Genre: synth-punk, hardcore hip hop
Audience: teenagers-adults
Many cuts, erratic
postmodern(very)
Sequential imaging similar to stop motion
Hazardous colour scene
Mostly random images however including occasional narrative/linear shots
Close ups(many)
Flash photography used frequently
Include album covers at times in video
As video goes on, images become increasingly more contrasting/sharpened/saturated
Video mimics music in the sense that when the music is busier, the video is too; and vice versa
Conceptual style/convention
Surrealist
Cutting to beat (technique)
Many cuts and seemingly random imagery occurs in “I've Seen Footage”. These sequential edits create a linearity to the chaos however still keeping the very postmodern feel and look of the band. This coupled with the hazardous colour schemes which gets more saturated, sharpened and contrasting as time goes by, really manage to convey the feeling of a surrealist narration of events, like “you've seen footage” of questionable origins.
The target audience for death grips seems to be more towards teenagers and adults, more specifically those into noise-core music and hardcore hip-hop. They target more niche audiences through their seemingly careless attitude towards their music as they see their band as a project rather than a livelihood, allowing them to have complete creative freedom and produce whatever they desire with little repercussions. This not only separates them from the other similar obscure bands however creates a devoted fan base due to their originality.
Death Grips as a whole is fairly easily identified by their postmodern approach to video making, in this case they take the more mainstream trope of showing photographs in a linear fashion that correlate with their creative process (making of the song or respective album) and add their own spin to it. Not only do they ramp up the speed of which the images are shown however also distort them as time goes by, this along with a nauseous colour palette create a sense of confusion, awe and a bit of anxiety due to their overwhelming imagery. Their use of synths and aggressive lyricism along with mostly fast paced beats with an accent on bass drums are identifiable features of the genres they're a part of, synth-punk and hardcore hip-hop.
The audience can achieve gratisfaction from their unique sound, separating death grips from other bands, leading to a more refreshing sound compared to the mundane and similar music of today. Another factor attributed to their appeal is that of the lyricism and engaging videos, in this particular case the images flash very fast however not fast enough that you can't tell what they show. Occasionally they show random places and locations that aren't related to their music which not only draws the attention however makes the viewer re-watch or at the very least wonder what they have seen. Overall their appeal stems from their originality when it comes to subject matter, lyricism and postmodern videos.
The symbolism in the video(s) can be interpreted in two major ways: one being its meaningless ramblings without much thought put into them, only therefore the atmosphere and aesthetic. Or the opposite, strategically thought out imagery and lyrics relating to a bigger message, obscured by a blanket of seemingly nonsensical tomfoolery which only the most dedicated fans can uncover (this also plays into their popularity).
Analysis:Aphex Twin - On
Genre: techno, experimental, ambient
Audience: teenagers-adults
Conceptual style/convention
Stop motion animation ; sequential imaging
Timelapse footage of setting
Build up to main setting; introduction to the area
Cutting to beat (kinda - since the camera is standstill, the elements on screen change according to beat)
Liminal perspective; objects larger/smaller than life
Elements in different perspectives interact with one another
Repeating elements and scenes
Aphex Twin is one of the more well known ambient and experimental music artists with a moderate range of genres in his work. Active from 1985 till present, he has amassed a wide following of enthusiasts, appealing to a broad audience.
Similarly to “I’ve Seen Footage” by Death Grips, “On” by Aphex Twin follows a chaotic sequential style and doesn’t pertain to any obvious narrative. Stylistic and unconventional, the MV is entirely produced in real life stop-motion - combining props, actor and location into a conceptual art piece. It’s fast paced, containing many elements that require a close eye to observe. Colours are fairly saturated and bright, akin to an almost childlike setting. Visually, “On” appears similar to the iSpy book Scholastic book series, initially released a year before this MV (1992), this may be intentional intertextuality.
The target audience for Aphex Twin typically ranges from teens to adults, but as an ambient artist, his work can charm people of all ages. His work is fairly mainstream, but still typically correlates to a certain niche. “On” proves these sentiments, with the aforementioned childlike mise-en-scene combined with a light tempo and fairly calming, repetitive tune amidst sporadic visuals. This contrasts Death Grips’ `I've Seen Footage”, as the former is not so versatile in audience, and solely tackles more mature themes in both music and visuals.
With its postmodern and abstract approach, “On” presents an almost exclusively artistic visualisation of his work, rather than focusing on a narrative or typical musical conventions. One might consider such work nonsensical, but it may be argued that this is the point; Aphex Twin expresses his originality and is immediately recognizable throughout any of his work. Throughout the still camera shot against the beach setting, scenarios are repeated a couple times over back to back, allowing the viewer to take in more of the scene at a leisurely pace (at least in comparison to “I’ve Seen Footage”). Akin to Death Grips, his work typically does feature synth, though typically not as harsh nor does it contain any instruments besides electronic ones. Aphex Twin’s experimental ambient and techno is widely well received for this fact amongst others.
As stated, “On” ‘s artistic visuals are its main feature to note. The MV begins with a couple establishing shots of the setting, beginning directly with a stop-motion droplet of water, panning out to a shore, then a timelapse of the tide rising and finally arriving at the singular still shot where the rest of the duration of the MV plays out. Alongside the pleasant music, a multitude of characters dance across the screen in sequences, allowing the viewer's eyes to linger and take it whatever they are attracted to. The similarity to the iSpy book series is uncanny, therefore similarly the audience follows the setting in the same fashion. Foreshortening of objects and characters is present, alongside a surreal interaction between different otherwise unrelated perspectives - otherwise impossible if not for the use of stop-motion. Inanimate and animate objects interact, providing the audience a memorable and gratifying experience to watch.
We would like to incorporate this element of stop-motion into our own music video, as it holds the feeling we are looking for and want to experiment with.
Analysis: Grimes - Oblivion
Genre: dance, electronic
Audience: teenagers-adults
The video follows singer Grimes “vibing” at a football game/motorcycle show in a stadium. The whole setting feels almost nostalgic and dreamlike, this is also reflected in the singing and synths playing in the background. The desaturated palette of the whole music video coupled with the restricting aspect ratio of the clip further cement the nostalgic feeling, almost like a memory.
There is a strong male presence in the video, whether it be at the beginning where Grimes is singing in a men's changing room or in general the very (traditionally) masculine dominated topics portrayed in the video: sports, loud music, motorbikes, drinking. This was partly due to the message of the song and its purpose, Grimes was assaulted in the past and she stated that subsequently she wasn't comfortable around men. After looking at the lyrics it's clear she is stalking about the tragedy that happened to her along with the unforeseen consequences, “And now I look behind at all times” “See you on a dark night” “Coming up behind you Always coming and you'd never have a clue”
When she's walking around these male dominated areas, they cower around her, this could be her taking back her power, being in control, an empowering step to her healing. Grimes is an artist who, in contrast to Aphex Twin and Death Grips, is much more straightforward within portraying a message with her lyrics and visuals, the two complementing each other without question. The viewer might have to pay a bit more attention to these two factors in order to spot this message but nonetheless it is visible.
Whilst anaylsing these three music videos, we gathered a lot of crucial information pertaining to conventions, styles and techniques of filming and editing. As stated, we want to incorporate a couple of the elements studied into our own work as we develop our coursework - elements such as: “stop motion” photography; surrealism; flash photography and many cuts between shots.
We will of course develop and experiment with more conventions as we work, but as a starting point this has widened our horizons into understanding.
Comments