In this analysis I will be looking at the official video Misery by The Brains. The Brains are a three piece psychobilly/ punk band who are currently signed to the alternative record label Stomp Records.
I have chosen this video as it is very similar to what I wish to create for my music video when filming The Mojokings. It is a live performance and has plenty of action. By having a video of an actual gig/ concert it gives audiences watching it an idea of what it is like to see them live and the kind of dress as well as the atmosphere. Songs which are chosen for music videos are ones which best reflect the bands profile and/ or the profile of a new album. It acts at basically an advert to people who know or may have stumbled across the band and it is the 'job' of a music video to get the band noticed and to sell tickets for performances as well as merchandise. Overall a music video is designed to promote the bands image and their product, which is the performance, this is why in my opinion a video showing the bands live act is so important rather than something that doesn't include the members of the band what-so-ever (i.e. just actors, animation, still pictures or some other form of media narrative).
(This video does contain some explicit words)
This video is what's known as a Performance based music video which features the band/artist performing either to the camera or an audience. This is very popular on the Psychobilly/ Punk scene as the performers create and energy and there is generally more interest for a viewer to watch the band perform as a whole rather than an artist on their own. Like many performance videos it is recorded at a particular live performance, in this case from when they were on tour with a band called Reverend Horton Heat. By doing this it makes the video seem very realistic, this is done through the fast pace editing and camera angles to give the impression of the viewer actually being at that concert, in some cases you are viewing it from the audiences perspective (actually in the crowd); and it ultimately reflects the style of the band who are very performance based and are always on tour to play to their fans.
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| This POV shot (possibly from another band members point of view) makes the audience feel included in the video and special as they know that people seeing this live would not have such an experience. It can also help promote a venue. |
In this music video we see a lot of action shots with lots of movement, initially we see a panning shot which is in the style of a POV shot as it is clearly from a hand held camera, this gives us a sense that we are 'with the band' like we are on tour alongside them, also the location of the shot is significant as it is situated in the dressing room before the performance which again makes us feel elusive and build a relationship with the band members as it is like we are getting special access behind the scenes.
This video has very fast pace editing which coincides with the bands 'electric energy' and quick music, it is typical of music videos especially those which are taken from live performances to have visuals which link up with the music itself. Arguably this is one of the most important features of a live video because you are seeing the song being played 'in real time'. With this fast pace editing there are many quick cuts to different shots often going out to black and then showing the crowd, this then gives the audience a sense of what it's like to be down on the floor watching the band for real, it adds to the effect of having the flashing lights to create an almost disorientated atmosphere, this in turn will intrigue the viewer (it is also typical of music video in this genre to have fast cuts and flashing lights as it goes with the live performance feel).
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There are many long shots in this video which show the band as a whole, it allows the audience to watch them perform all together as oppose to sticking to a particular performer or just to the singer(s); it is up to the viewer which musician they follow, this also goes back to the sense of a live performance video being realistic. In the shots above there is the most noticeable close up shot which is typical for any music video as it allows the performers to show their skill playing the instrument. In most typical rock videos they are just strumming the guitar to the song which is overdubbed so in some ways this can look kind of tacky, however the beauty of having a live performance it means that the viewer can see the detail of what the musician is actually doing and show their talent. In the Psychobilly genre this focus is mainly around the double bass instrument which is the icon symbol of the genre. |
The audio itself it lip-synced with the artist signing live and the actual track dubbed over the top of the video. This video however is slightly different because at the beginning they use a snippet of the singer talking to the crowd before the song begins, this is likely to have been taken from the actual performance, something which I think is a nice feature to the video and indent to replicate for my music video.
As far as special effects go there are little to none. there may be some enhancements on lighting to improve the quality of the visuals but there are no visible effects, one shot at the beginning appears to have a retro filter applied to it giving it a more orange colour and round faded edges, asides from that it is free from any effects which makes sense since it is a live video and this would get rid of the sense of realism built up in the video, it might also make it seem tacky.
