I also like the use of lighting in Muse's Starlight music video, where it begins at dawn as the sun is rising over the oil tanker, and then progresses into nighttime as if the song would last all day and the second part had a darker sense of meaning.
My song ‘The Power of Heights’ is a Rock song, because it was created by the unsigned Rock band Lime Shark. I know they are a rock band because of their instruments- two electric guitars, a bass and a drum kit all accompanying two lead vocalists, which form a ‘quartet’ where the music comes in four parts, to give that Rock sound of lyrics, guitar, bass and a drumbeat.
Lime Shark are a Progressive-style rock band, based in South Lincolnshire and consisting of four members: Singer and guitarist Tony Bodimead, vocalist and bass player Paul 'Wizbat' Watson, vocalist and guitar player Jamie Peters and drummer Gary Wise. They have been in existence for over 7 years and have produced one album so far, while also performing gigs across the UK and the world.
The album which this song comes on ‘The Money Clock’ is a classic 1970’s Prog Rock album; since a lot of the songs follow the verse-chorus narrative based structure where they put a lot of depth into telling a story in the lyrics. Possible elements might have been taken from 70’s bands such as Pink Floyd and Genesis. Because of the older style of music, the band’s target age group would be 20-55, mostly older men who would have lived through the Prog Rock era in the 1970’s, or younger adults who have experienced the 1990’s revival of this music style.
Using the uses and gratifications theory, I can also identify the audience- people might listen to this music as entertainment, for those who seek something alternative to increasingly popular Pop and R&B music, or to fill time or escape from their everyday lives. People might also listen for social interaction; those who want to fit in or connect with a certain group, so they listen to the popular genres amongst that group.
The band themselves have also identified an overseas audience-
“The band have performed at various open air festivals as well as theatre and club gigs all around the
After 2 weeks, I have now created a blog which will eventually contain all my coursework for A2. It contains posts about the history of music videos, the conventional features they display and Goodwin's Theory about element in music videos. I am also trying to get a music artist and song for my own music video, and I will eventually post a image of the proof once I find one.
Michael Lee Aday (known by his stage name as Meat Loaf) is an American musician, actor and Hard Rock singer. He is most famously known for his 3 Bat out of Hell albums, which have been released throughout the last 30 years and sold a combined total of over 85 million copies.
This song I Would Do Anything for Love (But I won’t Do That), included in Meat Loaf’s second album Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell was written and composed by Jim Steinmann in 1993, and sung by Meat Loaf and Lorraine Crosby, a British singer. It made Number 1 in 28 countries and helped sell 20 million copies of the album, reaching Platinum in less than a year.
The original recorded length of the song was 12 minutes, but this was unacceptable for radio play and so it was cut down to only five minutes. Thankfully, the music video was only shortened to 7 minutes and so this is what I am analysing.
Genre
The genre of the song is Classic Rock, because it keeps to the codes and conventions that Rock songs are know for: amazing length, lots of heavy electric guitar sections combined with drums, singing combined with keyboards or piano sections and solo vocals with lyrics about love and hell.
I know it’s Rock because of the singer- Michael Lee Aday or Meat Loaf; who specialises in Rock and Roll music since he grew up in the ‘Swinging Sixties’ music revolution. All of his 11 albums keep to the Classic Rock genre, with his vocals combined with incredible instrumentals. I can also identify the genre because of who wrote the song: Jim Steinman composed all the songs in Meat Loaf’s albums Bat out of Hell I and II, including this song. He also has a reputation for producing Rock music and so when he and Michael get together, I know that Rock music is going to be made.
The Music Video is also keeping with the Classic Rock genre because of the mise-en-scene and sets featured. Filmed in locations such as graveyards, spooky castles and dark forests give it that look that only rock music can accomplish. This added along with lots of candles, ugly gargoyles and ‘heavenly’ lighting all portray those Rock elements such as heaven and hell and lost love.
