Research; Music Videos

The music video by Cascada ‘Pyromania’ opens with a blur of colour like a mixture of strobe lighting which is a typical convention with night clubs where this song would be played. It then fades out into a medium shot of three men with helmets on. This is not typical of the dance genre as females are normally used within the videos, therefore maybe trying to engage with the female audience’s, however the use of helmets on the three men connotes mystery within the frame.

There is then use of jump cuts, showing close ups of the male faces, although hidden by the helmets. The effect of a strobe light is given when the males open there mouth, linking with the club-like atmosphere and portraying this within the music video. There is clear lighting within the frame at this point and the audience are not established to the setting, creating an enigma.

There is a blowing of fire effect to switch the person within the frame from the males to a woman, who is the artist of the song. The rule of thirds is used as we are given a close up of the artists face, showing clear facial expressions, allowing the audience to relate to the artist. The artist uses seductive facial expressions as she sings and the use of excessive makeup links her to the dance genre as this seems to be a typical convention for the women.

The use of straight cuts separates two scenes which are interchanging within the video of the female artist signing and the male dancers with the helmets. This creates a dance-like feel towards the video. The lighting is then dropped to give a darkened framing, which connotes a night time, club-like feel, which the dance genre is clearly related towards. The lack of lighting within the frame now connotes a mysterious and mystifying setting which creates an enigma to the audience, therefore keeping them interested.

There are then multiple close ups and medium shots of the female artist, connoting she is very importance within the music video. This also allows the audience to identify with her and feel like they are being directly spoken too. Then is then a long shot of the female artist, allowing the audience to see her costume and gesture, which is a dress, which would be a typical costume for a woman to go out in if they went clubbing and also high heels, which would also be classed as typical costume.

The use of the male dancers in a separate frame to the female artist is unlike many dance videos as it shows some separation with the dancing and the music, but could be used as the female is trying to become the dominant and challenge the stereotype that women are weaker than men.

The use of a long shot of the female artist, using the rule of thirds, adds to the importance of her. Also the fact there is a graphic of bright lights which you would see in a club adds to the conventions of night clubbing and dance music. The use of constant edits between the female artist and the male dancers creates a link between them, conveying that the music the artist is singing goes with what the dancers are doing.

The multiple close ups on the female artists face attracts the intended target audience as it allows them to identify with the artist and allows them to feel as if they are able to communicate with the artist also. The female artist is conforming to the typical codes and conventions of women within the dance genre as she has long blonde hair and is wearing a short, slightly revealing dress. However, compared to the people used in other music videos, she has a slightly larger body shape, which possible could increase her intended audience as larger women would gain confidence to go out to clubs etc. where her music would be played.

There is constant use of fire throughout the music video which could portray that there is a slight danger element with the genre of dance, however, the dancers who are dancing in the fire do not seem afraid, therefore doesn’t portray a bad image towards the audience.

There is a long shot of the five dancers now, but they have removed the helmets, which has lessened the mystery of them therefore enabling the audience to identity with the dancers, although some mystery still surrounds them as the lighting is dark and is tends to be quite hard to interact with them.

Near the end of the clip, there is a medium shot of the female artist and the dancers in the same frame, showing that they have conformed together, which portray a clear dance vibe upon the song and suggests a club-like atmosphere and mood within the music video.The use of quick edits within the music video distort the audience’s view but this increasing the enigma and interest within the video as they audience are intrigued by what they see and want to know more about what is going on within the video.

There doesn't seem to be any elements of Todorov's narrative within this music video which seems to be coming a stereotype of some music video's as they don't have clear conventions of Todorov's narrative theory. When looking into Propp's theory, 'Cascada', the artist, could be seen as a princess, but there is no other clear Propp character functions within the music video.