MC: Comparison Of Two Music Videos

Live While We're Young – One Direction

• Goodwin identifies the typical characteristics music videos demonstrate. By looking at his theory, it allows us to see how conventional music videos are. In One Direction's 'Live While We're Young' music video, the relationship between lyrics and visuals is very illustrative. The video shows the members of the group doing fun activities which relates to the title of the song as well as the lyrics.
• The relationship between music and visuals is also illustrative as the music is upbeat and fast which fits in with the actions of what the boys are doing in the music video. For example, they are jumping around in a pool.
• There are also lots of close ups used within the music video like Goodwin identifies that the demands of the record label will include the need for close ups.
• This music video is also primarily performance based.

•        Dyer's theory talks about star image and what a star is. He identifies two key paradoxes. The first paradox states that the star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer. One Direction are shown as being ordinary as they are having fun and doing what most teenagers can do, however they are extraordinary as they are doing what most teenagers are too lazy to go our and do, the music video shows them to have a fun life that most teens want.
•        The second paradox states that the star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer. In this music video, this paradox does not apply as One Direction are shown at all times so therefore within this music video, they are always present.
•        One Direction can be seen as a product and constructed. They conform to hegemony as they provide audiences with 'what they're supposed to be'. The music video shows the ideal lives of teenagers so One Direction are being sold as a product to the audience of how to live life and have fun.

•       Barthes identifies a series of narrative codes.
•       The action code is presented in this music video as each activity they are taking part in links with the lyrics of the song about having fun and living life to the full.

• Hall identifies the negotiated and preferred reading. Within this music video, the preferred reading is definitely most dominant as there aren’t many interpretations of what this music video could be showing.

Leave Before The Lights Come On – Arctic Monkeys

• In Arctic Monkey's 'Leave Before The Lights Come On', the relationship between lyrics and visuals, as Goodwin identifies, is disjunctive. The visuals illustrate a story that isn't very related to what the lyrics are talking about.
• The relationship with music and visuals is amplifying as some parts of the action do fit with the type of music however other parts don't fit as well.
• Although there are close ups used, no close ups of the band are used as they aren't shown in the music video. There is only close ups of the actors.
• The music video is primarily narrative based.

• The first paradox that Dyer identifies about being simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary is not present within this music video as the band are not actually shown at all in the video so therefore they cannot be seen as ordinary nor extraordinary.
• The second paradox that Dyer identifies is present in this one in the fact that the band are not shown at all so therefore they are absent from the music video. This leaves the audience to ask questions about the band so they can 'complete' or 'make sense' of the band.
• From this music video, no real star image is created through the music video due to the fact they are not shown and it is purely narrative based.

• Barthes identifies five narrative codes.
• The symbolic code is presented in this music video as the thoughts and feelings of the band are represented through the actors. They band are not in the music video so the actors show what the band want to be shown.
• The enigma code is also used as it isn’t clear what is going to happen within the narrative. The audience continue to ask themselves questions throughout about the characters as the girl is a bit unusual.

• Hall identifies the preferred reading and negotiated reading. This music video can have multiple interpretations. They have not used the preferred reading of the lyrics for this music video but used a negotiated reading.