Assignment 2 - Analysis

Hymn For The Weekend – Coldplay

Introduction:

I have chosen to use the band Coldplay to analyse. The band is signed with three different music companies: Allophone, Capitol and Atlantic. Coldplay is a British rock band; it formed in 1996 by the lead vocalist, keyboardist and guitarist Chris Martin. Just like other artists today, Coldplay uses a variety of different methods to promote, such as: music videos, album covers, magazines and social media. In this essay I will be analysing both the music video Hymn For The Weekend, and the album A Head Full Of Dreams.

Genre:

The genre for this music video would be pop, as the song itself is upbeat and lively. The music video is very colourful and vibrant too, which adds to the effect of making it a pop video.

Conventions:

The conventions for this music video can be seen through the form, where they have made the video look a certain way to match the genre. They have chosen to show the band a lot throughout the video - all music videos do this, which makes it a common convention.

Target audience:

The target audience for this music video would be young men and women, with their age ranging around 14-20. The target audience would be young men and women, as this is quite a popular music genre for this particular audience. The music made by this band will stand out to this specific audience, and they will end up listening to more content made by the band in the future.

Because they have used Beyoncé to feature in not only the song, however the music video too, it will attract more viewers.

Camera techniques:

In the video, they have chosen to use a variety of different camera angles, such as a: low angle shot, high angle shot, a close up shot and more. They have done this so that it makes the video a lot more interesting than it already is. It makes the video a lot more interesting because using different camera angles emphasizes the different elements in the music video and makes the audience feel a range of different emotions. The close up shot that's been used in this music video is used quite a lot and has an effect on the audience, as it shows you that the band is the main attraction for the video.  A deep focus has been used for this music video, as the whole scene is in focus throughout the whole video. The high angle shots make you look down on the band and can often show the audience that the band is of a higher status – which may lead to the audience questioning their own vulnerability.

Editing techniques:

Just like other music video’s, the editor has matched the scenes with the beat of the song using jump cuts. The fast change of scenes fit in with the slow motion effect that they have put on to certain parts of the video. For example, this is seen when people are running or when the band is throwing colour into the air. Some of the footage is seen in slow motion, as it can create a build up. It creates build up, as it enhances the excitement of the music being played by the band.

Sound techniques:

At the start of the music video, you hear birds chirping. They have chosen to do this as it can show you that the music video links in with nature. You also hear different instruments being played at the start; these traditional instruments are being used to show you something about India, where the music video is shot.

Mise en scene:

The band is dressed very casually for this music video, with paint seen all over their clothing. By doing this, it just shows people that they are trying to enjoy themselves.

The place where the video’s shot shows you their lifestyle and culture. Most people in the video seem very laid back and this represents what the band is like as a whole throughout it. The props for this music video include instruments, which the band is seen playing. This creates significance on particular people as most instruments being played are from the country itself. There are no black and white scenes to this music video, and so this shows people that it doesn’t portray any negativity or sadness.

A Head Full Of Dreams was released through Atlantic and Parlophone – popular record labels that can easily sell the album. Synergy has been used here as they have released two different products using two different companies. Atlantic and Parlophone worked together to promote both the album cover and the music video across different media platforms. The album was released a year after the music video via the band’s website. Choosing to put it onto the band’s website is considered a good idea as it’s frequently visited by fans all around, and can help them with getting a wider audience.

They have used a variety of different colours, which stand out, this links to the music video where they are seen throwing colour in India. The different colours used can show us that the music video is ‘’exciting’’ as there is more than one colour used, and it can show us that there are different meanings for each colour shown. For example, the colour black which is right in the centre of the album cover, can be portrayed negatively and even though there is quite a lot of black seen, they have used a geometrical drawing with vibrant colours to almost ‘’rid the negativity’’ and add in colours like yellow which has connotations of happiness and produces a warming effect.

A Head Full Of Dreams, the album, links in with the way the cover has been designed. Images of hot air balloons, planets, a boy sitting on a cloud, birds and a rocket can be seen on this cover. All items listed have connotations of being free. The word ‘Hymn’ from the name of the song links in with all of these things, as the meaning of the word is to praise something above, this may represent that the band itself has hope for the present/future. There aren’t any words shown on this advert, as they have tried to make the target audience focus on the image itself, and by doing this, they will have to question the different things going on in the picture. Typical conventions include: the artist’s name, the album name and images of the artist. This album cover is different to others, as they have chosen to break away from these typical conventions.

Conclusion:

I think that the two promotional products promote the band very well. Both the music video and the album are seen in many different places today – especially the music video, which is always seen playing on different music channels. The fact that it’s played a lot shows people that the song is very popular, and has been sold well. Synergy can be seen through both the album cover and the music video, as there are links between the vibrant colours used. They both represent Coldplay as ecstatic and joyful, which links to the genre. The use of synergy helps the band promote their album effectively.

Terminology

Media production

Representation