RESEARCH: Music Video AnalysisLana Del Rey – Video Games

Lana Del Rey: Video Games

•To gain more insight into a abstract style video, I have analysed the music video for Lana Del Rey’s ‘Video Games’, which was released on YouTube on 16th October 2011 by VEVO.

Forms and Conventions

•Genre: Pop Ballad•Video Director: Lana Del Rey & Ben

Coughlan•Date Of Release: 16th October 2011•Type Of Video: Indie – Concept Based

Video

Forms and Conventions

•Several close ups of the artist •Dull imagery, to go with the slow, moody

themes of the song•Colour change with the mood of the song •Video is not related to the song and

includes a fast paced montage•Simple and effortless shots, with abstract

editing features

Close-ups of the artist

Representation

•When the line “Go play your video games” is sung, there is a shot where a male leans in and kisses a female. This shows how Del Rey refers to a male ‘playing’ a female like a video game. This metaphor connotes a message of betrayal and deceiving traits from the male to the female character in the music video.

Representation•The constant change from showing young,

urban skateboarders and the Hollywood Hills shows a comparison in different lifestyles. However, the music video also emphasises recordings of the American flag. This attempts to show to the viewer that although there are differences in every Americans lifestyle, everyone has one thing in common; they are American. Del Rey attempts to signify equality and America’s different communities.

Representation

•Lana Del Rey is portrayed as a commoner in this video, as her costume and make up is not too flamboyant and are casual in style. This shows how the artist tries to stress the idea of equality for common Americans to the more wealthy Americans.

Institutions

•Lana Del Rey is signed with a joint deal to Polydor Records and Interscope Records. The music video has been viewed by 47, 828, 914 viewers on YouTube from the release date, up until now (2nd October 2013).

Audiences

•The target audience for this video is young people, specifically between the ages of 15 and 20. This is because in the video, it includes young actors, so that the viewers can relate to them. Also, the music video is aimed at urban communities, that are not often wealthy places, as it includes footage of skateboarders at a skate park, wearing a beanie and a t-shirt, often worn by people in a urban places.