RESEARCH: A2 Media Music Video Analysis (Alternative Genre)

MEDIA A2 ADVANCED
PORTFOLIO-
MUSIC VIDEO
ANALYSISES
Music Video Brief-Holly Riley
Candidate Number: 8396
Centre Number: 22321

Briefs
(Music Video)
(Teaser Trailer)
(Advertisement)
(Soap Opera)
(Children’s TV
Drama)
(Local
Newspaper)
(Radio
Broadcast)
(Website)
(Short Film)
My Chosen Brief:
“A promotion package for the release of an album, to include
a music promo video, together with two of the following
three options
o a website homepage for the band;
o a digipak for the album’s release;
o a magazine advertisement for the digipak.”
This brief has been chosen because I wish to explore the
area of film and I enjoy music as a whole. Creating a
music video for the release of an original album will
benefit me in my understanding of the film/music/print/web
industry.

Research and Planning
 This research into music videos of my chosen
indie genre will help me to determine the
conventions and stereotypical
presentations/performances seen in the
genres videos. With this, aided by the
Goodwin theory, I will be able to demonstrate
my ideas for the music video I wish to create.

Music Videos
Music videos are a way of promoting a certain artist or band in various
ways using different styles and/or techniques to make them unique to
that artist in order to appeal to the audience of their music’s genre.
Their main purposes are to:
 Promote the artist/band
 Increase the songs popularity and income
 The music video can be an extended outlet in order to appeal to a
wider selection of people
 Synergy is often used to mutually promote both the video and a
secondary product in order to increase the audience consumption
 Producer strategies are when a music producer changes the artists
image, and uses the music video in order to produce the end result
 Artist expansion is when an artist creates an artistic and unusual
video in order to shock and appeal to a wider audience

Conventions
Music videos are composed of different visual and editing techniques
in order to make them unique and appeal to their genre audience. The
main conventions are:
 Allusion, this is the way something is filmed to give the impression
of an event occurring, however, it is only edited this way to make us
believe it. This can be exemplified in car crashes and explosions in
film.
 Links to other artists (intertextuality), this is when there is references
to another artist or their work within the music video. Things such as
editing style, paying homage to art and media texts is therefore
seen.
 Lyrical interpretations, this is when a music video uses visual
accompaniment to express the lyrics literally.
 Extending or consolidating the song’s meaning, this is when an
artist or director subtly hint at the song’s meaning through the video.

Styles
Music videos are varied, but show a similar style to one another, which are:
 Performance based styles which show the artist literally performing by miming the words and
expressing emotion, this is called a pure art clip.
 Narrative videos tell a story of the song to the viewer directly, with the video being based around
the issues within the narrative.
 Surrealist videos are dreamlike and often use unrealistic elements to give a sense of an altered
reality to the viewer.
 Animation is used to display a rapid sequence of images to create the illusion of movement and it
adds a quirky flare to a video which is often seen in alternative music genres.
 Interpretive is when the music video is unspecific to its audience, so they are left to decide the
videos true meaning for themselves.
 Impressionism is similar to surrealism as they both serve the purpose of taking the audience
away from reality.
 Pastiche style videos show the qualities of another music video through adaptation.
 Parody music videos are a sarcastic take on existing artists/music videos and are often used to
demonstrate comedic farce.
 Homage is a style used to demonstrate respect to someone or something through the use of
visuals.
 Art clip is when no perceptible narrative can be seen and there is no miming from the artist.

Techniques
 There a is a wide array of techniques which range from
editing to visual effects in order to impact the style of a music
video, these techniques are:
 Cutting to the beat, this is when a series of shots is edited to
cut in time to the beat of a song.
 Miming/lip syncing, this is when the artist takes on a
performance style by looking as if they are signing the lyrics
to make an emotional connection with their song. This is very
conventional in all types of music videos.
 Multi-image is the use of multiple shot types on the screen
 Editing techniques can include animation, such as CGI and
green screens, as well as stop motion or claymation in order
to take a more artistic, surreal style in order to represent their
music.

Andrew Goodwin Theory: 6 statements to
identify in the analysis of music videos
 “Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics” (e.g. stage
performances in metal/rock videos and dance routines in female
pop groups)
 “There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals” (either
illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)
 “The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of
close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur
across their work” (e.g. A visual style)
 “There are frequent references to the notion of looking (e.g. screens
within screens, telescopes, mirrors etc.) and particularly voyeuristic
(sexual) treatment of the female form”
 “There is often intertextual references” (to films, TV programmes or
other music videos etc.)
 “Whether the video is primarily performance-based, the narrative-
based, or concept-based and how each element of each is used in
it”

Music Videos to Analyse
Fun: We are Young ft. Janelle Monae
Alt-J : Breezeblocks
"We Are Young" is a song recorded by
American band Fun, featuring Janelle Monae. It
was released September 20th 2011 as the main
single for their second studio album, Some
Nights. The song received generally positive
reviews from music critics, with many noting the
song as a breakthrough for the indie genre. The
video was directed by Marc Klasfeld to
accompany the single.
"Breezeblocks" is a song by British
alternative indie rock quartet alt-J from
their debut studio album An Awesome
Wave, released in 2012. The single was
released on 18 May 2012 as the album's
second single. The video was directed by
Ellis Bahl.
Click on pictures to go to YouTube
video

Music Videos to Analyse
King Krule: Octopus
"Ho Hey" is a track by American folk/rock
band The Lumineers, recorded in 2011. It
was released on June 4, 2012 as the lead
single from their debut self-titled studio
album. The music video was also
released on March 11, 2012.The video
was directed by Ben Fee.
“Octopus” is a song by English
singer-songwriter, King Krule, released
in October 2012 with Rinse
Recordings. It was a single for his EP
Rock Bottom. The video was directed
by Paraic and Michael Morrissey.

