Music Video 1
The Killers - Somebody Told Me
Setting and Props:
The music video is filmed in the desert with nothing but the band, their instruments and a big screen behind them. The video does not follow a set narrative and it just appears to show the band singing. From time to time some girls are shown dancing in front of the screen. Due to the dancing being seductive it follows the conventions of a male alternative rock band music video as skinny, pretty girls are something that's expected.
The main props are the bands equipment, such as a microphone, drums and guitars which again is expected. The big screen behind the band is also an essential prop as it displays colourful, visual effects and other angles of the band and their instruments in different lighting.
Facial Expressions and Body Language:
In this music video, the bands facial expressions are mostly monotone but also passionate when playing their instruments or singing/dancing. This is typical in music videos as it shows that the band are enthusiastic in what they do, which creates a warmer tone within the video. The body language of the band backs up this idea as they all seem really into the song. The dancing girls body language suggest that they are carefree but also trying to be seductive.
Costume, Hair and Make Up:
The costumes worn by The Killers in their music video are fairly normal, smart-casual outfits. It can be inferred that suit/leather jackets, colourful shirts and jeans was the typical fashion back in 2009 which was the year of the videos release. The men's hair is all quite long and messy, this would be acceptable from an alternative rock band as people won't have particularly high expectations for them in regard to looking formal and professional. The dancing girls are mainly just a silhouette therefore, it is not clear exactly what clothes they're wearing. This observation again, supports the idea of the dancing girls trying to be seductive as the mystery of their appearance and clothes would grab people's attention.
Positioning of Characters in the Frame:
Most of the video is the band singing and dancing in their regular formation; lead singer at the front, 2 guitarists either side and drummer at the back. This is the conventional way that bands are set up, perhaps because the lead singer is usually the most well-known and would make the audience pay attention to the lyrics more. The drummer may be at the back due to his piece of equipment taking up the most room. Behind the drummer is the screen which is showing different shots and angles in different lighting, this is placed at the very back to be used as a background shot that people would occasionally glance at. When the dancing girls come into shot, they are stood in front of the screen which is showing a pink visual effect. This is done to create a cool effect with the colouring and silhouettes.
Lighting and Colour:
The lighting in 'The Killers' music video for 'Somebody Told Me' starts off as being bright green, red and blue which is all created by the visual effects shown on the big screen. Theses effects continue throughout the majority of the video, but the screen also shows the band being filmed in the daylight, giving the setting some light. This is needed as most of the music video is shot at night time therefore, without some lighting it would be hard to see what's going on. When the band first appear on-screen they are blacked out and just seen as silhouettes, this makes them seem mysterious and could be a hidden message as to the feelings towards the song.
Whenever the women are shown dancing, the screen behind them is pink which is a stereotypical colour theme for females and develops the idea of them trying to appear seductive and appealing to the audience.
The majority of the video has dark, minimal low-key lighting which isn't necessarily important as the key thing within it is just the band singing. When the whole band are in shot, the lead singer has the brightest point of lighting and the rest of the band are blurrier. This shows how he is the most important person in the band and the main focus in the music video.
Music Video 2
Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark
Settings and Props:
The setting in this Fall Out Boy music video is in a field surrounded by trees. This area appears to be isolated as the only people featured in the video are the same three characters.
Props play an important role in the music video. The first main prop is what looks like a bottle of petrol which is carried by the man in the video. This is then poured over sticks and a match is used in order to start a fire. Out of a van comes two females who chuck band equipment over the fire, such as a guitar, microphone stand, stereos and drums. This emphasises the isolation of the area that the people are in and how they are acting rebellious by setting things alight. Also, at the end when the vans doors open it shows a few people who appear to have been kidnapped and the man lights another match. This suggest that he is about to kill unknown people. The band's target audience would enjoy the video because it shows people being in a dangerous and illegal situation which would trigger viewers adrenaline.
Facial Expression and Body Language:
The facial expressions used in the music video are typical conventions that would be expected from the genre. The man's face holds a neutral expression that also portrays him as being determined and slightly evil. After he lights the fire, the male character seems to punch the air and dance as if he's achieved something great. This is unsurprising and implies the man is enjoying being in danger, adding a more cynical feel to the video. When the women enter the scene, they too have determined yet evil facial expressions. As they continue to throw things into the fire, they appear to be screaming/shouting, suggesting that they are using force and passionate about their actions. By them walking towards both the camera and fire, it makes them seem intimidating.
Costume, Hair and Make Up:
Black and leather are the main types of clothing worn throughout. Which follows the conventions of an alternative rock music video as this suggests someone is both emotionless but full of emotion too.
