ARTIST CASE STUDY: THE PIXIES archetypal Indie

Accompanying the lyric 'half asleep with a loaded gun' (Silver Snail) - there are few more inventive, inspiring, and downright stunning videos out there than The Pixies' collection, especially their videos since 2013

there is an embedded YouTube playlist of ALL videos covered at the bottom of this post

Glamourpusses!

IN THIS POST: I embed and briefly discuss the music videos of The Pixies, an archetypal Indie or alternative rock band that date back to the late 80s and are still going strong, with a strikingly different set of videos since 2013. Their antagonism towards playing the promotional game, ironically, made them a key influence on a generation of video-makers. They initially refused to produce any videos then produced some challenging videos that consciously broke many of the most basic conventions of the format. No research into the conventions of music video as a format would be complete without some reference to this lot. The cinematography and use of colour (even the brilliant use of the generally cliched slo-mo tool) in their recent videos is simply STUNNING.

WHO ARE THEY?
The Pixies are a seminal alternative rock (Indie) band who remain a key influence today, both for their music and their highly distinctive music videos. In the UK they're signed to 4AD, part of the Beggars consortium (Indie labels often join forces in co-ops to cut marketing costs and to get better distribution deals, economies of scale etc) - see wiki and this Guardian article on its iconic status. Their music fused Latin influences with rock; a bossa nova, 50s rock sound with a hard edge and dark, literary lyrical themes.

DESCRIBE THEIR BRAND
Key to understanding the Pixies is their sense of coming from humble working class backgrounds in Boston; they did not need to see themselves as a glamorous band and this is reflected in their videos. In a word, authenticity is the hallmark of their branding - this is not a band who would indulge in the fakery most bands will accept in order to maximixe their media exposure and record sales. Their everyday clothing, in contrast to the extravagance of bands like KISS and Bon Jovi that dominated much of the 80s, would bring back a vaguely punk aesthetic to the rock world, with the likes of Kurt Cobain reflecting the Pixies' look. They were edgy too - some of their lyrical themes are very dark indeed, though often based in classic literature, and were prepared to play with basic song structure too.

THE WILL TO BE WEIRD: THE ULTRA SLO-MO SINGLE-TAKE VELOURIA

Yes, a shocker in some regards, but an uber risque effort, and commercial suicide in others. Or, simply: inspirational! Why don't you take on such an idea as an extra (not a main) production? There are several mainstream examples of such alternative, additional videos alongside the main production.

Their videos stand almost as anti-videos, an apparent refusal to play the promotional game:

As "Velouria" (their first single from Bossanova) was climbing up the UK Top 40, the band was offered a spot on Top of the Pops. However, a BBC rule stated only singles with videos could be performed on the show. To counter this a cheap video was made, with the band being filmed running down a quarry.^[105]In the video, twenty-three seconds of footage (the time needed for the band members to reach the camera) is slowed in order to last for the duration of the song.^[106] However, the effort in filming the video was in vain; the Pixies did not play "Velouria" on Top of The Pops while the single was in the charts.^[107] [Wiki]

Baeble Blog: FKA Twigs alt 20 min art video

NB: The video explores sexual themes (especially in the 2nd piece), though without nudity, and does have 1 instance of swearing about 14 mins in.

The Baeble blog is a good place to look for examples of unconventional work for inspiration, ideas or simply to help evidence and justify some of your own whackier ideas as having antecedents in the diverse field if music video.

FKA Twigs has created a long form video to promote an EP, adopting a style that edges more towards art gallery installation than typical small screen fare.

Link below, but note content warning.

Chris Cunningham would be the most obvious influence, though David Lynch equally came to mind for the horror-tinged elements and general oddness. Some more conventional tropes are present and the final piece recalls Janet Jackson, Madonna and that modern-day mini-Madge, Gaga. 

Whilst somewhat challenging, the second piece, wherein Twigs becomes a literal doll, plaything, is an intriguing exploration (perhaps plain denunciation?) of the male gaze and its impact. 

I'd be curious to see how the BBFC might rate that piece alone; nothing explicit but clearly dark (so arguably disturbing) themes and tone, a borderline 12/15? The one swear word later on would not automatically disbar a 12 by the way.

Noting the content warnings, you can read the article here, or view the video below.

Its clearly been a successful campaign:

Heading towards 3m views (screenshot Dec 6th 2015)

Jarring juxtapositions: twerking in Mastodon vid

This curious countertyping helped Mastodon gain publicity

There can be considerable shock or at least novelty value still in incorporating elements from a contrasting genre; in this example the prog-metal band Mastodon. In their video for The Motherload they incorporate ... twerking!