Music Video
The Music Video is a Performance Narrative- this is because during the narrative which is being played throughout the video, we also see Meat Loaf singing the lyrics while in his performance role as ‘the beast’. Genre conventions that can be identified in this video include the chase scene at the beginning, between Meat Loaf on the motorbike and the police cars and chopper. Rock and Roll music heavily uses themes like rebellion, revolting against ‘The Man’ (Government, Law Enforcement) and this is what is portrayed in this initial part of the video, as we see him evading the police.
The target audience for this song I believe is the older generations who grew up between 1970 and 1990, or people in their mid-40’s today. This is because the music genre is Rock, a style of music which was born and developed throughout those decades and so teenagers back then would have found this to be cool, and it would be popular. The album would have been targeted to young adults at the time so they would be the target market. However, I also think that younger people today aged 18-25 might be interested in Meat Loaf’s music if they dislike some of the new-wave Pop music of today.
This specific song can also be targeted to a much more varied audience, because it’s not as heavy as the other songs on the album it’s sold with. And because it’s about love and caring, and has a very emotional sound to it, the song can appeal to a very wide audience and anyone who ‘would do anything for love’.
By using the Uses and Gratifications Theory, I can also identify more audiences who this song would appeal to. This can attract to people’s Personal Identity, where they gain insight in how to live and make self-changes according to what media they are exposed to. It can also be for entertainment purposes, to escape from everyday life and find that emotional release which the song’s feelings can produce.
The song starts with a guitar playing distorted sounds of a motorcycle, which represent the male anguish to come later on.
I'd run right into hell and back,
I would do anything for love,
I'll never lie to you and that’s a fact.
But I'll never forget the way you feel right now
- Oh no - no way - I would do anything for love,
But I wont do that, I wont do that, anything for love,
I would do anything for love, I would do anything for love,
But I wont do that, I wont do that.
Some days it don’t come easy,
Some days it don’t come hard
Some days it don’t come at all,
And these are the days that never end.
Some nights you breathe fire,
Some nights your carved in ice,
Some nights your like nothing I've ever seen before, Or will again.
Maybe I’m crazy, But it's crazy and it's true,
I know you can save me, No one else can save me now but you.
As long as the planets are turning,
As long as the stars are burning,
As long as your dreams are coming true - You better believe it! -
That I would do anything for love,
And I'll be there until the final act -
I would do anything for love!
And I'll take a Vow and Seal a pact -
But I'll never forgive myself if we don’t go all the way - Tonight -
I would do anything for love!
I would do anything for love,
I would do anything for love,
But I wont do that, I wont do that...
I would do anything for love,
Anything you've been dreaming of,
But I just wont do that...
Some days I pray for Silence,
Some days I pray for Soul,
Some days I just pray to the God of Sex and Drums and Rock 'N' Roll.
Some nights I lose the feeling,
Some nights I lose control,
Some nights I just lose it all when I watch you dance and the thunder rolls.
Maybe I'm lonely, and that’s all I'm qualified to be,
There's just one and only, The one and only promise I can keep.
As long as the wheels are turning,
As long as the fires are burning,
As long as your prayers are coming true - You better believe it - !
That I would do anything for love!
And you know it's true and that’s a fact,
I would do anything for love!
And there'll never be no turning back -
But I'll never do it better than I do it with you,
So long - So long - I would do anything for love,
I would do anything for love,
I would do anything for love,
I would do anything for love,
But I wont do that, I wont do that!
I would do anything for love,
Anything you've been dreaming of,
But I just wont do that...
But I'll never stop dreaming of you
Every night of my life - No Way -
I would do anything for love,
I would do anything for love,
I would do anything for love,
But I wont do that, I wont do that!
Girl: Will you raise me up?
Will you help me down?
Will you help get me right out of this Godforsaken town?
Will you make it a little less cold?
Boy: I can do that!
I can do that!
Girl: Will you hold me sacred?
Will you hold me tight?
Can you colorize my life I'm so sick of black and white?
Can you make it a little less old?
Boy: I can do that!
I can do that!
Girl: Will you make me some magic, with your own two hands?
Can you build an Emerald city with these grains of sand?
Can you give me something that I can take home?
