Explain how representations in music videos are chosen to promote the artist(s). Refer to one of the music videos you have studied to support your answer
Music videos are typically a form of media to enhance the artists views and also prompt their image as a whole. These allow the artists a way to reflect their passion of their songs and creativity through different form due to there being visual provided to the audience.
Massive Attacks "Unfinished Sympathy" which was released I February 1991 and within the song there is a frequent occurrence and motif of heartbreak. The guest singer in the video, Shara Nelson, expresses a relationship of which she clearly has loved someone more than they loved her in return. In the video she is wearing full black long clothing, this colour typically is connotated with mourning. This could emphasis the mourning of her past relationship, this is also hinted by the lyrics of "he's got my mind and body aching" suggesting she can't get the idea of their relationship out of her head; it is constantly dragging her down. Throughout the video there are many things included in the background that would distract anyone, however Shara Nelson in the foreground takes no notice and is oblivious to it all. Trolleys just positioned in the middle of the pavement, people trying to distribute leaflet, even drinkers on the streets. Drinking alcohol from brown bags in the daytime isn't anything new to some places, they drink through these as they hope police officers are less likely to question asking - what is in the bag. Additionally, behind the lead singer there is a disabled man riding on a skateboard, this is something you wouldn't expect, the camera tracks in and out of him showing him left alone and abandoned. This catches your eyes as we would typically expect him to be using a wheelchair, the would be due to areas such as the NHS which us in the UK are very familiar with. All of these aspects combined reflect the deprived Los Angeles, not the glamourized version of LA of which many connotate when referenced the idea of this city within the state of California.
Massive Attack are a band which typically create serious style music videos, their videos are of a real style the polar opposite of artists such as Bruno Mars whose videos are aimed at flashing cash and faking reality.This music video may seem very straight forward, but the underlying meaning shows Massive Attack to take situations seriously. This is shown as the video is clearly very though out, to be able to complete this all in one shot and for no mistakes to occur for 5 minutes 20 shows that everything was very organised and in the correct position. This shows Massive Attack must care about their appearance through music videos, unlike Fat Boy Slim; who has no input or care when it comes to his own music videos
Going back to the beginning of the video, the first seconds exhibit two Chinese stress balls. This shot is then zoomed out with a gang of around 9 members, this group appears intimidating due to positioning of them and the camera and also the mise-en-scene used. By combining these scenes throws the audience off as undoubtedly stress balls are for relieving, however in "Unfinished Sympathy" this is juxtaposed as the members appears to be holding the ball, and obviously these two wouldn't be typically paired together. These present non-diegetic sound as they hit together producing a clinking metallic noise. This music video taken in one shot therefore meaning no editing took place. This means as they exit from the scene following the gang members the flow to the main character which is singing about her heartbreak. As this transition is put across the camera turns to a graffiti covered buildings and grimey streets. Covered end to end with rubbish. Then, a young boy is shown... dressed in a cap, bomber jacket playing casually with a toy gun on the streets. The guns aimed at camera, this shows they are normalising these sort of actions within society, showing the disregard and symbolising it is the normal at the time within that area of Los Angeles especially; the video was filmed from streets of South New Hampshire Avenue all the way to West Pico Boulevard. All along these lanes people are loitering reflecting the constant struggle of social deprivation.
Around 4 minutes into the video there are clearly people on the streets vandalising and being destructive to their neighborhood, throwing what appears to be fruit or vegtables from a shop. This could possibly be onto cars, they are doing this willingly showing the lack of consideration of the area. Openly destroying their neighbourhood. At this point in the video Shara Nelson is shown from the back, the camera has moved to be tracking her from behind, following her footstep as she carries on down the path as her last lyrics sung was "I'm missing every part". Throughout the scenes in the music video, Shara Nelson directly looks down the camera, this suggests the only thing on her mind is her last relationship and by the camera focusing on her, positioned directly in the middle of the frame shows that the main spotlight on the music video is her, only.
