Music Video Analysis

Types of Music Videos

• Spectacle: Interaction with the viewer, direct address, Male and Female Gaze (Mulvey and Hansen)

• Performance: Artist performing, motifs, unusual settings, real life, fooling around.

• Thematic: Conforms to the theme of a genre the same way that TV does.

• Narrative: Tells a story through implication and lyrics, film structure of beginning, middle and end, fast paced, lots of shots, artists can be part of the story directly, as an observer or separate.

• Symbolic: Semiotic signs and symbols are used to build meaning, montage, lighting etc.

Director and Style

• Video Director: Tim Mattia

• Style of Director: Pastel and black and white colours, lowly saturated colours, mostly indie and indie rock music genre with some pop stars represented within his work, narrative storyline, narration breaks, use of editing tools to add elements such as flare and soft lighting and finally the handheld style filming which shows movement.

• Examples of Director’s Work: Halsey: Colours, Troye Sivan: Youth, The 1975: Robbers, Biffy Clyro: Animal Style, The Pretty Reckless: Goin to Hell and Nicole Scherzinger: On the Rocks.

Successfulness

• Success of the Video: The video is very successful and tells an interesting narrative in a non cohesive order which is an interesting perspective.

• The use of colours works well in that pastel hues are employed throughout.

• The cuts between shots are not always on the beat of the music and shot length varies quite often making the experience less of a stereotypical music video and more like a short film.

• Key Selling Points: The reflections of youth stereotypes in accordance with Ann Gould’s theory with youth as rebellious, nihilistic and sexual as some examples. The aesthetic is also very pleasing. The storyline sells well as a short film not only as a music video.

Target Audience

• Young and Rubicam’s 4C Model: A, B, C1, C2, D and E.

• GEARS: Gender, Ethnicity, Age, Region and Socio-Economic Class.

• CAGES: Class, Age, Gender, Ethnicity and Sexuality.

• Traditional Segmentation Model: Explorer, Aspirer, Succeeder, Reformer, Mainstream, Struggler and Resigned.

Target Audience

• Young and Rubicam’s 4C Model: A, B, C1, C2, D and E.

• A: Upper middle class: High managerial, administrative or professional

• B: Middle class: Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional

• C1: Lower middle class: Supervisory or clerical, junior managerial, administrative or professional

• C2: Skilled working class: Skilled manual workers

• D: Working class: Semi and unskilled manual workers

• E: Lowest: State pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual or lowest grade workers, students

• This video mostly fits within the C1, C2, D and E segmentation brackets in its representation and narrative although the music itself and thus the video could fit any group despite the subject matter of song and video.

Target Audience

• GEARS: Gender, Ethnicity, Age, Region and Socio-Economic Class.

• Gender: Any gender as there is a male and female lead.

• Ethnicity: Any ethnicity although some groups may feel underrepresented within the music video.

• Age: 14-25 as the storyline conveys the flaws of human nature which applied to everyone, lust, greed etc, but the genre is most listened to by teenagers.

• Region: The band themselves are from England although their music videos are often filmed in America and thus region becomes less relevant.

• Socio-Economic Class: Lower middle to working class due to the nature of the storylines e.g. bank robbers being a concept that is enjoyed more within media by such groups.

Target Audience

• CAGES: Class, Age, Gender, Ethnicity and Sexuality.

• Class: Lower middle to working class due to the nature of the storylines e.g. bank robbers being a concept that is enjoyed more within media by such groups.

• Age: 14-25 as the storyline conveys the flaws of human nature which applied to everyone, lust, greed etc, but the genre is most listened to by teenagers.

• Gender: Any gender as there is a male and female lead.

• Ethnicity: Any ethnicity although some groups may feel underrepresented within the music video.

• Sexuality: The relationships featured within the video are heteronormative which means that this would be who the video audience is most likely to be as they feel represented. Although, other groups may also enjoy the video just as much.

Target Audience

• Traditional Segmentation Model: Explorer, Aspirer, Succeeder, Reformer, Mainstream, Struggler and Resigned.

• The Explorer: Driven by a need for discovery and/ or challenge

• The Aspirer: Materialistic/ care about what others think

• The Succeeder: Self confidence/ strong goal orientation/ organised

• The Reformer: Values their own independent judgement/ anti materialistic

• The Mainstream: Largest group/ core need is security/ live in a daily routine

• The Struggler: Seek escape/ live for today few plans tomorrow

• The Resigned: Aim to survive/ predominantly older people

• The audience for this video is most likely to fit into the category of The Struggler and The Reformer as this is the group represented within the video. Although other groups may still watch for entertainment purposes in accordance with the Uses and Gratifications approach.

The 1975: Robbers

• Length: 4.31

• Themes: Love, lust, greed, self destruction, recklessness of youth, corrupt relationships.

• Type of Music Video: Narrative, thematic, performance, symbolic.

• Relatable Theorists: Ann Gould’s ‘Youth Stereotypes’andRoland Barthe’s ‘Narrative Codes’.

Mise en Scene

• 0.05: The mid two shot shows both the lead singer of the band and an actress in the roles as the two lovers who are dancing. This sets up the idea that artist will be directly involved in the narrative storyline. The colours are faded and the setting is at night which could stress the idea that the couple thrive in darkness as a corrupt couple like Bonnie and Clyde whilst the song is based on the performance of Patricia Arquette’s character in the film ‘True Romance’(narrative).

Mise en Scene

• 0.15: The two main protagonists are shown as silhouettes passing a cigarette over, this links to Anne Gould’s theory of the youth as self-destructive. The silhouettes could also link to the theory as voiced by Plato as the shadows being lesser versions of the real beings which could mean that the couple are merely shadows of what they could be or have been (symbolic and thematic of youth).

