1ST MUSIC VIDEO

The 1975 Robbers

Narrative -

The story of 'Robbers' is a love song, it was originally inspired by Matt Healy's love for the Quentin Tarantino film 'True Romance', the story of an Elvis obsessed loner who falls in love and marries a prostitute. In the movie the couple run away to California after killing her pimp and stealing his drugs to start a new life financed by a once in a lifetime drug deal. It's the sentiment behind the film that appeals to him, the hopelessly romantic notion that two people can meet and instantly fall in love, an escape story where love is the highest law and conquers all against the odds. Characters like Bonnie and Clyde always appealed to him as a teenager - couples so intoxicated with one another that they fear nothing in the pursuit of the realization of each other, actions fueled by blind unconditional love.

'Robbers' is an ode to those relationships. The type of relationship all humans long for. All or nothing.

This video is about when love makes two people feel they are the centre of the universe.

Performance -

You don't see the 1975 performing in this music video unlike in their others you do, you just see a story it's like a film and it has the band members in the music video, but not performing their music. You do actually see Matt Healy sing but it's to the girl who's meant to be his girlfriend in the little love story they have going on.

Concept -

There is a lot of drugs used in this music video which is probably the whole point of the music video so it's more like matty's favourite film 'true romance'. You see them smoking a lot of cannabis and sniffing cocain. Even when they're in a movie theatre, Matt manages to rub some of it on his gums and it actually shocked me to see this but it's the whole point of the song, the lyrics and the story behind it. Another thing you see a lot of is guns and violence.

Camera Work -

The camera work that has been used frequently in this video is close ups of the characters smoking, so you can see how detailed their gestures and facial expressions are. The camera mainly focuses on the boy & girl of this love story. Another camera techique used is mid shot where it contains the characters from the waist up. From this shot we can see the characters' faces more clearly as well as their interaction with the other character. Another one is when the girl is moving out of the toilet in a cafe and is going to sit back down and the camera follows the character - this is called a 'tracking shot'.

Post Production Effects -

Genre -

The genre of this music video is Indie and Rock

Mise en scene –

Settings – At first the setting is very rock and roll because it’s dark outside and matty is wearing a leather jacket and the girl is wearing a fur coat, and they’re holding hands and moving very slowly so it sets a sort of rock and roll setting. Then when they’re in their motel room they seem drunk and stoned because they’re relaxed and the boy and girl are being very loving towards each other so this sets a motel/rock setting , either way it’s out of the ordinary. All the way through this music video the vibe you get from it is that it’s very much like a rock and roll old but not too old fashioned movie based on lovers and sex. When they’re going into the garage/shop with a gun and their faces hidden and Matty gets shot the setting it gives off is criminalized and very sex guns rock & roll’.

Props – Props that’re used are very modernized like the props are very ordinary, in the café there is normal café furniture but old fashioned, and in the warehouse there is pieces of wood like you’d expect, in their room that they spend most of the time in there is plug in lights and ordinary but colorful lamp shades.

Costumes – Their costumes are very 90’s/80’s because of their leather jackets and fur coats and sunglasses. They also wear half way through the video scarfs that look very Indiana jones over their faces before they go into the garage with a gun.

Representation of individuals -

In this music video there is one white man and one white woman, and then there are 3 other white males that you hardly see but they play a role of being the lovers friends.

Lighting -

Lighting example 1 -

At the beginning and throughout the music video the lighting of the room that the two characters are in is very dimly lit, but it emphasizes the characters body's and actions more especially when they're smoking and you can see the clouds of it which makes the room look foggy, also there is red fairy lights in the room so it emphasizes the characters even more because it sets the mood.

Picture of the room:

Lighting Example 2 –

When the characters are outside at the skate park the lighting is very neutral because they don’t need to add any lighting to it as it’s already a nice lighting setting, and I think if they were to add lighting to this it wouldn’t fit the scene as well as it already does.

Picture of outside:

Corresponding Table for music video -