Neha Raithatha

Analysis of pervious students’ A2 coursework

Aiden Chang – ‘Oh My God’ by Cults

This video follows an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ style theme throughout the video. It begins with an extreme close up of a girl’s eye opening and follows her journey into a secret garden in which she finds several interesting characters (much like in Alice in Wonderland). The motif of the compass is used to depict this reflection of the classical children’s book in this music video. The majority of the video seems to be shot using a handheld camera which adds to the authentic feel of the video as well as placing the audience in uncomfortable positions to reflect the uncertainty and confusion that the protagonist is

feeling. A series of close ups and shallow focus shots are also used throughout the video in order to illustrate the strange setting and unfamiliarity of the characters.Once she enters the garden, the protagonist is immediately portrayed as a foreigner by the way that the other characters seem to investigate her by playing with her hair and staring at her in

fascination. This is shown through a series of mid-shots to help the audience visualise how the protagonist has been placed in a foreign environment. This is reemphasised by the fact that she is wearing a white nightgown which contrasts well with the dark lighting, only broken up by fairy lights.The other characters are wearing clothing that is unusual of everyday members of society to wear such as masquerade masks, face paints, floral headbands and animal print capes. This use of mise-en-scene adds to the idea that they are different to the protagonist who seems like an everyday girl who the audience would be able to relate to.

The next scene imitates The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party from the classical children’s book, Alice in Wonderland. This imitation is displayed through the use of props such as an old-fashioned tea pot and cakes. We see the characters all gather around to drink their tea and this is when the protagonist seems to start feeling more comfortable and less afraid.We then see a close up of a trail of tea light candles on the floor before understanding that the protagonist is being taken away from the tea party and soon see the other characters influencing her to dance with them. The use of swift camera movements imitates the care-free nature of these characters and the enjoyment of the protagonist as they all dance together.

There is then one shot in which two of the female characters are shown placing a floral headband

Neha Raithatha

just like their own on the protagonist’s head. This may have been used to reflect how she has now been accepted as one of their own.This is followed by several abstract shots that include extreme close ups and shallow focus shots which show the protagonist in the middle of the characters as they dance around her, possibly suggesting how they have captivated her in their unknown land.

As the song builds, more and more of these aesthetically pleasing, abstract shots are shown to depict the party before displaying shots where all of the strange characters seem to be looking in one direction. We then see a shot of the protagonist who has now been transformed from a normal girl in a white gown to someone with the same face paintings, headband and clothing as the other characters before a shot where she is showered with yellow flower petals. This final shot is then reversed. I believe Aiden may have used this to reflect the idea that people can become captivated and influenced by those around them very easily, a moral that runs throughout the classical children’s story, Alice in Wonderland.