Miss Miller - Diversity of music videos

There are a number of things which makes a music video unique. Going down to the barebones, through a video being unique they often go against the genre conventions of music. Although saying this, a video can be unique without going against the majority of the conventions, and can still follow conventions to an extent so that the audience is able to still have an understanding and to be able to make a connection with the artist. The advantages of creating a unique/ eccentric music video is that members of the public are more likely to be enticed to watch, resulting in hype and buzz around the videos visuals. This helps towards assisting the medias portrayal/ image of the artist the artists due to the hype associated with the artists music video and this newly found image. Another advantage of making diverse music videos is that they are original in terms of pre-existing music videos, which some audiences would respect the content creator for, as it shows they can make new original content for the target audience and demonstrate originality. The disadvantages of this however is that the audience may find a diverse video simply just strange and off-putting if they do not understand the purpose behind it, or if there simply isn't a purpose; in turn having a detrimental effect to what the content creator would have originally intended. Another disadvantage of making diverse videos is that some people who really don't like the video at all will associate these videos with the artist so they won't become a fan because of that very diverse video. An example of an artist which is known for being an abstract artist and providing with unique music videos is Cunningham, to which I am going to referencing music videos which he created from a couple of artists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MBaEEODzU0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4agXcHLySs


Chris Cunningham has worked with a number of different artists when going to create his unique music videos, examples of artists he has worked alongside being Madonna and Aphex twin. As an individual and with his work, Cunningham is well known for his unique music videos, in which he rarely ever follows genre conventions.

He is often known for often having a rather dark side towards his music videos, an example of this being from Aphex twins "come to daddy" (Bottom link). This music video is a clear example of his dark, abstract music videos. Throughout the video, there is a number of aspects towards the video which do not follow any conventions of the electronica music genre, instead the video consists of dark icons, the lighting of the video being very dark and the nature of such, the artist being portrayed as being evil through this. There is often people to be shown screaming and being scared in the video, and at the beginning it goes to the extreme of implying that the old lady is having a heart attack, which is shown through the use of a midshot (as seen above). Cunningham may do this for multiple reasons, the main reason most probably being to create a strange video which entices people to continue watching, or so that through the controversy of the video it gets spread from person to person, in turn making it more viewed and popular. Although saying this his videos don't particularly have many you tube views (none exceeding into the high millions) and the artist isn't particularly known either. As a less known artist, making something so strange and offbeat will eventfully gain some sort of attention for a source which can then pass it on to another large number of people. An example of this would be a you-tuber with a large number of subscribers which may have seen the video and told there subscribers to watch it because of the offbeat nature of it, eventfully giving the video and the artist addition exposure. Another reason why Cunningham might go to the extreme when it comes to challenging conventions could be for the sake of self satisfaction of going against the norms of what is expected of him as an artist. By doing this he creates an image of himself which is portrayed through his content to his fans. In regards to music channels, they may find work such as this appealing as it creates a diversity between the conventional pop videos per say which would be shown on a regular basis, so it would  make a change to the norms. This would be beneficial as it may entice more people to watch a music channel which plays music videos such as this as they find it more entertaining to the convention music videos shown. Another thing which is present throughout this music video is the affect Cunningham uses which is where he puts his face into those present in the music video, which can be seen near the middle segment of the music video through the use of a handheld camera. He might have done this for a number of reasons, such as it getting the artists face out there and getting him to become more well known, which if the videos are offbeat and popular for that reason it allows for him to get more exposure.

Goodwin's theory is not evident throughout this particular video of Cunningham. This is as the lyrics and visuals do not have a relationship between each other at any noticeable moments. Although saying this, it could be said that genre conventions are present within the music video. An example of this can be seen throughout the entirety of the music video, with the visuals flashing on screen and have generally fast paced imagery. This in itself makes the video unique as it contains elements of Goodwins theory and opposes other elements of it. Having this unique element of having visuals which don't have any correlation with the lyrics may bring attention towards the strange nature of the video. This is as the visuals which can be seem are rather odd and controversial, and from them standing out and being unique/ diverse it may attract an audience of people due to the attention drawn towards it, which may come via the media or word of mouth.

