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I believe that this video is just purely a video made for fun by the producers and obviously Macklemore, I think this because it include many shots of choreography and lip syncing rather than sticking to a strict narrative. The video had a very high budget as you can tell by the use of expensive items like cars, 4k cameras and costumes. Overall this video became extremely successful I think it was all down to the charisma and charm that Macklemore brought to the song and video, along with the good producing skills possessed by him too. This video meets the codes and conventions of the music video id like to do, this makes this analysis worth my time as i can use this analysis and use the videos visuals and conventions for my own music video.

-          Chris Jones

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Macklemoree - Thrift shop Music Video screenshot

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Macklemoree - Thrift shop Music Video screenshot

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Is the music video performance based, narrative based or concept based?

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Is the music video performance based, narrative based or concept based?

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The majority of this music video is performance based, this is obvious as Macklemore is seen singing in at least every third shot. The rest of the video is narrative based as there is a slight story line to this music video, it described two gangs that cross paths and eventually accept each other and there places in their city. I think they bond over a mutual attraction over motorbikes and mopeds.

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I couldn’t find any clear intertextual references to other music videos except for his own music videos. The style is very similar to previous songs he’s produced such as thrift shop and can’t hold us. His dance style has stayed true to his very early music videos being very unique and sometimes sexual, this has almost become his trademark dance style but not yet as a lot of other artists has elaborated on his dance moves too. This music video doesn’t relate to any other music videos produced by other people in my opinion.

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Is there reference to the notion of looking?

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Is there reference to the notion of looking?

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I think that in some parts of the video he uses sexuality to make some parts more attractive, they’re certain male characters throughout the video wearing provocative clothing who are seen as attractive. This can be seen at 00:44 where they are all seen on mopeds ‘cruising down the alley’. This is shown throughout the video and there isn’t the traditional use of making the women wear provocative clothing like the Bruno mars song that I analysed. It’s not only the cloths that imply sexual messages but also the dance moves that can be seen by certain characters. These dance moves are seen as very provocative because of the hip thrusting and facial expressions. The shots of the women at 1:02 are extremely provocative as they are all eating something that could be a metaphor for a possible male fantasy. The shot at 00:59 of a woman’s figure is a definite reference to looking but it was only brief.

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Are there close-ups of the artist and star image motifs?

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Are there close-ups of the artist and star image motifs?

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The record company is trying to sell this track by making this music video stand out a lot, they do this by making a lot of impressive unique shots throughout the video focusing on very unique props such as the motorbikes used and the costumes. The costumes used are very flamboyant and bring in attention to the video, this is good because it makes more people interested into the video, another way they the music video does this is by adding a slight narrative about rival gangs who settle their differences. This video relates to past Macklemore videos as it follows the same type of themes and uses the same types of costumes, editing and props. In one of his previous music videos ‘Thrift Shop’ he uses a lot of abstract costumes such as fur coats and bright colours which is also seen in this music video.

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What is the relationship between music and visuals?

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What is the relationship between music and visuals?

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The music in the video doesn’t have a consistent tempo all the way throughout, it changes are some points after verses and before, during and after the chorus, this doesn’t mean that the visuals cant represent this, in fact the visuals ended up being on very good time with the dance moves of the artists and background actors. It also worked well with the editing. Making some of the jump cuts, cut with the beat of the music to create very good visuals. I think that the record company is trying to sell this track by doing something different, most hit songs currently don’t follow the same patterns that this music video has, most music videos follow the same path with hard bass throughout the song mixed with visuals of partying, showing off jewellery and other expensive merchandise. I think the record company wanted to make this as opposite to modern music videos by not wearing stylish outfits and going much more abstract to bring in attention because of the originality. Because of this I think that they’ve tried to do this in the past too with other music videos by Macklemore such as ‘thrift shop’. The song never included a solo instrumental part in it, meaning it couldn’t be illustrated in the video. The video had very different paces in its duration but at the same time kept a type of musical theme with each verse, like I previously said the music changes a lot throughout but you can always tell that it’s a Macklemore song, this is probably because of the certain musical theme and reputation for having fast pace unique sounding songs. The opening of the video shows Macklemore dancing to the beat of the music with two of his friends, hitting his feet on the floor every time the beat is played.

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What is the relationship between lyrics and visuals?

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What is the relationship between lyrics and visuals?

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The visuals represent the lyrics very well in the beginning of the video, as the video fades into Macklemore sitting on moped then proceeds to go to a garage to buy one. Further along in the video where he’s purchasing a moped he sings “Chromed out mirror, I don't need a windshield Banana seat, a canopy on two wheels ,Eight hundred cash, that's a hell of a deal” these lyrics are visualised very well keeping the shot of Macklemore singing and the moped described in the frame at the same time. The song proceeds to be about bikes, a part in the chorus which is sung by Foxy Shazam, a fairly unknown artist goes like “have you ever felt the warm embrace, of the leather seat between your legs.” This goes very well with the visuals as the video cuts to different bikes being ridden along a downtown road.  The visuals in this music video work very well with the lyrics, especially when the chorus starts. The lyrics are usually followed up with accurate visuals in the music video which creates a very impressive video.

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MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - DOWNTOWN (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

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The third music video I have decided to analyse is Downtown by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, "Downtown" marks the pair's official return, following their 2012 breakthrough album, The Heist, which included the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us." Macklemore & Ryan Lewis won the Grammy award for best new artist in 2014. I wanted to analyse this music video in particular as the artist Macklemore is one that has always stood out to me, mainly because he’s been able to work his way up the music industry so fast while staying independent. He’s also managed to produce high budget music videos without the help of any major music industry like one the ‘big 3’. Another reason why I chose this music video in particular over his others is because it consists of things that attract me, this would be the range of singing styles and unique lyrics and the amazing visuals that go with it. The genre that this song belongs to would be hip-hop and rap and shows both types of genres well.