Chapter 2
Plot
Editing
Characterization
Creative Techniques
Case Study: Who Is It?
When we “watch” a music video we have an audiovisual experience. As it was said in the first chapter, due to physiological and psychological processes, the music impels an emotional response. We perceive an image by recognizing the signifiers of the image and analyzing them. Visual and auditory perceptions are disparate by nature, as Michel Chion the French composer-filmmaker-critic (1994:11) explains,
‘The eye perceives more slowly because it has more to do all at once, it must explore in space as well as follow along in time. The ear isolates a detail of its auditory field and it follows this point or line in time. So overall in the first contact with an audiovisual message, the eye is more spatially adept and the ear more temporally adept.’
In music videos the visuals communicate certain information about the concept of the song, the artist, the lyrics or a story. Visuals accompany the music and make a cycle with the sonic information the song provides. They mutually influence each other, lending each other their respective properties by contamination and projection (Chion, 1994:9).
The video does not reiterate the song; on the contrary, it places the song in a substantial context, as in telling a story about it or visualizing its musical elements. The video director creates a space to showcase both the song and the artist. He comes up with ideas about the visuals regarding the song’s air and more importantly the artist’s potentials. As Mark Romanek (2003) explains,
‘If you have Bjork or Trent Reznor, the whole thing runs on their charisma. And I think what I try to do is to create an unexpected context for that energy to operate in. I try to create a world, an immersive universe, and plop them into that. The meaning, if any, comes from that juxtaposition between the star’s persona and this unexpected context.’
The video director conceptualizes the video, captures the essence of the artist and the soul of the song, revealing them in a captivating way onscreen. (Schwartz, 2007)
One way to create a relevant context is to tell a story. The video director formulates a narrative to transmit certain information about the artist or the song. Moreover, he benefits from the convention of narrative in order to engage the viewer.
Now why stories are engaging? We see that narrative is widely used in our daily life. Proof of our reliance on narrative is evident in the broad spectrum of our experience – from broadcast news to bedtime stories. As Robert Mckee (1999) states, our reliance on narrative is derived from humankind's insatiable appetite for stories. He refers to Kenneth Burke, American literary theorist and philosopher, who claims that stories are the equipment of living. Similar to time, narrative has a linear progression. Likewise, our perception of narrative is rooted in our perception of time (beginning to end). Our interpretation of the beginning and end is rooted in our natural experiences, from birth to death, in days, seasons, years. Narrative pattern gives meaning to the relation of events. The narrative or the plot actually consists of all the events in stories that are particularly rendered towards the achievement of some particular artistic or emotional effect (Wikipedia, 2008). As E. M. Foster (1947:87) instances, ‘The king died and then the queen died’ is a story, ‘the king died and the queen died from grief’ is a plot. Even a linear narrative has an inferential quality and is naturally engaging.
A good story is good, because it is well told (Mckee, 1999). The formulation of events is a crucial aspect of storytelling. Information within the narrative has to be transmitted in a comprehensive order, the conventional formulation for the plot starts with the exposition. The exposition is the background information needed for understanding the story. It introduces the characters and the conflicts. Following the exposition, through the rising action, comes the complication or development of the conflicts. The rising action leads to the climax or the turning point. The resolution of the conflicts happens at the turning point. Then through a falling action, the story comes to its conclusion. The conclusion is not an essential part, especially in contemporary forms of narrative, where the narrative intentionally avoids ending in order to achieve a particular impression; it precludes the attendant certainty about meaning (Martin, 1986).
The narrative quality of a music video fits its function and length. As Christian Metz remarks, in any narrative, the narrative instance takes the form of the sequence of signifiers that has a certain duration; the music video narrative is generally restricted to the length of the song. Different sets of musical and narrative information are transmitted to the viewer in a short time (approximately six minutes maximum); as a result the effect is abrupt and strong.
