Research: Diverse music videos

DIVERSITY OF MUSIC VIDEOS

Music videos have grown in their diversity. New formats, styles and types have made their way into the industry. Most significantly is the expansion of music genres which has led to these changes. Though an equally important factor is the changes of culture's ideologies, values and attitudes itself, which are reflected through music. As a result of all this, there is wider appreciation of niche genres and their concept-based videos. Artists are now experimenting artistically, thus a fraction of focus is steered away from mainstream music. Though, mainstream music remain dominant in the industry. 

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CHRIS CUNNINGHAM

British director Chris Cunningham is renowned for working with various niche artists and making them famous. He has worked with the likes of Bjork and Aphex Twins. His work is know as creative and highly controversial, as well as a rejection to age restrictions on media content. His influences include a background in cultural engineering, and a degree in engineering. 

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BJORK - ALL IS FULL OF LOVE

• The characters in the video are Bjork herself, being created as a robot, and her robot lover
• Narrative: robot gets built up and makes love with another robot.
• Visuals and lyrics: the idea of two robots, rather than humans, making love, brings 'all' to life in the sense that love can happen between anything/anyone.
• Star image: Bjork's face is the robot; through the idea of being a robot she is demonstrating uniqueness which her fan base will appreciate. 
• Relationship of images with audience: Loyal fans will learn to interpret and think about ideas they may not have come across before. The establishment of loyalty through the niche aspect secures this response. On the other hand, mainstream audiences will see it as 'weird' based on labels given to ideas external to the mainstream music culture.

BEHIND THE SCENES

• Bjork worked with Cunningham because she looked up to him and heard about his work previously. This shows that he is successful in his work. 
• She suggests that the music video is set in heaven whilst two robots make love. She wanted to demonstrate lust with erotic images. This is different from mainstream music which shows sex in a raunchy fashion, typically objectifying womens' bodies. 
• Cunningham was concerned about this music video because he has no faith in the computer technology used, so he began to change the ideas. He says it looked "cheap". This shows that niche genres are still developing, as there is more confidence among artists and directors in mainstream music. 

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APHEX TWIN - FLEX

• The characters in the video are a man and a woman, both with deformities in their facial features.
• Narrative: the humans are situated in a tranquil setting, then become engaged in what looks like violent sexual activity. At the end, a bright light shines upon them, disrupting their actions. Though the events don't create a story which makes it a concept music video.
• Star image: there appears to be no reference to the artist. It hasn't been included to direct the focus onto the ideas of the artist that they want to share. 
• Relationship of images with audience: mainstream audiences would struggle to appreciate and understand the visuals. As a distinct audience, they are conditioned into seeing the same conventional music videos. More niche audiences will, perhaps due to a lack of star image motif, take the time to look into the artist and understand ideas behind the video. 

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APHEX TWIN - COME TO DADDY

• The characters are an old woman, her dog, a crowd of children with deformed faces and a tall, thin man (or 'daddy').
• Narrative: there is no clear narrative - the bulk of the video consists of the children running around, causing trouble for no apparent reason. 
• Star image: again, there is no star image. Instead, the focus is on these deformed children and the horror of the old woman. 
• Relationship of images with audience: the old woman may be representative of mainstream audiences; those who feel frightened of these types of music videos. Glorifying deformity is received as controversial, so only niche audiences would enjoy the video. 

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COMMON CUNNINGHAM CONVENTIONS

• low-key lighting
• deformity
• innovative ideas
• deeper meanings
• no star images
• niche concept ideas
• extreme controversy
• trust within target audience

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MICHEL GONDRY

French director Michel Gondry is noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. He has worked with mainstream artists such as Kylie Minogue and Daft Punk and Radiohead. The degree of controversy in his work is less than that of Cunnigham's, resulting in more mainstream artists wanting to work with him in order to protect their reputation. 

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THE WHITE STRIPES - THE HARDEST BUTTON TO BUTTON

• The characters are the artists themselves, made clear as they visually play the instruments that are in the recording.
• Narrative: there is no clear narrative; the entire video is continuous movement from location to location.
• Star image: The artists are shown throughout the video performing the instrumental, to show off their musical talent. Moving around with numerous instruments, on what seems to be an otherwise regular journey, amplifies the rock star lifestyle.
• Editing: There is a new frame for every beat which confirms the relationship between visuals and sound. This brings attention to techniques of the guitar.
• Other: This video is low-budget and has many repetitive frames. Therefore any meanings depend on what is shown rather than how it's shown. 

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KYLIE MINOGUE - COME INTO MY WORLD

• The main character is Kylie herself, duplicated multiple times as the song progresses.
• Star image: The entire video is a panning shot of Kylie walking around town. This focus on her increases as she duplicates, challenging the eye to watch each Kylie at the same time and spot differences, mistakes, etc. 
• Editing: The visuals and images are synced through editing; when the hook starts again, the cycle of walking through town starts again and the panning circle starts again. Like The White Stripes video, the process is repetitive. 
• Relationship with visuals and audience: the visuals and lyrics link, with Kylie shown walking around her world as she repeatedly sings "come into my world". This appeals to audiences as they feel a stronger connection to the artist by seeing her in a less glamoured style.

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DAFT PUNK - AROUND THE WORLD

• The characters are an array of dancers in different costumes; none of their faces are being shown.
• Star image: Daft Punk either do not show their faces, or do not appear in the music video. For 'Around The World', they aren't present, which leaves the audiences focused on the dancers. Like the other videos, it is concept-based and repetitive, though unlike the others, Daft Punk didn't use themselves to demonstrate that repetition. 
• Editing: Like The White Stripes, every beat has a new frame. 
• Relationship with visuals are audience: This action-packed video of random concepts allow for an open mind among many audiences, considering Daft Punk are a mainstream band though within a niche genre (electronic).

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ADVANTAGES OF DIVERSE MUSIC VIDEOS

• lots of hype
• new ideas shared
• media caters to all interests of society
• bigger choice of what to listen to
• success for niche artists
• reinvent star image
• mentally challenging
• individual videos
• abstract ideas come to life
• true to our era; 1900s focused on realism

DISADVANTAGES OF DIVERSE MUSIC VIDEOS

• potentially offensive and/or controversial
• lack of understanding
• damage reputations
• unlikely to gain mainstream audiences
• massive risks with money
• time slot on channels after the watershed

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My favourite is Cunningham because his work, such as with Kylie, is recognised within music. This means that people have seen his work and are aware of it. I believe that all music should be mainstream because we should all have the opportunity to explore all kinds of ideas, not just dominant ideologies.

Should diverse music videos stay away from mainstream music culture?

No. Innovation has been the foundations of changing society for centuries. There shouldn't be a section of mainstream music and a section of niche music. All music should get created, live and then let the next set of ideas flow through society. Although the means of survival have expanded far beyond natural instincts; artists need to stay at the top. Within art history, proportions that we have today were not used until a certain point in time. Popular art worked around unrealistic paintings to represent higher beings in Christianity. Then ideas of realism started to form and the foundations of perspective started shaping the way artists made art. In essence, diversity can't stay separate from the mainstream - it evolves into that. Within the next 20 years, concept videos may be considered mainstream. 

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