So, we get some fairly standard, though well-executed (nicely lit, and some effective focus pull), sepia-coloured footage of vaguely demonic figures ... counterpointed with a range of very modern dancers twerking, often in slo-mo and fairly uncomfortable close-up. The point (the 'reading') is debatable, and may simply come down to the shock value, or may be a critique of what the likes of Sinead O'Connor has attacked as exemplifying male industry control over female artists, with Lily Allen's attempted critique itself attacked for allegedly racist undertones.

(skip to the end to view the actual video)

One Shot vids

I've blogged on this before:

• Streets anti-vid 
• Single-take videos 
• Greatest single take video ever?
• Pixies

But, in looking for the name of a Guns'n'Roses track I remembered had been done as a single shot vid ("Garden of Eden", with fisheye lens also used), I came across a wiki specifically on this topic, with a great many more examples.
I've repeatedly suggested this, but here's another try ... why not shoot a single-take vid as an extra? If bands such as U2 (for "One") can justify this, so can you! And there's no editing involved!

POMO, WEB EXCL.: Morbid Angel silent movie vid

Perhaps reflecting the hype around The Artist, the 2011 French silent movie thats receiving critical acclaim right now, here's a highly postmodern vid taking on the media language of silent movies but from an unusual source: death metal icons Morbid Angel. Personally I think the vid's quite poor, and the slow pace just doesn't work for the genre, BUT it will generate debate and thus publicity. They gave the online premiere to the magazine site Terrorizer, a move increasingly used (we also see video premieres on the schedules of C4, E4 etc quite commonly) and so something you could think about/write about with regards to use of technology.






Evanescence also provide a good eg of promoting a vid through ... a vid! They gave an interview on set of their latest to MTV, ensuring airplay and publicity: http://loudwire.com/evanescence-inside-lookvideo-my-heart-is-broken/

M.LANG: Jane'sAddiction 'lyric vid'

This is a strange one, albeit from a band whose brand is centred on their difference to the mainstream, one who've had battles with both the censors and their own record label over album covers, and who haven't been afraid to play up gay or bisexual connotations despite having a rock/metal following.
I've never heard of 'lyric videos' before, but this Loudwire article uses the term to denote the curious vid for JA's latest.

Tracking over an underground map from The Warriors

The vid features the lyrics set out as an underground map (rendered through Flash by the looks of it; the 'paper' has accurate folds but looks artificial), with occasional crosscutting to a tracking shot in an underground rail tunnel, plus stills of the band's energetic and triumphant live performance, and ends with a straightforward print ad for the new album, making the commercial logic of music vids more explicit than usual. The camera (as least as rendered through software) tracks across the map, including back and forth to chorus lyrics.
Perhaps an influence here from The Warriors, Walter Hill's 1979 cult classic which has also become a hit PlayStation game [trailer; opening sequence - go to 4:10 in to see map tracking]?

Here's the JA vid:

The canny commercialism doesn't end there; the viral release of the vid is accompanied by a competition to win a guitar signed by all 4 band members.

POSTMODERNISM Rammstein smash genre conventions

Bizarre, but clever, bit of countertyping from godfathers of industrial Rammstein: a new vid for Mein Land in which they appear as happy-go-lucky surfer dudes, in the style of the Beatles, Monkees or Beach Boys, 3 60s bands whose film and TV work contained proto-vids.

This then is yet another option for this brief, and for working within this format: completely playing against type and expectations in a postmodern fashion. Towards the end the footage switches dramatically to more familiar territory; as it features some limited nudity in the final minute I won't embed it, but you can see and read about this Jomas Akerlund vid here: http://loudwire.com/rammstein-nsfw-campy-beach-video-mein-land/

Single take videos

LINKED POSTS: http://musividz.blogspot.com/2010/11/artist1-pixies.html 

http://musividz.blogspot.com/2011/06/greatest-single-take-video-ever.html http://musividz.blogspot.com/2012/02/one-shot-vids.html Streets anti-vid 

I mentioned this today, and George asked about the example I gave. You can find it in this post: http://musividz.blogspot.com/2011/06/greatest-single-take-video-ever.html

As I mention in this, and the 'streets anti-vid' post, when you're in groups you should think of some fun 'alternate' video/s you can do for your track, real lo-fi fan-vid style. This idea has been used by bands as big as U2 (with the 3 vids for 'One'!)

I'll trust GeorgeG will mention this post in the next lesson...

RobS helpfully came up with another eg, Coldplay's Yellow (11.2m views at time of writing!)

