Analysis of She Looks So Perfect; performance video analysis

1. 5SOS
5 Seconds of Summer

2. 5SOS
 5SOS is made up of Luke Hemmings- Lead vocals and guitar, Michael Clifford- guitar and vocals, Calum Hood-bass
guitar and vocals and Ashton Irwin- Drums and Vocals.
 They are an Australian pop/rock band with elements of punk in their music
 They formed in Sydney in 2011 and originated from YouTube where they began posting covers of songs. In 2012
their following grew and they continued posting covers of popular songs onto YouTube.
 Louis Tomlinson, off One Direction, found them on YouTube and invited them to support the One Direction boys on
their Take Me Home Tour- They further supported One Direction on their next tour; Where We Are.
 In February 2014 they released “She Looks So Perfect” as their debut worldwide release and it topped the charts in
Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK.
 Their self titled debut studio album, released in June 2014, got to#1 in 11 countries.
 In between supporting the One Direction boys they headlined their own tour and since then have also released
dates to another sell out tour.
 Awards and nominations: won 8, nominated 51

3. She Looks So Perfect Music Video
 She Looks So Perfect was 5SOS’ debut worldwide single release in 2014 and topped the
charts in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK.
 A band performance music video has the typical conventions of showing the vocalist in a
location playing an instrument and effectively performing. There may also be other elements
to the music video which are filmed at various locations, however, the focus will always
return to the band playing the song and their instruments. This format has been followed in
the She Looks So Perfect (referred to as SLSP from now onwards) video, and the main focus is
on the band with particular and reoccurring focus on Luke Hemmings, the lead singer, and
then other clips of things such as people in the supermarket, a prison and in their daily jobs.
 The typical conventions include a lot of close ups to make sure that the band are
recognised and shown throughout- there will also be repetition of recorded sequences of
the band playing. The focus of returning to the band will be on the lead singer.
 The camera shots and angles can also be unusual, for example, cameras attached to a
guitar or to a microphone, or sweeping shots to show the band performing.

4. Camera Shots, Angles and Movement
 The above pictures show the first 17 seconds of the SLSP video. Already, typical conventions of a performance video have been addressed therefore
establishing that this band is a typical ‘band’ paying their own instruments and not just singing to a backing track.
 There is a varied use of camera shots and angles that have been used to introduce the band- close ups were used on the band members and the
instruments starting of with the lead singer Luke. The close ups of the band members showed that these boys were all of the younger generation (under 20)
and the way in which they were dressed- very casual and relaxed- represented the younger generation social grouping stereotype that they are all relaxed.
Furthermore, some of the band members are wearing ripped skinny jeans- and ripped jeans are typically associated with ‘rock’ and ‘punk’ bands. Doing this
gives the impression and allows the audience to establish the style and the genre that 5SOS and their music are. Being this particular style of music and genre
affects 5SOS’s credibility and how they want to be perceived. Being an actual band and having emphasis on this and highlighting the punk rock genre with
their use of mise-en-scene of stereotypical ripped clothing and easily accessible and dark places, shows that they want to be known for being this punk rock
image and therefore want to be taken more seriously than just another ‘boy band’.
 The master shot of the band is used continuously throughout, always going back to this particular sequence. This makes sure that the band are always the
main focus of the music video because ultimately it is all about the band.

5. Camera Shots, Angles and Movement
 The sequence of a master shot followed by mid shots and lots of close ups of the band is used
continuously throughout, always going back to this particular sequence. This makes sure that the
band are always the main focus of the music video because ultimately it is all about the band and
not what else is happening in the other sequences showing people’s daily lives with the twist that
they’re stripping off.
Master Shot Mid Shot Close up shot

6. Camera Composition
 Camera composition has been used effectively throughout the
music video. Different parts of the shot have been blurred so that
the focus is on one thing. For example, the microphone in this shot is
in the foreground and 2 of the band members are blurred in the
background. This is a typical convention of a band performance
video where the instruments are the main focus because it is a
performance and that is what the band stands for. Furthermore, the
connotations of the microphone are music, singing, performance
etc, all of which, 5SOS want to emphasise being a performance
band and not just the typical ‘boy band’ who just sing to a backing
track. This particular shot is from the beginning of the music video
and is the first camera shot which is seen, even before the band
themselves. This is important because as it is a microphone it signifies
a performance, thus creating a positive performance image for the
band before they have even began singing
 Another example of camera composition is during the bands
performance. There are multiple times when one band member has
been highlighted by them being the main focus of the shot and the
other band members being blurred out. Doing this focuses the
attention on one band member specifically, and usually this is Luke
Hemmings (as seen to the right) because he is the lead singer of the
band. This follows typical performance based video formats.