Using narrative in music videos is a common approach. Many video directors employ narrative to connect with the viewer. M. Hanson (2006) expounds that Chris Milk is from the new generation of video directors who benefit from the conventions of narrative in their music videos. Chris Milk himself, explains:
‘If I had to say one specific thing that seems to affect people, it's the use of narrative. But that is not any great creative leap on part. Storytelling and story listening is something that's ingrained in our DNA. Humans love stories. Beginning, middle, and the end is universal. If you can pull it off in a four-minutes music video, you are in pretty good shape.’ (Hanson, 2006:21)
The intrinsic aspects of music video editing are quick cuts and cuts made on the beat of the song. Music video editing puts visual emphasis on the musical elements; thereby it brings out the sectional divisions and rhythmic features of the song. Also, editing has the major roll of maintaining a balance between the visual and musical information. It draws the attention to visual aspects in order to drive the narrative; at the same time it intensifies the components of the song. By responding to how the music changes, it embodies the dynamic quality of the music. As a result, the features of music video work along with each other as a system in order to construct a self-contained piece. In non-narrative music videos editing gives structure to the flow of images, and more importantly it suggests meanings for them.
It is important to mention the differences between editing in music videos and in film. Classical Hollywood films are ideologically ‘realistic’, which means that they remove the traces of construction, to keep the continuity of actions and stay faithful to the fictive world.
On the other hand, music video editing is mostly influenced by avant-garde film making, especially Russian film formalists and French new wave. Music video editing avoids the continuity system and other classical rules such as the 180-degree rule, the 30-degree angle rule, and eye-line matches. It violates the cinematic illusion of reality since the viewer’s reference source is the classical rules of film. The discontinuity system leaves the actions incomplete; it jumps from one to the other. It breaks the timeline and leaves gaps in the flow of narration, turning the video into a puzzle. The viewer attempts to make sense of it by referring to the lyrics and the music. Carol Vernallis compares the uncertainty caused by the discontinuity system to the pleasure of reading into incomplete images, when black and white lines transform into a meaningful character.
'A video will hint at a character's personality, mood, goals or desire but will never fully disclose them ... stories are suggested but not given in full. Nor can the lyrics tell us what we need to know... Edits can literalize the discontinuity by making us aware of the space between images.' (Vernallis, 2001:32)
The discontinuity system of editing serves the innate function of music videos; it drives the viewer’s attention to the music. The reason for this is rooted in the physiological process of detecting music and image. As Michel Chion (1994:10-11) explains,
‘The ear analyzes, processes and synthesizes faster [than the eye]. The fast visual movement will not form a distinct figure; its trajectory will not enter the memory in a precise picture. In the same length of time the sound trajectory will succeed in out-lining a clear and definite form, individuated, recognizable, distinguishable from others.’
Not only can the music video help the musician demonstrate his musical qualities but also it is highly functional in the case of inventing a persona. The musician relies on the exhibition quality of the music video. He uses the opportunity to present his music with a more creative approach towards visualization and characterization. Like choosing a stage name, the musician usually adopts a striking character in order to present himself visually. Undoubtedly, the character needs to be observed and perceived in order to convey its values — either in a live performance or in a music video. Live performances have a powerful impact on their audience, but in the case of developing a persona, a music video is more functional. It is more effective in establishing a recognizable character. The audiences of live shows are limited to those events whereas a music video introduces the artist through the mass media; and watching a music video is more accessible.
The director, an expert in developing characters, creates a world around the artist and introduces the artist through a situation or space that works the best for showcasing the artist. He emphasizes qualities of the character that have dramatic potential. As video director Michel Gondry explains,
‘When you are an [musical] artist or singer, sometimes you want to show who you are and sometimes you want to create a character. That is a part of work of video director to show some part of the real person and create a character with this person.’ (Mirrorball, 1999)
Michael Jackson’s Thriller is a classic example of characterization in a music video. The video is listed as the number one video according to VH1 Top 100 music videos (rockonthenet.com) "I want to turn into a monster”, said Michael Jackson to John Landis (Reiss, 2000:19). Landis not only turned him into his desired character, but also a megastar at the age of 26. The video established a style that Jackson developed further through the following decades of his career.
‘… [The video] stresses Jackson’s style in his dress and his dance. Paving stones light up as Jackson twists, kicks and turns through the performance, invoking the ‘magic’ of the star.’ (Frith, 1993:95)
Michael Jackson’s Thriller, 1983, an example of characterization
The influential point of the video is that the character created for the singer perfectly matches his qualities. Incorporating a montage and a relatively layered storyline the monster/zombie persona fuses into the performing artist smoothly. After the viewer recognizes the character in the first part of the video, the narrative develops to its climax as Jackson turns into a frightening animal. Frequently during the video the dancing monster refers to Jackson’s character. The director highlights the connection between the two characters once again at the ending scene when Jackson turns to the camera with the eyes of a monster. The references made between the two characters help them to be known as one. Finally the imaginary characters blend into the real one.
