MUSIC VIDEO DECONSTRUCTION

Indie Rock

Kings Of Leon Red Morning Light

Deconstruction Performance – Like most rock bands Kings of Leon have a performance

element to demonstrate their instruments. Also to show they are a typical 4 piece band supporting stereotypes. Unlike some other typical rock bands where they may perform in a field or on a beach, Kings of Leon perform in a studio, recognisable by studio equipment and the long shot of them playing through the glass.

Drugs and alcohol are used during the video with shots of cigarettes and the members drinking in a pub together. This shows they are like a family and portrays to their viewers they are growing up and having a good time.

Women are featured in the video both visually and lyrically. Some lyrics are referenced to women and there are shots of a woman dancing in the studio. There are also close up shots of her feminine parts to show she is seen to males as an object. This supports Laura Mulveys theory of the Male Gaze. There is also a close up of a sign saying girls in bright neon lights. Of course being male, a female shows their power as males. Many rock and indie bands have females in their videos to portray either power or emphasise their lyrics.

Fashion – long rockers hair, boots, jeans, and casual shirts all convene to a typical rock and indie band of casual clothing. They are laid back band members. They also wear necklaces and some other jewellery.

Shots are mainly close up shots with some mid shots and long shots used. Close up shots are normally on a specific person like a girl, band member or object like a guitar or a landmark. Mid shots are normally of the band as a unit. Some long shots also support this. In rock and indie bands it is typical for 1 member to be shot more frequently such as the singer in the video.

Deconstruction Actions including hand slaps, outrageous movements and foot

tapping are typical signs of an Indie rock band. Hand slaps and embraces show the band as a family and portray to viewer that there is more to them than just music. Foot tapping and dancing typically show the members enjoying themselves. This can also make the viewer happy.

Fast on-beat transitions are frequent during this video. The song has a fast tempo and varying lengths of shot are used during the video. During the guitar solo for example, the shots are extremely quick, 1 or 2 seconds, and focus on the band performing as one. Whereas when the verses are sung, the shots are slower, 4 or 5 seconds long. This is typical of indie rock bands to have varying shot lengths to show their different approaches.

Dark lighting and flashing lights are used in this video. Whereas a typical indie band may use a black and white colour scheme, Kings Of Leon use colour for most of the video, switching to a small scene of black and white to shoot the performers faces. This is showing Kings of Leon like to diverse from stereotypes and don’t just shoot video in typical black and white. As a fast song with an upbeat vibe, a moody black and white scheme would dampen the song making it less appealing to viewers.

Black and white schemes

Emphasis on females

Performance and equipment

Drugs and alcohol

The 1975Sex

Deconstruction Performance – Like most indie rock bands, The 1975 utilise the performance element

including shots of guitars, bass, drums and vocals, Performers are shot separately in doorways to outline they are different with different instruments. Then they are shot as 1 to show they are a family also typical of an indie rock band.

Girls are used frequently during the video with the lyrics being heavily about women too. There are shots of a female, close up with little clothes to demonstrate the title (Sex) and female power, how men look at women , the man also has no top on to match the female They both have matching necklaces to show they are one which is typical of the genre, having a man and woman in love for the narrative. There are close up shots of band and girls to show there are equal and they are of importance during the video. A slow motion effect is used on the female to get people to notice her. This also supports Laura Mulveys Theory of the Male Gaze, where women are seen as objects to the men in the media. This is to show here feminine beauty and to attract viewers typically male. There is a shot of the man shoving the woman and this demonstrates the males power over the female. Typical of indie bands as they utilise males , they are seen to have the most power. Fighting is also used during typical indie band videos. Towards the end there are shots of sexual activity and feminine parts such as breasts. This is to further demonstrate the feminine beauty and to support the title and match the lyrics. It also supports the narrative. Overall the female is very important in this video as she contributes the narrative greatly.

Clothing is important in the video. The fashion is casual with black and white shirts, skinny jeans , denim jacket, tattoos and modern hair all being utilised by the band members. The female is normally dressed in shorts and a shirt, frequently showing skin. Her hair is flowing and messy, being the most attractive way again to support the narrative and lyrics.

Deconstruction Transitions – These are normally jump cuts and on beat transitions. This is typical of an

indie band to have on beat transitions to create more tension and make the video more attracting. A faster song by The 1975, slower shots would simply not work and lose any tension built up by the music. However there are some very quick transitions during the bands performance and some slow transitions during the act and the narrative.