Boy: I can do that!
I can do that!
Girl: Will you cater to every fantasy that I've got?
Will ya hose me down with holy water - if I get too hot - ?
Will you take me to places that I've never known?
Boy: I can do that!
I can do that!
Girl: After a while you'll forget everything,
It was a brief interlude, and a midsummer night's fling,
And you'll see that it's time to move on.
Boy: I won’t do that!
I wont do that!
Girl : I know the territory - I've been around,
It'll all turn to dust and we'll all fall down,
And sooner or later you'll be screwing around.
Boy: I won’t do that!
I won’t do that!
Anything for love, I would do anything for love,
I would do anything for love,
But I won’t do that, I wont do that.
The song then ‘explodes’ as the drums and guitar begin, on the word ‘that’ on the ninth line. What we see on screen to go along with this is Meat Loaf on his motorbike smash through a crypt wall, killing two police officers in the process- this all represents the change in pace of the music, and so the camera transitions also speed up to stay level with the beat.
The song lyrics don’t describe exactly what we see on screen, but the video is more of a narrative based on what is said- about a man who wants to find his true love, and a woman who wants to escape her dreary life, as shown in these words-
Man “And you know it's true and that’s a fact, I would do anything for love!”
Woman “Will you help get me right out of this Godforsaken town?”
This is also intertextual to the Rock genre, because many of their music videos would be staged around some sort of love story between two people.
The video also matches with the feeling of the song, whenever it changes pace, tempo or emotion. During Meat Loaf’s slow solos there are lots of candles on display; darkness seems to enshroud his face (3:03) and there is a general dismal and dark appearance to the set and surroundings.
In this music video, there are 3 groups which are represented throughout. The first is Meat Loaf; he represents the beast/monster, the protagonist who loves a beautiful woman but is hunted down by the police, but eventually finds his true love at the end and transforms into a human. At the beginning he detests his appearance, shown by smashing mirrors because he believes he can never be with her for his hideous features.
He represents how anyone can find their true love, no matter what their appearance is or what they’ve done. This is backed up by the lyrics because when the woman says “You’ll forget everything, you’ll be screwing around” he replies with “I won’t do that” showing how he will always remember her, love her and be faithful.
The next group is the woman, who represents the fairytale ‘Princess’, a beautiful maiden who awaits her rescuer. She wanders around his lair, searching for him while he keeps evading her because of his appearance. It’s not until when the police arrive that the two lovers are united, and she looks beyond his face and sees the true beauty of the man inside. Much like the fairytale story of a princess kissing a frog who turns into a prince, her singing and his replies of “I can do that!” transform the beast into a man, allowing the romantic couple to live happily ever after.
However, despite this video’s deep elements of love, there is still a presence of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory, since the woman is viewed as a sexual object in some parts. At 4:00 she is seen in the bath, gracefully washing her curves as a display to the cameras. This indicates that the audience will be men, because they want to watch her- she is only a sexual object for men’s pleasure on screen.
There are many instances in this video that lighting, camera transitions and angles are used to represent something or exaggerate a point. During the chase scene at the very beginning 0:00 until 0:41, there are 48 cuts between shots, each on average lasting less than half a second. The chase begins with an establishing shot, and then features close-ups of the motorcycle rider, the police and the helicopter in order to set out the chase for the audience. Many shots zoom directly into the bike’s front light, filling the screen the motorcycle which then cuts into a different angle, so as to relate the images together. The camera occasionally tilts upwards as well to show the helicopter, which stylishly moves through the air. This is all done to create a very elaborate and action-packed chase scene, which goes in contrast with the footage afterwards of the slow-paced editing when Meat Loaf is singing.
At 5:50 to 6:25, there is harmony between the monster and the women as they sing together; with her saying what she wants him to do, and him then confirming it. This is seen with extreme close-ups of their facial expressions as they sing, high-angles and pans on the camera as her bed rises into the air; which then cuts to an upward crane shot of him to relate the two shots- and therefore, the couple.
