Genre Music Video Analysis

Genre Music Video Analysis - Dream-Pop/Ambient-Pop

Considering that Cigarettes After Sex isn't a very well known band and are so differing in their music genre, it was tedious trying to find bands that were even remotely similar to what the band offers. However, through trawling the Internet and the minds of the youth (i.e. my friends) I was able to make comparisons of the band to well known artists such as Daughter, Damien Rice and Chet Faker. However, for the two latter artists, they didn't have any music videos, they were unofficial and were only live lounge sessions. 

Numbers - Daughter

Numbers by Daughter is an extremely brooding and melancholic tune, slightly reminiscent of 'Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby' by Cigarettes After Sex. It is however, more upbeat to my original song, 'Keep On Loving You'. What struck me about the music video is the low-key and sombre lighting that was quickly contrasted with dull neon lighting such as the blue and purple hues. This immediately drew me to the music video as a lot was happening, but not to the extent that I was distracted - it kept me engaged. The music video follows the narrative of a young woman who ventures out into the dark streets to 'find herself' because she feels perpetually numb and struggles with her identity in a cruel world. The song details the artists pain as she fails to make emotional connections to other people, hence the tracking shots that show her being dismissive towards an injured woman and blowing cigarette smoke into the face of a street preacher. As a band, Daughter is known for their brooding tunes and are categorised into the Dream-Pop and Ambient Rock genre. Because of this, I can make the link between this music video inspiring me and my own production as the bands are of the same genre. 

However, it is important to note that although this music video depicts low-key lighting and melancholic scenes, it is not necessarily how I would like my music video to be filmed. My interpretation of the song, 'Keep On Loving You' is neither negative nor explicitly positive, it is however a reflection of a relationship, weighing the good times and the times of sadness and missing your significant other. In this case, I can apply my music video to this one as the music video for 'Numbers' follows the inner relationship of a woman and her feelings towards the external world, and in my video, I explore the relationship of a married couple. In a nutshell, the two music videos are linked by their focus on relationships. 

Daughter - Still

Another one of Daughter's songs, 'Still', focuses on a turbulent relationship. The style of the music video is narrative based as we see the progression of their relationship and the turbulence that they face by being with each other. What connects my music video to this one is indefinitely the narrative concept behind the video. Although, my video focuses on the beauty and undying nature of a relationship, is it still a narrative. Like the aforementioned video, the footage features sombre, low-key lighting that is again, contrasted with neon colouring. This seems to be a continued theme throughout their music videos, giving them their own personal aesthetic. 

Daughter - Doing The Right Thing

This music video is the closest to what I aim to achieve in my product in terms of the colouring and camera shots. The overall aesthetic of the music video is filled to the brim with cool hues that would have been completed in post-production editing - this is exactly what I want my video to look like. There are camera shots that contrast with this cool toned colouring and are obviously "warmer" than the rest of the video. Aside from the colouring, the camera shots are exactly what I aimed to have in my video: the close up camera shots of the eyes and hands, capturing the minute details such as the skin wrinkles is exactly what I have done and what I am going to continue to do. It is also important to note that again, the video is a narrative video and follows the relationship between a married couple and how they have progressed through life. In a close-up camera shot, there was a clear image of a photograph of the pair at their wedding - this is exactly what I have done in my video where I open with a panning shot of photographs from my parents life and how they have got to this point now. This music video is the closest and more accurate representation of what I am going to achieve in my final product - both aesthetically and the range of camera shots. 

As I have said before, the way in which I have interpreted the song by Cigarettes After Sex determined my music video style, and although the song is essentially categorised into the 'ambient pop' genre, the way I have interpreted it has convinced me to shed light on a more positive element of the song and reflect this in the video - hence the high-key lighting and close-up camera shots of my protagonists and them being happy and joyous. However, this was contrasted with the mellow, slow-motion panning shots at the beginning and the end of the video and the dull-coloured editing at the beginning. The editing is done purely to reflect the emotions that are evident within the video and to enhance the emotional reception that I get from the audience.