In terms of the structure of the video, this particular video of Cunningham's I believe contains an element of concept and narrative, lacking performance. Narrative is present as throughout the music video, the visuals do begin to change and progress as the video goes on, as the people throughout the video are continued to be shown throughout. In regards to the concept, I believe there is one portrayed through the dark nature of the visuals throughout the video, which is of the generation of youth being controlled by televisions and the media, and that previous generations can see this yet are unable to stop it. This can be seen through shots of the old lady and dog being scared off by the television, in which the extreme close up of the mouth comes onto screen. Also, this is supported by the children (whos faces are of Cunningham) all run to the television and surround it, almost being controlled by it, supporting the idea of the concept which is connoted in the video.

Another music video by Aphex twin which many would say is unique is "Window Licker" (top link), to which it follows the same principal of his other videos, which are generally quite strange and odd. This video is particularly long in comparison to that of the previous one, and differs with the dark nature which is shown throughout the other video. This video has more comical/ sexual themes portrayed throughout, in comparison to the other video at hand. One appealing aspect of the video straight from the off could  simply be the length, as it is almost telling a story, which some may find entertaining.

Throughout this video, there is narrative, performance and concept present. For the narrative, this is clear from the beginning of the video as it has the two men which are driving about, to which they come across the girls and later the artists. For performance, this is evident at a number of times, one example being when the artist is completely his opening dance routine with the umbrella, and on another instance come the very end of the music video, in which a dance routine with a group of girls can be seen.

In terms of conventions, in comparison with the other video, one convention which I identify within the video can be seen near the very end, in which the dance segment with the girls and the artist is seen, which is what the audience would expect to see of a music video which falls into the electronica genre. Although known for defying conventions, another one which can be seen is of the dance segment of the artist and the umbrella, to which the whole bit some would say is a tad raunchy. This whole idea is present throughout many songs of the electronica. One aspect of the video which goes against the convention of music videos as a whole is the length length of it, probably done to enable more to be shown to the viewer. Most videos which fall under the electronica wont rarely exceed the 5 minute mark. Through incorporating conventions as well as defying, it makes Cunningham stand out as a content creator, making his work different but not to the point where it cant be considered to not fall under a certain genre because of it having a lack of the main components which can often be seen throughout.


This video would be considered unique for a number of reasons which would be both beneficial and detrimental in regards to advertising and overall viewer feedback. It doesn't follow many conventions at all of the genre that it fits into, although it has a few which are chucked into the long duration of the video.
 Similar to that of the other video, the artist has chosen to put his face onto others in the video which could be done to a number of affects. Firstly doing it makes the viewer see the artist and video in a certain way, portraying such as being odd and weird. From this it makes both the artist and video stand out, the artist more so as he may do this with the aim of getting his face out there. From this controversy and weird aspects within the video, it could potentially make the video popular and make word spread. Although saying this, similar to the other video it wasn't particularly popular, so through his persistence strange/ unique videos could lose potential fans through it simply being too controversial. His videos are certainly memorable overall, although as he does not follow many conventions at all it makes building a relationship with the viewer considerably harder; the artist constantly putting his face in his videos could be done to combat this. Through his face being put onto others in the video, it helps get his face out there.

Another music artist which Cunningham has worked with is Maddona, one song which I shall be referring to in particular is "Frozen". The song is associated with the pop genre as Madonna is a key figure in that genre of music in the industry, however the song is definitely a differentiation from her usual content she would be often associated with. The video was made in 1998 however the videos she released in previous years leaned more towards being conventional to the pop genre, this showing that Madonna wanted to change her musical direction into something more unique than what she began doing. The music video does demonstrate some conventions of the pop genre, one example is that the artist Madonna is seen frequently singing in the video. The majority of the video is just a wide range of camera shots including close ups of Madonna singing the lyrics to the song, however the most stylistic use of cinematography to show the artist performing the song is a two shot of Madonna as well as herself singing, showing two Madonna's on the visuals. The pop convention is followed because the camera technique shows the artist singing very much like other artists in the same genre, however the two shot relates back to the desire that Madonna wants to change her music style, almost connoting that she has two sides to her in regards to the music content which she can created which can be seen in this instance, or potentially her desire to be shown in a more unique way rather than being restricted to one avenue of music and target audience which she can appeal towards.