Streets anti-vid

LINKED POSTS: http://musividz.blogspot.com/2010/11/artist1-pixies.html 

http://musividz.blogspot.com/2011/06/greatest-single-take-video-ever.html http://musividz.blogspot.com/2012/02/one-shot-vids.html

 

What I mean by anti-vid (NOT a technical term!) is a vid that rejects the noisy stylings of the vid format, full of fast-paced edits/SFX; Kyle picked this one, and found the following quote from Mike Skinner on it:

"During a great period of intense mixing we decided that it might be nice to shoot a video. This isn't the way the record industry works and so it was under the radar of the label and done totally for us by us on a shoe string. It was totally different from any other promo that I've made in that it was something real that we just filmed rather than trying to create something real looking using lots of people and lots of angles. I feel like it's more than a video in that sense. Aswell as looking quite odd without all the singing and quick cuts" (Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2c6g6eG1mQ)

You couldn't really do something like this as coursework - how would you evidence your technical skills? - BUT I am considering the idea of each group producing at least one alternative vid, an increasingly common approach seen even with major artists such as U2 (One), and somewhat inspired by the protest vid The Pixies produced in annoyance at having to have a vid out to get on Top of the Pops. (I've blogged on these...)

You may even wish to shoot some footage for an alternative vid during the summer if inspiration strikes!

Greatest single take video ever?

UPDATE FEB 15TH 2012: In searching for GnR's "Garden of Eden" as another eg, I stumbled upon this wiki of 'one shot music videos', which lists a great many more examples!!! See http://musividz.blogspot.com/2012/02/one-shot-vids.html

Pete Fraser flagged this one up on his blog; interesting viral-style vid ... yet budgeted at a cool $40k!!!!

The info is notable too, and I'll copy this in below; highlights the industrial nature of the vid - but also the commercial/ideological aspect (a counter to a negative comment about a US town that local businesses felt would be, well, bad for business).

It also suggests a possible major new name to put up there alongside the likes of Spike Jonze in director Rob Bliss, who's aim does seem to be create 'event' vids that achieve viral success but also mainstream news coverage (thus the World Record hook to this vid's backstory). And, of course, what he's done here is what most of you will do: create a new vid for a previously released track (you can work with a band on newer material if you can make the links). His main contact link is a Facebook page.

The idea of the single take is not new, but its so technically difficult to pull off, with cast, props (eg cars), sound [not such a factor for music vids!] and cameras having to be in such perfect synch, that it remains rare. In film, the openings of Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958) [watch it here] and Halloween (John Carpenter, 1979 [USA 1978]), two very different films, remain legendary for their accomplishment as single-takes, while the film Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2002) took this to a new level - a plush, high production-value movie entirely shot in one take:

More recently still, The Silent House (Gustavo Hernández, 2010), a Uruguyan production, took Carpenter's achievement a stage further in making the entire feature-length horror as a single-take.
As much as I admire this tremendously accomplished vid (ask any of last students and they'll tell how difficult it is to get accurate lip-synching, here achieved in one continuous take with a huge cast!), I still prefer the Pixies vid, created as a response to the machinations of the record industry (they were to be barred from appearing on Top of the Pops if their single didn't have a video); nothing like as technically brilliant as this, but a moment of raw inspiration rising from a flash of anger (and a superior tune to boot!)...

THE PIXIES VID

...and here it is in real time!

I've blogged on this before: you couldn't create such a vid and expect a good mark no matter how profound an artistic statement it is, as you simply won't rack up any marks for the many technical aspects assessed in the markscheme ... BUT I highly recommend creating just such a 2ndary vid to show your wider appreciation of the industry/audience (and to have a little fun too!)...

THE YOUTUBE BLURB

Uploaded by sefllc on 26 May 2011

The international sensation that Roger Ebert calls "The Greatest Music Video Ever Made."

http://facebook.com/GRLipDub | http://twitter.com/GRLipDub

Rob Bliss Events: http://facebook.com/robblissevents

Media Inquiries: robblissgr[at]aim.com
Business Inquiries: ask[at]sefvideo.com

"The Grand Rapids LipDub Video was filmed May 22nd, with 5,000 people, and involved a major shutdown of downtown Grand Rapids, which was filled with marching bands, parades, weddings, motorcades, bridges on fire, and helicopter take offs. It is the largest and longest LipDub video, to date.

This video was created as an official response to the Newsweek article calling Grand Rapids a "dying city." We disagreed strongly, and wanted to create a video that encompasses the passion and energy we all feel is growing exponentially, in this great city. We felt Don McLean's "American Pie," a song about death, was in the end, triumphant and filled to the brim with life and hope." - Rob Bliss, Director & Executive Producer

*Note: The "NEW WORLD RECORD" designation refers to size and scope, not duration.