This scene is then broken however, when the police arrive. As they enter the building a gust of wind blows out all the candles and smashes those glass orbs, with the camera at a low angle looking upward at the destruction. This also represents that the evil forces have arrived to hunt down Meat Loaf, and so he must flee with the woman to protect their lives.
The album that this song was released on (Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell) in 1993 was produced by the Record Label MCA International, standing for Music Corporation
Intertextuality
This music video is based on a combination of Beauty and the Beast and The Phantom of the Opera. Meat Loaf is the Beast/Phantom who loves a beautiful maiden, and despite his hideous features he manages to obtain her love, while also being hunted down by the police. Much like the Phantom and Beast, he hides away in a dark, candle-lit castle singing about his love but runs away when she comes looking for him. However, this music video ends in a much nicer way then those stories because Meat Loaf gets his girl and they both ride off into the sunset together, whereas in the Phantom and Beast both die.
The Music Video is therefore using these tragic love stories because of their simple narratives and success. Also, because of the song’s lyrics involving a love story between a crazy, lonely man and a woman who desires something different to her boring life, Meat Loaf effectively used these two story plots and has ended with an amazing montage-style music video.
Audience
The target audience for
The target audience for this specific song and music video are children, teenagers and adults aged between 12-25. This is because the song was created for the Transformers sequel, a 12 age rated film based on a toy brand, so young children have to be taken into consideration. This is why the song doesn’t contain any bad language or swearing (unlike some of their rap songs), but keeps to themes such as heroic deeds, defeating evil and accomplishing great things.
However, it also targets older male teenagers and adults, because throughout the video there is a woman shown in the thermal-imaging camera, singing, dancing along and showing her curves to the screen. This can link to Laura Mulvey’s ‘Male Gaze’ Theory where this video has specifically put the viewer as a male man, showing a gender imbalance between the sexes (men are the viewers, women are the viewed).
Lyrics
Verse
I remembered black skies, the lightning all around me
I remembered each flash as time began to blur
Like a startling sign that fate had finally found me
And your voice was all I heard that I get what I deserve
Chorus
So give me reason to prove me wrong, to wash this memory clean
Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes
Give me reason to fill this hole, connect the space between
Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies across this new divide
Verse II
There was nothing in sight but memories left abandoned
There was nowhere to hide, the ashes fell like snow
And the ground caved in between where we were standing
And your voice was all I heard that I get what I deserve
Chorus
So give me reason to prove me wrong, to wash this memory clean
Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes across this new divide
Break- instrumental
Verse
In every loss, in every lie, in every truth that you'd deny
And each regret and each goodbye was a mistake too great to hide
And your voice was all I heard that I get what I deserve
Chorus
So give me reason to prove me wrong, to wash this memory clean
Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes
Give me reason to fill this hole, connect the space between
Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies across this new divide
Across this new divide, across this new divide
The lyrics of this song relate closely to the themes and style of the Transformers sequel they represent. The words ‘new divide’ are a meaning from the film, the divide between good and evil i.e. Autobots and Decepticons.
The first line “I remembered black skies, the lightning all around me” is connected to the part of the film where all hope is seemed to be lost as Optimus Prime is killed, with the enemy now surrounding and outnumbering the good guys. Then the rest of the verse after that is talking about the lead actor, saying how fate had chosen him to do what is necessary. The chorus afterwards is about the leading actor and actress, about how he has to show or prove something to her “Let the floods cross the distance in your eyes”. We can identify a love interest as well because of the next verse saying “And your voice was all I heard that I get what I deserve”, he hears her voice as the world crumbles around them, and as the leading actor dies close to the end to prove himself worthy.
The video fits with the lyrics and music of the song because the camera shots, edits and cut transactions are in-pace with the music. This is clearly seen at 0:19 when the music ‘erupts’ as the drummer, bass and guitar players start- meanwhile you visually see a robot explode from the screen which then quickly blurs and merges the shot into another robot transforming into a car towards the camera. This fast and successive editing relate back to the metal music genre of ‘explosive music’ and style of the actual film, because
When the lyrics start at 0:37 with the words “I remember black skies”, the singer Chester is surrounded in darkness with only this blue flame effect to show his presence, linking the visuals to the lyrics. This texture-map style of editing is effective and gradually progresses to see his face clearly, and remains as a theme throughout the entire video. It is like he is the flame which is reborn to show new hope, a theme of the movie it represents.
