A2 Music Video Analysis

2. THE KILLERS – MR BRIGHTSIDE
The music video starts off with the killers in
the centre of the frame- this instantly tells
the audience that it is their music video as
they’re the first thing we see, it promotes
them to the viewer instantly.

3. From here the shot jump cuts to an establishing shot of what
looks like a burlesque show. we can tell this from the mise en
scene – there is a heavy use of the colour red; this is quite a
sexual colour to go with the stereotype of burlesque. also the
women are in big elaborate costumes which are quite sexual in
the way of how much skin they show but also in the video they
show their lingerie performing as a show to an audience of just
men. this plays on voyeurism and the male-gaze as its depicting
women as how the men want them to behave; the girls are
being pushed around from man to man when he chucks her an
apple. the make-up is very heavy on the girls however on the
close up of the main girl (played by izabella miko) she’s very
pale and white which gives the impression of innocence, she
also has pink blusher and lipstick which gives the impression of
sweetness – this contrasts the message of the song as Brandon
Flowers is singing about jealousy.

4. The video has performance of the band singing the
song to the people of the show – we know they’re
the band from the close up of Brandon flowers lip-syncing
the song but also due to the use of props
i.e. the band members have their instruments
therefore we know that they are the band. also the
band is dressed a bit differently to the other actors
in the music video as they’re wearing
suits/waistcoats which are quite smart however the
other man in the video is wearing robes to show his
wealth. the lighting on the band is very bright but
when telling the narrative it goes quite dark as the
mood changes.
Above is a close up shot of Brandon Flowers
showing him looking at the girl, the next shot
allows the viewer to follow his eyeline – it also
shows his emotion.
<- A group shot of the band, showing them performing
the song with their instruments.

5. The narrative of the video depicts a love triangle between the main girl and Brandon/ the Wealthy
man who comes across as a pimp who is managing all the girls in the video. This reflect the lyrics of
the song as Brandon becomes jealous of the girl with the other man and we know this as he sings
‘But she’s touching his chest’ then says ‘I Just can’t look its killing me’ as he feels jealous that she’s
with the other man and he can’t watch anymore because he is too hurt. The video depicts this
narrative in an arty way i.e. the burlesque atmosphere; as its indie rock the settings don’t have a set
stereotype.
Above is a close up shot of Brandon Flowers and his love interest however she then runs off to her
‘master’ which we see in the next two shot.

6. The editing of the video mainly consists of a lot of jump cuts as it’s
quite a fast paced song and it jumps from the performance to the
narrative of the girl- it cross cuts of the wealthy man and the girl to
Brandon and the girl. Another form of editing is at the start when it
fades in and at the end it fades out. The camera shots in this video
vary when showing the band it often uses a long shot to show the
whole band to a mid-shot and then from here it zooms into Brandon’s
face so we can see him lip-synching but we can also see the hurt on
his face from seeing him and the girl. Wide shots are used to show the
setting of the burlesque area, this pans round to a two shot of the girl
and a man. The most common shots used are close ups and two
shots.

7. ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS – DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
The video for Dirty Little Secret is a
concept/performance based video; it’s about (as
the title says) keeping secrets, in Nick Wheeler and
Tyson Ritter’s case they made up a story about not
really liking his girlfriend and trying to keep her under
wraps. He says "I'll keep you, my dirty little secret.
Don't tell anyone, or you'll be just another regret.
Who has to know?" which tells us that his intention is
to keep the relationship to himself, and he wants her
to do the same. The video conveys a more general
feel to the audience of keeping secrets as it shows
members of the public - sharing their secrets on
plaques and we see this right at the beginning.

8. Mise en Scene of Dirty Little Secret:
Props: The video opens showing the band performing the song as
they have their instruments i.e. microphone stands, drums, bass and
guitars along with the lead singer – we know from these props and
this stereotype that it is a rock band. Also the other props used are
the actual cards which the secrets have been written on, these are
important to get the message of the video across.
Hair, make-up and Costume: The band are in smart-casual clothing
(another stereotype of alternative rock bands) skinny jeans, t-shirts,
leather jackets, converse etc., however they’re quite dull colours.
When it shows shots of people holding up their secrets it shows them
in normal everyday clothes to represent the fact that they’re normal
people however the colours of the clothes are very bright in contrast
to the band. The band stereotypically have long hair another iconic
image associated with rock bands.

9. Lighting/ Colour: At the start of the video the lighting on this is very dark and the dominant colour
is black; this is to convey the message of secrecy, it represents how a secret is kept from people
i.e. the band being kept in the dark so we can’t see. However as the band starts to sing the
lighting becomes a bit brighter yet it’s still dark which connotes the idea of a secret. During the
performance there are flashes of light – this could be a sense of realism which the audience
could relate to seeing them in concert as flashing lights are often at concerts with a darker
background. When it proceeds to show people revealing their secrets on plaques the lighting is
high key and very bright, this conveys a happy atmosphere which contrasts the idea of them
keeping secrets.

