Music Video Aesthetics

 Here I will be outlining some music video aesthetics that I find compelling, and could use in my own project:

Idles: Mother, 2017  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuQG6_evFc8&ab_channel=IDLES


The Song's aim, https://genius.com/Idles-mother-lyrics#about

'Mother deconstructs the term “Mother Fucker” into its literal and metaphorical meaning. Metaphorically, the singer’s mother was fucked over by a system that required her to work increasingly long hours, mostly unpaid, just to provide for her children. Literally, the singer is furious at how little empathy men can have for women over sexual assault. It’s a pervasive and complex phenomenon that makes women fear for their lives. How can you mother fuckers not see how terrible mother fuckers are.'?


How does the aesthetic achieve this?
The video uses a pastel colour palette, with lots of pinks, and off white; which are traditionally seen as feminine, and maternal colours. This also subverts the genre conventions of alternative rock, and punk of masculinity, this use of binary opposition between the aggressive music, and the aesthetic further accentuates the songs aim. However, the video also uses a cool colour correction, giving it a distinctive punk feel, and the matches the mood of the song.

Lily Allen: LDN, 2006 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmYT79tPvLg&ab_channel=LilyAllen
The Song's aim, https://genius.com/Lily-allen-ldn-lyrics#about
'The song is about London (LDN), and Lily describes a bicycle journey through it commenting on how its happy exterior just hides the malice and distastefulness inside.'
How does the aesthetic achieve this?
This aesthetic utilises binary oppositions throughout, through screen wipes, and match cuts. The positive London, has glamorous lighting, over saturated colours, with a warm feel, with a glimmer, and bloom effect. The video also uses a blurry vignette giving the aesthetic a dreamy quality, to illustrate the protagonists subjectivity. The representations of the setting in the positive extracts show the platonic versions of reality. In juxtaposition, the negative reality, has de-saturated colours, with a cool feel, and realistic lighting, with a dark vignette. The representations show connotations of poverty: rubbish, abuse, drugs, homelessness.

Radiohead: I might be wrong, 2001 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOa--Dhu11M&ab_channel=Radiohead
The song's aim: https://genius.com/Radiohead-i-might-be-wrong-lyrics
'The title “I might be wrong” may be taken from infamous quote by Bertrand Russell: I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. It perfectly fits into the next line “I used to think there was no future left at all”. This Apocalyptic view is also conveying a metaphoric view to our beliefs as drops of water, as they makes us wet and then they just vanish like they have never existed.'
How does the aesthetic achieve this?
This is the song I will be using for my music video. Unlike the previous example, this video is a more performance driven video, rather than conceptual. However, the aesthetic does fit the tone of the song. The chiaroscuro lighting, heavy film grain, with lowered, and higher speed footage gives the aesthetic the melancholic tone, matching the song. Alongside this, there are shots with a kaleidoscope affect, and due to the darkness of the video, the band members can slip into the light, then transition into a wide shot without any noticeable cuts.  

Slowthai: Feel Away, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXx2TczveMI&ab_channel=slowthaiVEVO
The Song's aim: https://www.nme.com/reviews/track/slowthai-feel-away-james-blake-mount-kimbie-2753381
'The song is dedicated to the memory of Slowthai’s baby brother Michael John. “I’m doing everything in my power to live for him and also make him proud,” the rapper wrote in a touching Instagram post yesterday. He added of the new single: “It’s about the doubts we have, whether it be within friendships, your partner or with our family. It’s about putting yourself in the other person’s shoes so you have a better understanding of the situation.”'

How does the aesthetic achieve this?
Due to the serious nature of the song, it is shot with natural lighting, albeit very cold, and synthetic due to the hospital setting, with little colour correction. The video uses a lot of wide shots, to illustrate the isolating tone of the song, which is further accentuated by the aspect ratio, and is filmed with point of view shots, as it's 'about putting yourself in the other person's shoes'. The video does have shots that show a party, but even then the colours are subdued to not undermine the feeling of the song. 

The Cure: In Between Days, 1986 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scif2vfg1ug&ab_channel=TheCureVEVO
The Song's aim: 
I couldn't find a definitive meaning behind the song, that the band has stated. Instead, this is based of fans general consensus; The song is about a love triangle, with the man cheating on his main partner with another woman, however he deeply regrets this, and feels guilty, vulnerable, and worthless.

How does the aesthetic achieve this?
The aesthetic here, seems to match the upbeat musicality of the song, rather than the lyrics themselves. The video is mostly in black, and white, with a high contrast, and lighting coming from a single source from above. The room is white, creating a very claustrophobic feel, the shots are usually fixated on an object, or person- giving a very dizzying effect. The imposed imagery of stop motion socks gives the aesthetic a quirky feel, to distract from the lyrics. However, there are dissolved transitions, and overlays featuring a different aesthetic, with colours often associated with horror, surrounded in darkness. These juxtapositions are illustrative of the confused mindset of the lyrics, and show the darker content past the upbeat music. 
Location: Kiribati

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