MUSIC VIDEO ANALYSIS
Fun – We Are Young

“Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics” (e.g. stage
performances in metal/rock videos and dance routines in female pop
groups)
This music video portrays a relatively typical live gig at a venue, however, its use of slow
motion editing and dark lighting contrasts the genre characteristics for indie pop videos.
In the shot on the left, there is a stage performance with stereotypical band proxemics,
with the lead singer in centre stage, and guitarist to the side, for example. This is to show
us the genre characteristics of performance style videos, which are conventional and
popular, as we get to see the band for ourselves. The atmosphere on stage is portrayed
through the chiaroscuro lighting, with spotlights and a dark background. We can see a
hint of pink in this wide long shot, which implies passion for the music the band are
playing. The long shot acts as an establishing view of the band, and displays their formal
dress of black suits and ties. The lead singer is wearing a tuxedo, and holds the mic stand
off to the side as he jumps to show he is passionate about the music, and expresses a
“wild” representation of the band. The use of green streamers as a prop highlights the
party atmosphere and makes the venue seem fun.
The shot below is a long shot which is characteristic of the
performance narrative because it clearly shows the setting,
which is a venue location for the band. The natural dark
lighting infers it is night time in the shot, with dark shadows
of the people having a disagreement. The sign above them
is presented in an old fashioned movie theatre style, and
promotes the band song title. The use of vintage elements
is popular within indie music videos.
Above is a mid shot of the guitar player being sprayed with water during his performance.
The guitarist is off-centre to give an interesting composition to the shot, and is closing his
eyes to shield himself from the water. This, combined with his oversized glasses, represents
him as a quirky person, which is a characteristic seen in indie videos. The shot is filmed in
slow motion so we can see the pull focus of the keyboard player in the background. The
guitarist takes the foreground of the shot because he could be considered a more important/
popular member of Fun. There is a smoke machine which is used for theatrical purposes,
and to give the impression of a wacky atmosphere with the conventions of a performance
style. We understand from this shot that everything has gone out of hand, yet the band play
on, making them seem exuberant.

“There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals” (either
(Left) Amplifying the disco ball prop in this wide shot of the performance
creates an emblem of the lyrics, “We can burn brighter than the sun”.
The shot does this as we see the band performing on stage, and the
stage lights hit the disco ball, so it reflects to the camera, highlighting its
presence in the shot. The disco ball is falling which implies that the
venue, as well as the night, Is falling apart. Having the sun being
represented by a disco ball connotes the party atmosphere in the hall
venue setting. The people in the shot are empowered to embody the
sun, representing the band as dominant and confident, which gives us
positive connotations for their success. The off-centre positioning of the
camera and framing suggest the night is beginning to become unstable,
which gives the viewer a skewed perspective of the events, it also
allows us to focus more on the disco ball, allowing us to make the
connection between the graphic match of the sun and the prop of the
disco ball. Therefore, this shot shows us an amplified, symbolic
representation of the lyrics.
The shot on the right is illustrative of the lyrics because of the literal display of a
girl standing from across the room from the perspective of the viewer. This
indicates a point of view shot type, which shows a direct relationship between the
lyrics and the visuals, “My lover, she’s waiting for me, just across the bar”. A
model is seen in the centre of the shot, with close framing, stood behind
someone's shoulder which is seen in the foreground. We can see a pull focus in
this shot because she is made the centre of attention by standing alone in the
middle of the frame, in focus. The extra stood near her is seen in a dark top and
red skirt, talking to someone off-camera, and the man in the foreground is seen
running away from our view in a shirt worn informally, with the sleeves rolled up.
This shows us that the extras were used to imply a busy party atmosphere, but
cleverly wear darker colours in their costume so they won’t detract attention of the
woman in the centre. She wears a dark tartan dress, which is fashionable and
shows she has an individual style. She seems distracted however, by her phone,
which she is seen smiling at, which makes us intrigued to know what she is doing,
as her supposed “lover” is on stage performing while she texts someone else.

“The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-
ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across
their work” (e.g. A visual style)
Fun’s “Carry On” video features a similar focus
on the band with a conventional performance
style.
There are multiple mid close-ups of the
lead singer as he performs by mouthing
the lyrics to the song. This footage is
edited in slow motion, so in order for the
mouthing to still be in time to the lyrics
being heard, the artist would have had to
mouth lyrics while filming to a sped up
version of the track. This has been done
to give the video a more professional
look. The conventions of having lots of
close-ups in this video allows us to
recognise the band from the extras in
the party. Also, I have noticed that each
close-up is similar to another because
he is always filmed in the same place,
which is on the stage in the setting of the
club. We can see the dramatic dark
lighting behind him to add to this party-
like atmosphere.
There are visual motifs across their work as I
looked at Fun’s previous and latter music video
releases. I found their video for “Carry On” was
the most similar in its shots of the band together.
This is because the two shots either side of this
text feature a long, wide shot of the stage setting
to establish the scene. Also, similar red/pink and
chiaroscuro lighting effects have been given to
the stage, with the main difference being the
audience in front of the stage in “Carry on”. Also,
more obviously, the band are wearing different
costume, as in “Carry On” they wear mismatched
colours, and jeans which comes across as more
casual than in “We Are Young” in which they all
wear formal black and white costume. This
shows how the record label have taken into
consideration the band’s unique style to make
their visual appearance more attractive and
memorable to a mass audience.
Fun’s “We Are Young” video resembles
their other release, resulting in a
developed motif for performance style
videos.

