This is a typical pop music video that follows the conventions that Goodwin theorised. There is a clear relationship with the music and the visuals with the cuts that are made, as well as with the acting, whereby the movement of the artist fits with the tempo of the song, such as at 0:23, when Avril jolts up her head to the lyric "yeah yeah, yeah yeah". Similarly, at 2:06, her facial expression and body language fit visually with the music. The song is about being rebellious, and the video represents the lyrics very well, by presenting the artist as breaking the rules set down by society (such as stealing a car). Goodwin also theorised that there is likely to be a reference to voyeurism, within videos, especially towards females, as it is seen that "sex sells", within the media. This video is highly voyeuristic, as Avril is presented to the audience as sexy, and attractive, particularly in the opening to the video, where she is seen in bed, barely clothed. The camera then goes on to follow Avril throughout, which makes us the voyeurs, as we are given access to watching her whatever she does. The video is bright and colourful, which again, is typical for this genre of music video. The lyrics set the general mood for the video, for example "all my life I've been good, but now, oh, I'm thinking what the hell", suggests an idea of rebelling against your previous self, and the video demonstrates a storyline in which Avril is being rebellious against her boyfriend, and society. Overall, the video does not really break the conventions, and offers a generic viewing that a mainstream audience would be comfortable with.
The video is littered with product placements for Sony electrical items. Given that Avril Lavigne is signed to the Sony record label, it is common practice to promote this way, through synergy.
Lady Gaga - Bad Romance:
Similarly to the Avril Lavigne video, for What The Hell, this video follows the conventions that Goodwin theorised. There is a clear link between the music and the visuals, such as by editing cuts to the tempo of the song, as well as by the movement of the camera. In the opening to the song, there are smooth pans around the location set for the video, and when the beat kicks in for the first verse, the camera is more static, with quite harsh movements, and the cuts become more frequent. This is a very conventional way in which cinematography and editing are used in music video production.
Whilst following these conventions, and being very typical of the genre, the video offers up something new, to keep the genre fresh. The artist's brand image is well represented by this video, in the controversy, and abnormality, of the visuals. The extreme, almost over-the-top, use of mise en scéne (unusual costumes and props, a strange location, etc) makes the video appealing, and different to others, even though it fundamentally follows the conventions at its core. There are lots of close-up shots of Lady Gaga, which makes her dominant within the video, and thus creates an intimacy between the artist and the audience. This is an important link to establish, as if an audience feel linked to an artist, they are much more likely to buy their music, and this is a necessity, given that music videos are promotional tools, after all. The close up shots are inter-cut with wide shots of dance routines, which is also typical of this genre of music video. The video challenges the conventions to the point were it is able to keep the genre fresh, whilst still remaining generic - like Nick Lacey said, it's "the same, but different". This allows for the video to be successful in reaching a wide audience, as audiences feel comfortable with genre videos, without it being boring and a mere copy of a video already produced.
Even conventional videos break conventions slightly, as this allows for them to be kept fresh, and be "the same, but different" (Nick Lacey). For a video to be unconventional, it must break more conventions, and to a higher degree, than any of the videos I have just analysed.
Whilst following these conventions, and being very typical of the genre, the video offers up something new, to keep the genre fresh. The artist's brand image is well represented by this video, in the controversy, and abnormality, of the visuals. The extreme, almost over-the-top, use of mise en scéne (unusual costumes and props, a strange location, etc) makes the video appealing, and different to others, even though it fundamentally follows the conventions at its core. There are lots of close-up shots of Lady Gaga, which makes her dominant within the video, and thus creates an intimacy between the artist and the audience. This is an important link to establish, as if an audience feel linked to an artist, they are much more likely to buy their music, and this is a necessity, given that music videos are promotional tools, after all. The close up shots are inter-cut with wide shots of dance routines, which is also typical of this genre of music video. The video challenges the conventions to the point were it is able to keep the genre fresh, whilst still remaining generic - like Nick Lacey said, it's "the same, but different". This allows for the video to be successful in reaching a wide audience, as audiences feel comfortable with genre videos, without it being boring and a mere copy of a video already produced.
Even conventional videos break conventions slightly, as this allows for them to be kept fresh, and be "the same, but different" (Nick Lacey). For a video to be unconventional, it must break more conventions, and to a higher degree, than any of the videos I have just analysed.
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