Camera shot, Editing and Lighting
At 0:4, you can see these ‘sound waves’ which are in line with the synchronizer, expanding and contracting to the music’s loudness and beat. The Edit then merges with the sound waves ‘transforming’ into a mid shot of
From 0:22 to 0:26, the build-up of the music pace is accompanied with mid shots of each band member. They use smoke, bright lights and blurred rotating effects to increase the action and link it back to the genre of the film or fast-paced action sequences.
Between 0:26 and 0:32, the visual transitions are made up of blending and merging between film clips and the band playing, with this blurred effect being left behind as ‘visual residue’. This is intertextual theme with the Transformers movies, as technology is ‘revolting’ against humans.
The video heavily uses thermal imaging cameras, with the colour in either red or blue at certain moments. The camera shots and angles during these moments are extreme close-ups, so you can see them singing, and it puts more emphasis on the band because they stand out from the darkness behind. This is also intertextual to the first film because one of the robots views everything through a thermal-image screen, and so these shots are like the Transformer watching the band playing- because you can see them in background of the set.
Finally at the end of the video, the last shot we see of Chester is him with his arms reaching up into the air, which then cuts to a flying shot of a Transformer doing exactly the same thing. His image matches with the robots' and drawing that comparison that these two species aren't really that different from each other, as proven in the film.
Kasabian are a British Alternative, Indie Rock and Electronic band, formed in 1999. They have released 3 studio albums, and have won numerous NME, Brit and Q Awards, as well as being nominated for a lot more.
This song Fire is part of their third album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, released in 2009. It reached 3rd place in the UK Singles Chart, making it their most successful song and is known as Kasabian’s best song yet. Their other songs include ‘Shoot The Runner’ and ‘Reason is Treason’, also popular tracks from their previous two albums.
Genre
The Song’s Genre is Indie and Electronic Rock; Indie rock being a sub-genre of Alternative rock. This is because the instruments consist of an electric guitar, keyboard and drums but with more focus on the lyrics than heavy ‘rock style’ sounds. Kasabian’s songs are more ‘gentle’ than Heavy Rock music, so they are dubbed as Indie Rock, taken from the old meaning of Independent Rock where bands didn’t have a Music Label. It is also Electronic Rock because of the combination of electronic music with rock instrumentals, such as using a keyboard/synthesizer along with guitars and drums.
The Music Video keeps with the ‘Independent Rock’ Genre because of what the band members are wearing. Indie Rock artists have a range of music and styles, so therefore they can choose their own image to go along with their music. Kasabian’s lead singer Tom Meighan is in a Denim jacket and jeans, Guitarist Sergio Pizzorno is in a red shirt, white trousers and a black Fedora hat (with a guitar and a bandolier
of harmonicas), Drummer Ian Matthews is in a suit, tie, sunglasses and black gloves (gangster appearance to go with the narrative of the music video) and Bass player Chris Edwards is in a brown jacket, jeans and a baseball cap. These varying appearances display how each band member has chosen their own image, and are independent from any real music genre branding, stereotypes or conventions.
I also know that the Music Video Genre is Indie Rock because of the narrative: the band members attempt to rob a bank but it goes disastrously wrong as they get shot and surrounded by the police- an original idea which plays out very well and works effectively with the song. Indie artists try to make their work different from normal rock, and Kasabian are keeping to this convention. Another feature of the video which show the genre Indie Rock is the setting and Mise-en-scene; the bank robbery is set in a1970’s style American suburb with old-fashioned cars and clothing for the background actors. Indie Rock was born out of Alternative Rock, which came along in the 1980’s as a new wave form of music but Indie rock kept some traditional conventions and Kasabian’s slow-paced songs are similar to this.
