Digital Audiovisual Media Class Blog

A space for uploading regular blog posts on topics covered in the module

FKA twigs“through glass“-Music video case analysis

According to the lesson and some reading materials, we can understand that post-cinema is not only a huge breakthrough for the cinema era but also a considerable development and impact on our daily life in terms of music videos, TV series, social media, etc. The great series of works created by post-cinema in practice is equally striking for music videos including, technology, style, color, editing, narrative, etc. The changes in technology, style, color, editing, narrative, and so on have been equally dramatic. (2017 Arnold)
I will then present a case study of the work of FKA twigs and discuss a series of reflections that this video has given me
 
This work is a concept film created by FKA twigs for Google Glass, working as a performer and director, set to a reworked version of her songs ‘Video Girl’ and ‘Glass & Patron’. twigs use the glasses to call up references and inspiration and incorporate the device into the actual shoot.

In the video we see FKA twigs walking towards a mirror and starting to make a selection using Google Glass, a conceptual eyewear, which she combines with her music and dance to create a magical chemistry that does not simply suggest that this is an advertisement for a product, but that one is genuinely drawn to and intrigued by the product. The video is not particularly technical, but simply combines Google Glass with the music and dance of FKA twigs, and it is this simple filming and editing technique that focuses the viewer’s attention on the product, the music, and the dance. On the other hand, the music composition is also engaging, with clever rhythms and drums that linger on and catch the listener’s ear. The music, editing, and dancing are interspersed with footage from inside the glasses, and the whole video is unexpectedly well coordinated, including the sudden jump from in-person footage to footage from inside the glasses, which does not confuse the viewer but makes it clear that this is the video footage from the glasses. I think this is a good example of a successful combination of music video and product, as often people try to combine a product with a music video but the effect is very abrupt and does not produce a good advertising effect, whereas this video combines art and product into one. The product highlights the art and the art highlights the product, and the viewer does not see it as a simple advertisement, but as a form of art.

by Zhiqing Cao (ID:33722458)

Reference

Arnold, Gina, Daniel Cookney, Kirsty Fairclough-Isaacs, and Michael Goddard, Music/video Histories, Aesthetics, Media (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, (2017)

michaelgodd

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