Four Videos and Analysis

The Smiths - Panic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AlH2oYedfk

• The camera is obviously a handi cam and moves vigorously, the jerky movements combined with the pace of the song reinforces the title ‘panic’ and is reminiscent of someone panicking.



• The black and white colours used in the video along with the rapid cutting rhythm and sped up footage were all unconventional techniques for the time and almost pioneering, which emphasises the unconventional music and style of The Smiths.
  


• Sudden slow shots of holes in wood, rubbish bins and estates seem to be being represented as a realisation that they are the reasons for the panic. This coincides with the words “I wonder to myself”. He is pondering the reasons.

• The fade out to black at the end is a good way of ending the video as it could represent the panic being over, or the person literally blacking out from it.


• Shot and shot content are visually and metaphorically matched or in sync with the lyrics. For example when Morrissey sings the words “I wonder to myself”, the audience sees a jump cut to a close up, level of, handi cam shot of a man, emphasising the words “I” and “myself”. In conjunction with this the words “run down” see that the word “down” promts a downward movement of the camera.

• From the outset of the song the audience sees a handicam point of view shot with the arm of the person stretched in front of the camera, almost as if it is reaching out for something. This could arguably be a representation of someone having a panic attack and looking for help, again relating to the title of the track.

• Throughout the video there are shots that contradict the lyrics, rather than trying to recreate them physically. An example of this is the complete contradiction that occurs when Morrissey sings the words "hopes may rise in the glass smere" and pairs these words with a sudden still shot of a piece of wood against a wall or door with scratches and holes in it. This image offeres no sense of hope and diminishes any sense there is, going against conventions as the genre of Indie-Rock historically did.

The Killers - Mr Brightside

• The most prominent theme in the video is mise en scene.



• As he sings the words “I’ve been doing just fine’, on the words ‘just fine’ he straightens his jacket and pats his shoulder, emphasising the words through his movements.



• The apples are the most significant props used. The male in the chair throws her a red apple to prompt her into doing her job. The red apples signify lust and passion.

• There are a lot of close ups used in the video, used to show the emotion on certain actors’ faces. For example the close up of the singer shows his torment and jealousy as the close of up of the male in the chair sees the enjoyment in his face.


• The lighting used is quite dark and seductive, which does keep in sync with the narrative of the story, as it is a story of burlesque and lust between the singer’s character and the woman in white.

• The video's atmosphere, look and narrative is reminiscent of the film Moulin Rouge, to the sextent where anyone watching the video having seen the film before, would make more connections to the narrative and so appreciate the links with the lyrics of the song on a greater level.
  


• Close ups of the woman in white and the lead singer's hands touching and heads leaning together show their intimacy away from the eyes of the other men but a jump cut sees her go to the male in the chair, showing his hold over her and continuing the narrative of the video.

• The long shots of the burlesque girls posing and lifting their skirts combined with the jump cuts to long shots of men reclining in chairs watching them propose a literal representation of the words "open up my eager eyes". The alternation in shots show the point of view of both the girls and the men and what each see through their eyes.


• The use of the chess board as a prop is a metaphore for the fight over the lady in white that is illustrated and followed throughout the video- as seen through the brief jump cut to her dancin-, playing out between the male that seems to own her and the lead singer/actor that loves her. Her 'owner' wins, showing the fate of the relationship between the lady in white and the actor, and the actors movement of tipping the board indicates his anger.

• The fact that the woman is dressed and appears mostly in white is meant to signify her virtue, however at the end when they are finally together she has a mark of red on her hair, she is tainted and he can’t be with her any more, the love is ruined. He walks away.

The Macabees - Toothpaste Kisses

• This video links with our ideas through two key ways: genre, being and indie band and track, and composition/ animation, through its use of stop animation and moving photographs.


• The setting, characters and narrative is played out through photographs combined with animation, such as animated birds and flowers. This is against the conventions of music videos of other genres and the colours and general feel of the video are typical of an indie music video.