There are many connections between this video and Goodwin's theory surrounding music videos and the videos content. Firstly, the song does demonstrate characteristics of the genre known as pop as the artist is seen singing throughout the video, another element of Goodwin's theory present is that the demands of the record labels will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist. The reason why the record label emphasise the importance of the artist being seen through close ups is because it enables the audience to build up a relationship with the artist, so that they may relate to her songs a lot more and understand her music better. The record label want this because this makes the audience buy her albums and watch her music so that they further understand her music and the lyrical content of her songs. There are two distinctive styles of video used in this video, the two being Concept based and Performance based. The performance based has been implemented into the video through the use of editing and cinematography as it constantly cuts back and forth to her singing in different locations in the desert. The other style is concept based, the concept that the audience would take from this video is that Madonna is a sort of witch in the video, she shape shifts into bats and dogs several times in the video, this could represent the need for change in her music style as she changes her look, much like the way she changed before.



Gondry has created a number of music videos also, to which can be said to be unique also. Two of which are Kyie Minogues's "Come into my world" and The white stripes (hardest button to button). Overall, his style of music videos often have a meaning towards them, and pose a big purpose either towards the portrayal of a message or for advertisement.

Kylie Minogue (come into my world)

For Kylie Minogues "come into my world" music video, it can be seen that within music videos created by Gondry, he likes to incorporate an element of having a meaning behind the video itself, connoting a message to the viewer throughout the duration of the video. For this particular video I believe there are a number of meanings behind the video, the main one being that her life is a continuous cycle which is never ending, which can be seen through the use of multiple kylie minogues which come into frame every time the cycle is complete (a particular example which can be seen through the use of a two shot of the two kylie's). Alongside this, through the lyrics which can be heard and the continuous loop, the meaning behind the video is that are life remains the same everyday day in day out, and that she wishes for someone to come into to and change that for her. Gondrys work focus's upon there being a deeper meaning which can merely just be seen or denoted. This is beneficial for artists that work alongside him as it enables them to portray a meaning or value through a music video, making there content deeper rooted and have an intellectual appeal towards them, which could result in them being higher regarded as an artist and the video being respected. Through this, it could also help towards maintaining or creating an image for an artist or Gondry, through the portrayal which can be seen through the content. Alongside concept being present throughout the video, narrative could also be said to be present throughout. This is as during the short duration of the video, a story is still being told through both the visuals and lyrics, which links towards the concept as that is the idea of the story being told and her endless cycle of everyday life and wishing for someone to come and change it. Performance is also evident throughout the duration of the video. This can be seen when she is addressing the camera front on through the use of a close up, to which she can be seen singing the lyrics in the video. This takes place during multiple moments in the music video.

This is not generic of the pop genre. This is as they are often targeted towards a large group of people, and try to make a video as appealing as possible to a wide audience. The reason as to why this defies conventions as it would appeal more towards a niche target audience of people who appreciate intellectual content which has meaning behind it. This isn't particularly beneficial for the artist or Gondry as it will get less exposure this way oppose to a more mainstream music video. Another genre convention which is challenged throughout the video is the use of clothing. The clothing Kylie can be seen wearing is more everyday wear and is not particularly fashionable, which goes against the common convention through pop music that the clothing presented is often trendy (as can be seen through the use of a mid shot in the image above). However, this could be done to assist with the concept and story being portrayed throughout, emphasizing how "everyday" her life is, being very basic and not changing.

Goodwin's theory is definitely evident during the music video. The theory stating that there is often a connection between the lyrics and visuals throughout the video, which is evident through the concept/ narrative of the video of her wishing for someone to end her never ending cycle of life. This is as the lyrics and title of the song is "come into my world" alongside the continuous visuals, supporting the idea of Goodwin's theory. There is no female nudity present however, which goes against the use of the theory. Due to the setting being rather urban, there are multiple records labels which can be seen throughout the duration of the video.

The white stripes (Hardest button to button)

Throughout the music video by the white stripes "hardest button to button" the video follows and
defies a number of conventions of the alternate rock Genre convention. There is the presence of rock instruments such as an electric guitar and drum sets, which is expected to be within a music video of this genre. One aspect throughout the video which goes against the rock genre is the portrayal of the artists. Artists within this genre are often shown as being extraordinary stars, whereas due to the everyday playing locations shown throughout the music video (an example being the underground), the artists are shown in a down to earth and relatable light. This helps towards making the video different and stand out. This makes the video stand out amongst others within the genre as it is different to others, which might provide with some additional exposure as viewers of the music video may use it as a point of discussion with other people.

