MUSIC VIDEO LANGUAGE

MUSIC VIDEO LANGUAGE

PREP: Watch our two music videos again and find ONE example of the difference between the MEDIA LANGUAGE of the two videos:

•     mise-en-scene
•       camerawork
•       editing
•    narrative

MISE-EN-SCENE

The scenery in Teenage Dirtbag and Sk8er Boi are very different. Teenage Dirtbag is set in your typical American high school full of popular girls and sporty boys. It is almost like a dream because of how stereotypical the mis-en-scene is. However, it is quite the opposite in Sk8er Boi. It is set in the urban streets of Los Angeles in alleyways and abandoned buildings. It is all quite rugged and rebellious as the gang of teenagers trample LA compared to the dreamy and relaxed setting of the high school.

CAMERAWORK

The camerawork in Teenage Dirtbag is different compared to Sk8er Boi as Teenage Dirtbag has a lot of still tripod shots of the protagonist as he stares at the girl he likes for the entire day. The pans are very smooth and calm to re-ensure the fact that your watching a story being told. In Sk8er Boi, it is completely the opposite. Pretty much the entire music video is shot handheld as the group of people do bike tricks and parkour as they run through alleyways and down stairs. This is to make the viewer feel like they are there, running with the group instead of watching a story being told.

EDITING

The editing in Teenage Dirtbag is quite slow paced and relaxed. It is all made to look like a movie as everyone walks in slow-motion around the school. The scenes also tend to be in slow-motion when the main character sees Noel which tells the viewer that this is possibly a dream the boy is having or he likes her so much that she seems like she is always in slow-motion to him. In Sk8er Boi, the editing is extremely fast-paced – almost like an action movie. It is also used to highlight how much attention is gathered by Avril and the chaos which is her music and it’s edited more like a concert than a music video. It is cut to the beat very heavily and it seems like every beat there is a new shot.

NARRATIVE

In Teenage Dirtbag, the main character is shown as quite lonely, unpopular, shy and perceived as your typical ‘loser’. He spends most of his day wishing his crush, Noel, would just notice him for once as he knows he can treat her so much better than her current boyfriend. However, in Sk8er Boi it is quite the opposite. Avril Lavigne is a rebellious, careless teenager who tends to try to live a fun, care-free life and do whatever she wants. She enjoys breaking rules and trying to stand out but in Teenage Dirtbag, all he wants to do it fit in and be socially accepted.