2. Genre characteristics
The clean cut sound of the synthesiser, the
fast tempo, the choppy guitar rhythms, the
agitated tone all identify the music as
synthpop, which was extremely popular in
the 80s and seems to be making a return in
recent years.
Synthpop can also be identified as a
division of new the new wave genre, and as
such we can see characteristics of new wave
in the video.
So, we can see some conventions of
the genre in the theme of the piece- there is
the idea of a romance (presented in
a decidedly alternative fashion), the idea of
escapism and fantasy, all of which are
common features of New wave videos.
You could also argue that because New
Wave was a post punk movement, elements
of the alternative, or features that made a
departure from mainstream music
conventions- such as the animated style of
the video- are to be expected.
Casual yet stylish- above, we can see a few
examples of costume: much like the indie genre,
New Wave was intended as a departure from
previous kinds of pop genres, and the star persona
that came with them- so, rather than trying to sell
a lifestyle as before, New Wave videos such as “Take
on me” tend to play on relatability as a USP. Casual
costume is an excellent way to achieve this, and in
“take on me” this takes the form of flannel shirts,
overcoats, and jeans.
Instruments are used here
as in many synthpop/ new
wave videos- to promote
the groups’ skills and
establish their star image
as a group. This also
provides a link between
music and visual as defined
by Andrew Goodwin.
3. Audiences
In this video, the audience are the observers. There
is not so much of a direct mode of address; but this is not
the only means of communicating with the audience.
The target audience for this would be male and
female in equal parts and primarily middle classed young
adults who, might identify with the themes in this;
romance or love at first sight of the kind that is shown in
the video may be an ideal that a young adult audience
would aspire to. In viewing something which so heavily
narrative based the audience would experience a sense of
escapism; intensified by the fact that a major theme of the
narrative is just that- escaping into another world,
although this isn't always positive.
In short, this video would have great appeal because
of its romantic, escapist themes and the narrative; which
provides the audience with huge opportunity for
investment into the storyline and characters.
Here's a kick in the teeth though; in the sequel
song "The sun always shines on TV" the man turns back
into a sketch and disappears. Let's hope you didn't invest
too much into the storyline.
The outcome is not entirely positive;
this is the cost of mixing reality and
fiction. This is actual fact a metaphor
for relationships, and the progression
from a blinded-by-love daze to the
collapse of that fiction.
The escape itself; being drawn into a
different world by a handsome stranger.
Embracing said stranger in a
whirlwind romance.
4. Narrative
The linear storyline narrative is an example of
amplification; the director has clearly had some
freedom with the way in which he interprets the lyrics.
There is a very clear representation of lyrics; but rather
than having a very literal representation the director
has chosen to use a more indirect means of addressing
the audience; making it seem almost like a story.
The narrative centres around the romance between the
comic book man and the reader. There is a certain hint
of the "against all odds" "love conquers all" stereotype
present within the video- a popular theme within the
new wave genre.
5. Analysis
I think that the contrast between reality and fiction
is a key theme within the piece.
In terms of mise en scene, there is an opposition
between the neutral beige and brown tones of the
filmed portion of the video and the dramatic
contrast of the black and white of the animation.
The reality is dull, "beige" in a very literal sense-
while the escape from this reality is dramatic and
intense and altogether much more entertaining. The
camerawork in the video supports this idea of a
contrast between fiction and reality. To do so there
is the extensive use of close ups and mid shots in
juxtaposition with shot reverse shots; this has the
effect of creating dramatic tension and additionally
promotes the band by presenting the front man
Morten Hackett as the romantic hero of the piece.
As was identified by Goodwin, this aims to fulfil the
demands of the record label by establishing
audience recognition of the artist- and by
presenting him in a romantic light increasing his
and he band’s appeal to their young adult audience.
A particular shot which interests me would be this
two shot. The different components which form the
mise en scene of this shot is a clear representation
of the divide between reality and fiction; and yet
with the arc movement the line between the two is
blurred. Initially; the man stands on one side of the
mirror- which to suit the style and context closely
resembles a comic panel. Through this he becomes
real, while the woman becomes drawn- and thus
part of the fiction. From this... ... to this. It’s an interesting role reversal.
Believe it or not, the image above
represents Hackett in an attractive,
romantic light. It was a different time.