The female characters are also dressed all in black however; they are less covered up because their outfits are skimpier and show more skin. This sexualises the women and makes them eye-candy for viewers, which is another stereotype for music videos. As well as wearing less clothing, they have on more jewellery, this represents them as being more glamorous and drawing people's attention towards them. The females make up consists of dark eye shadow and lipstick with bold eyebrows. This too implies danger and determination.
Lighting and Colour:
The entirety of Fall Out Boy's music video is filmed at night time, which further suggests danger as bad things typically happen at night when it's harder to see what's going on. A source of light is a cloud of smoke which creates a silhouette of the male character as he's pouring petrol over the wood, preparing for the fire. The main light source comes from when the fire actually starts, this generates colours and shadows of orange. By doing this, it backs up the main theme of danger within the music video as a fire is a dangerous and harmful thing.
By the characters wearing all dark clothes, it implies that they are perhaps dangerous and doing something illegal as dark clothes at night time makes you almost invisible. The male character is also wearing black sunglasses and a hat which camouflages him whilst hiding parts of his face.
Positioning of Characters in the Frame:
In the music video, the band is not shown once and focuses on three other characters. The opening scene is of the main character walking through mist towards the wood with a bottle of petrol. He is placed in the middle of the screen in order to show he -and the petrol bottle- is what we should be looking at. Whenever he's doing something important he's positioned in the middle of the shot, for example: pouring petrol over the wood or lighting a match.
When the man is joined by the two female characters, he is still in the middle and they are stood either side of him. This shows that he is dominant and holds more power ad importance than them.
Music Video 3
U2 - With or Without You
Settings and Props:
The location of the music video is hard to make out and doesn't represent anything within the video. However it does follow the typical codes and conventions of an alternative rock music video as its set on a stage with the band performing on it.
Band equipment such as stereos, guitars, drum kit and a microphone stand are props that are included in the video. This is also expected to be included in an alternative rock music video. As well as all of the stereotypical instruments, there is also a tambourine. This suggests that even though parts of the video and song follow certain conventions, it challenges some too. The song being slow and ballad-like is an example of it
challenging conventions as people would stereotypically expect alternative rock music to be either loud and electric or quiet and deep however, U2's song is very slow and has romantic lyrics which is unusual.
Costume, Hair and Make Up:
Typically, the band is dressed in casual clothes such as leather vests and jeans. This follows the conventions of an alternative rock music video as it suggests that the band have a carefree and unbothered attitude which is something that they would want to be associated with. The fact that the clothes are mostly dark colours also fits in with the genre's conventions. Leather jackets would probably be popular within this type of genre's music videos nowadays but, leather vests have gone out of fashion. Due to the video being posted in 2009, these outfits would be acceptable in relation to the genre. The main singer of U2 has his dark hair tied back into a ponytail. This may be to represent himself as being desirable as this arguably has connotations of being a seductive yet scruffy look for males. The rest of the band has relatively short, normal hair styles that would be seen as conventional. The long hairstyle of the main singer makes him stand out more.
Facial Expressions and Body Language:
Throughout the video, the main singer of the band has both glum facial expressions and body language. This links to the lyrics of the song as they suggest that the singer is sad and desperate for something. The whole band is looking down for a part of the video which represents them all as being hurt. When the main singer sings into the camera it makes him seem vulnerable, like he is trying to reach out to the audience and make them feel his pain. His body language appears to be leaning down to one side but tense too, which implies that he feels defeated and like giving up. An alternative interpretation could be that the band wants to be represented as rebellious and again unbothered. This follows the typical conventions of an alternative rock music video as an expectation is for them to rebel and be different from 'the norm'.
Lighting and Colour:
The main colour theme within the music video is black due to the effect on the video being black and white for most of it. This fits in with the mood of the song as black and white is a glum and empty colour that doesn't usually have positive connotations. The video switches between high and low-key lighting as when focusing on the band or the main singer whilst he's singing, the lighting is high-key so that the viewers can see their facial expressions/instruments properly. In the background there are flashes of lights and smoke which add an eeriness to the video and makes the band more prominent on screen.
Positioning of Characters Within the Frame:
The set-up of U2's band in the music video is stereotypical for the performance part of a music video as the main singer is placed in the middle and at the front with the guitarist slightly further back and to the side, and also the drummer is placed at the back in the middle. The main singer is usually at the front because he is the most vocal and the face of the band. Most of the other shots also include the main singer in the middle of the shot as he is the main focus.