Goodwin's theory is partially present throughout this music video by the white strips. This is as there is a correlation/ relationship between the lyrics and visuals of the song, to which two different versions of this is seen throughout. The clearest and most obvious firstly being that every time a noise is made, the beat moves in time with the progression of the artists moving with there instruments. There is another instance during the video in which the lyrics match with what action is occuring on screen. The is a line which references a box, to which a man in a white suit comes into screen (no other people actively being on screen other than the artists at this point) to which he hands the artist a box. This can be seen through the use of a longshot (bottom image)  Both of which are examples of Goodwins theory being evident throughout the video. There is no reference to female nudity throughout the video. On occasions, there are references to business's/ labels throughout the video. The video itself doesn't particularly have much of a narrative to it, it more so being  narratuve and performance based.

For this particular video, the structure and the style of the video consists of mainly performance. Throughout the duration of the video, the artists can be seen actively performing the song. An example of this can be seen through the use of a low angle shot (image to the right). Throughout the entirety of the music video, the visuals show the artists performing.

Gondry and Cunningham both have different directing styles and approaches towards the content they create. Cunningham's style is very abstract, very often defying genre conventions, although at the same time having to have elements of them through his work so that they don't get disregarded as not falling into that genre of music. Alongside this, his content is very strange as he has a tendency of adding his face onto those in the music video, which gets his face out there in a strange way. With Gondry his work is a lot more meaningful, often trying to portray a value or tell a story throughout, or to provide with offbeat content which is appealing towards his audiences by making them unique and different. Compared to that of Cunningham, he does this in a less abstract and strange way, making it more mainstream but appealing towards a larger audience. With Gondry his work is appealing because of it being so different and odd. Because of this they share a number of similarities and differences. The main similarity that they both share is that there content is abstract and unconventional, although in different ways, as mentioned previously Cunningham being weirder and darker, compared to that of Gondry whose work is more meaning, often having a connoted meaning or appeal. Both of them often have the presence of performance, Gondry most often having that alongside concept and some sort of a narrative. Cunningham follows less conventions to that gondry who makes his content abstract, but not to quite the extreme. There is an appeal with working with both of the content creators, and would be dependant on what final product you are looking for as to which one would be better to work with. With Gondry, he would be appealing towards a larger group people as his work is more diverse, which could potentially result in a better music video in regards to popularity and view ratings. When it comes to Cunningham, he may also be able to create a popular music video but through the appeal of the music being so offbeat, to which if it receives either media coverage or attention from a popular or big source, it may be spread via mouth and social media, resulting in a well known, watched and successful. Both content creators may be able to benefit an artists portray through there different styles. This is as Gondrys may show a different side of an artist, perhaps a more artistic side to an artist which had previously been considered as being rather boring and shallow, whereas with Cunningham it may show the weird side of an artist, making them possibly come across as more abstract and interesting.

An artist would choose to create a diverse music video for a number of reasons. One main advantage to state is that they are often memorable because of this, although saying this as a result it means that it is more difficult for the viewer to create a relationship with the artist. As seen with Cunningham's work, this is overcome through repetitive use of the artists face throughout videos to try and help with said connection. If the audience finds a video centrifuging, there more than likely to continue to watch, which is one benefit of creating a unique video. Another is making the video stand out to the rest, making it less generic. As unique music videos are not often targeted towards a particular audience, it allows for the video to appeal towards a larger number of people. They also enable to see another side towards an artist, although in the case of aphex twin, as almost every single one of his videos are similar in there strange nature. And finally, having a unique video can at times have an intellectual appeal, through the use of a connoted meaning shown throughout. Although saying this, having a video being too controversial can in fact lose fans. Viewers also may not wish to continue watching a video if they find it to be too strange and that they don't understand it, which can affect popularity. If the video is too out there with a particular message or theme, it can lead to "hate" campaigns. And for the last disadvantage, the artists representation may be put into jeopardy if fans see them as being weird or strange through a video which portrays them in that way. I believe that gondrys style would work better as his work often has a particular reason for whats occurring in the video, which allows for the viewer to appreciate the video more as it is easier to understand as it does follow some conventions, but it doesn't stay generic in the sense that it strictly follows conventions when trying to convey a message or show a performance and such.