Music Video Assignment 3

For our third music assignment we had to pick a music video director and then analyse three of their music videos which they directed. I chose the director Chris Cunningham and I analysed three of his videos. Cunningham was born in Berkshire, England 1970 and he grew up in Suffolk. Cunningham is well known for his controversial and out of the ordinary work. Cunningham is famously recognised for directing many music videos for Aphex Twin and Bjork. Two of the music videos I will analyse in this essay are Window Licker and Come To Daddy by Aphex Twin, and the other being All Is Full Of Love by Bjork. In this essay I will discuss the similarities between them as well as the themes covered, intertextual references and editing and pace.

The target audience for Chris Cunningham's work I would say appeals mainly to adults who have a bigger understanding of the world and many of the darker themes which he covers. Cunningham's work I would say attracts stereotypically mainly males. The reason I say this is because most of his videos cover dark and horror related themes which more than often this is what people associate with males. On the other hand though in modern day society females tend to subvert the stereotype and dress and enjoy dark horror/gothic themes so this makes it harder to understand who the video could be aimed at. In addition it could be said that Cunningham's video for Bjork - All is Full of Love is aimed at mainly females. The reason I say this is because the song sounds less masculine and more feminine. This is mainly due to the fact of Bjork's high pitched calm sounding voice which typically isn't a convention of what people associate with males. However this yet again could be wrong because in the modern day males and females subvert their stereotype and like things the other gender would so therefore I could be wrong. This clearly shows that Cunningham is trying to show a contrast of themes so to keep everyone happy and engaged. The colouring and mise-en-scene also seems to be more related to females. This is because the colours are mainly all grey and white and seemingly less masculine. Thus giving the impression that it's aimed at females. However as discussed before this yet again doesn't mean anything in a modern world as white could be associated with males too and hence seem to be just as masculine.  A prime example would be the Storm Troopers in Star Wars, this is a great example because they are robotic soldiers who are very masculine and draw in males as well as being completely white dressed. This henceforth juxtaposes Cunningham's other work which in turn makes him a more diverse director appealing to more people. Cunningham also attracts a more female audience for his video for Madonna - Frozen. This is because there is only one subject in this video and that is Madonna herself. The focus of the video is her all on her own in a cold environment, circling a load of crows. The colouring of the video is mainly all black and gothic and this is more of a male nature however the concept of the video itself is that it focuses on Madonna and is more feminine and appealing to women because it shows her independence and this can be empowering. It could also be argued that she is there for the male eye and henceforth for voyeurism purposes. So in conclusion of Frozen I would say that it yet again appeals to both genders however it has poignant qualities which can attract both males and females.

The music video for Window Licker is very bold and engaging and it explores various themes which go against the stereotype of Cunningham's other work. This is because the video starts off with five minutes of dialogue. Mainly consisting of offensive language. The mise-en-scene is also very bright and happy. Completely juxtaposing Cunningham's other work like Madonna's music video for her song Frozen in which he directed.  However some similarities can be pointed out. For example a majority of his work is very peculiar and questions life, as does this video. Some of the other themes of the video are that it is very humorous and comical and it plays on the fact that two confident black males can not win over these two girls. However one white man turning up in a limo turns the women's attention. The colours in the video are bright and this reflects the upbeat atmosphere. However towards the end of the music video the theme turns quite dark as there is a sinister faced woman crawling on the floor. It is also quite aggressive and the man who turns into a women almost shows a monstrous side to the video giving it an edge to the performance. Whereas this is still juxtaposed by the colours and mise-en-scene of the video. There is a sense to the notion of looking in this video. The reason for this is because the women in the video are shown wearing just their bikini costumes and this could be suggested that the purpose is to please the male eye. The purpose could also be a message, wherein the director is trying to show visually that women should be treated the same as men and that we are all equal. However it could also be said that it is just for entertainment value and that the visuals just help us as an audience to engage better with the music video. Another reason for them wearing very little is that it could be suggested that it is to portray what rap artists act like around women as well as showing the kind of women they employ in their videos. This could be intertextuality to other rap videos. Another key intertextual reference would be the reference to Michael Jackson and his iconic dance moves. Window Licker is a conceptual based music video. This is because the video doesn't follow any particular narrative and it relies on the visuals to portray the music. 

