1. RESEARCH: Deconstruction

2. ‘Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g.
stage performance in metal video, dance routine for
boy/girl band.)’
Straight away the establishing shot shows the main characteristic of
singer songwriter genre. Johnny Cash is shown to be central to the
audience’s vision. Cash is also playing a guitar; playing the guitar or
piano is the stereotype associated with this genre. At 35:00 seconds
a close up shot of a piano is shown, then at 41:00 the audience is
shown that Cash is playing the piano.
Throughout the whole of Cash’s music video the sole focus is on
him and his personal life and battles. This is the main characteristic
of this genre to have the singer as the main focus.
From my genre research I found out that a key characteristic is for
the artist to be singing about heart break or confessions. Here Cash
is shown to be expressing heart ache, the audience is being shown
this through close ups of Johnny Cash looking straight down the
camera and his body language throughout the video.

3. ‘There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).’
‘You could have it all, My empire of dirt’ Here the lyrics suggest that
Cash is regretting parts of his life, these lyrics are matched with old
footage of his performances and footage of awards. The footage of
the awards is being suggested that they are in a museum. Originally
we were shown a mid shot of a sign which read ‘House Of Cash
Museum’ This suggests that the museum holds his empire, which is
being suggested are broken.
‘Everyone I know, Goes away in the end’ This suggests that Cash
feels he is missing people, here the visuals show a table filled with
food which is suggesting a relationship between missing family and
friends. Another visual shown during these lyrics if a photograph of
a lady, this suggests that she is who Cash is missing.

4. ‘There is a relationship between music and visuals
(illustrative, amplifying, and contradicting).’
There is on beat editing used when Cash plays the piano at 0:58
seconds. On beat editing is also used at 01:26 where we are shown
a long shot of a room of Johnny Cash Memorabilia. With every other
strum of the guitar the shot changes to a close up of the different
items of memorabilia.

5. ‘The demands of the record label will include the will include the
need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop
motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).’
This music video shows several close ups of Cash, it starts with a
close up of his face to show the artist to the audience. There are
other close ups throughout the video which are advertising Cash
and his work to the audience. The video shows a lot of old
performance footage and past videos of Cash. Also close ups are
used at 01:34, here we see close ups of Cash’s memorabilia. One
piece of this is a broken framed record. These close ups are not
only being used to advertise him as an artist but are also telling the
message in the song with broken images.

6. ‘There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV
programmes, other music videos ect).’
In Cash’s video it makes reference using a montage to past
performances by him and past music videos. One of the main
features of this music video is showing Cash’s life and therefore lots
of stage footage of Cash is shown.