Generic Research - Case Study 1

"MMMBop" - Hanson

The music video for "MMMBop" by Hansen has a similar sunny aesthetic that I would like to recreate in my music video. The video depicts a trio of performers skillfully playing their respective instruments, which is how many performers I will have in my music video, and has a mixture of performance aspects and some what of a narrative, something I also want to employ in my music video.

The elements of this video that I want to emulate in my video are the:

1. Camerawork:

Lots of close-up shots of the artist are used as they perform, putting the focus on the star of the video (the artists) and not only conforming to Goodwin's theory, but also appealing to my aspirational audience as they will want to feel close to the star in order to make a personal connection to the artist. This close feeling will also help my target audience emulate the artist and thus gain status by emulating a celebrity. This song's genre is Pop, like "Daydream Believer" so it makes sense as to why we see the stars close up for a sizable chunk of the video. Having a multiple range of shots and angles that are played quite quickly one after the other, matches the songs fast paced and upbeat nature, adhering to another one of Goodwins theory points.

  Matching the camera work to the song is also more pleasurable for the audience to watch so I will emulate this in my video. The artists are also presented in quite a naturalistic way, jumping and kicking each other for example, putting them in a more relatable light for the audience and conveying their 'down to earth' nature. This with a mixture of more glamourous shots still paints the stars in a glamorous light which is what aspirers would like to see but paints them as relatable which my younger target audience would appreciate. The artists are also shown doing fun activities such as roller skating or driving in a car with friends, this is something I will emulate as my target audience would like to see this in a music video.

2. Mise en Scene (Narrative):

The artists are seen in multiple locations, on the beach, in an unknown nature area, on the moon etc. I intend to replicate this in the narrative element of my video in order to create a variety in my video that makes it more interesting to watch. The lighting is bright and cheerful in a majority of these locations, which is something I     want to emulate as it matches the upbeat nature of my chosen song and connotes a beauty and happiness in everyday life. Adhering to Goodwins point of the tone and atmosphere of the music being reflected in the visuals.

The range of mise en scenes connotes an adventure that the artists are going on, all whilst having fun on this adventure narrative. I intend to have my narrative follow "Jean" or her adventure around her local area, where she meets up with her friends and has fun, just like in "MMMBop". Simple locations such as the beach, which are easy to recreate, and the fun we see taking place within them, connote a simple pleasure to life and relates to the message of my narrative. Finding happiness in life as you go along. Giving "Jean" something to "cheer up" about.

3. Mise en Scene (Performance):

The artists are also seen in a number of performance spaces. One being their living room and another being a flower background. I intend to mimic this and have multiple performance mise en scenes in my music video. One being the mise en scenes where "Jean" is and the other being a cut away location, with coloured lights and so on.

It is important that, like in "MMMBop" there is a strong performance aspect as to appeal to my target audience. 

I also intent to match the 'chill' style of costuming on the artists for my artists in order to make them seem down to earth and match the message of 'finding happiness', but still present this style as stylish and glamourous.

Having multiple performance locations once again creates a variety in the video and makes it more interesting to watch.

Overall, I want to mimic the multiple mise en scene locations, the bright cheerful lighting, the close up shots of the artists, a mix of performance and narrative and the 'chill' costumes shown, alongside a skill shown for playing the instruments.