David Bowie, in the early days of the music video, predicted that the "[music video is] the logical fulfilment of art and technological destiny...I see it as an artistic extension. I can visualize the day when the interface of music and video will create an entirely new kind of artist” (Reiss, 2000:17).
Gorillaz is an example of what David Bowie was anticipating. Gorillaz is a virtual band formed in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett — a musician and a comic book artist. The band consists of four distinct cartoon members, initially presented through cartoon music videos and the Gorillaz website. Each member is characterized in detail as a real person. The cartoon band members acceptably stood for the actual musicians, consequently the identity of the real members stayed hidden for some time. Music videos played a major role in introducing the characters. As the cartoon band members declare,
‘The visual side of the Gorillaz become one of the chief components and irreplaceable assets in promoting Gorillaz’ music worldwide.’ (Gorillaz, 2006:55)
Gorillaz's Clint Eastwood, The virtual band members, ‘Russel’ the drummer, ‘Noodle’ The guitar player, “2D” the keyboard player and “Murdoc” the bass player.
'There will always be a new “idea” in video because that is exactly what video is about: constant reinvention.’ - Jeff Ayeroff (Reiss, 2000:1)
A wide range of visual and conceptual ideas have been explored since the birth of the medium, from Rorschach inkblot tests (Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy) and Lego blocks (The White Stripes’ Fell in Love with a Girl) to Dadaist print styling (Franz Ferdinand’s Take Me Out) and Edward Gorey’s stories (Nine Inch Nails’ The Perfect Drug). Human imagination, with its broad spectrum, is the unlimited resource of ideas for music videos. More importantly, the computer age makes it feasible to solidify the video artist’s imagination into vision and sound. Today, Computer Generated Imagery is applied to many music videos. CGI provides such broad possibilities for the video artist that he almost has no limitation in visualizing his ideas.
Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy, 2006, Motion graphics mimicking Rorschach inkblot tests
The White Stripes’ Fell In Love With A Girl, 2002, Stop motion animation with Lego
Franz Ferdinand’s Take me out, 2001, Mimicking Dadaist print styling and cut-out animation
Nine Inch Nails’ The Perfect Drug, 1997, Referencing to Edward Gorey’s The Gashlycrumb Tinies
The very first computer generated animation created for a music video was made in 1986 for Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing. The video consists of animation sequences along with stage footage of the Dire Straits performing. The characters of the animation are two boxy figures watching the band’s performance on TV. Along with the lyrics, “We gotta install microwave ovens, …We gotta move these refrigerators, We gotta move these colour tvs” they carry around the objects with stiff and mechanical movements. The animation sequences were made using an early CGI system by Ian Pearson and Gavin Blair who later established the foundations for ReBoot — the first full-length computer animated television series.
Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing, 1986, The first use of 3D animation in Music videos
Different techniques of animation such as stop motion, 2D and 3D computer animation are used in music videos. Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, in 1987 (stop motion) and The White Stripes’ The Hardest Button to Button , in 2003 (pixilation), Alias’ Sixes Last, in 2006 (3D) are actual examples of these techniques.
Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, 1987, Utilizing different techniques of stop motion animation
The White Stripes’ The Hardest Button to Button, 2003, Utilizing pixilation – stop motion animation technique
Alias’ Sixes Last, 2006, 3D animation integration with live action imagery
Techniques of video making are highly influenced by technical achievements in video games. For example, motion capture is often used in video games to animate the game characters. In animation, motion capture refers to recording actions of human actors and using that information to animate digital character models in 3D. As a result, the movement of the animated characters resembles natural human movements. Thomas Fersen’s Deux pieds is an example of the use of a diversity of animation techniques in a music video. First, motion capture is employed in the animation in order to create the cartoon representation of Thomas Fersen. After the 3D modelling process and animating the characters, a computer technique of cell shading is applied to mimic the style of classical cell animation; the result appears to be a 2D animation, but it is made by computer 3D animation techniques.
Thomas Fersen’s Deux pieds, Utilizing motion capture and cell shading animation techniques
The explosion of creativity and new aesthetics has come with the proliferation of new technologies (bugvideos.co.uk). By exploring the vast field of technology, video artists introduce new techniques of video making to the medium. As a result, technologies that were not conventional in filmmaking become known and used. As an example, the latest Radiohead music video House of Cards employs an optical remote sensing technology. The video features clips of the faces of Thom Yorke, the band’s lead singer and images of suburban landscapes – not filmed by camera, but made by Velodyne LIDAR and Geometric Informatics. Velodyne Lidar detects the proximity of objects using multiple lasers and Geometric Informatics scanning systems produce structured light to capture 3D images at close proximity.