Mise en Scene

• 0.20-4.31: The pace of the shots begins increasing and introducing multiple locations; this could connote the fast paced lifestyle of the couple within the narrative and how they are often moving from location to locations as wanderers with no purpose but to pursue their desires (narrative, symbolic).

• 0.32: The couple and friends are at an empty swimming pool with graffiti on the walls as they hang out; this links to Ann Gould’s theory of youth as an artificial tribe (thematic).

Mise en Scene

• 0.37: The two lovers share a cigarette, pills and alcohol and finally kiss which links to Ann Gould’s theory of youth as self-destructive and sexual. The colours of the scene are very muted and unsaturated which could infer that the couple come into life when being dangerous and committing crimes which is when colours are more prevalent in the video (thematic and symbolic).

• 1.08: The return of the main protagonist singing to his partner within the video which could thus show the performance side which has been placed within the narrative and is not like a performance music video that employs spectacle.

Mise en Scene

• 1.23: The main female protagonist is in the bathroom whilst taking drugs which again links to Ann Gould’s theory of youth as self-destructive and nihilistic (thematic, narrative).

• 1.46: The bloody handprint is foreshadowing what is to come and is also an example of deliberately altered cohesive shot order. The blood could also be a semiotic sign of the damage that their relationship has on each other; they are robbers but they are also robbing each other of many things such as emotions.

Mise en Scene

• 2.05: The male protagonist uncovers a gun to show his partner. This prop and scene becomes linked to Roland Barthe’s narrative action code that further action will occur due to this scene although it could unravel multiple ways meaning it is of open structure. This section also demonstrates the stressed relationship between the two protagonists. This also links to Ann Gould’s theory of youth as violent (thematic and narrative).

Mise en Scene

• 2.40: The couple are shown sat down with masks on; this mask is explicitly there as they intend to commit an armed robbery but could also be an implicit symbol that they wear masks to hide who they truly are from each other when constantly robbing each other of emotions (narrative and symbolic).

• 2.44: The couple are seen undressing one another which links to Ann Gould's theory of youth as sexual(thematic).

Mise en Scene

• 3.30: The main protagonist gets shot and rushed into the van with his accomplices. This can link to Ann Gould’s theory of youth as self-destructive who act in their own self-interest and in doing so often hurt themselves (thematic and narrative).

• 4.11: Money thrown in the air in celebration of the successful robbery despite the injury that occurred. Again links to Ann Gould’s theory of youth self-destruction that they would get hurt for money (thematic and narrative).

Camera

• 0.05: No use of Steadicam which means the shot reflects the movement of the two protagonists who are dancing; creates a sense of spectacle in the audience feels involved (spectacle).

• 0.15: Mid two shot of the main protagonists exchanging a cigarette whilst becoming intimate which is reflected by the pastel pink lighting in the backdrop. The cigarette becomes the bridge to the next scene (symbolic).

Camera

• 0.17: Extreme close up on a hand holding a cigarette which then tracks up the body to the close up on the main protagonists face almost silhouetted against a backlight; this provides an idea of what shapes the artists identity (symbolic).

• 0.00-4.31: The lacking use of a Steadicam reflects the unstable relationship between the two main protagonists (symbolic).

Camera

• 2.01: Cut in on the gun that serves as an action code as according to Roland Barthe’s theory (thematic).

• 2.40: Mid two shot of the couple wearing face masks ready to commit a robbery which depicts the importance of this scene within the narrative (narrative).

Camera

• 2.45: Mid two shot from a low angle with a shallow depth of field which means the focus is on the undressing couple which conforms to both Laura Mulvey’s The Male Gaze and Miriam Hansen’s The Female Gaze due to a wide target audience (thematic).

• 2.57: Tracking shot follows the couple as they walk towards the location of the armed robbery which again makes the audience feel part of the action followed by a zoom out on establishing shot of location (spectacle).

Editing

• 0.03: Camera fades in from black screen. This could emphasise the darkness within the couple (symbolic).

• 0.08: The band and song title fade in over the image to remind the viewer that the narrative is linked to the purpose of cementing the meanings of the song and its lyrics (thematic).

• 0.00-0.08: Long shot duration as the music fades in; establishes the sound bridge with the pace of the video.

Editing

• 0.00-4.21: Cohesive order of shots is flouted so shots are not in order of events, could represent the chaotic lifestyle of the two protagonists (symbolic).

• 3.12-3.25: The music halts as the couple run in to rob a shop; synchronous sounds such as car engine, gun fire and shouts can be heard from within the scene, the music begins again once the protagonists leave through the door.

Editing

• 3.35: Parallel editing of the sexual scenes intermittent between the shots of the struggle after being shot; could imply that love and pain are not that different (symbolic).

• 3.43: The female lead mouths the words of the song at the same time the music plays to further link the meaning of the lyrics with the narrative outlined in the video.

• 4.26: Music fades out as screen fades back to black to signal end of the video; links to film structure (narrative).

Sound

• 1.12: Diegetic implied sound, the overlaid soundtrack links to the mouthing of the words by the lead singer performing them in character (performance).

• 3.12-3.25: The music halts as the couple run in to rob a shop; synchronous sounds such as car engine, gun fire and shouts can be heard from within the scene, the music begins again once the protagonists leave through the door.

• 3.43: The female lead mouths the words of the song at the same time the music plays to further link the meaning of the lyrics with the narrative outlined in the video.

• 4.26: Music fades out as screen fades back to black to signal end of the video; links to film structure (narrative).