Katy Perry - Waking Up in Vegas (Single Cover) and Album Cover

Both the album cover and single cover of Katy Perry are connected to eachother distinctly through their aim of trying to attract a singular target audience and through the genre of their music. From the colouring of both covers, (that being primarily bright pinks, light blues and reds) and through the mise-en-scene, the audience is able to recognise that its target audience is that of young (teenage) females and through the recognition of the target audience, one can stereotype the genre to be that of pop music (mainly because it is young, teenage girls who enjoy pop music). To attract its target audience, Katy Perry's album cover uses an idylic type of scenery (sunny, blue sky, green fields etc) to reflect a feeling of happiness, fun and serenity. By doing this, Katy Perry pertains to the stereotypes of pop music and thus, reaches out to her target audience. Upon this, the clothes and general mise-en-scene throughout the album cover hold a 50's style theme (for example, the high waisted shorts and classic record player), drawing upon the classic feminity that was the style back in the 50's and therefore, instantly becoming more feminine. Whilst through Mise-en-scene, it can be said there is no instantly recognisable connection to both the album and single cover, Katy Perry's single cover connects more to that of the song it is promoting ("Waking Up In Vegas") through the way a large dice is featured, highlighting the infamous gambling that features in Vegas. However, in both covers, Katy Perry is featured in the middle to draw more attention to herself than that of other background, general mise-en-scene. The shots are medium, but still large enough for Katy Perry to cover most of the space and draw the main attention to herself. Katy Perry's name is featured in the exact same font and a similar colour to give the artist a particular brand and connection through all of her music work. The font itself is once again conventially feminine to draw more attention to the main audience of Katy Perry's music. Whilst through the font and colour, the title is still prominent, both Katy Perry's name and the album/single title, it is positioned at either corners of the picture or towards the bottom, to draw more attention to the artists photo herself than the name (possibly because it is assumed that the target audience will be more drawn to photos than writing). And whilst there are no immediate logos or icons, the font used for Katy Perry's titles can be seen as iconic as it is unique in its style and promotes Katy Perry's label.

Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down (Single Cover) and Album Cover

The Arctic Monkeys single and album cover are connected through a series of ways to keep up with the theme of most of The Arctic Monkeys songs - that being about the darker aspects of Northern areas (mainly drawn from their own experiences). From looking at both the album and single cover, we can see that both covers feature no colour to imply to its audience the idea of darkness and the troubles of a Northern, Underclass society. In addition, both pertain to the stereotypes of a working/under class society through the use of images present. For example, on The Arctic Monkeys album cover the model used is smoking, designed to portray the stereotype of the underclass as using addictive and harmful substances such as cigarettes and alcohol. As well as, the album cover is set in a grimy, run down area designed to highlight once again, the worst areas of a region/nation. Because the model is male on the cover of the album cover, and the colouring of both the single is dark and serious, it could be argued that both covers are conventionall male in gender and due to the underclass/working class northern connotations, it could also be argued that the target audience of both covers is that of working class, male, teenage gender (possibly through the connections they make). The artists name and single/album title is in a unique font and shape designed to connect personally to the target audience, attracting them to their products. By making the unique font and shape, the brand of the band The Arctic Monkeys becomes instantly and uniquely recognisable. Whilst there is no title for the album cover, the single covers song title is instantly seen to be the chorus of the song itself, making the audience connect the song to the single cover.