“There are frequent references to the notion of looking (e.g. screens
This music video features many still shots with wide framing, so there are few
references to this idea of the ‘notion of looking’. This video does highlight the
screens within screens as the camera focuses on a phone. At the time of the
video’s release, this was a new Windows phone model, and the home screen is
shown clearly in this close-up of the phone as it was thrown through the air,
creating a sense of synergy with the video and product as both mutually
promote one another. The pull focus is on the object itself to allow the audience
to recognise the brand and how modern the technology was in the video. It is
also a contextual reference for the future, as an audience will recognise how old
the model of the phone is in relation to how old the video is.
I have noticed that there is a lot of low-key lighting surrounding the phone,
perhaps to make the phone’s lit up screen stand out more as it soars toward the
camera with slow motion editing. The slow motion editing style gives us an
predisposition as to how this is a turning point in the video’s plot, as this
happens before the actors go wild in the venue.
An over the shoulder shot on the right demonstrates how the notion of
looking is being utilised for convention. The video has no narrative, yet we
are shown this personal texting conversation between two unknown
people. The messages can be read as , “When?” and the reply being
texted during filming reads, “NOW” just before the woman throws the
phone. This suggests that she began a planned event which leads the
video into total chaos, as from this moment onward, the chorus begins
and the people at the party run riot in the venue.
The notion of looking is not strong in this video, because of the amount of
still shots and lack of camera movement, so we act as onlookers of the
events taking place, and our attention is drawn both to the party getting
out of hand and the band’s performance.
The shot on the right is a close-up with shallow focus as the back of the
woman’s head is visible, but not focused so it gives the allusion we are
reading her texts from over her shoulder, to make the audience feel as if
they are participating in some way.

“There is often intertextual references” (to films, TV programmes or
“Fun. Say Making ‘We Are Young’ Video ‘Was Terrifying’ Article
by James Montgomery for MTV (01/20/2012)
'There were a lot of moments in the video that ... should have ended
a lot worse than they did,' the band says.”
An extract from the interview, direct quote, ““We were really adamant about
getting back to the heyday of music videos, you know, the mid-’90s, when we
were growing up,” Antonoff said. “Videos like [the Smashing Pumpkins’] ’Tonight,
Tonight’ and Spike Jonze’s slow-motion ’Wax’ video [’California’] … just these
videos where it’s not some giant narrative, and it’s not a mini-movie, it’s a cool
music video. It’s kind of abstract, but to us, it makes sense.”
And really, that grandiose spirit of just going for it is also what fuels the band’s wide-
screen, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink album Some Nights (due February 21). It is
very much the sound of a band breaking barriers, pushing boundaries and gunning
for the big time … and, yes, Fun. will happily admit to all of those things. After all,
they’ve been working toward this moment for nearly a decade now, and they’re
going to take full advantage. Even if it kills them.”
This music video pays homage to two specific music videos the band liked in
their youth, which is discussed in this interview. They state that they only wanted
a video which was “cool” as opposed to having a firm narrative.
This interview sums up the
motive for creating the
theme of chaos, because
the band wanted a cool,
visually uplifting video to
portray their childhood, and
the chaos they created as
kids. This is interesting for
intertextuality because the
video the band created
pays homage to the videos
they mentioned, without
being a direct copy of the
visuals, as seen on the next
slide.
http://www.mtv.com/news/1677668/fun-we-are-
young-video/

On the right is a screen shot of both
“Wax” and “Fun’s” music videos, in
which it is obvious where inspiration
became apparent. Fun have paid
homage to this music video b
including a man running, in slow
motion, through a crowd but with
fairy lights as part of his costume. In
Wax’s music video, there is a slow
motion tracking shot of a stuntman
on fire, and Fun parody this by
recreating it, but more safely, as
seen below.“Tonight Tonight” is a video that Fun have
been inspired by because of its surreal
quality, which they have tried to recreate in
“We are Young” through the chaotic
atmosphere with drunken people in a venue
with dramatic, unusual lighting. Also, the
visual motif of falling people is made obvious,
as a man falls in front of the stage, like the
couple in The Smashing Pumpkins’ video.
Although not copying the
vintage era costume in
“Tonight, Tonight”, Fun
have tuxedos on to look
professional whilst doing
the performance, as seen
in the screen shot above.

“Whether the video is primarily performance-based, narrative-based, or
concept-based and how each element of each is used in it”
The video has aspects of each music video style, but I think it is heavily reliant on
the performance aspect in comparison to the others. Above is one of many shots
of the lead singer and band performance lip-syncing the lyrics to the music in
close-up, or playing instruments with pull focus, to show this is the most important
facet of the video. The video opens with a close-up of the performance to make
this the most utilised feature of the video, because the screen time for this is
longer than for narrative or concept styles.
The narrative element of the video is only really seen with the “lover…across the
bar” who texts someone before throwing their phone, at which time the party gets
out of hand and relatively dangerous with people falling from the ceiling and
breaking glass etc. The concept falls into this as the homage style video pays
respect to the slow motion style of Spike Jonze’s “Wax” music video. In this
video, there is no clear narrative, which has been displayed in this video also, as
we see the female “lover” once before we next see her leaving the venue alone.
This is made obvious as she wears the same costume of a checked dress, and
she walks away from the back door of a venue which is lit, and the old-fashioned
theatre style screen on the building reads, “TONIGHT WE ARE YOUNG”. She
walks away from the building and the door behind her is left open to infer she is
not going back. This is the only reference to a narrative we gain as an audience,