10. Setting: The setting of the video is split into two sections, setting where the band is and
setting where the everyday people are. The band are set up in what looks like a warehouse
where it’s very dark. Behind the band is a huge wall filled with the cards with the secrets
written on them this links in with the message of the song as it’s primarily about secrets.
Where the people are shown with their cards, all the backgrounds are different yet they’re
everyday places i.e. on a street, outside a building, at a park – which again is trying to
convey the idea that they’re normal everyday people yet they still have their own secrets.
With the exception of a couple who are placed in front of a screen.

11. Shots: The main type of shot used are close up
shots which I think add to the message of the
video, the majority of close ups are of the lead
singer so we are able to read his emotion and be
able to understand how he feels about the song.
Mid-shots are used on the majority of the people in
the video to show them and their background but
then it either cuts or zooms in to the secret on the
card which is emphasising its importance in
relation to the song. There is a shot in the video
which is a bird’s eye view of the guitarist playing
but there are quite a few groups shots of the band
showing them performing, showing their ability to
play their instruments as seen by the close ups.
Editing: Right at the start of the video there is a montage
of people with the cards, which goes very fast to fit in
time with the beat of the song and is too fast to be able
to read. However it slows down in the middle of the
song and the mid shots zoom into the close up shots but
it gives enough time to be able to read what is on the
card before It cuts to the next shot. Then towards the
end of the song when the guitar is coming to an end the
editing goes back to really quick cutting to all of the
shots of the cards we have already seen yet in time with
the music before it pulls backs and fades out. The
editing stick closely to the beat of the song and works
well.

12. ALL TIME LOW – A LOVE LIKE WAR
The video for All Time Low – A Love like war is a performance
based video. The video opens with an ambient sound of the
film reel playing which makes the audience feel like they’re
going to watch a film and captivates their attention. The song
is about a relationship which is deadly – they don’t get on and
argue a lot.

13. Mise en Scene of A Love Like War:
Props: The video switches between the cinema setting and the performance of the
song; the props add to the effect of the settings. In the cinema setting to start with
we see the whole band sat together watching the ‘film’ therefore it tells the
audience what band’s video it is but it also gives a sense of unison. Alex Gaskarth is
sat with a bucket of popcorn which is a stereotypical item you would buy at the
cinema therefore it gives it more of a cinema atmosphere. Jack Barakat is sat with
a guitar which tells the audience that he is a part of a band – he then proceeds to
get up and play confirming this. He then walks across to where they are performing
– we know this as there are mic stands, amplifiers, drum kits etc. to make it look
realistic.
Hair, make up and costume and colour: The band are dressed in smart – casual
clothes again i.e. jeans, t-shirts etc. The colours of the costumes for the band are
dark colours i.e. black jeans and a grey t-shirt. This is sticking to the typical rock
genre so that it makes it clear what kind of genre the band belong to – this is
confirmed by the tattoo’s on the bands arms which are visible to the audience.
The song is featuring Vic Fuentes who dresses in a red t-shirt, jeans and a cap. The
colour red can be associated with love to make him seem more desirable to the
female audience but it can also be associated with danger another stereotype of
rock music. As he is wearing different clothes and in red this differentiates him from
the band so that the audience know he is only featuring in the track.

14. Setting: The video is set in two places; the cinema and the stage. The cinema has a vintage feel to it
as the screen is in black and white and it has the big old fashioned red curtains. The stage is then
shown where the band are performing the song we know this via the use of the props however it is
very dull colours, the use of black is predominantly used which conveys the rock conventions.
However as the song goes on the stage gets messed up by the band chucking popcorn around etc
– this is a rock conventions i.e. by being rebellious. This also links to the song lyrics as the relationship
was a very messy one.

15. Shots: the most common type of shot used is the close up shot (again) this is to convey
the emotion of the band across to the audience but it is also making the band seem
desirable to the female audience to those who like the band; along with this you can
clearly understand the lyrics. However in the cinema scenes we know they’re watching
the film as there is the use of eyeline matches and reaction shots which makes the
audience then want to see what they are watching. The tracking shot is used throughout
the video to so it makes it feel as if the audience is following the band throughout the
shots and it adds emphasis onto the next shot which makes the audience more intrigued
as if they were watching a film.
Editing: The main type of editing in this video are the transitions – unlike the other rock
videos cuts aren’t used. There is a lot of invisible editing as it looks like the video is just
rolling in one shot however there is a fade to black transition at the end of the video.
Lighting: The lighting of the video is again quite dark, the cinema setting is quite dim
which is realistic as when you go to the cinema the lights get turned out therefore it’s a
dim setting – to the audience it gives it a sense of realism. When I looks from the screen to
the back of the cinema there is a bright light flashing where the projector is. When the
band are performing in the stage area towards the front of the stage is lighter than the
back of the stage which again is giving a sense of realism as when you go to a concert
the front of the stage is lighter as that is where the lights would be. The main colours used
are quite dark and dull i.e. blacks and greys' except for in the cinema where there are
red curtains and yellow pop corn tubs.

16. Lighting / colour
Setting
Shots
Editing