Similar products to main production piece example 3
Sky Ferreira 17 Analysis
2. Technical
The video begins with a long shot of six
Aspects teenagers sitting on a wall, the shot changes
to medium close-ups of some of the teens
lip-synching in time to the music. This creates
an atmosphere of confusion as the
audience is not yet certain of who is the
main artist may be. However, as the mise-en-
scene of the shots changes from the youths
outside in the cold, to that of a young girls
bedroom, the audience quickly realize that
The constant use of close- the girl in the new shot is the singer.
ups illustrate the singers
expression and allows her
to look directly at the
camera, creating what is
known as a direct mode of
address. This constant
contact with the audience
indicates that the video
may be personal, or
containing some sort of
message.
3. Technical Aspects
• The use of editing is noticed when two separate images in
the video blur and fade and are overlapped on top of
one another. The use of multiple images may be a
reference to the confusion and frustration the artist feels,
illustrating the pressures of teenage life, being ‘17’ but
going out and ‘drinking with her friends and they’re all 21’.
This indicates the artists need to convey her feelings of
being pressured by older friends and stifled by parents
and rules at the
same time. The
confusion
established
through these
mixed messages
is portrayed
though the
overlap of
images that
creates
information
overload for the audience.
4. Conventions/Genre/Meani
ng
As in many Pop videos, such as the previously
discussed Call Me Maybe video, the video
opens with multiple close-ups of the artist,
selling her brand-image to the audience and
illustrating the lip-synching skills of all the actors
in the video. However, we can see already the
video is following a slightly more
unconventional route, instead of only the main
artist lip-synching, the six other actors in the
opening shot also lip-synch.
5. Conventions/Genre/Mea
ning
Many conventional Pop videos
follow a obvious storyline or narrative,
this video only half-converts to this rule,
there is no defined story but instead there
are disjoined images from the artists apparent
‘life’ merged in with the close-up lip-synched
Shots. This use of narrative elements without fully converting
to a full-fledged storyline creates an almost fragmented video, suggesting
the artists life is similarly broken up and messy. This ‘messiness’ is also
conveyed through the quality of the video, the use of a handheld camera
and a lower quality image. The somewhat unprofessional look to the video
illustrates the artists portrayal of her youth and naivety, as well as her
message of youthful confusion in the lyrics, in comparison to the polished
and finished high quality videos that accompany traditional Pop videos.
6. Like many
Pop videos
when relating
Sven
Carlsson’s Carlsson
theory of
modern
mythic
embodiment,
the artists is
viewed as a
commercial The use of the over the shoulder shot into the mirror is
exhibitionist. used so the artists facial expression can be seen when
The artist sells she is applying her make up and getting ready. The use
her edgy, of this complicated shot emphasizes the image of an
sexualized attractive young girl putting on lipstick. Drawing
brand image attention to her lips could be seen to sexualize her
to the image and thus confirms her as a perfect example of
audience Carlsson’s commercial exhibitionist. She could also be
through the viewed as a televised bard, as her lyrics relate an
close-up shots obviously personal story of being 17 and caught
of the singer. wanting to go out like her older adult friends, clashing
with her youth and naivety.
7. Shore
The video demonstrates many of Shore’s key ideas and theories. Firstly
we can see the idea of stimulated experience, the audience would
fantasize about experiencing the same exciting, almost dangerous
outgoing lifestyle the artist seems to be living in the video. The
numerous different shots of the artist in many different locations and
scenes could cause information overload – too many things
happening at once, confusing the audience. There is a hint of
adolescent male fantasies shown as the video contains close up shots
of the artist half-naked whilst she shares an intimate moment with a
unknown boy.
8. Goodwin
This video at first glance appears to
be extremely disjunctured, with
images of the artists and other
actors in the video lip-synching
outside followed by the artists in her
bedroom, the artist outside on a
motorbike with a boy, the artist
running along a pavement with
overlapping images on top, the
artist in bed with a boy and at a
nightclub. This disjunction implies
the artists troubled nature. This sense
of trouble and danger is amplified
as the lyrics relate strongly to the to
the visuals and illustrate the artists
emotions.