The themes which I explored in the music video for All Is Full of Love are very different to the themes explored in Window Licker. However the themes in this video are Cunningham's more regular use of themes which pop up in a lot of his work. For example it has a very gothic/futuristic feel to it. And as similar to Window Licker this video questions real life. Cunningham involves the use of robots in this video and a homosexual relationship between them. The video for All Is Full of Love was released in 2003. This very much makes it a more controversial music video for the time because back in 2003 homosexual relationships weren't as accepted as they are now. Therefore this just reinforces Cunningham's regular theme of questioning real life. The factor of a robot relationship also questions real life and as to whether this can ever happen. The colours are bright white and a mixture of blues and purple. However this video is not happy and therefore is not similar to Window Licker. The theme of this video is on the other hand quite gothic and futuristic and thus is similar to Cunningham's other work. There are many different purposes to music videos, often the purpose of a music video is to a paint a picture and make the song easier to see as a linear narrative. Many other purposes of music videos are that they are just there to entertain or to promote the band even more so. The music industry make money from music videos because people like to see the band performing, this is another purpose of music videos. Often people just like to see a narrative, something which occurs in this video. Music videos are created so to make money by exposing the band and its music through a visual way.  I would say that the purpose of this music video is to show how technology could advance and that there is life a long way in the future. Therefore the purpose of the music video is a message. The music video starts off at a slow pace so to build suspense and also to stay in sync with the lyrics. As the robots start to passionately kiss the video takes a bit of a faster pace. This properly engages the audience and adds enigmas to the narrative. All Is Full Of Love is a conceptual based music video, this is because it doesn't follow a narrative and relies on the visuals. It could also be argued that the purpose of the music video is to entertain. The reason for this is because as sad and downbeat video it is , thus making it hard to take your eyes off of it because it is so peculiar and it is something which has not been seen very often before. So therefore the purpose could be to entertain and show something which has not been done before.

The third Cunningham music video I decided to analyse was Come To Daddy by Aphex Twin. The reason I chose to edit this specific one was because it has very similar themes to the other Aphex Twin video and for the All Is Full of Love music video. This is because all three share a dark mysterious element which is regularly carried out throughout most of Cunningham's work. One very prominent similarity between Window Licker and Come To Daddy is that both feature a sinister creature lurking around. The effect of this similarity is that it shows off Cunninghams's gothic horror theme. This is also similar to Cunningham's other video for Window Licker as both videos are very aggressive and pushy and you really get that feeling when you watch it. As well as that similarity both videos also involve a monstrous entity. This makes the video all the more horrific and add to the themes which Cunningham explores. All adding to the excitement and mystery to his videos. Come To Daddy comes across as being very dark and gloomy. This is due to the use of colours in the video. The general colouring is very dark , grey and black with a low saturated colour. This once again reinstates the gothic/horror theme making it all the more entertaining. Thus pinpointing the purpose of the video. The purpose of this Chris Cunningham music video could also be that it is creative expression which helps to add to Cunningham's portfolio. It starts off at a slow pace due to slow paced visuals and gradually the video gains pace. But it is never quick and maintains a regular pace. The effect of this is that it shows a distorted world. One of which is what Cunningham regularly does in his other videos. This is a narrative based music video because it follows a short narrative from the start. In conclusion of my analysis of three of his videos I would say that definitively his creativity is dark and sinister and there is a rather eerie subtlety to his videos. For example the whole notion of Come To Daddy seems rather paedophilic in a way, because of the theme of the monster and how he grabs the lady. This theme is portrayed by Cunningham in this video and some of his other ones, for example Window Licker. It could be said that this dark and eerie tone which is regularly used is done so that in hope it will change peoples perception of how they view the world and themselves. And that personality outshines looks in that it could show the exterior of peoples nasty side.

After analysing three of Chris Cunningham's music videos I can conclude that all three represent similar themes which are typical conventions of Cunningham's style of work. Firstly in summary of the music video for Window Licker I would say that the colours throughout the video very much show the video off in an upbeat manner due to the bright colours. However the theme of the video actually doesn't go with the colouring. This shows juxtaposition and how Cunningham purposely chose to cause confusion and make it more of an interesting watch. Secondly in analysis of the music video for All Is Full Of Love I thought that the visuals were very good and that they portrayed the lyrics brilliantly, successfully showing the emotion in the song. However I did not like the conceptual based part of the video because I felt it was quite distracting from the song. Finally to conclude my analysis of the three videos I did enjoy the video for Come To Daddy because it was dark and sinister and made the audience feel disturbed in a good way which keeps them engaged. Overall as a director I felt that Chris Cunningham sticks to a similar theme throughout his videos. The themes he regularly involves into his work is gothic and creepy/sinister places. As well as this he also breaks the mould and questions real life. These themes are all used well in the music videos I analysed. As well as that they also manage to shock and entertain, diversifying him as a director.

Supporting material

Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy

Aphex Twin - Window Licker

Bjork - All Is Full Of Love

Madonna - Frozen