make use of intertextual
references.
Throughout the video the choice of images is very generic in
relation to the genre. All Time Low are a pop-punk band so the main part of the
video is made up of performance shots and scenes. This is intertwined with
acting shots where they are supposed to be sitting down with their manager and
discussing what ideas they are going to use in their video. The first scene is
related to product placement. It features the band performing with the product
Rockstar Energy Drink placed on and around the whole performance. The costumes
and the way the band are dressed are to reflect the product not who they are.
The next method their ‘manager’ says will work is selling sex. This then
involves a costume change for the band and actors, which again doesn’t
represent who they are as a band. The actors are dressed very provocatively and
are wearing skimpy outfits, when they start dancing around in the performance
scene the band start to look uncomfortable as they aren’t happy with the idea
that their ‘manager’ has come up with. The final method they use is stealing
other artists’ ideas which is taking intertextual references to a whole new
level. The first music video they copy is Lady GaGa as it is instantly
recognisable when they are dressed in white latex suits dancing around in a
white room. Also, Lady GaGa is of a
completely different genre so the song has nothing to do with the band. Another
artist’s video they copy/reference is Katy Perry and her video for ‘California
Girls’, the band is dressed in exactly the same costumes as what Katy Perry was
dressed in when she original made the video.
Product Placement
"Selling Sex"
Using Others Ideas / Intertextual References
These ideas are all cultural signifiers, for example, the
product they placed is American based and both the artists’ videos they copied
are American. This is mainly because All Time Low has a large American fan base
so they will understand the video but the signifiers can be understood by fans
in other countries too, such as the UK as the signifiers are related to the US.
As the ideas in the video are supposed to challenge generic signifiers in a
roundabout way by the time you have watched the video it almost doesn’t.
Compared to other All Time Low music videos it is very different in its
production but the main idea of the video is to have fun and make it comical.
This is to do with the overall style of the band and how they are represented
as a band through the media. Also, this video is similar to that of
‘Weightless’, another of All Time Low’s music video, this is because both
videos have been directed by Matt Stawski. His style is very comical and the
way his music videos are created and directed. This is what Alex Gaskarth had
to say about the director of their video, “Matt did it again– He understands
this band and always gets the message that we want to convey in our videos. I
think we all went above and beyond with this one. It’s a hilarious, but also–
sadly– true statement about the way the industry works right now. That, and we
look effin’ brilliant in latex”.
The narrative structure of the video is linear, it follows a
story and doesn’t use flashbacks, but the storyline is quite jumpy as bits and
pieces have been missed out, in a way they use flash forwards to move the
storyline on quickly. The director has used a linear structure so that the
video flows along and doesn’t jump backwards and forwards, this also links into
what the video is made up of, performance and narrative. After their 'manager'
has come up with an idea it then shows the band performing that idea and so on
through the ideas.
As I looked at earlier, there are many intertextual
references throughout the whole video. For example, copying the videos of Katy
Perry and Lady GaGa, at the end of their video, this is done in a comical way
rather than a serious way. Also, the way the band is set up and represented
during the performance scene is similar to many music videos from the same
genre, with the guitar and bass players at the front in a line and the drummer
behind. This is a generic set up for a band and it is also the same positions they
stand in on stage when they are touring so that fans will be able to relate to
the video.
Performance Scene
There are many different representations through the video.
Firstly, the world they are represented in is just their normal world; being
told what to do by management and then trying to do what they want instead. The
way it is shot is almost like a backstage video of a music video shoot that the
band would use to connect with fans. This kind of makes it more interesting for
the fans to watch instead of seeing just a normal performance scene mixed with
a storyline. The way the band is also being represented strengthens the
promotion. There are many close ups of the band and their instruments so that
the band are the main feature in the band, all the actors in the background
only get medium shots so that they don’t overpower the band. This helps with
the selling of the track as the fans feel closer to the band. The video does
relate back to another of their music video, 'Weightless', the colours used and
the comical value are very similar. This is mainly because both of the videos
have been directed by Matt Stawski and have been given the same treatment. The
way the band is represented is still basically the same in each video too.