As far as special effects go there are little to none. there may be some enhancements on lighting to improve the quality of the visuals but there are no visible effects, one shot at the beginning appears to have a retro filter applied to it giving it a more orange colour and round faded edges, asides from that it is free from any effects which makes sense since it is a live video and this would get rid of the sense of realism built up in the video, it might also make it seem tacky.
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| Close up shot of Rene playing guitar. |
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By using these codes which are typical to the genre such as fast pace editing it allows ether a new audience to gain an understanding of the genre and gain accustom to seeing certain things i.e. a close up of a double bass or flashing lights; but for those already familiar with the style of music it allows them to instantly recognise it and relate with the band.
Other music videos which are performance based videos include 'Gimme More' by The Peacocks who also follow the style of showing both the performance and backstage at a gig. Also a good example is 'Dancefloor of Death' by the Graveyard Johnnys who focus mainly on the band and close-ups of their instruments, they also use a heart beat noise before the actual footage to create suspense and tension before the performance.
Social Media: Since The Brains are a well known band (and are signed to a record label) they are on most forms of socil media, mostly Facebook as it allows them to make postings of upcoming gigs .i.e. events and share those with fans, this is also the most popular form of social media because they can be more interactive with the fans and also make photo albums to share for people to comment on. As most bands still do they have a Myspace Page, although this service is used less and less by fans as websites such as SoundCoud take over (the record label Stomp Records is also on this platform with some songs by The Brains posted to their account). They are also on Twitter however this is used only for key updates as the concept for Twitter is that it is only read quickly and you have a limited word-count, it is used for promotion of merchandise or new albums which people are most likely to see. More of a niche social platform used by this band is Instagram, however it is not a band profile but you can follow each of the band members and they post pictures backstage at venues and little jams in-between concerts, through doing it this way it makes the fans seen closer to the individual members as oppose to them as a whole, you are also getting an insight into their personal lives as well (the band members also have their own Facebook & Twitter accounts too).
It is also notable that since The Brains are a signed band it is easier for them to gain promotion through videos and social media since there will be a budget from the record label for them, also other accounts with them can publicise each other whereas unsigned bands really rely on home made videos and critiques reviews of their performance (or albums). Finally a major thing which is significant about this band being popular and a signed band is that they are able to have their own website where people searching their name into a search engine will get this site with all o their content in one place where unsigned artists such as the Mojokings rely heavily on Facebook to promote their band since it is not cost effective to have their own site,
Links to social media:
https://www.facebook.com/TheBrainsMTL
https://twitter.com/thebrainsmtl
https://myspace.com/thebrains
https://thebrains.bandpage.com/
Other music videos which are performance based videos include 'Gimme More' by The Peacocks who also follow the style of showing both the performance and backstage at a gig. Also a good example is 'Dancefloor of Death' by the Graveyard Johnnys who focus mainly on the band and close-ups of their instruments, they also use a heart beat noise before the actual footage to create suspense and tension before the performance.
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The band consist of:
Colin Irvine, Double Bass & backing vocals (right)
Rene D La Muerte Garcia, Guitar & Vocals (middle)
Philippe Pinard, Drums (left)
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It is also notable that since The Brains are a signed band it is easier for them to gain promotion through videos and social media since there will be a budget from the record label for them, also other accounts with them can publicise each other whereas unsigned bands really rely on home made videos and critiques reviews of their performance (or albums). Finally a major thing which is significant about this band being popular and a signed band is that they are able to have their own website where people searching their name into a search engine will get this site with all o their content in one place where unsigned artists such as the Mojokings rely heavily on Facebook to promote their band since it is not cost effective to have their own site,
Links to social media:
https://www.facebook.com/TheBrainsMTL
https://twitter.com/thebrainsmtl
https://myspace.com/thebrains
https://thebrains.bandpage.com/
