Alternative Music Videos

Madonna - Frozen

Aphex Twins - Come To Daddy

These are both videos directed by Chris Cunningham.
 - Both videos are very dark and intimidating.
 - Both videos use special effects.
 - Both videos are monochromatic.
 - Both videos are quite gothic themed.
 - Both videos aren't the usual videos one is used to seeing on the television everyday.

Kanye West - Heard Em Say

The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl

These are both videos directed by Michel Gondry.
 - Both these videos are very creative.
 - They both use special effects.

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•Because these are considered alternative music videos, they don't conform to any of the steps in Goodwin's theory. None of these music videos follow the usual sort, or stereotypical music video for its genre. Furthermore, they are all different.

•Kanye West is a very well known Hip-Hop artist and he is the one and only Hip-Hop artist Michel Gondry ever worked with. Using his signature special effects, Gondry created a surrealistic Christmas story within the seemingly living department store, where among other things, toys come to life, suits dance, and beds can be driven like cars. This definitely challenges every theory, and most especially Goodwin's theory. This is because Kanye West is narrating a story in a very creative and child friendly way, when usually Hip-Hop artists usually have music videos that portray violence and/or naked women etc. In this music video, Michel Gondry has used children and special effects instead. This makes the video challange Goodwin's theory about the lyrics and the visuals having a relations, in this case, the visuals hardly relate to the lyrics but it's telling a story anyway. It challanges the subculture theories because Kanye West would be considered to be part of the Hip-Hop and Rap subculture, but here, he would categorized into a more alternative subculture. This goes to show that people are diverse, not only as groups but within themselves. Kanye West made this alternative music video, but he also went back to his usual Hip-Hop/R&B/Rap music videos after. So maybe people can belong to many different subcultures. And rather than it being a rebellion against the mainstream, it is trying new things and styles.

•In a way, they do conform to Hebdige's theory about people being part of 'little cultures' because besides the odd case (Kanye West), all these music videos would appeal to a niche market of its own. And those niche markets may also be called 'little cultures.

•The Advantages of having an alternative music video is that it is different, unusual and therefore insightful and intriguing. It invites the media hype, one of the diverse music videos will have more controversy than a conventional music video and this makes it the topic of discussion in the industry. It is unique, so when the audience see it, it could possibly be memorable than a normal music video. It also presents the exploring of deeper creativity, so the idea of robots having feelings for each other was made possible because the director and the artist had unconventional ideas, which will appeal to their niche audience as they feel the same.

•The Disadvantages of having a diverse music video is that the audience might not understand the concept, or the message the artists is trying to portray, this will make it confusing and not enjoyable to the audience or rather it will only appeal to a niche market so the relationship between the audience and artist is limited. Due to it being an alternative music video, it just may not do as well as a mainstream video commercially and furthermore, it just may not be as enjoyable for as many people.

•Therefore, I won't be using any elements of alternative music videos. My video will fit very much within the conformities of a mainstream video which is my aim because the video is supposed to be relatable.