The shots used are normally close ups of people faces or features, however there are also a range of mid shots and long shots for the performance aspect and during the narrative when the male is standing on the van. The shots sometime are taken with a handheld camera and at time can be less that professionally smooth. This is typical of indie bands as they frequently perform close up shots and fast shots. This also creates more tension during the video.

Lighting – The lighting is normally very frantic at times. Unlike some indie rock bands like the Arctic Monkeys, the video is not shot in typical black and white but utilises colour and various filters and effects. This shows that The 1975 are different convening to their indie status and not convening to a stereotype. Different filters like black and white and night vision are used to show indie approach. There are colour effects when popping pills to show effect on performer such as bright lights and psychedelic images on the males face.

Drugs and alcohol are used frequently during the video to demonstrate that the male actor want to be seen as cool. Objects such as skateboards also demonstrate this. Use of alcohol to show they are growing up and they are cool. Scene of vomiting also portrays why its not cool to drink heavily and implies a message to viewers. Utilising drugs such as cigarettes, cocaine and pills also try to portray the man is cool.

It must be noted that they are a typical band and are very outgoing and may do stupid stuff to comply with the rock band stereotype even if they are classed as indie.

Feminine appeal

Drugs and alcohol

Effects

Performance

Arctic Monkeys One for the Road

Deconstruction Girls are not used as much in this video as much as Kings of Leon’s or The

1975’s videos, however a number of girls are shot in the video and come into focus during the middle of the video. They are only standing still with no movement. Their hair moves with the wind to focus on it. The hair is long and is seen as attractive. The women are shot close up to emphasise their feminine beauty and to attract viewers. Similar to indie bands, women do feature in their videos even if the narrative is irrelevant to females.

Performance is important with all indie rock videos to demonstrate how they create their sound. In this video the band are playing in a field where the overall video is set. Drums, guitars and vocals all take place of pride during the performance element, with focus on the guitar during the solo at 3:04. This is a typical convention of an indie rock band to incorporate performance into videos.

Fashion is typically laid back with black t-shirts, skinny jeans and boots being worn. Typically all indie bands will dress in black to show they are no nonsense and cool. Sunglasses are also incorporated even though the weather seems to be cloudy. Indie rock bands typically use sunglasses and this is because they like to be secretive and different to other genres.

Deconstruction Lighting is important in a video and like many indie rock bands, the Arctic Monkeys use

the black and white filter throughout the video. Keeping with the secret and different idea, black and white appeals to be more hard core and cool. This could match the video, although the video has a softer tempo than some other indie songs, it does speed up. Not using colour also portrays to the viewer that this is more of a moody song as colour normally implies a happy genre. Shadows are also used to create tension and low moods and fireworks are seen at the end of the video. Although fireworks are normally seen as happy omens, being shot in black and white these fire works seem colder to match the mood of the song, furthermore fireworks can also release tension in a song, and such tension is relieved during the guitar solo and the ending of the song which is more upbeat. The important thing about fireworks is the different colours, however by shooting them in a black and white filter shows the video is different complying to indie rock conventions.

The shots used are varying but the video frequently uses close up shots, normally of the band members and the females. This is to show they are important and the main focus is on these people. Long shots are also used to show the setting, (a field) and the group as a whole. The group as a whole shows they are like a family and complies with indie conventions as being more than the music. Pan shots are also used. These shots are used on the band when the singer is singing the verses as the other members are standing still. Pan shots are also used when the person is driving the large vehicles. The truck and tractor also demonstrate power that the person driving it has. Nothing will get in his way when he is driving. A typical convention of indie rock bands is they don’t want to be messed with. Therefore they normally incorporate fighting into their videos to demonstrate power. The vehicles are also driven faster when the tempo speeds up to create more tension during the video.

Transitions are used in this video but normally tend to be jump cuts and on beat transitions. Like most indie rock bands, the videos try to be slightly moodier rather than outgoing with the exception of a few such as The 1975’s “Sex” video. The video ends suddenly with the last lyric being spoken as the last drum beat ends. This shows the video is truly over. Also with the person being shot from behind walking off into the distance further emphasises that the video is finished. Sudden endings create more tension, typical of indie rock bands.

Black and white

Sudden ending

Power

Feminine appeal