When The Sun Goes Down - Arctic Monkeys

"When The Sun Goes Down" by The Arctic Monkeys is a typically indie song and video about the Manchester underworld. To highlight this, the establishing shot is a black screen with white writing entitled; "...Right beside us are the ones hidden by the night.." These words link directly to the theme of the Manchester criminal underworld (mainly pimps, prostitutes, drugs and violence) aswell as the chorus line of the song "They say it changes when the sun goes down" meaning how unsafe things become once nightfall comes. To compliment this brutal image of the Northern underclass, a voiceover of a womans voice can be heard selling herself. She is introduced in the next shot as the lyrics mention a girl. This theme of the lyrics connecting themselves strongly to the image presented is a reccuring theme throughout the video as often, characters are introduced in the video when in the song. As the song is written in a narrative style, the video copies this to compliment the musics meaning and one of the ways it does this is to connect the images to the lyrics sang. Throughout, characters are introduced through the lyrics to give the audience an indication of who is who and what part they play in this narrative tale. Whilst both the video and the music song are narrative in a sense, the video features a certain circular theme, (i.e. similar shots are played at the end that were played at the beginning) hinting that nothing has changed towards the end of the song, and there is no happy ending. Whilst the focus throughout the video is on the main characters, (actors and actresses who seemingly play parts relating to the music song) the band are briefly seen (and the lead singer plays a brief part as a stranger who turns down the prostitutes offers) to indentify to the audience what bands music the video is of. Aswell as the lyrics connecting to the video, the music and its pace correlates to the pace of the video to once again, compliment the song. As the chorus of the song sets in and the beat goes fast, the shots become more frantic and frequent with one long shot from the view of somebody sitting in a car, sped up to make the image seem blurred, hazy and frantic. By doing this, the audience gets a feel for the emotions played in the song and easily relates them to the music playing. The setting throughout is based in a predominately working class area (presumably in Blackpool as shots feature similar to that of the Blackpool lights) and shots often features the worst areas of these particular areas (including graffiti, high rise flats and back alleys). This is designed to highlight the underclass and grime, presumably giving to the audience a dark and sinister feel. In correlation to this, most shots are featured at night time or in a dark or grey lighting and the weather is either winter or autumn to symbolise the darkness of the music video's themes, or the lack of happiness present. In contrast to this however, certain shots (of a magician or presumable friend of the prostitute) are played in bright or deep colours (such as reds, golds and pinks) to imply to the audience of the characters good nature and to contrast against the darkness of the prostitute throughout, and her "pimp".

Waking Up In Vegas - Katy Perry

"Waking Up In Vegas" by Katy Perry is a conventional pop song that is primarily about Las Vegas. Because of this, the most noticable theme is that of vegas, which features the constant and different scenes of casino's, show girls and the general city of Vegas. Throughout the video, Katy Perry is seen in various different outfits and scenes with a male actor, apparently acting out a couple achieving success and losing it all in Las Vegas. By using the various different scenes, along with shots that often change from fast paced to slow to accompany the songs beat, the video is able to highlight the fast paced and fickle life of living in Vegas. In consequence, the video works in a circular motion with one of the first establishing shots featuring at the end possibly to highlight the repetition of a life in Vegas, or how fast paced and similar all lives are there. Frequently, though in random, short moments Katy Perry looks directly into the camera into what is usually a close up shot. Whilst doing this, she mouths whatever lyrics are being played at that moment in time and by doing so, Katy Perry allows herself to connect to the audience directly. Though the video is precarious in the emotion it evokes from the audience, (for example, how the establishing shot starts off slow with Katy Perry looked sad and defeated and then into the video she starts to look more powerful and content) mainly because it shows the high and low lights of living in Las Vegas, Katy Perry is never seen without glamorous or expensive looking dresses on to both imply the feeling of empowerment onto the main artist, aswell as to draw on the idea of Las Vegas' glamour and expense. In that sense, Katy Perry becomes a symbol of the city itself, drawing upon the good times, bad times and general glamour of the infamous city. Apart from the city itself, the only intertextual references seen are from Katy Perry's music where there is a small shot of her album cover on the front of her phone. Whilst this implicitley promotes her album, it also links in with the music playing as if she is hearing it herself.

Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt - We Are Scientists

"Nobody move, nobody gets hurt" by We Are Scientists is a fast paced video designed to compliment the fast paced beat throughout the song. All through the video, shots are infrequent and the camera tracks and shakes as if it is through the eyes of another person. As the scenes are jumpy, (with a particular contrast from extreme close ups to long shots) it gives a hurrid and intense effect to the video.As the music speeds up or becomes more intense, so follows the shots in precise correlation. An example of this is scene through the "The Blair Witch Project" style scene where the scenes become quicker and more anxious (the scenes may also represent the frantic minds or heartbeats of the said frightened band members running. To compliment the intensity of the song, the video has a theme of horror and danger mainly through the way the band members (acting out) are seen to be running away from a teddy bear. Whilst this teddy bear can contrast against the conventional innocence of it, thus making it look scarier, it could also be used for comic effect, giving the video a humourous and overdramatic side to make it more lighthearted. Small corridors, and different camera shots in the forms of cameras such a night vision camera and CCTV are used to draw upon the conventions of horror films with particular intertextual references to movies such as The Blair Witch Project, a famous horror film. The establishing shot however, is of the band playing their song, thus establishing the band members and there subsequent part in the "horror" scenes that play. The basis of most of the scenes and the general mise-en-scene throughout the video is generally average in which hold no particular excitement. By creating the scenery as such, the audience feels more drawn to the band members and their movements - that being chased by an oversized teddy bear.

I'll Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab For Cutie

"I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab For Cutie is a music video based around the bands genre of Alternative Rock. The song, played throughout the video is primarily based around death and the acceptance of death. To accompany this, the video uses heavy symbolism to highlight dark issues such as life, death and "the afterlife". The establishing shot is of a window with light coming through, symbolising the idea of light and life. Later on however, we see this shot contrasts with the main theme of the video through the way the growing hole in the floorboards represents the idea of time and eventual death.The black hole itself is symbolic of the "unknown" in terms of death and dying. Therefore, when the man slips and accidentally falls into a smaller area of the black hole he is seen as "dying". When he finally accepts this fate and jumps in, he is dead. This acting therefore gives the audience an idea of acceptance and the acceptance of death. The blackness recurs a theme of sadness, as does the mundanity of the video, that being the only shots are of one man, in one small room in a repetitive motion. As this gives the audience the feeling of both isolation and loneliness, the idea of sadness throughout the video is repeated. This mundanity throughout the video is also reiterated through the colours used in the music video. The house in which the entire video is situated in is neither bright nor colourful, giving both a realistic edge to the video aswell as the constant reiteration of the tempo of the song, that being quite sad and gloomy. To relate the music video to the band, the bands singer is featured solely throughout with the occasional shots of him playing the guitar,or singing the song featured. At times also, from shots of the "black hole", the sound becomes muffled or subdued to imply to the audience that the source of the music is situated from the room. As the song is very simplistic in terms of its tone and tune, its music video projects this through the simplicity of both the character, and content. There is no drama or CGI or scenes designed to scare you and this is because the subject the music song and video is dealing with (that being death) is serious and scary enough without added drama. By contasting the simplistic tune and video with the dramatic subject of death, a comparison ensues designed to envoke emotion from the audience watching.

Sia - Breathe Me

"Breathe Me" by Sia is a typically Alternative/Indie music song and music video. The video is one continuous shot with verious different flicks of polaroid pictures and a tracking camera. In this way, the song is shown to be personal to the artist as there is nobody else or no other thing involved in the one long continuous camera shot. Through this, the artist is represented to be whatever emotions, thoughts and feeling are evoked from the songs sad tone. Throughout the video, the constant changing and adding of polaroids give the video a feeling of a comic or cartoon, thus contrasting with the serious and sad tone of the song played in the music video. This intertextual reference is played in a fast manner, contrasting the images in the video (fast paced) to the pace of the music (slow). When the lyrics say "Help" there is a short stop in the fast pacedness of the polaroids and the artist in the pictures looks up into the cameras view, giving once more a more personal feel to the music video. The polaroids and occasional tracking document a sort of day to day life for the artist with her doing mundane things such as getting dressed, and sitting down. This adds to the sad and gloom of the music lyrics and tone, giving it a more sad feel. Towards the end of the music video, the artist is seen to climb out of a window and run, changing the tempo of the music video and giving the implication that there is a happy ending towards the end of a sad story, despite the sad music video.