Codal Analysis

By Josh Manley

Sia – Elastic Heart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWZGAExj-es

Visual Code• The music video is set in one location throughout, the two characters are

placed in a large/dark metal cage in the centre of a relatively bright, lightly lit industrial room. The colour scheme is melancholic, keeping to the colours of different shades of dark greys and crèmes, mimicking an industrial vibe. The characters of the video are wearing dirty flesh coloured costumes, the female wear a flesh leotard paired with blonde bob wig where the male wears flesh coloured pants with bandages on his hands. The dirty theme colour perhaps resemble deteriorated state of the man. Makeup is also key in contributing to the overall industrial and dirty/gritty theme. The male character has makeup applied to him in order to make him look dirty, complimented by his beard. This makes him look significantly older than the young girl and can result in some audiences feel uncomfortable due to how close and tactile they appear. However other interpretations can be made though watching the video, some audiences believe that the young girl is the males inner child or inner issues.

Audio Code• The lyrics of the track are very important/meaningful and relevant to the video

and both go hand in hand. They both compliment each other and presented the issues in which the a person, perhaps the artist, suffers from. The lyrics contain many anologies which can be interpreted in a variety of ways but the main anology used is for her struggle with her own emotions. The song also paints a picture of a struggle for peace. The thick skin is her strong part, and the elastic heart is the weaker part of her. She'll fight her hardest - but she's still breakable.

• It could also be considered that she's talking about an actual person. She's been damaged, but she did not let them break her and she's still fighting for peace - peace with them, peace with herself, and/or peace with the world. Maybe this line was meant for Sia's father who she has had a troubled relationship with.

Technical Code• Throughout the music video, the vast majority of the shots used contains

movement which is very effective in presenting the performance of the two dancers. Often circular camera movements are used very often, spiraling around the cage focusing on the two characters.The pace of the editing and camera movement becomes much more erratic when the tempo of the soundtrack increases. Shots become shorter with sharp transitions and also the body language/expressions of the characters also contributes to the pace of the video. There is no slow motion included in this video which differs from a lot of music videos, instead the body language, acting and camera movement dictate the pace of the video. Also zooms are used effectively to focus on either of the individual characters and illustrate their facial expressions and body language, presneting their emotions. Throughout both characters appear aggressive whereas towards the end, heartbreak is shown through the man crying showing the pain he suffers.

Narrative & Enigma Code• Throughout the music video the camera follows two charcaters of the

opposite sex with a distinct age difference. It begins with them both acting timid and tame with each other follwing the perimeter of the cage at opposite sides. As the soundtrack progresses, the two characters perform and abstract contemperary dance routine. It can be potentially considered that the two characters are in fact one person. Unusually the young girl seems to be rather dominant which could suggest that she is one of the man's inner issues which he is unable to control. Also the fact that she is significantly younger than the man could also suggest that she is his inner child. There is a lot of enigma produced in this video as it is presneted to be very surreal. The auidences would wonder why the two characters are together in the cage and what the relationship between the two are. The dancer that they perform is very unusal and abstract, being very different from a usual dancer routine due to the narrative they both share. The cage acts as a metaphor for their skull as they are in fact one person, their perfomance together is seemingly aggressive, displaying how people beat themsleves up and struggle with there feelings.

Foals – Late Night

https://vimeo.com/60057960

Visual Code• The setting where this video is set is established straight away at the

beginning of the video where an establishment shot has been used. This provides a very urban and gritty feel through the low key lighting and the location being a bar. This is where the band are playing on stage to a minute audience where once again low key lighting is used. Also 3 other settings are included in the video where 3 other different storylines are taking place. In these different parts of the video, minimal clothing is visible as 1. A lady is giving birth 2. A couple are having sex and 3. A man in comitting suicide.The low key lighting used throughout produces a very dindgy and gritty vide which is enhanced through the dark colour scheme illustrated through the location, costume and props. Props are very effective in presenting the setting as they allow the audience two relate the two together, identifying the atmosphere of the setting. The prop of the belt is very significant as it is used as an attempt of suicide, contributing to the gloomy atmosphere. Blood is also very significant as it is a reocurring theme throughout the whole video

Audio Code• Away from the most dominant sound being the music

soundtrack, diegetic sounds is used very effective in illustrating and producing a certain atmosphere. Initially, Eastern European dialogue is introduced which is very effective in showing the regional identity of both some characters and setting. Later in the video, screams from women both giving birth and having sex can be faintly heard along side the cries of the new born baby. All of these diegetic sounds contribute to the immersive experience of the music video and allows for a much greater connection to be made with the audience. This is because they can relate the audio to the visuals in which they are witnessing on screen.

