Music Video case study research sheet

You will need to research the two set music video case studies: a realistic music video and a postmodern music video. You
need to be aware of the differences between them as you may need to compare them in your exam answer. You should be at a
stage where you can discuss the following for both case studies with solid examples:
Case study artist: Radiohead
Realistic or Postmodern? Postmodern
Performance and/or narrative in the video?

1. Textual Analysis:
Cinematography
At the beginning, long shots are used to make the town seem
happy and cheerful. However as the video progresses the shots
become closer as they reveal the dark things that go on in the
town. The progression of shot type’s progresses with the music
as it starts to become faster and more intense. They tend to not
use close up shots at all, the closest shot type they use is a mid-
shot. They may have done this so the audience can see the
location behind the villagers because close up shots limit what
is going on around the character and rather focus on the detail
of expressions in their faces. This is not useful in this case
because the characters are models rather than real people so
cannot create much expression.
Editing
The editing is simple. It cuts between a few different shot
types and uses a fade out/in when changing locations within
the town. Each location they move to begins and ends with
long shots however whilst they are in the location observing
what’s going on in the town the shots move closer to show
more detail. Occasionally they use a wide shot that gradually
zooms in to close in on something more particular (such as the
scene closing in on the mayor as he talks to the villagers who
are gathered in a cirlcle around him). The visual style of the
video is lighter in tone than the song to create contrast. There
is a relationship between the video and lyrics with visual
references to witches.

Sound
The beginning opens with bird chirping noises as it shows a
bird sat perched on a branch. This opening gives a sense of
time of day, perhaps morning and also makes the town seem
like a happy and cheerful place. The overall mood of the song
is dark and mysterious and this is achieved through a buzzing
bass sound. In the beginning there is just one layer of sound
but as the song progresses more layers are added but they all
still sound very electronic and bassy.
Mise-en-scene
The clothing of the characters in the video is very traditional,
women are wearing long skirts and dresses suggesting it is set
in the past.
In one of the beginning shots we see a man mowing the lawn
however in the background of the shot we see an orange bottle
with three crosses on it. This could represent poison again
adding to the dark and dangerous vibe of the town. In another
shot the mise-en-scene hints at the danger within the town
again as in the background we can see the graphic speared beer
sign on the pub.

Representations present/how is this achieved?

1. Authoritive figure / Inspector
We get the impression he has authority by the clothes he is wearing.
He wears a grey suit with a white shirt a red tie. He also carries a
clipboard and writes things down as he sees them suggesting he is
inspecting the town. He also wears a black hat and gets chauffeured
around which again gives the impression he has authority and status.

2. The mayor We can tell he is the mayor because he wears a suit with a blazer and
a pendant that mayors usually wear. He also wears a black hat. In
many shots we see the mayor talking to the villagers and it seems as
if he is telling them what to do which shows his authority.
 3. The farmer We can tell he is the farmer because he wears a long brown coat and a
bucket hat. He also is the character looking after all of the land in the
various clips within the video, for example, he mows the lawn outside the
light blue building and looks after the greenhouse where they are growing
fruit.

4. The villagers The villagers represent english countryside stereotypes. The villagers are all
wearing traditional clothing suggesting its set in the past. They are all also
wearing clothes that suggest they're taking part in the village labour. For
example, they are wearing aprons, dungarees, hats and boots.

2. Institutional information:

Record label and who else they produce. Radiohead signed to EMI in 1991. EMI also produced Robbie Williams,
Snoop Dog and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers (who are no longer signed with
them).

Genre Details:
EMI stands for electric and musical industries. Therefore EMI mainly produce electric artists however they have produced
some classical too.

3. Video Production:

What technology has been used to The video was made using stop-motion animation technology.
produce the music video?

Who directed the music video and what Chris Hopewell directed the music video as he also previously directed
else have they made? another one of Radiohead’s singles called ‘There There’ in 2003.

Interesting information about how the video was made:

The whole video was conceived, designed and built in 14 days. The team worked day and night to produce the puppets and
props which they managed to complete within only 6 days. There were 12 people in the crew who worked around the clock
to build the puppets snd the step. Another smaller team then animated the stop-motion video.

What kind of music genre is the artist
working in and what do you know about
it?
Radiohead is an art rock, alternative rock, electronica and experimental
rock band. Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as
"rock and roll" in the United States in the early 1950s, and developed into a
range of different styles in the 1960s and later, particularly in the United
Kingdom and in the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock
and roll, a style which drew heavily on the genres of blues, rhythm and
blues, and from country music. Rock music also drew strongly on a number
of other genres such as electric blues and folk, and incorporated influences
from jazz, classical and other musical styles. Musically, rock has centred on
the electric guitar, usually as part of a rock group with electric bass, drums,
and one or more singers.

Who funds the promotion and video

making?

4. Distribution, exhibition and exchange:

Where might this video have been

originally viewed?
Does/did the artist perform live? Where? Radiohead have organised concerts and other live performances in Europe,
North America, Australia, Asia and South America.

5. General information:

Net worth of artist

Who writes the music? (If band, are the From the start of the band, Thom Yorke has written most of Radiohead’s
writing credits for songs distributed music. However some other song credits go to the other band members
across all the members?) Colin and Jonny Greenwood, Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway.

Biography of artist.
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke, brothers
Jonny greenwood and Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien and Philip Selway. They have worked with the producer Nigel Goodrich
and cover artist Stanley Donwood. They sold more than 30 million albums worldwide by 2011 and in 2005 they were ranked
73rd in the Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest artists of all time. They were nominated for the Rock and Roll hall of fame in
2017 (their first year of eligibility) and nominated again in 2018. The members of Radiohead met while attending Abingdon
school, an independent school for boys.

6. Context – social, cultural, historical