Duke Dumont – Won’t Look Back Analysis

Lily Saunders

Genre

• Duke Dumont is a DJ and music producer, his music genres tend to be deep house, UK garage and techno.

Music Video – Won’t Look Back

• The music video shows a parody police chase of three men on pogo sticks wearing masks.

• The mask reference may link back to an older music video “Cash Machine” by Hard-Fi.

In the opening of the video there is a long shot of a bridge with the title of the song and the artist displayed in bold white writing.

The next few shots show a group of three people in a van. They are wearing masks of well known political figures. The shots cleverly play along with the

masked figures anonymity as none of them show a close up front shot of their faces.

The next part of this scene has an intended comical effect. It shows the person wearing the queen mask impersonating the queens wave to a man eating watermelon. The

tracking, shot reverse shot shows his horrified and confused reaction to what is happening.

The camera then shows the van stopping outside of a risky looking jewellery store as the three men jump out. From the location we are under the

impression that it is a deprived area. The camera follows them using a hand held camera technique to show them holding their pogo sticks up as if they

are guns as they threaten the people inside the shop. The camera spins round and observes what is happening creating a realistic feel to the video and as

though the audience is actually experiencing what is happening.

This shot shows two key characters, a lady who appears terrified by the threat of being shot and this is juxtaposed against a man who seems quite calm despite the

distressing situation. His worn out appearance, with multiple rings and gold chain necklace give him a slightly edgy appearance. From his apathy it could be implied that it is a regular occurrence for people to target that particular shop. This also reinforces

the implication that it is not a well off area with a high crime rate.

The following shot, from a worm’s eye view, shows the “queen” turning 90 degrees with the pogo stick held up as though it were a gun. This occurs as the singer holds a note whilst saying the word “back”, so that the rotation is in time with the music. The next cut continues the motion

from the previous shot by tracking parallel to the shops. Presumably this is done from a car as we see other cars pass by, briefly obstructing the view of the street. This shot gives us the impression that the video is set in a run down area as we see shabby and closed down buildings. The tracking shot shows all three of the previous characters in masks, this time they are hopping on their pogo sticks in slow motion. The transition between this shot and the next is in time with the change in

pace of the music, the video also returns to a normal speed.

The sound changes from non-diegetic to diegetic as the filming takes place from inside a car as the three masked figures cross. This is a clever auditory effect as it gives the impression that someone is listening to the song from

inside their car. This is done by the music growing quieter, however this reverts back to normal after the scene changes.

In this part of the video we see the masked figures somersault over a car close by to a policeman. The first shot shows this from a long shot before cutting to a high angle shot from the ground as

they land. The use of a match on action shot allows the video to run smoothly alongside the music and marks it as being professionally choreographed. We are then shown a shot reverse shot of the figures jumping over the car and the women who appears to be mouthing “what

the…” but is interrupted by the scene changing back to the other characters. A close up shot of the policeman shows his disapproval.

The next few shots show the masked characters hopping along. It starts from a long shot, where they can only just be seen in the distance, to a much

closer shot in slow motion, and then finally another long shot.

As the music changes, the shot changes to show a policeman on a Segway. It tracks him from his feet to his head. The camera then cuts to a long shot of a tunnel where one of

the masked figures can be seen hopping in slow motion and doing tricks. As the figure is so far away, they are shown as just a silhouette.

A medium long shot shows the three masked figures on their pogo sticks being chased by the policeman. The camera is focused on the background rather than the

foreground which links in to the diegetic sound of the police siren that starts when this shot begins. This use of the siren continues for a few seconds, growing distant when

the policeman isn’t in the shot and becoming louder when he is in the shot. The three figures then split off into different directions.

The policeman manages to corner the first masked figure, he then pushes him up against the wire fence which makes another

diegetic sound effect.

The following sequence shows the policeman chasing after the second masked figure, the background and foreground are blurred but a young boy playing with a remote

control car can be seen in focus. We then see the policeman take the remote from the boy and a close up shot of the car moving along the ground is shown. He uses it to

make the masked figure fall off of the pogo stick and he then arrests him.

