RESEARCH: Minimalism vs. Elaboration

CASE STUDY: Hurts Wonderful Life, Lady Gaga Beautiful, Dirty, Rich

There are two major routes towards making music videos that labels are currently following. You have relatively unknown bands like Hurts who are making stark minimalist videos that reflect the 'what you see is what you get' attitude of the band. It's a far cry from the dripping decadence of a Lady Gaga music video that is less music video and more feature film.

When Lady Gaga releases a new single, no one hopes for an accurate depiction of everyday life. Though her work isn't entirely surrealist and it usually has a fluent narrative throughout the video, it represents a lifestyle that is unknown and exotic to your average-Joe fan. Each video becomes an almost fulfilling prophecy; each one out does the previous as each has a bigger budget, thus her fame grows and each video gets more hype and popularity. At the other end of the spectrum is Hurts who despite being a relatively new band have built an image on cool minimalism that is displayed not only via their music videos but through their clothes and how they carry themselves.

Hurts' Wonderful Life relies on lingering shots of seemingly still images. The video reeks of 1950/60s LA, with the whole thing being shot around a pool, with all the cast wearing black or white. Though the pool location is exceptionally tried and tested - there are no bikini-clad women, instead the choreographed element to the video seems to centre on a synchronised swim team. Continuing Hurts' tradition of a long drawn out introduction the song doesn't get going until 15 seconds in. Though the in between shots are that of still figures, the eye is not drawn away from the perfect shapes silhouetted by the dancers or the contrast between the blue of the pool and the grey sky.

When the song gets going, the shots are edited in time and it switches between a narrative (presumably a man who has lost someone) and the duo performing. Though the main colour palette for the piece is grey, the way in which it is shot appears expensive, and the stark minimalism appears plush.

In stark contrast, Beautiful, Dirty, Rich begins in the typical Gaga manner; an extreme closeup of shocking red lips that is instantly identifiable as the artist herself. From then we see a slow moving group walking towards the camera, cut in time to the music. The camera position in correspondence to the figures is hugely important, as the group (headed by Lady Gaga) walk towards the camera in a way that signifies authority and power, instantly drawing the eye to the artist who is miming the lyrics. To tie in the title, there is money being thrown about and it is shot in a lavish mansion; everything to submerge the audience in a lifestyle that is completely unknown. There is something intriguing about getting a glimpse into the Hollywood lifestyle, and this video plays it to the maximum, with money being burnt, mansions being trashed, to suggest frivolity and carelessness.

The video continues along the general theme of being 'filthy rich' as Gaga and co. sit round a table counting/burning money. Not one shot lacks colour or eccentricity, as is expected from a Lady Gaga video - there is nothing mundane about her costumes, make up or presentation. A distinct feature of a Gaga video is ECUs of her face, here used to emphasis the lavish atmosphere, e.g Gaga eating money. One feature of this video that is especially interesting is the lighting, although it is bright in the centre of the screen, the edges are darkened to draw the eye only to the object/person in question. This lighting hints at exclusivity as though the audience have been ushered in for a glimpse of the high life. Everything about this video screams decadence and superficiality and it is this elaborate story telling that makes Gaga's music videos some of the most expensive and sought after. It is this 'more is more' approach to music videos that make them an incredibly interesting medium - they're usually less than five minutes long and Lady Gaga's label crams the five minutes full of every notion of the prolific lifestyle to provide a means of escapism for an audience most likely made up of average teenagers.

The two videos launch the viewer into an unknown world, both provide a glimpse of the unfamiliar, from Gaga's decadent surroundings to the old world glamour of the Hurts. Though Hurts goes for a 'less is more' approach in their filming, the video doesn't appear any less professional than one that has clearly required a volume of props, hair, make up, costume etc. Therefore, what I can draw from these two videos is that to get a clean, professional finish, I will need to put serious thought into my lighting and location. The location needs to reflect the theme of the song, much as it does in these two videos. The lighting will be exceptionally important, and I will experiment with different techniques such as vignette, so that the edges fade off for the same exclusivity that Beautiful, Dirty, Rich emulates. I will either chose to go down the lavish route, where the eye is drawn to the brilliant, eye catching costumes and strong imagery, or via the minimalist route where shots are drawn out to accentuate the narrative of the piece.