Analysis of Media

Before starting with my music video project, I decided that it is very important to understand how real music videos are build and how they send a message and spread awareness in some cases to an audience. For this blog post, I decided to analyse a few music videos created by the Moldovan rock band Alternosfera and, by Billy Idol and by Bon Jovi. The music videos I chose are : Imnuri de Razboi, Clopote, Have a Nice Day, Rebel Yell

In this blog post I want to focus on key characteristics that are found when creating a media product, such as mise-en-scene, editing, performance, editing and cinematography.

With the help of this post I will be able to understand how these music videos create meaning and send emotion and deep messages to the audience, and it will also help me to create a beautiful music video.

I decided to start with two modern music videos: Have a Nice Day by Bon Jovi and Rebel Yell by Billy Idol. Through these music videos I want to encourage individuals to not be afraid to fight against corruption, authority and expectations. I want to encourage people to fight for freedom and equality.

Have a Nice Day - Bon Jovi

"Have a Nice Day" by Bon Jovi is a rock song that focuses on defiance against the societal norms, against authority and expectations, making a change in society and standing up for yourself. The music video wants to share a message of independence and resistance. Rather than following only the main singer of the band, Bon Jovi, the video focuses on multiple individuals and groups which are starting to fight back against the authority.

"Have a Nice Day" uses a mix of multiple shots, but each used with a porpoise, mainly to allow the audience to see everything that is happening in the music video. The editing of the video is fast-paced and slightly messy, matching the music and the lyrics.

"Have a Nice Day" by Bon Jovi sends a potent message to the audience by encouraging them to dare to be different and not fear being criticized by society. The music video and the lyrics inspire people to stand up for themselves and break societal norms by standing out of line and being brave enough to stand out. Dare to be different, and dare to tell your story.

Through "Have a Nice Day", Jon Bon Jovi talks about resisting the political control and corruption. "Why you wanna tell me how to live my life? Who are you to tell me if it's black or white?" is clearly Jon's way of telling people to just fuck off.

Rebel Yell - Billy Idol

"Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol is a song which mixes multiple genres of rock, such as pop rock, post-punk, glam rock and synth rock. The song focuses on female empowerment, gender equality and freedom. Idol wrote about an obsession with a woman who lived freely and broke societal norms and gender roles expectations. The song discusses freedom, rebellion as a lifestyle, and argues that a woman should reject conformity and obedience to gender roles and gender inequality. The song flips traditional power roles, as Idol places the woman in a position of power over him and over her life as well. "With a rebel yell, she cried more more more," portrays a woman wanting more from life and rejecting conformity. "She don't like slavery, she won't sit and beg," clearly shows the audience that women shouldn't be put in a position of oppression/inferiority, and spreads awareness about the toxic patriarchal society in which we have always lived under.

"Rebel Yell" encourages women to break the cycle and choose their own freedom.

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After analysing these two music videos, I decided to also analyse two postmodern videos: Clopote and Imnuri de Razboi by Alternosfera. These music videos follow similar themes as "Have a Nice Day" and "Rebel Yell".

The analysis of these music videos prove that, despite clear differences in time, themes of oppression and resistance remain, unfortunately, unchanged. All these music videos show that injustice in society still exist in our world, suggesting that social and political conflict continue to shape society and struggles for freedom continues.

Clopote - Alternosfera

The song "Clopote" is a powerful song with an emotional music video about the war in Ukraine. The music video uses symbolic moments to send a deep meaning and follow themes such as freedom, resistance and manipulation, reflecting the impact that conflict has over individuals. The lack of a clear meaning of this music video encourages the audience to interpret the message in their own way and think deeply.

The mise-en-scene in Clopote is simple. The location used is empty and almost seems quiet, creating an unsettling atmosphere and the use of cold colors create a feeling of sadness. The cinematography relies mainly on close-ups, especially of the lead singer, Marcel Bostan. This creates emotional intimacy and allows the audience to clearly see the emotions of the individuals in the music video through facial expressions.

Overall, the performance of Clopote is emotional and one of the most beautiful performances I have ever seen. Marcel Bostan, the lead singer, shows emotions through his facial expressions and slight movements rather than through dramatic and overexaggerated movements. His performance allows the audience to really feel what he feels, to feel the pain, the anger, the frustration, which shows how talented Marcel is.

Imnuri de Razboi - Alternosfera

"Imnuri de Razboi" is a song that focuses on themes such as conflict, war and resistance. This song was released during the war in Ukraine, as a response to the tragedy happening there. Just like in "Clopote", Alternosfera's music video doesn't create a clear story that has a fixed meaning. The video uses symbolic imagery to represent deeper meanings and emotions.

The mise-en-scene in this music video is minimalistic and dark. The lighting used is cold, creating a feeling of emptiness, loneliness, fear and sadness. While watching the music video multiple times, I noticed the lack of bright colors, which creates an intense meaning, and the use of color red, which represents violence, blood, tragedy, and death. During the music video there are multiple types of shots used, such as close up shots, that allow the audience to see the facial expressions playing on the individuals faces, and wide shots, that allow the audience to see the environment and setting in the music video.

Overall, the performance of Alternosfera and of the individuals in this music video is beautiful and emotional, which creates a deep, painful meaning to this music video