Music Video Analysis; Vernalis

I decided to analyse Michael Buble's video for Feeling Good. [EDIT: although this is not directly linked to our music video, I feel by analysing this music video in such detail I was able to decide which elements I wanted to incorporate into our own video and have a better understanding of the conventions]

Narrative:

In the video, Buble plays the character of a spy/agent who is on a secret mission. He's seen secretly entering a building and then tampers with the equipment and then knocks out a group of female protectors. There is a strong empahsis on the narrative in this video, with the performance intercutting between the narrative. Buble is the lead character in the video, and although you can't tell if he is a protagonist or antagonist, the audience is still on his side due to his cool demeanour and stylish presentation. The narrative is shown through the shots of files and equipment in the room which all add mystery to the video and intrigue the viewer. The narrative is what drives the video, but there are also lots of questions left unanswered, such as why he's there or who the women are. Although the video jumps around, meaning continuity is lost as Buble couldn't be in all those places at once, there is still a beginning, middle and end which creates some form of resolution, even though we don't know where his character is going next. The narrative isn't a literal interpretation of the lyrics, as he never mentions being a spy or crimes in the lyrics, just feeling good, which is shown by him completing a mission instead.

Spy documents:

We never see the women's faces creating anonymity:

Editing:

The screen appears curved right from the start which makes it appear like an old fashioned television screen, emphasising the narrative in the video. The beginning contains a few fades making the pace quite slow. There is a split screen at one point suggesting that Buble's character and the woman are going to interact. The video mostly doesn't cut on the beat, until it reaches the musical climax, where the editing and music speed up together. This means that there isn't an even pace throughout, as the narrative follows the music. There are lots of cuts during movement, as the video is packed with action. There is quite high contrast with little colour in the video, as everything appears very sterile and cold. There is slow motion at some points which highlights the running, but also could be seen as a way to make the women look slow and inferior, and there are also zoom-ins at certain points linking two shots together. At the end of the video, Buble gets in his car, and then it disappears leaving just the building work behind him.

Use of special effects/different techniques:

Camera Movement & Framing:

On the shots of Buble himself, the camera framing is tight, and the majority of his shots are close ups to suggest he is the main character. The camera also stays still when on his character meaning he is the key focus of the audiences attention. All the other characters are mainly shown through long shots, and we never actually see the women's faces creating anonymity and makes them untrustworthy, forcing you to side with Buble's character. At the beginning the shots are quite simple and slow, with shots of little movement to build up the tension for what's to come. One consistent shot throughout the video, is one of Buble stood infront of a flashy car, making him appear rich and stylish. As it is a long shot, it makes sure the audience can see the car and see how expensive it looks.

Close up of main characters (Buble's) face:

Long shots of the car:

Diegesis:

There is a lot of repetition of shots in this music video, in particular the still shots of Buble singing. His character does move to the music during the performance part of the video, but in the other shots his focus is his 'spy task'. There are gaps in the audience's understanding as they don't know the reasoning behind his break in, or why he has a vengeance against those people. However, it is also this mystery which encourages the viewer to keep watching. The frames of him by himself are more important as they last longer and are close ups. As the video jumps around in time, gaps are left for the audience to fill in. The diegesis is revealed slowly at first but then the viewer is thrown into the world of the music video as you want to know what Buble's character is up to. His actions are completed however, as we see him complete his task and then leave after he is satisfied with the job he's done.