Digipak Analysis

This is the digipak for the Deluxe Edition of P!nk's 'The Truth About Love', 2012.

The images on the inside of the digipak flow together well, it doesn't look like three individual images. The colour scheme runs throughout the entirety digipak. It uses light pastel colours with accents of red and black, this makes it stand out. The pack includes a CD, DVD and lyrics booklet. The disks are found at either end with the lyric booklet in the center pocket of the digipak.
The title of the album is 'The Truth About Love', the pictures included in the digipak show the artist 'P!nk' smiling, shouting and crouching down with her finger to her lips. These simple pictures connote the idea that the songs featured in the album will portray many of the different sides to and feelings associated with love.
There are strong bold colours and fonts used on the inside panels of the digipak which contrast greatly with the softer tones used on the front and back panels. This gives the impression that the album may seem soft and delicate at first but then reveals a strong and feisty underlay which is typical of the artist P!nk.

This is the digipak for Slipknot's self titled album, 1999.

The theme of the digipak follows through with the general motif of slipknot as it shows pictures of them in their boiler suits and masks. A common colour theme used throughout Slipknot's packaging and merchandise is black, red and dark tones. They always use band shots in their promotional digipak's and CD's. The CD is in the center of the digipak with images and the lyric booklet to the sides.

To somebody buying the album who hasn't heard Slipknot's music before, the visuals of the digipak would give them the impression that their music is dark, heavy and angry. 

Cultural Effects Model

If the same media messages are repeated often enough they will be accepted as fact, but audience members can choose to resist these messages.

The cultivation effects model also suggests that the audience are active and can 'decode' these messages in media texts in a number of ways. Peoples responses are affected by their social backgrounds.
There can be different types of readings:
Dominant
Negotiated
Oppositional

If the audience are shown a message numerous times within a music video then they will start to accept it as the norm. For example, women are often shown to be glamorous or sexualised  in music videos and therefore some people will begin to accept this as reality.

Lip Syncing

Lip Syncing is filming the artist miming to their song and then editing the audio over the top so that it looks like the singer is actually performing. It is the process of matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals.

Good lip syncing is very important in the post production of a music video, even if it is the smallest bit out, the audience will be able to tell and it will ruin their enjoyment of the video. Some also move their lips at a faster speed than the original audio track so that the video footage can be played in slow motion.



It is also important for the instruments to be synced properly. This video for example is poorly synced as it shows cymbals being played when there are no cymbals used in the song at that section. The singer also needs to ensure they open their mouth enough so that it appears that they are actually singing rather than simply miming along to the track.

Analysis of Music Videos From Our Chosen Genre

Mise en scene: The Mise-en-Scene used is typical of the genre and fits well with the theme of the video. In the performance shots they are all wearing black which is very typical of the genre. In the asylum shots, they are wearing white surgical robes to link in with the theme.
Sound: No extra diegetic sound has been added.
Camera Angles: Handheld shots are used at the beginning of the video from the point of view of the patient lay on the bed showing the surgeons leaning over him. Dutch angles are used throughout the video to show confusion and dizziness from the perspective of the patient.
Narrative: The story line for the video is based around the fact that the song is called nightmare, and in the video the viewer sees the mans journey through the asylum type building. He goes past various rooms each with a different band member in them going insane. It shows how they all eventually lose control of the demons in their nightmares.
Relations between lyrics and visuals: Where it says "So sedated as they medicate your brain and while you slowly go insane." This is a common theme throughout the video and is enhanced by the use of dutch angles and fades to show the effects of the medication.
Editing: Fades are used lots and many of the shots are blurry to showing confusion and that the patient is slowly going more and more insane.
The video follows Goodwin's theory where it shows the most shots of the lead vocalist, who also plays the main character on the bed.





Mise en scene:The mise-en-scene follows the motif created by Slipknot, that being their masks that they always wear. They are also all wearing dark clothing. Each room has a colour palette that it sticks to so they everything blends together causing the lead singer to stand out, although all the colours throughout the video are fairly muted and dark.
Sound: Diegetic sound has been added at the beginning of the video, there is wind whistling and you can hear the shovel dragging along the concrete and then digging into the ground.
Camera Angles:
Narrative: The story basically begins with a man digging into the ground and as he falls through the ground he changes into the lead singer. It then follows him around various underground rooms containing the other band members.

Goodwin's theories are shown in this video through the main focus being on the lead singer and also the voyeurism shown through all the females in the video being dressed in provocative clothing.

Textual Analysis and Goodwin's Theory

Relations between lyrics and visuals: "Hear the sound of the falling rain" the lead singer raises his hand to his ear to show he is listening to the sound of the rain. "Hear the dogs howling out of key" Raises hands to his mouth as if he is howling. "To a hymn called faith and misery" Crosses his chest to relate to the worship of hymns.
Relations between music and visuals: Throughout the section of the video when the band are in the car, the drummer is constantly drumming out the beat on the car, and when it goes "Hey!" he throws his sticks in the air, and later on raises a glass on the "Hey!".
Certain genre characteristics: This video isn't very conventional of videos in its genre since it doesn't show any band performance shots.
Numerous close of the main vocalist: There are many shots of the main vocalist including a section where the rest of the band aren't even in it and it is simply the lead singer and backing dancers.
Voyeurism or male gaze: This is shown through the all female backing dancers towards the end dressed in leotards and fishnets.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin identified the key features involved in a music video. These involve:
-Relations between the lyrics and visuals. Whether they be telling the story, contradicting them or symbolic.



This is the video for the song 'Devil in a Midnight Mass' by Billy Talent. The clip has scenes filmed in a church which relates to the lyrics.

-Relationship between the music and the visuals. Things happen in time with the music.



The people in the video walk in time with the music and specific points in the video also relate to the music, such as the doors being broken open.

-Intertextuality. Referencing other music videos, films, songs or popular culture in the video.



This video involves many intertextual references including references to popular music videos such as Lady Gaga 'Bad Romance' and Katy Perry 'California Girls'.

-Certain genre characteristics.
-Numerous close ups of the main vocalist. Usually close ups of other members are also shown, but less frequently than the lead vocalist.
-Voyeurism or male gaze is usually used to show the female characters or artists in the video.



Male gaze is used throughout this video when showing the women.

-Develops the artists style or iconagrpahy which becomes recognisable beyond the video.

Initial Ideas on Our Own Music Video