Eminem - Without Me : Intertextuality

The music video for 'Without Me' by Eminem is an extremely controversial yet addictively bold video, its use of multiple scenarios built around one context allows for lots of different types of contextuality, the most obvious being the main theme of the video, the comic book style, this runs throughout but follows the main storyline of a young boy who buys a copy of Eminem's album which has an advisory sticker on it, Eminem, playing the character of Robin and his faithful partner, Dr.Dre playing Blade (unconventional as Robin's partner is meant to be Batman, also unconventional as most superhero's were white, this gives off a realistic slant on it) have to rush to the rescue, once they are at the boy house they snatch the CD off him and point to the sticker, showing that his CD has bad language on it.

 

The video links strongly with the lyrics, which means it mocks a lot of Eminem's critics, including the vice-president Dick Chaney (mocking his heart problem, so he electrocutes him) and his wide Lynne, he also mocks the FCC and MTV, saying that the show would be lonely without him (giving across the sense that he is one of a kind), he then carries on to mock Chris Kirkpatrick and the band Limp Bizkit.

A strong link within the music video is his specific link between him and Elvis Presley as a white man who has managed to succeed commercially within a largely black art form, he however is very controversial with what he shows about Elvis, being too fat for his outfit, showing his excrement’s as being a burger and also shown him to die in the toilet, this is ultimately mocking his life and also the American stereotype.

 

He also goes on to attack his own mother as it shows them two on a talk show, this was linked with the lawsuit she filled out against him for the lyrics of his single ‘My Name Is’.

 

Towards the end of the video he also uses Bin Laden as a character in his video, this is of him talking to the camera and then gets chased, he then goes on to dance with the other characters, this mocks the seriousness of Bin Laden, and also mocks the extremely popular tv station ‘CNN’, but puts it as the ‘ENN’.

Conventions Of A Music Video

Camera Shots:
The main three types of camera shots used are long, mid and close up shots; long shots are used to help show location and can emphasise a location's scale, mid shots are used to help show the artist/band members clearly, giving you chance to know the look and feel of the band and also lets you see the instruments they play and lastly close up shots are used to emphasis emotion and also to reflect what is in the lyrics down to the movement of the lips (lip syncing).

Camera Movements:
Camera shots are used to trace the steps of the artist/band or the actors they may have chosen to use within the storyline. Camera shots such as tilts, pans, tracks and crane shots are used.
Conventions can alter with genre, such as with a hip-pop song the shots will more than likely be very still and simple, however with a heavier song, the camera will be more slack and realistic, this is because the camera usually moves with the beat of the song and 'bops' with the music.

Mise-En-Scene:
Mise-en-scene is pretty much everything within the shot, such as:
Lighting
Props
Location
Costume

Lighting is important as you are able to have lighting to represent or emphasis a certain aspect of your video or you could use it to set a mood, such as the use of black and white in 'Street Spirit' by Radiohead.

Props are vital to help add to a scene and create significance to a specific object or person, props could also be seen as the instruments they play.

Location is one that usually changes with genre, such as heavier music will usually use quite run down or derelict style buildings, however dance music will use places such as nightclubs or large party type venues, this represents the type of music they play as it also gives off a sense of emotion and presence.

Costume depends on the type of song, this could be done to a theme, such as a party theme or a war theme, however, usually heavier rock bands just wear their normal clothes as they like to keep themselves raw and don't like to dress up, they usually wear other band merch to represent their bands however. Bigger artists such as FUN will wear fancy clothes, or have a theme, such as in 'Some Nights'.

Editing:
Editing also changes with genre, however, one rule still always tends to apply to conventional music videos, and that is editing to the beat of the music, this makes the video catchier and more professional which gives it an overall more professional feel and makes it more enjoyable to watch. They will also really only tend to use straight cuts, this is because they want the music video to be strong and punchy for the viewer.

'La La La' Evaluation

Mise – en – scene:

When you first see the old man sitting in the gym playing the music for the women, you instantly notice the make-up they have used on him, they have gave him a really dusty/pale look, the dusty effect could signify how he has been sat there for a long time and has become ancient and the paleness could represent how he how life is nearly over and he is dying, that could be why the little boy buys him a new heart, to restart his life and free him from the women.