7. Camera Shots, Angles and Movement
 The above print screens are from various points throughout the music video. The first 3 show some of the idifferent locations when the
focus is not on the band; a café, a supermarket and a prison. These locations are the draw away from the focus and repeated
sequence of showing the band playing different parts of the song. Furthermore, the last print screen is from towards the end of the
music video and shows the band being covered with loose clothing which is thrown from people on the balconies so that they are
standing in their underwear. This represents how as they are a younger band they just want to have fun, and pulling pranks or tricks
like this is what they class as fun and a good time.
 There is no definite narrative that follows a logical structure, however, there is the hidden message about being confident within your
body because of the people of various sizes all stripping down to their underwear and throwing their clothes all over the place. This
narrative is important in today’s society because so much of the media focusses on people saying that the perfect figure is size 0,
where as this music video shows that to be different is perfect.
 The location of the music video does follow stereotypes. Typically, with a band performance video the location will be somewhere
dark or remote or somewhere like a rooftop- basically somewhere that is accessible to find and can be used easily. The location for
SLSP is in the side street between two buildings and is surrounded by bins and has no elaborate props apart from the bands
equipment. Because of the lack of props which is highlighted through the long shots and establishing shots- this could suggest that
the band as they are only just starting out in this video, could not afford more elaborate props and locations. It could, on the other
hand, suggest that the band is all about the music and so does not want to take away from that with irrelevant props.

8. Use of sound
 The use of sound within the video is dominated by the title track which is he major focus of the music video. This is the typical way of performance
videos as they don’t include a specific narrative. Contrastingly, a narrative video could include other sounds such as speech or sound effects to
emphasise the storyline trying to be portrayed.
 There is emphasis on the guitar playing at the beginning of the video and also when the drums come into the music this is also emphasised. This
influences your ideas about the band because the instruments are emphasises you assume that this is a major part of both the music video and
of the band’s way of producing and making the music.
 Within the song the band say “hey hey hey hey” a lot- and this is also emphasised with cheering from the surrounding cast and the band. This
represents that this social group is a fun one and the cheering influences your perception of the band to one that is a fun group to be around.
Furthermore, at this point the various people involved in the music video take their clothes off, which is typical of a punk video. The actual lyrics of
the song follow the following structure:
Intro, Verse 1,Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus- Variation, chorus x2. The chorus is indicated visually by a close up shot of the drummer Ashton who then
aggressively hits the drums and the chorus begins. This changes the mood from the slower beginning to the faster chorus and is repeated
throughout.

9. Editing
 A lot of jump cuts have been used to keep the continuity editing between the band performance
and the sequences of shots of people dancing around and going about their day to day lives.
Having the jump cuts in between the sequences gives the video a continuous feeling and implies
that all of the ‘action’ is happening at once. Using a jump cut rather than a dissolve or a fade to
black makes the video more continuous rather than ‘jumpy’. This is the typical style of
performance videos because it means that the video has continuity.

10. Postproduction digital effects
 Postproduction digital effects are effects which are added to the video after the live recorded
sequences have been filmed. These are classed as editing. In the SLSP music video, slow
motion- a postproduction digital effect- has been used to enhance the visual elements of the
music video and emphasise the band members.
 For example, slow motion has repeatedly been
used just before the chorus when drummer
Ashton Irwin hits the drums to start playing the
chorus. This makes Ashton playing the drums
the full focus, which for a performance band
is very important because it emphasises that
they have played and made their own music
and they are not manufactured. It gives them a
sense of credibility because they are playing their
own music, which in the music industry is greatly
respected, this being shown with such successes
as GreenDay and more modern Lawson and The Vamps.

11. Editing
 At the end of the music video a fade to black has been used in an effective way to symbolise
the end of the video, whilst also keeping the video appropriate for 5SOS’ target audience of
the younger generation. The band go to ‘take off’ their clothes like the rest of the people in
the music video but then before they do the screen goes ‘fuzzy’ and then fades to black. The
fade to black signifies that the video is over whilst also implying that 5SOS are these ‘bad boys’
associated with punk and rock but are also the ‘good boys’ associated with pop. Therefore,
keeping both the combination of styles appropriate.

12. Mise-En-Scene
 SLSP displays conventions of previous music videos and punk rock bands. The bands clothing- ripped skinny
jeans, shirts typed round their waists, vest tops etc- is the typical ‘grunge’ and ‘punk’ styled clothes. This is very
stereotypical of a punk band to have this clichéd ‘bad boy’ image because that is what punk bands are
typically represented as. Considering the obvious influences and imitations of other music videos and bands,
Feyerabends theory that nothing is original can be applied here, and this video and band are just another
example of post-modernism.
 The location of the music video again abides by the stereotypical
Typical style
clothing- eg
the vest tops,
shirts around
their waists
and skinny
jeans
performance based music video. Many performance based
bands such as Greenday, Fallout Boy, Lawson and All Time Low to
name but a few, whose music videos are all in the same typical
backstreet location with minimalistic staged lights and focus on
natural lighting. Setting the video in an easily accessible
location means that not only is it implying that being a new band
they can’t really afford to have elaborate locations, but also
gives the image that 5SOS are a relatable band and are down to
earth. There down to earth image is further emphasised by their
relaxed clothing, which suggests that they are relaxed in their surroundings and don’t need to get dressed up
for the music video.