This $40,000 production was entirely financed by the generosity of local sponsors that are listed below:

PLATINUM SPONSORS:
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel (http://amwaygrand.com/)
EasyRotor Helicopter (http://easyrotor.com/)

Short filmic vid-ChrisCunningham-censorship

Can't really embed the vid I'll touch on here given its 147 uses of the f-word and more, but with this in mind you can watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlrbNqs61nU
Directed by Chris Cunningham (rem, a comp. DVD of his vids is available for loan) for the Warp dance act Aphex Twin, the video for Windowlicker is an edgy satire of contemporary US urban, hip-hop cultural tropes and cliches; the far end of the spectrum from Michael Jackson's comparatively effete streetscapes in Bad or Billie Jean.

Clocking in at 10:34, this goes beyond the typical brief diegetic intro we get in many vids - again, a useful comparison would be Jackson (the John Landis-directed Thriller).

Aphex Twin play with gender identity

There's a nice, and not too complicated (the sort of thing you have the facilities as Media students to replicate), effect to create a 38-window streeeetch limo (look for the telltale repeat of light moving across the two women to see the join). The vid also sees gender identity played with (a nod to Judith Butler's 'performativity of gender' theory?), something the band have done in live performances/artshows.
Unsurprisingly, the vid was the subject of censorship - with an equally common response in that 'clean' versions were created, though MTV did receive a fine for airing an uncut version before 9pm.
I've copied in below the informative blurb from the YouTube uploader below, but put this behind a 'read more' rather than remove the swear words contained in this. But first...

Consider this: is there an issue with censoring satire of sweary, misogynistic cultural forms and behaviour, which surely requires the use of swearing and images of misogyny to function with some level of verisimilitude?

There's another useful web feature on this, and Cunninghmam's work: http://www.director-file.com/cunningham/aphex2.html

Now the YouTube text:

Oddball Beatles lip sync

Noticed this from browsing the Media Guardian site just now (article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/dec/05/youtube-norway); it speaks for itself...


Nearly as odd:

Kanye West: 35min vid

The idea of an extended music vid, effectively as a short film isn't new - John Landis' work for Michael Jackson's Thriller itself built on The Beatles' films, which could be viewed as a series of sketched built around multiple prototype music vids. Kanye West's effort, the 35min Runaway, has split web opinion, currently accruing 29,055 likes/5,101 dislikes after 5,389,189 views at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7W0DMAx8FY and another 28,165 likes/2,890 dislikes from 6,331,377 viewings at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg5wkZ-dJXA&feature=channel (just some of the uploads on YouTube alone; its also on his official site and many more).
The bottom line - its working wonders as a promotional tool. KanyeWest.com even includes a live twitter feed on what people are saying about it, stark evidence of its impact.

Music vids as ads

We've discussed 2 examples, both of which used the expensive but prestigious ad-breaks within Saturday's X Factor to launch the campaign. In each cases we can see a company looking to extend (or consolidate) its reach to the lower end of the youth market, 15-24, with humour the main tool used to achieve this.

I came across these examples by reading the Media Guardian online - can i urge you all again to flick through this from time to time...

We can take from this the widening use of the music video format; as well as commercials for bands/singles/albums/tours/merchandise, as well as 'art films', we are seeing the form used within advertising - an ad trying to disguise its status as an ad!

In the 2nd example we get a straightforward use of juxtaposition which you could consider yourselves: the urban, bling-heavy rap set and performed in a farm by supposed farmer types wearing country clothing! Nice effects with the tractor, the owl and quirky shots of cows all thrown in.



The song dates back to 1980, so as well as our core youth target audience we're looking at clear appeal to a secondary nostalgic mature youth market, 35-44.


As Media Monkey notes:

At first glance Monkey was mightily impressed with the breathtakingly fresh, unique and offbeat approach the ad agency BBH had taken creating dairy company Yeo Valley's first TV ad. It was a a well-planned debut: Create an ad of a bunch of young "farmers" performing a rap homage to their trade and hog an eye-wateringly expensive two-minute slot in The X Factor's first live knockout round on Saturday. Except it seems that the idea for the campaign may not be that new at all. It seems a Canadian TV campaign from a year ago, the "Milk Rap" by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, which aimed to make milk a bit "cooler" (strapline: "It doesn't get any cooler than this") featured a bunch of, you guessed it, young hip farming typers rapping about the virtues of the white stuff.
Spot the difference, you decide: here's the Yeo Valley TV ad and the Canadian Milk TV ad .

There's a nice link from this into our 2nd stimulus song: Cars...