The following sequence of shots switch between showing the policeman on his Segway and the masked figure on his pogo stick. A variety shots and angles are used to portray the chase, the takes are all very short emphasizing the fast paced action.

In the final part of the video the masked figure is on top of a tall building but cannot escape as the policeman blocks the door leading out. As the masked figure comes to a halt, shown by a medium long shot, the

policeman appears in the foreground. The masked figure turns to face him, ironically it is the queen who is still in today’s society, in a position of power as both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair are no longer political

leaders. There is audible dialogue between the policeman and the masked figure, as he instructs them to “drop the pogo” and “step away from the edge”. This is shown by an over the shoulder shot. However, as the masked

figure is hopping on the pogo stick, his shoulder in the foreground bounces up and down in a comical way.

One of the final shots before the ending of the video shows both characters facing each other from a medium long shot. This confrontation depicts a powerful image of a person of high

status and authority against a “rebel” who mocks the queen by wearing a mask of her face. At the end of the clip, we watch as

the masked figure jumps off of the edge of the building.

Andrew Goodwin’s Theory – Thought Beats

• In many parts of the music video, the tempo matches well with what is happening on the screen as well as the transition between shots; the editing keeps in time with the music.

• The style of the music can be closely linked to other music videos where the main characters hold a care free and rebellious attitude for example “Waiting all night” by Rudimental.

• The song’s lyrics don’t seem closely related to the music‘s lyrics as they talk about love whilst the video doesn’t appear to have this as its theme. This again could be seen as linking to “Waiting all night” which similarly has the lyrics “tell me that you want me” but the video is of a man who has an accident on his BMX but learns to ride it again using an artificial leg. This has nothing to do with the lyrics for the video, instead the rhythm of the music is depicted through what is happening on the screen.

Andrew Goodwins Theory – Narrative and Performance

• This music video ignores a common narrative to create something unique and fresh for a music video. This is done by it’s total lack of relation to the lyrics. From the lyrics alone it would be expected that the clip would be about a woman in love, however this is not the case at all.

• Despite this, the narrative is clear and easy to follow, three men in masks of political figures causing trouble and being chased by a policeman. The parody of a police chase is demonstrated by the fact that they are on pogo sticks and being chased by a policeman on a Segway. It is an amusing video, but has no symbolic connection to the lyrics. Instead it ties in well with the fast paced rhythm of the music.

• There is no sign of the artist in the video (no lip syncing) however it could be argues that this wouldn't work with the style of video. Most drum and bass songs aren’t matched with a video of the artist singing as the main focus of the song tends to be around the actual sound of the music.

Andre Goodwin’s Theory – Star Image

• This part of the theory doesn’t apply to the music video as the artist doesn’t appear.

Andrew Goodwin’s Theory – Relation of Visuals to Song

• The music video demonstrates disjuncture, as there is no apparent connection between the video and the song, the meaning of the song is completely ignored.

• However, this does not make it an unsuccessful video, as it links well to the EDM genre of the music and is the style of video that would be expected to go alongside this type of music.

Andrew Goodwin’s Theory – Technical Aspects

• The technical aspects of the video work very well alongside the song as the visuals and the editing are timed with the songs pace.

• This is done through the use of camera work, as the cuts are often timed with the transitions in music. Although a fast paced song, the use of slow motion as a visual effect works well with the audible music.

• Also, the choice of location, a deprived area of the city, presumably in America, links well to the rebellious behaviour of the masked figures. This type of unruly behaviour may be more expected in that kind of area.

Overall Analysis and Summary

• This video is cleverly made as it’s transitions are in time to the music, it has a clear narrative, it uses a range of camera and editing techniques to create audible and visual effects.

• The story shows the opposition between a policeman, an authoritative and powerful figure, against the three masked figures who appear to have an anti establishment attitude and act in a rebellious way.