Alt-J - Breezeblocks

groups)
Dominant male ideology is shown in this two shot. The male runs to
the females aid, as she cries to him. Use of low key lighting makes us
believe they are in danger, and also follows the narrative of the male
having just returned home from work. It is clear the female has been
crying due to her smudged dark eye makeup, connoting her lack of
control and representing her as a stereotypically emotive female
character. The man turns round in the shot and so the female looks in
the same direction so we as an audience understand that they are
looking at the problem, which is another woman. This 2 shot is shown
later on in the music video because of the reversed timeline seen in
the video. This reversed timeline can be seen in other indie music
videos such as “The Scientist” by Coldplay, in which the event of a car
accident take place in the narrative. “Breezeblocks” therefore shows
characteristics of the indie/alternative genre as it features a narrative,
slow motion editing and a concept
The video is edited to the beat of the song which is an example of genre characteristics. The beat of the
song is jumpy and rhythmic so this style of editing suits it as it draws attention to the music as well as keeps
the pace of the editing standardised. It is important for this music video to keep the editing pace constantly
upbeat because the clips are all in slow motion in reverse. This distorts the viewing experience and timeline
for the viewer. They have to think backwards in order to “piece together” the puzzle of the conceptual
narrative, which is based on the theme of obsessive love. In this extract, we see a close-up of a male with
his head in his hands, wearing dark smart clothing (jumper and shirt) which would suggest he has come
home from a working environment, adding to the stereotypical dominant male ideology of men being the
workers in a household. He has his hands in his hair, and his body language (part of mise-en-scene)
indicates he is frustrated and/or angered.
We then have a straight edit to an extreme close-up of his hands, this is done to highlight the fact he is
wearing jewellery. We can see that this ring is worn as part of costume to display that he is a married man,
as he wears the gold ring to contrast the cooler tones in the shot in order to make it stand out. We
immediately begin to think of negative situations in regards to relationships, which is a conventional topic for
indie music as a genre. We then have a reversed slow motion shot of a tap with water running, to suggest
the ex’s plan to drown his wife. This close-up makes us aware of the domestic bathroom setting and that
time is passing slowly now that the event of his ex’s death has occurred.

“I love you so” are the lyrics being repeated
over this screenshot. The male seems to be
taping the females mouth back up, although,
as the video is reversed, we do actually know
that he was taking off of her. However this
shot can be seen as contradicting of the
lyrics as it appears he is silencing his wife,
although it seems that he is to blame in the
narrative as he has another woman in love
with him, who has set out to kill him. This
triggers the idea of infidelity issues in this
married couple’s relationship.
“She may contain the urge to runaway, but hold her down with soggy clothes and breezeblocks”- these lyrics are
presented to us literally in this visual of the violent female having been killed by the breezeblock the male threw at her.
She lies with her eyes closed to make her resemble a corpse in its coffin. The colour of the water is dark, and slightly red
in colour to suggest her blood is present in the fluid. We see the breezeblock on her in the far right third of the close-up,
from a slightly higher angle to make it seem like an eyeline match. We are seeing this from the perspective of the male
who killed her, and we see the woman with no air bubbles, static in the water to make us realise she has passed away.
The darkness of the lighting is utilised to give the impression that it is a dark event, and the element of guilt can be felt at
the loss of her life.
“Citrizene, your fever’s gripped me again” is
amplified as it refers to the other woman in
the situation having controlled his life and
made him cheat. This shows a visual
example of interpretive lyrics and visuals.
He grips his head in his hands, with a clear
shot of his wedding ring to solidify the
concept of his wrongdoings in this mid shot.
His face is obscured by his arms to signify
he is at loss and is ashamed to show his
face now the truth is out.
“I’ll eat you whole” refers to the
woman’s obsessive love for the
married male, as she brandishes a
knife. Low key lighting makes us
believe this character is sinister,
and her gaze at where the couple
sit suggests she knows them, and
suggests she is an ex of the male.
This is somewhat amplifying with its
violent nature in relation to the
lyrics, however it contradicts the
lyrics as she shows no inclination to
actually eat the man, as the lyrics
suggest.

 This video has a conventional narrative style, with an interpretive plot, with the use of
actors to portray the events on film. The actors are used, so the video could be described
as a narrative art clip, as the artists are not featured in the video, but the meaning of the
song is portrayed in it.
 The narrative shows us a reverse of the events of an ex having tied up the new woman in
her ex’s life. The close-ups of the wedding rings (which are matching) between the woman
in the cupboard and the male show that they are married, connoting the ex’s jealousy as
she is shown to be obsessive, holding the male at knife point. He fights her on the table
and she attempts to throw a bottle at him, until he chases her with a breezeblock from a
make-shift table in the house. Eventually, they enter the bathroom at which point it is
alluded that he throws the block at the woman, and she falls in the bath which she
intended to drown the wife in.
 There are many other interpretations of the music video, however this is what I believe to
be the plotline of the narrative, although it remains open-ended. This slow motion,
interpretive narrative style is developed across their work, as the artists do not feature in
most of their music videos, such as:
 Every Other Freckle
 Taro
 Something Good

This music video features this
notion of looking through action
match editing and eyeline
matches. The director wanted it
to feel as if we were the woman
(the wife) who is trapped in the
closet, so we can only observe
the violent argument between
the ex and the husband.
The shots above and below are close-ups of the wife in the cupboard.
She expresses her emotion by crying and shaking her head, and we
see these are used as cutaway edits between the narrative of the man
and woman fighting. This allows us to gain an idea of her perspective
and makes us feel empathy for the female in the closet. Below is an
over the shoulder close-up of her as she cowers behind her husband,
showing the stereotype of female weakness as she is too scared to
react.
This fight is shot from many angles, including close-
ups and this low angle wide shot from the corner of
the sofa. The setting in this shot shows us a lounge
with a big sofa and a kitchen table with cupboards in
the background, suggesting an open kitchen and
lounge space in a modern home. This use of setting
makes the video seem more realistic and adds a
thriller style genre as the man is being attached in his
own home, making us feel sympathy as it was
unexpected. The male typically reacts to the female
with violence, as he grapples her and they sprawl on
this table. However, the proxemics of this screenshot
make their body language seem more romantic as
opposed to violent. They could be seen to be
passionate, perhaps reflecting a relationship they
once had as they lie on top of each other horizontally.
Although in this context, we know that they are
physically trying to harm each other, showing the
audience an allusion as we could interpret this act as
sexual as the woman is involved. The reverse editing
for this makes this fight sequence particularly seem
romantic at first, until we see her pushing him
aggressively on the table in a later shot.
The close-up of this knife is shot
from a high angle to show us
that it is from the perspective of
the female in the cupboard. It is
used as a symbol of violence
and domestics as it is clearly a
kitchen knife, representing the
“double edged sword” of love,
as we gage that the ex is
obsessed with the male in the
video, and now that she cannot
have him, she chooses to harm
him/potentially kill him. This
object signifies obsessive love
to the audience from the point of
view of the wife who is
helplessly looking on.