During the middle section of the video, there are some very obvious references
to the notion of looking and voyeurism. The second idea their 'manager'
suggests is selling sex. When it then cuts to the performance scenes the camera
are much slower and focus on different parts of the actors bodies and the actors
have changed into very provocative clothing. Also, the way in which the
location has been set up to look like a music shoot means there are lots of
people watching the band performance and also what the footage they are
shooting looks like on monitors. The way the male and female actors are
represented during the second idea is quite diminishing of them as its crude
and to the point. I think this has been done to prove a point that even though
the band have it in their video it isn’t what they are about; they are
different from other music videos that have actors dancing provocatively and
almost selling themselves.
Copying Lady GaGa's Video
Because of the way they are trying to communicate a
message about who they are as a band, a lot of scenes are not traditional for
the genre even though the video is based around a performance scene. For
example, the band believe they are individual and all about the music so the
video shouldn’t need to be imitations of other videos, have sexy dancers or use
product placement. These representations are affected by social situations.
Also, the pressure from record labels on artists to be something they are not
is a current problem within the music industry and this is kind of All Time Low’s
way of saying that they aren’t going to conform, which is part of what they
stand for as a band. They believe music should be about the artist not what a
record label wants them to be. Alex has stressed this in many interviews that
they are never going to become something they aren’t comfortable being or doing
things they don’t agree with. Another aspect of this is that when one music
video includes something like a particular scene you often see it then repeated
in many ways in other music videos released after the original. The way in
which it has been done is this video is to show this up. Because when music
videos are released you often see the same sort of things in videos released in
the following weeks.
Band and Manager Meeting
All Time Low have quite a large fan base spread across the
world. In the UK they are still relatively unknown but they have recently been
played a lot on BBC Radio 1 by a DJ called Tom Deacon, he introduces new music
through a show aimed at a specific audience of people aged 13-20 years old in
the UK. This is mainly the audience that the band appeals to in the UK, more specifically
females, of a white ethnicity. Most of the appeal is from the music, notably the
lyrics but also the band themselves because of how they look. The lyrics that
Alex Gaskarth writes for the songs are catch but also give something for the
fans to connect with the band. Many fans say that listening to All Time Low is
like an escape from real life or the music has “saved them”. This is something
Alex and all members of the band understand and why they give so much time and
attention to their fans. This is shown in the form of a fan club they have set
up, called The Hustler Club. It allows fans of the band somewhere to chat and
talk about music together; sometimes the band members join in. On the boards
there is a real sense of family and friendliness which makes fans feel part of
something, it also gives them a chance to buy special merchandise or win meet
and greets at concerts. I am part of The Hustler Club and can honestly say it’s
worth the $25 it costs to sign up. You make great friends, are able to have fun
and free conversations about All Time Low and I have even won a meet and greet,
which was one of the best moments of my life.
An interesting narrative structure in this music video and sending up mainstream music videos with reliance on sex and referencing similar artists. One aspect of the music video which you may wish to develop is the voyeuristic images of women. Though the band in a sense send themselves up any female performer hasn't that opportunity and thus the women are objectified and not part of the band's repertoire, thus one could see this music video as a reflection of the position of women in the contemporary music scene - sexualised and marginalised.
There are also images which suggest the band are also targeting gay men, thus broadening audience appeal.
A visually fairly interesting music video though the track is very run of the mill.
Vickii you need to link your research with your own production, thus music videos of female artists utilising images of nature would be a useful area to do further research.
An interesting narrative structure in this music video and sending up mainstream music videos with reliance on sex and referencing similar artists. One aspect of the music video which you may wish to develop is the voyeuristic images of women. Though the band in a sense send themselves up any female performer hasn't that opportunity and thus the women are objectified and not part of the band's repertoire, thus one could see this music video as a reflection of the position of women in the contemporary music scene - sexualised and marginalised.
ReplyDeleteThere are also images which suggest the band are also targeting gay men, thus broadening audience appeal.
A visually fairly interesting music video though the track is very run of the mill.
A proficient analysis.
Vickii you need to link your research with your own production, thus music videos of female artists utilising images of nature would be a useful area to do further research.
ReplyDelete