1. Music videos
demonstrate genre characteristics.
(E.g. stage
performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip
Hop).
Lana Del Rey often performs in the music genre alternative rock. It is often characterized as different from other genre of music. There are no two artists alike, like Lana Del Rey. I believe that the song portrayed by the music video is unique against the songs around the song's video release date. I think that it meets the expectations of an alternative rock music video, because they're all very varied, like this music video that excludes the typical party videos.
Lana Del Rey often performs in the music genre alternative rock. It is often characterized as different from other genre of music. There are no two artists alike, like Lana Del Rey. I believe that the song portrayed by the music video is unique against the songs around the song's video release date. I think that it meets the expectations of an alternative rock music video, because they're all very varied, like this music video that excludes the typical party videos.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.
(either
illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
Lana is dressed in a 1920's style black dress, which was a common clothing worn by women. Mise-en-scene helps to set the music in that period like it was produced in 1920s. This music was composed based on the novel and the film The Great Gatsby, where a female character fell in love with a gentleman she was forbidden to fall for. Lana is also singing about the fact that she is vulnerable; she is longing for someone in the initial stages of a relationship. Lana is shown with close up shots of her looking up at the viewers, appearing weak as we're looking down on her, like its showing her position found in a beggar.
Lana is dressed in a 1920's style black dress, which was a common clothing worn by women. Mise-en-scene helps to set the music in that period like it was produced in 1920s. This music was composed based on the novel and the film The Great Gatsby, where a female character fell in love with a gentleman she was forbidden to fall for. Lana is also singing about the fact that she is vulnerable; she is longing for someone in the initial stages of a relationship. Lana is shown with close up shots of her looking up at the viewers, appearing weak as we're looking down on her, like its showing her position found in a beggar.
'Hot summer nights, mid July
When you and I
were forever wild'
Lana is reminiscing her days of being together with her lover, because as she sings the lyrics, her expression brightens with a smile of the good memories. The lyrics amplify the music video because Lana is secluded and portrays the meaning behind the lyrics towards the audience rather than footage illustrating the lyrics.
Lana is reminiscing her days of being together with her lover, because as she sings the lyrics, her expression brightens with a smile of the good memories. The lyrics amplify the music video because Lana is secluded and portrays the meaning behind the lyrics towards the audience rather than footage illustrating the lyrics.
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music.
(either
illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
The song has an orchestra playing, which suggests
classical atmosphere. The mise-en-scene that Lana is dressed in suggests that
the music video is set in 1920, with the black styled dress and the make-up put
on the artist. Although there are times when Lana sings about positive
memories, the tear drops by her right eye stay as a reminder to the audience
that it is a depressing song. Perhaps this feature of make-up could be
foreshadowing the song's sad ending.
The colouring and noise edited in the footage also gives
it a vintage feel to make the music video look like it was actually filmed back
in 1920s using its present filming equipment. The dimensions of the shots are
all similar to an old film camera, when footage was still in shape of a square.
This further implies the fact that the performance is set in 1920s.
The mentioned footage of the orchestra also illustrates
the music instruments being played, giving the music video a more realistic
setting of performance. There is also an interesting use of lighting on the
orchestra, for example when there's a sudden change in beat in the song, and
the composer shows so in his movement, the lighting gets more vivid by
transitioning from a cold colour blue to a hotter colour red.
The editing of the footage is rather slow to fit the
atmosphere of the music video. Classical music is often seen as grand, which
may suggest spacious and luxurious stages, however the space may be one of the
features within the music video, Lana is the focal point of the music video,
and perhaps she could be portraying the luxury in the music video. This could
imply the conclusion further by the large round diamond earrings and rings
round the fingers worn by the artist.
4. The demands of the record label will
include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop
motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
In comparison with other footage, such as the orchestra,
Lana Del Rey gets the most screening throughout the music video. It is of
course that she is the star of the music product, but the way she has acted to
match the atmosphere of the song allows her to develop a closer relationship
with her viewer. She is often always targeted towards teenage girls because of
a lot of her music being love-story related, which is why she is shown in a
fair amount of screening at a close-up distance to help her and the fans feel
more personal towards her music and the story being portrayed.
5. There is
frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors,
stages, etc.) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
The video has been shot screens within screen, like shown
by the footage having a square border with rounded edges, like it was filmed
with an old film camera, which recorded in this type of format.
In contrast, Lana isn't particularly 'showing off' her
certain areas of her body to the audience but rather highlighting her figure as
a whole. With the use of light, it has been adjusted to exaggerate her curved
back as she's turning away from the camera. The dark shadows the body areas
that should expectantly be on screen are hidden away to show that the
importance of the song is Lana's emotions she is portraying to her audience
rather than her figure.
6. There are
often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc.).
The song was created as part of the soundtrack collection
for the movie The Great Gatsby. There are many hints within the music video
that can link back to the movie or novel. The setting of the music video would
be one of them as the use of classical music still occurred occasionally back
in 1920s. To match the style of the music, Lana Del Rey has been dressed in the
style of a woman who would be dressed in 1920s; a long, slim black dress with
vivid lipstick and wavy styled hair - finished with diamond jewellery.
The events in the novel and the movie can be heard within
the lyrics Del Rey sings. E.g. "Will you still love me when I'm no longer
young and beautiful?" This quote of the lyrics highlights one of the
desperations Daisy and many other characters experience within the storyline.