Alt-J based their video on the theme of obsessive love,
with links of intertextuality from the book, “Where The
Wild Things Are”(1963) by Maurice Sendak. The lyrics,
“Please don’t go, I’ll eat you whole” as well as “love
you so” are taken directly from the book. The video for
“Breezeblocks” shows the narrative of a couple
fighting, which eventually leads to murder. This shows
direct connotations to “I’ll eat you whole” as this also
relates to death. The words in the book are spoken by
a monster when Max wishes to leave, and this is
interpreted in the video as the ex trying to gain control
of the male once he has left her for another woman.
“Do you know, where the wild things go?
They go along to take your honey”
Sleep Party People – “A Dark God
Heart” is a music video which
explores the innocence of love as the
child plays in the water without
realising the woman in the bath is
dead. She does not accept the
woman is dead and tries to rescue
her. The video gives new meaning to
death and love as the child
expresses no emotion, which
contrasts the married man’s reaction
yet he seems to convey relief and
sadness. I think this video’s shots of
the female in the water are similar to
those in “Breezeblocks” because the
subjects looks at peace, to represent
the events are over, and no more
harm is to come.

“Interpretive is when the music video is unspecific to its audience, so they are left to decide the videos true meaning for
themselves.” This is evident for this music video because there is lots of speculation over the true meaning of the video narrative.
Below I have taken screen shots of comments posted directly to the music video on the ‘YouTube’ website’s comment section.
Obviously, the users are quite unsure of the plot themselves, and the comment from ‘Lpycb fe’ has received the most ‘thumbs up’
which means it has positive feedback, showing that most people agree with this user in regards to their interpretation. Therefore,
this suggests that the video does have a secure narrative, although it is debatable among its audience. This video is primarily
narrative-based, however there are concepts and the running theme of ‘obsessive love’ which must be considered in its analysis.

References to wedding rings reinforces the idea
of infidelity and abuse in a relationship as it is
clear the other woman is obsessed with the
married man. Physical and emotional abuse is
explored in the video through the actors roles
and performance. This therefore suggests that
the music video has narrative and concept, but
with the performance coming from the actors
and not the band themselves.
Cross cutting used between the fight and the
woman in the cupboard is used to show how the
events are taking place all at once, surge of
emotional performance, without artists being
directly involved in the video narrative. This is
used especially towards the end of the video, near
the time when the woman is killed.
“Whether the video is primarily performance-based, the narrative-
based, or concept-based and how each element of each is used in it”
The bottle being smashed
against the wall represents
domestic abuse, as well as the
shattering of any relationship
the ex and the male would have
still had. The symbolism behind
this means that this video
utilises a conceptual element.
Wide shots of the
runaway scene allow us
to see the whole event
taking place. Although it
is in reverse and slow
motion, which distorts
our understanding of
the timeline of the
video. These elements
make the video suited
to an art clip, with a
narrative performance,
but without the artists
being featured in the
music video
themselves.

The Lumineers- Ho Hey

groups)
This music video is primarily performance-based as it
features the band playing their instruments together
and lip-syncing the lyrics of the song, all in slow motion.
Above is an over-the-shoulder shot of the artist playing
his guitar, this has been taken at a relatively low angle
so the audience can feel the busy party atmosphere.
The shot is a close-up as pull focus is used, as the
shoulder closest to us is blurred, and the subject
playing guitar is in focus. This puts all attention on the
artist conveying the message of the song, making the
indie/folk genre appear to have a personal connection
with their music. This represents the folk/indie genre as
fun and carefree as the extras in the video seem to
enjoy the music and company in the party.
On the right is a wide angle shot of the trio
band singing and playing their instruments.
They seem to be smiling which is
conventional for the pop genre as the song is
indie/folk/pop. This shot is tracked backwards
with a dolly to give emphasis to the
performers, which is a key characteristic for
this genre. The artists are represented to be
enjoying themselves to make the song more
upbeat, allowing the audience to appreciate
the song for it’s catchy beat. The use of
performance in this shot shows the
characteristic of stage as a central concept in
the production of folk and pop videos. There
is dim lighting in yellow tones to make it seem
realistic, as if they were just walking down a
corridor. The use of warm colours in neutral
beige, with red curtains gives the viewer a
positive feeling. The video has red curtains
which is a conventional colour in indie videos,
as it represents contrasting emotions of
passion/love and anger/frustration. In this
context, the red adds a warm tone, making
the artists seem happy.
In the shot on the left, we can see an
obscured shot of the artist performing once
again in the crowd of party-goers. This is a
genre characteristic for folk/pop because it
features its target audience within the video,
making it more appealing. The artists in the
band are wearing dark braces, fedora hats
and shirts, to signify the country feel of the
song as they are using typical instruments to
represent this culture. The dark lighting in the
wide shot is a convention for indie videos.
In the shot below it shows a wide shot of
the feet stomping on the floor to the beat of
the song. This highlights the beat of the
song as being catchy, encouraging the
viewer to want to dance. The low key
lighting in the shot allows us to see the
silhouette of the legs, but the spotlight
behind the legs infers they are on a stage
as it appears to resemble a spotlight. This
performance element is conventional for
pop and folk videos as dancing is
traditional practice in folk history, whereas
in pop videos, it acts as another
conventional performance element.

