Analysis of Music Videos

Foo Fighters - Rope





In this music video we are immediately introduced to the band, as you can expect from a rock song, and we find ourselves in a small white cube. The cube itself is later used for lighting effects, as each side has a light behind it.


The next section of the video is split into smaller parts which cycle through the different band members playing their instruments, along with a few close-ups to help promote the band and create an identity. I think the use of a white cube is to highlight the band, because with this video being almost entirely set in this box it allows for total concentration on the band.


As the lyrics begins the vocalist is shown more frequently until the music picks up and the tempo raises, this is when the use of the cube comes in to play. With quick cuts, flashes of light and the unsteady hand-held camera the emphasis of rock being 'rough' is able to come to life.


At almost two minutes into the song the video switches to a silhouette of the band, the video continues like this until, again, the tempo of the music is increased, where we find ourselves back in the cube however this time the cuts and flashes are much quicker and sharper. From this the camera view switches from the band and follows a wire into an amp where the switch for the mains is turned on. From this point the cube is red and the band is then featured again throughout this instrumental part of the song.


The lyrics then begin accompanied by flashes of other colours including blue and green where the video comes to an end as the camera view cuts back and forth from inside the cube to outside it. During this the flashes of colours is continuing. The video finally ends with all the lights going off and the cube being left completely black.




Darude - Sandstorm





Sandstorm is a narrative music video. Although this song is instrumental the story used still matches the song because of it's pace being formed by the song itself. The story follows one women's attempts to escape two other people chasing her, a male and a female, as she flees with a briefcase.


The speed of the chase matches the pace of the song throughout and ends with a twist at the end, challenging Laura Mulvey's music video theory. The twist being that when the pursuers catch the fleeing female, the chasing women turns on the man and is seemingly reunited with her companion, to leave the area uncontested. This completely goes against Laura Mulvey's theory as the women here clearly have the power and are not in any way sexual slaves. Despite the women at the end jumping onto a boat with their assumed boss, a male (the artist), they are still not objectified throughout the video.


Finally, the artist in the video, Darude. Throughout the video the artist is almost like a motif, he is constantly appearing in various places during the video. He is not noticeable included within the story line until the very end when the women return with the briefcase. In my opinion this is an effective technique to promote the artist and stick to a narrative theme.




Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication





The 'Californication' music video takes up the form of a video game whilst featuring the band. All in all this music video appears to be a mixture of the three main video types.


The way in which the band is introduced is very unique, as we scroll through a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and one by one a profile for each band member appears. After 'selecting a character' we are put onto an island, resembling California, the main theme, in both shape and looks. The video then shortly switches to mid-shots of the band members, singing and playing. It isn't until about one minute thirty until we see the band as a unit, however that only last for a short while until we are thrown back into the game.


When we do see the band for the second time the mise-en-scene is created to match the lyrics, just as Andrew Goodwin talks about in his theory. The lyrics are, 'Dream of Californication' as the band plays surronded by clouds which are often included when picturing a 'dream-like' location.


Finally, as the song come to an end the game is featuring more than one band member at a time until they are united at the end when a 'Play next Game' screen appears, leaving room for audience speculation about a possible new song.