Towards the end of the video in which the 3 characters and the dog are walking to find ‘El Tio’, they travel over an old, unused train track, around them is lots of rusty metal and old parts, however, a very contrasting prop is used in the form of a tv, this tv isn’t rusty or broken which instantly catches your attention, as well as that it is also very different to the surrounding environment, this helps to bring out the focal point on the tv. The tv is used to promote the album which is called ‘Hotel Cabana’, this is an quirky yet subtle way of promoting it and mirrors the quirky style of the song as well.

Camera:

I believe that specific camera angles are used throughout to help portray the characteristics of the people within the story, such as the 3 main characters (boy, scarecrow and old man), the camera angle used on these three characters is very much eye level based, this helps the audience to feel a deeper connection to the character and an empathy with their feelings, however characters such as the father and the women in the gym are taken from lower angles, this helps to show how they are very dominant characters and rule over the main 3.

Editing:

Like a conventional music video, the editing is done very closely to, or on the beat, this helps to give the video more of a professional and smooth run and i feel, also helps to show the relation between what is happening within the video and what is going on in the song, a good example of this is the most important part of the song, the sentence that goes “’la la la” this is accompanied by the child or other main 3 put their fingers in their ears, this interlinks and create a stronger image and sound, enhancing the effect it is giving off.

The overall editing throughout the video is very simple, but i believe that this is done for a reason, that because the storyline behind the music video is so deep they want you to concentrate on what is happening, which is done best when the transitions are left simple, they have effectively used this technique to allow peoples focus to stay on what is happening in the shot and not what is happening between shots.

Sound:

As the actually story behind the ‘La La La’ is based around a Bolivian legend containing a deaf boy, i think that the sound has been used effectively to interlink the story even further, because all you are able to hear is the track being played over the top, there is no diegetic sound, so it is as if you taking the characteristics of the boy as you are not able to hear what is going on around him, much like her cant, giving you, i feel a stronger connection to his character.

'Street Spirit' Evaluation

Narrative:

Street Spirit doesn’t have a core meaning, it was not written to be resolved, Thom Yorke described it as “The dark tunnel without the light at the end”, the lyrics are basically a selection of mini stories instead of a conventional large story with a specific meaning, he also said “I used images set to the music that i thought would convey the emotional entirely of the lyric and music working together”, this means he chose what was going on in the video to match up with the lyrics to enhance its emotion.

Mise – en – scene:

Within the first few seconds of the video for Street Spirit by Radiohead, you see the lead singer sat in the dark, however the main focus here is the use of lighting, they have a light that moves from the left to the right of the screen, this could represent the passing of life, and as she he simply just sat there that could also represent how he is doing nothing with his life but watch it fade away into darkness, this is an effective representation and instantly creates a deeper storyline.

As you move through the video, you get a shot of a flying insect and also of a tree, these both contrast the main idea of death as they would represent the idea of life, however the use of the black and white effect is enhanced here to show the overpowering nature that death has a presence even within life itself.

Camera:

The shots of the lead singer are usually mid-shots throughout, however the other shots are all long shots, this gives the audience more of an outside point of view on their lives, this is unusually as normally you want to be part of the video to really enhance its meaning and emotions, however they have chosen the style of being unable to help them, it’s like you are being neglected from their lives, which does help to create the sense of helplessness.

Editing:

The most eye catching editing is the fact that they have made the whole video have a black and white effect, this sets the mood for the video well as it is about death and the black and white use allows the video to be more gloomy and eerie, this also relates to the emotional story behind the song and the lyrics being sung with it.

They have also used an effect with the extremely effective and interesting slow motion, this really gives off the strange atmosphere because within the shots there is usually one person in slow motion and one person not, this editing really suits the eerie song and also gives off the sense that life may drag on, but at the end of it, it will give you the same outcome, death.

Music Videos

60’S – Johnny Cash: Ring of Fire

This video is very much what I think as the start of music promo’s. the video is very simple with a use of only a few shots, mainly all of Johnny Cash singing the song, this is because in early videos, they wanted to really give off the look of the band or artist playing and wanted you to be able to put a face to a name next time you would hear it. The setting is done on a stage, this was typical as the videos were in the 60’s, usually done with a gig type set up to give off the look of popularity and interest.

70’s - David Bowie: Space Oddity

David Bowie really pushed the boundary on what was achievable within a music promo, he started off a trend of paying hundreds for a music video to be made and for it to be as good as it can be, he also added his own style and made his video so it wasn’t a live performance, I like this video as it it very trippy and unusual and really highlights his characteristics within a video, the detail is there and the complexity of the video helps to emphasis its effect.