The music video has genre characteristics for pop as there is
a party at the end, or an allusion to one. The video portrays a
positive atmosphere, with the setting of a hall with dim low
key lighting. The lighting in this wide shot is bright enough for
the viewer to see the party-goers, and insinuates that it is
night time. The prop of party streamers/confetti adds colour to
the otherwise dark shot, conveying the happy atmosphere in
a literal party depiction. The people in the party are
represented as happy and enjoying themselves and the
company to show thy are good friends and like the song they
are dancing to. The female in this shot wears bracelets to
make her representation feminine and hints toward the indie
genre as she has them stacked, which is a trend amongst
younger audiences. This shows that the video is modern and
up-to-date so a mass audience are more likely to find it
appealing.
Another genre characteristic is the use of performance,
as this wide long shot displays the artist playing an
acoustic guitar to the song. This is done to show the
artists attachment to their music and make it a personal
viewing experience for an audience. This shot features
conventional camera movement, as a crash zoom is
used to focus the attention on the artist. There is natural
lighting, however it seems to be giving a chiaroscuro
effect as it is dramatically dark and light in certain areas.
The light coming from behind the artist could signify how
his life is deserting happiness, as he sings “I’ve been
living a lonely life”. There are fairy lights draping the wall
on the left. The family portrait is on the right, as it appears
he is singing to his family to add emphasis to the lyrics.
The idea of having sentimental lyrics with a lonesome
performer in a music video is very conventional for both
folk and indie genres.

(below) “I've been living a lonely life” is illustrated in a literal sense in this
video because the lyrics state the artist is feeling lonely, and the mid
close-up of him shows him on his own. This shot tracks his movement
on his side to make it seem as if we are omniscient, so we understand he
is in solitude. The brown colours deepen the authenticity of his words as
it is a natural tone, and the fact his costume is mostly brown including his
guitar suggests he blends in. the costume has been chosen for the lead
singer to blend in to highlight that he is lonely, because it shows he
doesn’t stand out from the crowd as he is represented in this shot as
unremarkable.
This music video includes the convention of lyrical interpretation. This shot if a family portrait is a
mid close-up with unusual dramatic low-key lighting. The light is seen as a strip across the photo
frame, which appears timeworn. The complimentary colours suggest wear because of the beiges
and browns. These colour are natural and implies deterioration of the relationship between the
artist and his family, “So show me family, all the blood that I will bleed”. This literal shot directly
relates to the lyrics as it represents his family relationship as unstable because of the drab colours
and dated frame combined with a vintage sepia effect photograph. These reasons make the lyrics
and visuals illustrative because of the still shot’s direct relation to the lyrics.
(below) The lyrics “she’d be standin’ next to me” is
represented directly in relation to the visuals
because the lead singer of the band is in a mid
three shot stood next to his male and female band
members. The proxemics in his shot have been
used to amplify the lyrics, and suggests to us that
his band are now there to support him in his
struggles, and implies a romantic relationship with
himself and the singer to the right of the shot. The
mise-en-scene is of a domesticized hallway. Colour
imagery is soft with warm reds and pinks to match
the lyrics which suggests love and positivity to the
viewer.

There is an array of close-ups of each member of the band in this
conventional folk video. I have noticed there are correspondences
between the shot types and lighting for each, meaning they are
represented as having unity in the band because of these
characteristics. The close-ups all have high-key and natural lighting, and
each band member is lip-syncing the lyrics with smiles on their faces.
The use of warm tonal colours to surround them in the pull focus
background gives a soft effect, and connotes the meaning of love in the
song, as well as denotes the band as friendly and cheerful people.
Shots of the lead singer in the band often feature him performing with his acoustic
guitar and lip-syncing. I have noticed that the lead singer appears to smile less than
his fellow band members, especially during his principal appearance walking down
the hallway alone, perhaps to clarify the true meaning of his seclusion at the start of
the track. He has a contrast of lighting at the start of the video to the end, as he is
concealed behind darker lighting at the beginning, but at the party, he is surrounded
by red tones and there is a soft focus background. This close-up has been applied
to make the lead singer appear to alter, as the song advances into a merry melody,
he becomes happier in synchrony.

This is an extreme low-angle view of the ceiling and
chandelier. This acts as a point of view shot for one of the
party-goers. This is edited to be slow motion, and it is then
covered by a finger over the lens of the camera. This is to
make us feel like we are looking through the lens ourselves.
The notions of looking here are subtle in approach, as it is
used to show the atmosphere of the party, without relying on a
conventional establishing shot. This notion of looking shows
that indie/folk videos explore a range of interesting shot types
to portray a party in a unique way. This mid shot of a family portrait
acts as a notion of looking because
it is followed by a tracking shot
down the hallway. The tracking shot
simulates walking through the
location as a viewer, making us feel
as if we are in the video. This
connection made between the video
and viewer immediately creates a
sense of allusion in the video
because it is shot to make us
believe we are there, and want to
take part in the events being seen.
This is a close-up of a boot stomping on a light bulb in
slow motion. The slow motion effect is conventional
amongst indie genres as it highlights a moment, and
makes viewing seem abstracted for the viewer. The
notion of looking is explored because it seems like the
close-up has been used to make it feel like an eyeline
match.
This shot on the left is quickly faded in through black, perhaps to
make us feel like we blinked. It is edited in slow motion which is a
convention for indie videos. This wide shot of the performers and
party-goers is taken whilst in the crowd, to give the notion that we
are a member of the party, surrounded by lots of people, giving us a
sense of inclusion and a realistic atmosphere.
On the right is a tracking shot of the fairy lights in the hallway. This
opening tracking shot adds interest to the video as it is unusual to
open a video with camera movement, so it gives the effect of a point
of view shot. This notion of looking is subtle again, because we can
see a window in the door and it reflects the lights, to make the
viewer acknowledge the life-like mise-en-scene and draw them in to