• As the lyrics "with a whoop-a-whoop" are sung, an animated owl turns towards the camera and moves its beak to the words. This also goes against conventions as it is not the actors movements echoing the lyrics of the track but the animated surroundings, this also connects to indie music videos as it is unusual and unique and this links to the genres name alone as "independent rock".


• The opening shot of the video is a tracking shot of a butterfly, as the camera follows the animated butterfly behind it the audience begins to understand that it is flying above a town composed mostly of photographs of houses and animated parts. This is not a traditional establishing shot but it is one none the less.


• The videos concept is that it is almost an animated collage of one of the band members parents lives together, the photographs depicting them when they were little, where they lived, who their friends were and at the end a photograph of the couple as older and happy. the narrative is carried throughout but the narrative is portrayed through the photographs.

• The lyrics are often echoed in the animation of and at times the photographs themselves, an example being the shot of a couple just married and waving. This shot slides in as the words "I'll be yours and you'll be" and reinforces the meaning of the song and its lyrics by visual physical representation.



• The photographs, although not always intended it seems, do match the lyrics and do tell a story through the way they are put together, showing the couple as young and growing and later as they are old. This ensures the video makes chronological sense and so is clear and easy to understand whilest at the same time remaining slightly abstrat and unique as indie videos tend to aim to do.
  


• The video is unique in its style yet is faithful to some of the conventions of indie music videos such as the colours used. The colours are bright and combined with the animation make the shots seem almost like pop art. The bright colours also emphasise the mood and meaning of the song. The track is called "toothpaste kisses" and kisses are a happy thing and the happieness of recieving a kiss can be seen echoed in the bright colours of the video.

Regina Spektor - On the Radio

• The song is initially about how life works and what changes occur as we grow up. The decision to set the video in a school setting emphasises the start of life and the encouragement we receive and by having the artist, Regina Spektor as the teacher, it highlights her as the artist and as someone encouraging music as a lesson. This point can also be supported by the fact there is a jump cut to the word "music" on a bulletin board.

• The video has a very strong narrative of being a school and so rather than begin the video with a shot of the artist, it begins with five jump cuts to different aspects of the school in time with the first five chords of the song, such as a bell and classroom, acting as a collective establishing shot, making it clear to the audience where the video is set. The mise en scen emphasises the setting and so emphasises the narrative.

• The children in the video not only emphasise the narrative but also echo the lyrics of "this is how it works", as they are at the beginning of their lives and learning how it works and Regina Spektor is teaching them with the lyrics of her song.

• Stop animation is used to great effect in this video, one of the best examples being the long shot of the class room. Stop animation is used as the tables and chairs trail in one behind the other, like children walking into school, and tuck the chairs in behind the desks. The room is bright and airy and the chairs are bright colours that are often associated with indie videos.

• The simplistic look of stop animation emphasises the narrative of being in a shcool. Simplicity is often used in indie videos, minimalism has a great effect.

• The children echo the lyrics as well as the artists actions when she sings "because the DJ fell asleep" making a sleep motion with her hands under her cheek, showing the effect the song has on its audience and the authority her character has in the video.

• The video is different to most indie videos as what is on screen does not literally match the lyrics and the narrative of the video is very different to that of the song yet is relatable somehow by the audience.

• The narrative is continued throughout the video through the use of spiradic tracking shots of the artist combined with jump cuts to school - related objects such as the chalk board which reads "A-E-I-O-U", again refering to the motif of teaching and then adding "and sometimes Y", showing perhaps that the rules of life being described in the song can be bent sometimes.

• The close up, medium shots, and point of view shots of the children smiling and playing with instruments emphasise the fact that they need to learn how life works and are learning through Regina Spektors music but also emphasises their childish naivety that can also be echoed in the lyrics talking about thing such as "the styrophome began to melt away", "and then you take that love you made" and "we tried to find some worms", all of which are things that intrigue you as a child and so the lyrics are reinforced through the simplistic imagery of the lyrics so similar to that of a child.