Slightly low
camera angle
and directional
shading gives
sense of
dynamism
Strong contrast between black and
white- visually impressive
Neutral colours give an
impression of a mundane
setting- lack of vibrancy
(other band members are
also depicted.)
6. The link between visuals and music
.
In addition to the use of camerawork and mise en scene
to construct the image of the fictional world as being
more exciting, editing is further used to support this. It is
the editing is particular which forms a link between
music and visuals: for the greatest dramatic effect, jump
cuts are used, which are very well suited to the synthpop
style as they support the jumpy, agitated tone of music
and the up tempo beat. This helps to maintain the
momentum of the piece and also forms a link between
music and visuals. In this sense too, the video conforms
to Goodwin’s theory of music videos.
The animation itself is an important an important aspect
of the editing process. The technique used for the
animated segments of this video were created using a
technique called "rotoscoping" in which each frame of a
piece of footage is traced over to create a moving
animation-this allows for the smooth motion seen in the
video that is effective in establish the sense of visual
momentum that reflects the momentum of the music.
7. The link between lyrics and visuals
The video is an example of
narrative amplification, so
while there is absolutely a
strong link between lyric and
visual, the visual is not a direct
illustration of the lyrics.
In this close up, the
accompanying lyrics are “take
on me” – the visuals very
strongly reflect this in the sense
that this shot depicts the male
character’s hand motioning for
the woman to follow him. In
this way, both the lyrics and the
visual are enticing both the girl
and the audience to be with
him.
This high angle shot gives the impression that the
male character is weak, vulnerable and hurt- this is
further supported by the fact that the paper the
image is drawn on is crumpled, which is effectively
a metaphor for the collapse of that character’s
reality. This sense of loss, weakness and ultimately
desperation is representative of the lyrics at the
conclusion of the narrative “I’ll be gone in a day or
two”. Not only this, but this idea of disappearing or
being “gone” is something which is also reflected
stylistically at the very end, in which the character
phases in between being real and animated-
human and fiction. The root of the amplification
can be found here: essentially, the visuals are a
metaphoric means of expressing the instability of
both the character and his relationship. When
viewed in this light, it is easy to see this link with
the lyrics strongly and consistently expressed.
8. Intertextual references
The entire piece is arguably one enormous
intertextual reference to comic books. This
is reflected not only stylistically by the
appearance of the animated portions, and
the fact that the majority of the piece is
literally set inside a comic book, but the
narrative expressed is also reminiscent of a
comic book narrative: having a clearly
defined start middle and end, a hero and
an enemy who is to somewhat caricatured.
Bold, high contrast lines with
areas of solid black give the
impression of this character
as being serious, and
dangerous- with props such
as the wrench which in this
context connotes threat and
violence , this character is
identified as the villain.
Low angle of lighting casts an upward
shadow, making character appear
menacing- exaggeratedly so, which is
very much the conventional means of
presenting an enemy in a comic book.
The hero is the binary opposite to the
villain- good looking, strong and
charming. Aside from being the
stereotypical comic book hero, there is
also the sense that the star is presenting
this kind of personality as ideal- which is
an expression of the band’s ideology and
consequently a means of constructing
star image.
A more obvious example of intertextual reference can be
found in the first screenshot; while in second we see a slightly
more subtle example in which the setting consists of empty
comic panels.
9. Voyeurism and notions of looking
While voyeurism does play a small role in
the video, especially towards the end, the
notion of looking is far more prominent,
so much so that the video begins with an
example of this. In this wide shot we see
the female character looking through the
comic book. She appears entirely
engrossed in it. Initially this provides a
level of distinction between the girl’s
reality and the comic book character’s
reality in that the girl is simply an
observer of his reality as opposed to an
actual part of it. This is further enforced
by the use of this shot reverse shot
sequence, which is conventionally
applied to two people- here, however it
applies to the girl and the comic book.
In this way, the notion of looking is used
not only as a means of staging the
narrative, but also as a means of guiding
the audiences’ focus toward the comic
book- and the reality within it.
Voyeurism has a much less significant role in the video, but that doesn’t
mean it isn’t present. However, in a break with convention, it is applied
only to the male character- and even then it occurs within the space of
about ten seconds at the conclusion of the narrative.
It took a lot of pausing to capture this still at just the right moment, but
this is a perfect example of the unusual combination of sweaty skin and
“sultry” expression that presents itself as being attractive, hence this shot
was intended as voyeurism.