 

80’s – Michael Jackson: Thriller

This is an extremely famous video and will be for many years as it was the first music video that was made with certain things such as a cast, dance routine, make up, real effects such as smoke and also it was made in a movie like style. Michael Jackson paid around $500,00 for this to be made and really made people want to try and give it their all to make a professional and rememberable video. This was also one of the first videos in which there were no instruments being played, it was just him singing, he also flipped the conventional music video of the time on its head when making a music video which contained all story line.

 

90’s – Daft Punk: Da Funk

After a few years of music videos that contained storylines that link in with the music being played and the lyrics being sun, Daft Punk went with a complete different approach, in their music video for Da Funk, there is no meaning at all behind the things that happen, people have tried to interperate it in many different ways, but it is literally meaningless. They also didn’t have anyone singing the song at all, they just had their track playing through a boom box in which the character is holding throughout, I like this video because it works well with the type of music it is, the fact that’s its very techno and edgy and the video is very stylistic of them and is very different to what everyone is used to hearing and seeing.

 

2000’s – While She Sleeps: Seven Hills

In my opinion, I believe this is one of the best music videos I have ever watched, it has taken the aspects of what make music videos great and has made them even more deep, such as the storyline, although there isn’t a storyline as such running through, the video is about the band moving on and becoming bigger, it says at the start that the gig is in memory of basically their past, which gives a much deeper and enhanced meaning, the shots are fast paced and really suit the style of music and the environment it is set and the shots are mainly mid-shots or close ups, giving a real sense of emotion and intensity. They, much like the videos previous has set up a live gig type setting, this is to give of the sense of popularity, however, they are not on a stage, they are in with the crowd, giving you the sense that they don’t see themselves as big and just do it because they love it and enjoy the atmosphere that comes with their music being played.

Naughty Boy: La La La - Video Meaning

The La La La video, shot in Bolivia has a mythical link to a Bolivian legend, the video uses contextuality as it relates to the story of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, this is an attempt to defer those unfamiliar of the real meaning behind the video to something they are more likely to know.

The real meaning behind the story is based solely around a 19^th century legend which involves a young deaf boy who has fled from his home because he is being abused and as he left, he found a stray dog that kept him company since then. After living on the streets for a large amount of time he finds out that he has the ability to find out people’s troubles, he can then heal them by screaming, this screaming was rumoured to be as loud as an earthquake or even a tornado. The boy finds a man who is being stoned by other villagers whilst being shouted at, the boy uses his ability to find out what is wrong with him and repairs the old man’s heart (this is the part in the video where he boys the man a heart). The boy and the old man then meet a disfigured man who was abused and seen as a dodger of society. Using his powers the boy releases that the man is a prophet who was cursed by El Tio because he simply didn’t worship him and left the area that the demon lived. El Tio was considered as a lord of the underworld, mortals offered him gifts for his protection and to lessen his anger. The prophet told the boy that anyone who could hear El Tio would immediately fall under his full control, he also tells him that El Tio could be found in the desert, where there used to be a small town that worshipped El Tio but he cursed them to kill themselves. As a group they all cross the desert and enter the mine in which holds the demon, however they didn’t want to be cursed so only the little boy entered and as he was deaf, he was unable to be controlled by El Tio and he used this special ability to over voice him and stop him from cursing others.

For those who don’t know the Bolivian legend, the video can be portrayed in a very different way linking with the story of The Wizard of Oz, it starts with the little boy representing Dorothy, as he leaves on his own he finds the dog, this could be a link to Toto, the dog that Dorothy owns, or as the name of the dog in the La La La video is Chow Chow, which translates as ‘little lion dog’ this could mean that the dog is also linked with Zeke, the cowardly lion from the movie, he could be with her as he needs courage, you then also meet the old man for whom which the boy buys the heart for, this links to Hickory the tin man who needs a heart, the last and final character you meet in the music video is the man who is signalling traffic, as is set up in costume to look like a scarecrow, he must be Hunk, he needs a brain and wants to aspire with more in his life. They then all make the journey over the desert, which in the story of The Wizard of Oz would be the yellow brick road up to The Wizrad, the 3 characters then get what they desire from him and leave Dorothy (the little boy) with the wizard to be sent back home.

AHHH BOH

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