It seems to me that indie
videos tend to be
pastiches of horror genre
games and films as these
shots on the right are
taken during gameplay of
“PT Silent Hills”.
Indie/alternative genres
have a convention as
using dark lighting and
dark topics to sing about
in their music, so the
horror genre tends to be
physically portrayed in
their music videos. The
shot of the family portrait
from the music video and
the drab hallway remind
me of the hallway and
cluttered table in the
game, which also features
a family photo. The
colours are dark and
brown, and the
chiaroscuro lighting style
is dramatic both in the
music video and in
gameplay, making them a
linked parallel.
Above is a screen shot of popular music video of American
singer PINK!’s ‘Family Portrait’. This acts as a pastiche as
this video was highly viewed and had a mass appreciation as
the song was so popular in its release. The song has similar
issues you would expect the lead singer of The Lumineers to
have experienced.

The music video for ‘Ho Hey’ is very conventional
as it follows a typical performance narrative. This is
shown through the amount of close-ups of the
artists lip-syncing the words and playing
instruments throughout the video. The lead singer
is given the most screen time, and this is the first
time we see him on the left, which immediately
introduces us to the performance style of video.
The performance-based element is used in the music
video to show the genuine talent of the musicians and
makes the song more personal to the artists themselves.
They are seen smiling and singing to each other with
close proxemics to represent their positive relationship,
and this connotes that they enjoy performing. This makes
the audience feel good because it seems pleasing and
the happy mood of the video and performance allows us
to feel relaxed and sing along, which has been chosen
carefully. This song will have gained popularity because
of the conventions the video has followed, showing the
importance of a performance narrative in indie music
videos, as the fans want to see the band perform
because they are often a niche, loyal audience.

King Krule- Octopus

groups)
“Octopus” is an indie/alternative song whose music video portrays the breakdown
of mentality in an unstable relationship.
King Krule is seen lip-syncing to the music which portrays the video’s
conventional performance style. He expresses emotion through use of facial
expression and body movement. The artist is seen shaking his hands near
his head as if to signify a jumbled mental state as he seems frustrated to the
audience. This body language is paired with the bright coloured chiaroscuro
lighting in red to convey his anger at the failure of the relationship and the
passion he once had for the girl. This is typical for an indie genre music
video in relation to the lighting having dramatic shadows, however, it is
unconventional for the video to feature coloured lighting to reflect its
emotion.
King Krule never looks directly into the camera (breaks the fourth wall) which
is relatively conventional for indie videos as the purpose is to portray the
meaning of the song. This allows us to see the acting performance and see
the video as an ‘art clip’ because of its lack of narrative. This music video is
therefore conventional for its genre because of its surreal quality,
demonstrating the artists drug abuse through “trippy” visuals.
The video is conventional for the indie genre because it consolidates the
songs meaning by using interpretive visuals, such as the contrast of red and
blue lighting to signify the artists emotions and the unusual editing style.
The key conventions seen in the video
include the artist lip syncing the words, but
in slow motion. This effect is achieved by
making the artist mouth the words to a
sped-up version of the track, then the
footage is slowed down and layered over
the original track tempo for a stylistic effect.
The slow motion video sequences are very
common in alternative music videos as it
makes the shots surrealistic to the viewer.
In this case, the artist is using drugs, as
seen by the filter prop in his hand and the
smoke visuals.
This canted angle low shot shows a close-up of King Krule as he closes his
eyes to sing. This performance style is popular for indie music videos,
making it more accessible to the audience. Red lighting is used to show his
frustration with the breakdown of his relationship literally. The rule of thirds
is used in this shot to make King Krule stand slightly off-centre. Close-up
shots of his face show his reactions and make him seem more emotional,
making us sympathise with the artist and interpret the lyrics for ourselves.

“It’s been showing me up, I’ve been
losing my touch”
“So stop and think” is portrayed in this video literally, yet it is paired
with visuals to make the audience re-enact the lyrics themselves.
The close-up, canted angle of a bathroom sink at first appears
normal, but the slow motion editing effect and the change of green
to red lighting highlights an octopus tentacle. The tentacles literally
portray the title of the song, which is unconventional for the indie
genre, as an abstract song title often remains unrelated to the
visuals. This element makes the video seem more artsy, as it
carries on with its marine theme which is disconcerting to view in a
domestic bathroom.
The lyrics of the song illustrate the
breakdown of the artists relationship, which
has been chosen to be represented in an
interpretive way in this video. This shot is a
steadicam with incremental backing away
from the wide angle view of the male and
female subjects. The bathroom setting
shows the water and marine style motif of
the video, but domesticates it so the visuals
of the marine mask prop seem more surreal.
The female is seen rocking back and forth in
the bath to show she is thinking (as
requested of her in the lyrics), but mentally
unstable, as this is a reference to the body
language seen in many horror/thriller films
such as “Silent House” and “The Amityville
Horror” (2005) . The use of red flashing
lights behind the woman in the bath signifies
the torment and instability of the pair in the
disintegrating relationship.
These lyrics signify King Krule’s lack of ability to
cope with the break down. “I’ve been losing my
touch” represents his recent turn to drug abuse,
which is shown literally in the video with a low
angled pan to the right, revealing a mirror with
him smoking a joint. The shot steadily sweeps to
the right, blurring the bathroom setting. The blue
flashes of light creates the sense of instability as
jump edits are used to slightly alter the
composition of the shot for a second, then revert
to how it was originally. The mirror is used as a
prop to show how we are the outsiders looking in
on the situation, perhaps suggesting how we are
of no help to the artist as we can only watch the
events unravel and his decline in sobriety. He is
losing touch with reality, despite the mirror
reflecting it back at him literally. Therefore, the
symbolism of the mirror is represented in the
lyrics as Krule is trying to indicate how his
reflection of the past and present are similar in
the way that he is not progressing in life, as his
addiction gets worse.

