Analysing music videos - Video 1: Happy - Pharrell Williams

For this task I will be analysing 3 music videos from the genre of 'dance'. The aim of this task is for me to gain a better understanding of codes and conventions used within this genre. It will be interesting to see how these videos create the mood that they want to in similar or different ways through camera movements, shots, angles, editing transitions etc. 

Camera Movement, Shots and Angles
Throughout this video mostly medium close ups and long shots have been used. The medium close ups have been used to show that persons facial expressions which is either very happy or they are concentrating on their dancing which is portrayed to be a happy thing. This can make the audience feel happy, which is the point of the song, as they can see that these people are singing along to the song and dancing with no care. The long shots are used to show someone / people dancing but you can also see what background too. Throughout this song we notice, through the long shots, that people are dancing in the street which is in public but they are having fun and not worrying about what other people are thinking. This can affect the audience is a positive way as we can see in these shots that all these people are enjoying themselves and that they are completely different but this song can bring people together as it has such an up beat tone and mood.

Editing transitions and special effects

This video consists of quick cuts throughout and I think that the quickness in change of the scene can create an excitable mood and possibly make the audience want to dance along too. Special effects have not necessarily been used in this video because I think that showing people having a good time and dancing is enough to show the message of spreading happiness.

Mise-En-Scene

High key lighting has been used in the video as it conveys positive emotions such as happy and joyful atmosphere. The reasonn that low key lighting has not been used in this video as it creates a much darker atmosphere and this would not be fitting for the type of upbeat song.  Bright colours have been used throughout this video as they set a happy mood and tone. The video has a clear aim of trying to make the audience feel happy and create an upbeat vibe. Bright colours are shown on peoples clothes and also in the background. People are seen to be wearing bright colours to show that that they are happy on the outside, as well as inside. The locations in the video change from completely different places like from church to a busy highstreet. The fact that people are shown to be dancing in these public locations show that these people don't care what people have to say about them as they are happy and dancing. Peoples facial expressions vary throughout the video as some people are smiling and clearly showing their happiness whereas some people seem more concentrated on their dancing. Although they may not be smiling they are still portrayed as being happy as it shows they don't care what people think about them because they are having fun. Props have not been used in this video and I think this may be because they can cause distraction to the people dancing but the whole point of the video is to watch these people dancing and having fun by doing so.

Representation


Pharrell Williams is featured in this video along with people who are not famous, a few famous people and someone dressed as a minion. We see Pharrell singing the song in the video so it is clear that he is the artist. We also see him dancing by himself but also with other people therefore he is being represented as the person who is bringing these people together which bring out a positive impression. Pharrell's facial expression are shown to be rather relaxed, chilled, cheeky etc. which can make the audience feel the same. One of the outfits Pharrell wears, in the video, is a white shirt with a bow tie and a hat. Pharrell is well known for the types of hats he wears therefore the audience are most likely familiar with who he is. The bow tie worn with the hat shows that he is not trying to be too formal or serious but portraying a smart and fun image which is a good thing for young people as they may look up to him as a role model therefore I feel it is a positive thing for him to be represented in this way. The people who are not famous are all seen to be dancing in various places like the street, in school, at church etc. They are all shown to be happy and carefree and I think this has an effect on the audience by making them feel like they can be the same. As the majority of the audience are also not famous and they can see other people just like them having this much fun, the song may have the same effect on them by making them want to dance for example. The person dressed up as a minion has been featured in the video because this song has been featured in the 'despicable me 2' which is a film that has minions in it. As minions are well known to make people laugh they are represented to, again, portray happiness and make the audience laugh.


Dominant Ideologies

The attitude in the video is positive as we see a visual representation of happiness. Many connotations of happiness are seen throughout the video such as dancing, smiling, bright colours, high key lighting, outfits etc. It is clear that the moral of the song/video is to spread happiness and to bring people together. We see all of these different people dancing, throughout the video, who are all different because of their skin colour, age, ethnic background or gender but the fact that they are all dancing and having fun shows that everyone has something in common if they are happy which is a nice message and thought to have.

Genre


This song is considered to be under the dance music genre as the song is upbeat, fun and easy to dance to. This is signified in the video in a very obvious way as it shows people dancing, singing and smiling which are considered to be happy. Dance music is meant to make people feel happy and want to dance which is clearly shown in the video.

Intertextuality

The music video is similar to other dance genre music videos such as Duke Dumont ‘Need You 100%’ for example. The videos are similar as they both consist of quick moving shots and they feature people dancing in public places. Dance genre music videos will usually consist of these things because their aim is to make people want to dance and have fun.

Audience reception and reaction to this video

An audience might enjoy this video because it is nice to see people enjoying themselves. This video may remind people of summer due to the fact that it is sunny and people are being seen to have fun. This would usually be considered to be a positive thing. The effect that the video may have on the audience is that they want to dance and sing a long to it.

Can Andrew Goodwin's theory be applied to the video?

Andrew Goodwin's theory is that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. I think that it can apply in this video and it is typical to see good vibes in a dance music video. To Andrew Goodwin this video would be considered to be an amplified music video as the lyrics are clearly being shown in the visual. The video shows that there is a relationship between the music and visuals as they are both portraying the same thing. Demands of the record label, a part of Goodwin's theory, also does apply to this video as we see many close up shots of Pharrell. He is shown to be very relaxed, fun and happy which lets the audience know what kind of emotion he is trying to portray. Notion of looking doesn't really apply in this video as I think it would create the wrong kind. Intertextuality has been used in the video as a minion is shown. Minions are from a film called 'Despicable Me' in which this song is featured. Most of the audience should be familiar with this being shown which may create a sense of pleasure.

Can Laura Mulvey's theory be applied to the video?

Laura Mulvey’s, male gaze, theory is not applied in this video. All the women who are featured are not sexualised in anyway as they are just dancing to have fun rather than in a provocative way. This music video does not draw people in from sexualising women and instead it draws people in in an innocent way as it simply shows people enjoying themselves.