Radiohead’s House of Cards, 2008, Made by Velodyne LIDAR and Geometric Informatics
David Fincher's video for Michael Jackson’s Who Is It? (1993) is an example of the functional use of narrative in a music video. The story of the video is derived from the lyrics. However, the video exposes more details than the lyrics. The lyrics suggest the general concept of infidelity. Fincher takes the idea, develops it and exaggerates it. The girlfriend is not cheating with a lover; she is working as a prostitute for a secret agency. Fincher pictures Michael Jackson much the same as his celebrated image, with a luxurious lifestyle; yet, the more active parts belong to the other protagonists.
The intro of the song is played along with the moving shadows of clouds on the buildings of a city. The video starts with a fast parallel editing following two different events. At Jackson’s house, the camera moves through a glossy hallway where maids are dusting, and enters a large room. Meanwhile, the girl arrives with escort cars and gets inside a trailer. We follow both events simultaneously; the scene cuts from one to the other frequently according to the beats of song and thereby places emphasis on beat. However, the distinct colour difference between the indoor and the outdoor space helps the viewer follow both more easily - warm colours are applied for Jackson’s part and cold colours for the girl’s part. Besides, the iconic shot of white socks and black shoes immediately signifies the presence of “Michael Jackson”. We see his character as a suffering recluse. He is holding a platinum business card with the name 'Alex', which seems to confirm that his girlfriend is cheating on him with ‘Alex’. After introducing the characters (Jackson, the girlfriend, the assistant and the employees) and the conflict (infidelity of the girlfriend) the cutting phase slows down and the first verse of the song starts. During the first verse the emphasis is on Jackson’s portrait, while he is singing the lyrics.
13 Michael Jackson’s Who Is It?, 1993, by David Fincher
“And she promised me in secret
That she'd love me for all time
It's a promise so untrue
Tell me what will I do?”
As the video progresses the rhythm of editing follows the song less, and so, each piece becomes longer and consequently more narrative. We learn the name 'Alex' on the card is one of the girl’s aliases. Her identity and visual appearance is changed regularly, usually between clients, and is confirmed by the differing platinum business cards she presents to each client. The editing emphasizes the repetition of the action by showing her coming down the stairs in a white corset and going out of the doorway in a black one.
When the music reaches the bridge section, hasty events are replaced with dark dusty scenes and slow movements. Jackson is hopelessly seeking a sign from her in an empty apartment. This sequence is the key to the story, where we see the ‘Alex’ card between the many others. Here, the role of the assistant becomes apparent16. He gives Jackson only the ‘Alex’ card, because the name suggests a male. He keeps the rest secret for the sake of his desperate master. The subtext of the prostitute story is unknown to Jackson, which is an explanation for his uncertainty in the lyrics.
“…And the reason why she left me.
Did she find someone else?
…And she didn't leave a letter
She just up and ran away
Who is it? Is it a friend of mine?
Who is it? Is it my brother?”
At the end of the song, the chorus repeats six times, the rhythm remains unchanged. In order to keep the balance, Fincher stresses the narrative. He lessens the cuts and uses continuous editing. As a result, the viewer can follow the ending more attentively. At the climax of the story, the girl defies her watchers to run back to Jackson's home. Meanwhile, Jackson is getting in a helicopter— this is the longest uncut sequence. The girl is late and she fails to see Jackson. Instead, she finds Jackson's assistant at the door, who refuses to let her in and reveals that Jackson has left. The assistant then hands her a collection of her alias business cards revealing that her secret is known and that she has been exposed. She is forced to return submissively back to her ruthless employees and continue on as a high class prostitute. The video ends with the ex-girlfriend being prepared for another client while Jackson attempts to sleep on a jet.
Throughout the video, Fincher delicately uses computer-generated imagery. At the ending part when Jackson is in the jet, there is a cut from inside to outside where a 3D model of the jet flies through the cloudy sky. Also, a ghostly face appears in Jackson's surroundings; in one scene, the face comes out from the desktop and rolls a pen aside with a turning movement.
The combination of the visual and conceptual elements inherit in the video, along with the auditory elements of the song adds a layer of meaning to the information of the song.