Music Video Analysis- 'Iconography'

Many music videos feature elements of iconography in them. This is because artists can be distinguished by a certain object or action they use throughout many of their videos and so can be recognised, almost like a brand.

A video that uses this style is 'Runaway' by Galantis. 

Galantis are a Swedish DJ duo who are signed to Warner Music Group. The video that was released on 19th January 2015, features an strange cat face mask that features in their other videos and also prominent on the album covers.

Audience
The target audience for group is mainly the younger generation and fans of electronic dance music who like to party and enjoy being young.

Mise en scene

The setting of the video starts of outside with a variety of fans all waiting to get a picture of signature from the group. The fans are all wearing merchandise of the group showing their support and love for the music and the group. The setting then completely changes into an apartment at night, overlooking a city. The video also features the iconic cat mask being worn by two different people, one male and one female. The video also features a live performance scene in what appears to be a night club. The lighting in the video tends to be very dark due to the time of day but features street lights of the city and vibrant coloured lights in the night club. Moreover, a pink and green stream of light are seen to be flying through the city at ground level.

Performance
The performance by the people in the video represent the message of the song. For instance the women during the video shows a sense of desperation as it appears as if she's trapped in the building. This works with the song as its name is 'Runaway' and suggests that its about freedom and being able to get away from everyday problems and issues. The end goal of being able to get away from life is portrayed with the girl being able to party in clubs and socialise with people particularly of the other gender. Furthermore the lyrics 'I wanna runaway, anywhere out his place' is matched with the women looking out of the darkness of her room into the lightness of the city and all the potential that is out there. Also the iconography of the mask could imply that people are fearful of revealing their true identity and showing the real them to others. 

Camera Techniques
During the video 'Runaway' a variety of camera techniques are used. Firstly an establishing shot is used in the video to give a sense of the main location that is being featured and also the feeling of being trapped that could be felt by the characters due to the series of skyscrapers. Similarly a top shot is used to further reinforce the size of the city. A two shot is also used in two different ways. One way that its used is to show the relationship between both characters wearing the masks and the closeness that is between them. The other way that its used it to show both of the artists in the group who are performing in the club at the end of the video. During this scene, it seems as if a handheld camera is used as the footage is very energetic and isn't steady. This makes the video appear as if its a live performance as this is what is expected if you were to go to a concert or club.    

Editing
'Runaway' features many fast cuts throughout the video particularly in the club scene at the end. This is because this allows the camera to quickly bounce about all the fans that are jumping in the club. Also this fast pace is representative of the beat of the music that is quick and so fits the song perfectly. Some scenes are choppy as well, notably the scene between both male and female coming together, possibly used to show the strong relationship.  

Music Video Analysis- 'Voyeurism'

Voyeurism is used in music videos to entice male audiences into watching the video. These types of music videos are usually aimed at men as they are more likely to enjoy the video and invest into the artist.

A video used to represent this part of Goodwin's theory is 'Bad Romance' by Lady Gaga.

The video itself was directed by Francis Lawrence in 2009 who has been involved with other major artists such as Beyonce and Britney Spears. 

Shots
During the video, a variation of shots are used. A closeup shot of the artist is used to show natural beauty and facial features that may appeal to the male audience. Also this shot allows the artist to look directly at the camera, almost staring straight towards the audience and this could draw the male attention towards the video. 


The use of low angle shots further represent the seductive nature of the video. For instance the crawling towards the camera implies that Lady Gaga is coming towards the audience and becoming more personal with them.

Mise en scene
In 'Bad Romance', the setting of the video is a large bright white room. The room has an bland feel to it due to the emptiness of the environment. The white costumes used by Lady Gaga and the other dancers match the room and could be used to represent purity. Lady Gaga has also been made to stand out amongst the other dancers as she is wearing silver jewellery and is made to look more important than the others. This immediately grabs the audiences' attention to the main person in the video. The lighting varies from light to dark throughout the video. For instance the lightness used in the video against the white room gives an over exposed impression and makes everything appear very plain.   

Performance
Lady Gaga's performance throughout the video further represents the idea of voyeurism. This is because her acting in the video is very seductive and sensual making it attractive to the male audience. Also the way Lady Gaga moves around the room will appeal to male viewers as she uses sexual dance moves to show off her body features. Through her performance, it portrays Lady Gaga to be quite an open and finds that showing her body is quite a normal and natural thing to do.