The label “Rinse Records” require for King Krule to have close-ups of his
performance because he has so many alter-egos as an artist, such as Zoo Kid, DJ
JD Sports, Edgar The Beatmaker and Lankslacks. His representation as Krule is
often emotional and hazed which differentiates this artist from his other stage names.
In this video, King Krule never breaks the fourth wall, despite the almost constant
visuals of his face. The artist uses exasperated body language, throwing his hands in
the air and, once sat on the bathtub, putting his head in his hands. This is seen
below, which literally illustrates his emotional stance on the situation to make the
audience find the video more relatable.
On the right, the visual motifs
recur throughout the video. It
includes a fade to a black
setting, with a short pause,
and at the top of the shot a
display of LED lights flicker
on. They are arranged in a
pattern which appears
unrelated to anything seen in
the video, again making it
lean towards a conceptual
style. However, I believe that
these lights signify hope for
the relationship either to
repair or for those affected to
leave unscarred. The use of
lights in a pattern of a block
makes it seem like they are
distant from each other light,
perhaps showing the viewer
how far the artist has to reach
before resolving the situation,
and therefore, finding hope.
The use of cross cutting
between these visuals and
the artist show how these two
things are directly related to
one another.
These shots always cute
between a low angle shot in
the bathroom with the red
light blaring in chiaroscuro, to
create a dramatic effect.
Below is an example of how the use of low
angle shots and stylistic jump editing
techniques can highlight the emotional state
of the performer. In this case, the red lighting
and dark shadows make a stark contrast and
signify Krule’s inability to cope without the
drugs. The shot is cut with straight edits, and
the composition of the shot moves up slightly
during this cut to make it more outstanding
to the viewer. This clever input of editing
techniques shows us how the drugs have
taken over his current mental state, as he
smokes in the bathroom.

The notion of looking is a prominent concept within this interpretive
style video, which is relatively conventional in alternative music videos.
In the shots below, we can see the use of a mirror prop within the
bathroom setting, which could be used to signify how outsiders looking
in on the situation are equally as helpless as the artist in repairing the
relationship. The mirrors are shot in the beginning of the video under
the red chiaroscuro lighting, with blue lights flashing at the side as Krule
smokes alone. The second instance we see the mirror is when he
stands beside the bathtub, in a green light. The green colour makes for
a sickly, aqua visual on the video, highlighting its marine theme as
alluded to in the song title, “Octopus”. These marine visuals are
supported when a naked female form is seen in the bathtub alone, with
seaweed covering her knees, which are drawn into her chest.
This scared body language is later seen in full in a wide shot of her rocking in the bath, to refer to her mental imbalance. Although this use of the
female body is in its naked form, we do not see anything inappropriate, but instead gain a sense of her vulnerability. Her identity is concealed by the
diving mask which adds to the surrealistic quality of this artsy video.
Contrast of
coloured
lighting
signifies the
effect the
drugs are
having, as
Krule calms
himself at the
latter part of
the video (by
the bathtub)
having taken
enough
drags of
marijuana.

“Silent House” 2005 is seemingly an
intertextual reference explored in
Krule’s music video. The music video
has many horror and thriller genre
references, to make the audience feel
uncomfortable with viewing the artists
decline. In the horror film, the female
character is escaping antagonists, and
begins to rock herself back and forth,
reminiscent of the girl in the bathtub in
Krule’s adaptation/pastiche.
The use of red lighting
in the bathroom
reminded me of the
red bathroom seen in
iconic 1980’s horror
film, “The Shining” in
which the main
character goes insane.
Domesticating this
scene makes the
music videos visuals
haunting to a viewer
as it reminds us of this
scene.
The video reminds me of the horror “Silent Hills”
playable teaser, in which you speak to a foetus, which
is similar to the octopus spilling out of the sink in the
music video. This had a lasting thrilling effect on me as
a viewer as the idea of having a creature in the
bathroom sink is frightening, as most horror scenes
take place in bathrooms, such as in the film, “Psycho”.
The octopus tentacles add an element of pastiche in
this video as it relates to this video game.
The theology of “looking” is a recurring
motif within this music video, and it
relates directly to the 2001 classic horror
game, “Silent Hill 2”. It seems like a
direct pastiche because of the use of
green lighting which is seen in the game.
This green lighting adds a faint tinge to
the artist, making us associate the colour
with illness. This is a subtle hint of the
video concept of mental illness.

I believe that this video is
conceptually based because of
the use of marine visual motifs,
such as the octopus in the sink.
I also think that the use of the
lights is hinting at the concept of
hope, as we see the same lights
twice in the video to serve as a
reminder that, although
everything seems dark in the
lyrics and visuals, there is still
some light in every situation.
Although this video does follow
few conventions of performance
and the stylistic approach of
“looking” through mirrors and
cracks in the doorway etc. I think
that the video is too interpretable
for it to follow a narrative. There
are clear notions to emotional
distress through Krule’s body
language and the use of red
chiaroscuro lighting for his
emotional demands being shown
literally.
The opening shot of the opening doorway revealing a red
bathroom hints at danger and immediately gives the viewer a
sense of unease as they are looking through the camera to gain
understanding of the situation. The lack of the videos narrative
shows us how we must use the concepts to interpret our own
meanings.

RESEARCH: A2 Media Music Video Analysis (Alternative Genre)

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RESEARCH: A2 Media Music Video Analysis (Alternative Genre)