Technical Code• The use of close ups are very effective in this video as they display detail

effectively. These close ups work very well when presenting the theme of blood throughout. Blood is shown slowly dripping out of the main performer's nose, covering the baby when born and is also present in the sex scenes. Without the close ups the blood wouldn't be able to be seen and therefore could perhaps go un-noticed. Showing how important these shots are as they illustrate a key aspect of the video. Also the Steadicam shots are equally as useful as they provide a sense of point of view from one of the characters present in the scene. By doing this the audience will be able to connect much more with the video, feeling part of the experience as they feel as if they are viewing the actions through one of the characters. The editing is also key in this video as it almost comes across as an exmple of montage editing, displaying different storylines simutaneously. The fact that the pace of the video increase accordingly with the tempo of the track provides a sense of chaos and is very errative. Also there are some shots which are in slow motion, allowing them to stand and and be noticed as they have longer screentime, the audience may tend to focus on these shots and they will become very significant.

Narrative & Enigma Code• This video would be considered to be a hybrid and it contains elements of all

narrative, performance and conceptual music video types. The narrative displayed is the chronological stories simultaneously taking place. The performance aspect of the video is where the band are playing on stage inside the pub. The conceptual part of the video would be the concept of blood/bleeding and life.

• Four individual storylines take place throughout, taking the audience on different journies and expeirences. However, even though they are all separate they all relate and can be linked for several reasons. Firstly due to the presence of blood which could be considered to resemeble the view that humans are bound together by blood and are all the same/equal. Another way in which they all could be related is through the theme of life; the mother is producing life by giving birth, the couple are having sex which could potentially create life and the man is comitting suicide, therefore ending life.

• Enigma is created on mainy occasions throughout the video as the audience wouldn't know the cause of some events which are taking place. For example, the audience wouldn't know what is causing the lead singer to bleed from the nose and also they wouldn't understand why the man is comitting suicide. Therefore resulting in the audience questioning these occurances as they won't have the knowledge as to why they are happeing.

Beyonce – Pretty Hurts

https://youtu.be/LXXQLa-5n5w

Visual Code• The overall theme created through the mise en scene is glamour

and feminity. This is due to colour schemes of pinks/blues and other warm colours, this is accompanied by soft lighting which reduces the amount of contrast present on subjects. This also goes hand in hand with the costumes and makeup used on the women which are very flamboyant, vibrant and elegant. It also could be interpreted that the rabbit ear headpiece is used to present her innocence and purity. The settings used in the video are the main influences in allowing the plot and theme to be identified. The fact that it is set at a beauty pageant stage and also backstage rooms allows the audience to relate to the issues and complications which are also shown in the video. When seeing these issues the colours are much darker, portraying the fashion industry in a negative light.

Audio Code• The song is a pop/soul ballad containing mellow R&B

undertones and a hip hop groove. The lyrics of the track are related to third-wave feminism and self-empowerment. It confronts society’s standards and stereotypes with regard to female beauty. It also serves as an analysis of female body image and society’s obsession with physical perfection. There are also many diegetic sounds used within the video which allows the audience to connect more with the character. This especially happens where there is a dialogue exchanged between characters.

Technical Code• At the beginning of the music video the pace of editing is

rather slow, which is achieved by much longer shots. For example when showing the performance of the character on stage, a long continuous close up shot is used which slowly zooms out. Then when the tempo of the soundtrack increases so does the pace of editing where much shorted chaotic shots have been used. In faster sections quick close up shots are used to show the characters preparing themselves for the beauty pageant. Also the dynamics on screen become more erratic when arguments are show and also when the actor destroys her trophies. In contrast to this, some of these shots are in slow motion which exaggerate the movement taking place.

Narrative and Enigma Code• The music video is based around the concept of a beauty pageant contest

where they explore the toxic world and what people do which is so damaging to themselves. A scene from the clip which depicts Beyoncé preparing plastic surgery, consuming diet pills and vomiting is used to illustrate the damage endured by people, specifically women in the fashion industry. The fact that an albino woman won the contest could be considered to be enigma as the audience wouldn’t understand why she won. However it suggests that the lead character is not perfect, she doesn't always win and you put your best foot forward and you may still lose. Also the scene where beyonce smashes up her trophies could also be considered enigmatic as the audience would not understand her reasoning behind this. The intended message her is to illustrate that trophies don't bring you happiness, and don't move you forward in life. The video ends with clips of her childhood in order to connect it to the second music video from the album, however this makes a much stronger connection with the audience and allows them to relate more to the artist.