Music Video
The music video for the song is a Narrative video, where the band play criminals who try to rob a bank until the police stop them and it all ends in disaster as they all get either captured or shot. However, this is not a pure narrative clip because at the beginning and throughout, the lead singer Tom is singing the lyrics up against a window, as he prepares himself for the oncoming robbery. The Narrative isn’t linear either because we see shots of the ‘money’ blowing across the ground at 0:18, possibly displaying a teaser to the audience of how it will end. Also, the scene keeps cross-cutting back to the beginning of Tom’s reflected singing during the slow-paced verses, which again echo backwards and can show what he’s thinking during the actual robbery.
The music video then changes from a normal camera into this security camera angle, a vouyeristic stlye shot with the audience watching from a security guard’s perspective. This is to add to the robbery effect and portrays the band even more as criminals, because it’s like the audience being shown this from a ‘Watchdog’ TV programme so they can contribute any information. This camera style eventually ends and returns to normal when the band escape into the bank’s safe room, to get a better perspective on their faces and show their emotions now that everything is going wrong.
Therefore, the band have broken media codes and conventions because they don’t show any instrument playing; only singing, unlike a lot of other Narrative music videos. The use of this security camera angle is also original, and it helps to give a better view of the robbery from a different perception. It features the genre conventions of Indie Rock because the band have done their own thing and not copied what similar artists have done for their songs. It also displays classic rock conventions though because the band has placed themselves as criminals/gangsters, who have a shoot-out with the police. This represents the rebellious and revolutionary mood of rock music, with a style that differs from all other types of music.
Audience
The target audience for Kasabian are teenagers and adults aged 16-40, male and female. This because of their older music style Indie Rock which, appeals to the slightly younger generations of adults (aged 25-40) but also to teenagers because of their fashionable and ‘trendy’ songs, such as Fire. The specific target market for this song would the same- teenagers and adults aged 16-40, but this song has a slight inclination towards the male gender though. The lyrics such as “Take me into the night and I’m an easy lover, Take me into the fight and I’m an easy brother” suggest the viewers/listeners are male. This is reinforced by the fact that there are hardly any women in the video at all, only those who work in the bank and who cower at the sight of gun-wielding band.
I can also identify the audience with the Uses and Gratification theory. The video displays the band members robbing a bank and the failed getaway afterwards, ending in a shoot-out and stand-off with the police. Male audiences who want to be part of a band will watch this and put themselves in Kasabian’s position, alongside these cool members and thinking how awesome it would be to actually do that.
Take me into the night and I’m an easy lover
Take me into the fight and I’m an easy brother
And I’m on fire
Burn my sweet effigy, I’m a road runner
Spill my guts on a wheel, I wanna taste uh-huhAnd I’m on fire, and I’m on fire Chorus
And I'm on fire...(I’m going, you tell me, I feel it, I say it
I'm heading back into the tunnel for my soul to burn)
And I'm on fire...
(I'm coming, you coming, no hiding, my feeling
I wanna take it to the highest over me, yeah...)
Verse II
Wire me up to machines I’ll be your prisoner
Find it hard to believe, you are my murdererI’m on fire
I'm behind you
Heads up falling sky
Chorus
And I'm on fire...(I'm going, you tell me, I feel it, I say it I'm heading back into the tunnel for my soul to burn)
And I'm on fire...
(I'm coming, you coming, no hiding,
my feeling I wanna take it to the highest over me, yeah...)
And I’m on fire, I’m on fire
Extended Chorus
Move on, you got to move on
You got to hit 'em to the hip
And get your shake on
Move on, you got to move on
You got to hit 'em to the hip
And get your shake on
(I feel it, I want it, I'm coming, I tell ya, I caught the bullet from the heavens to the one you serve,
I'm going, I'm running, out to the highest love
I'm wanna hit you to the hip...)
And I'm on fire...
Move on, you got to move on
You got to hit 'em to the hip
And get your shake on
And I'm on fire...
Move on, you got to move onYou got to hit 'em to the hip
And get your shake on
The song lyrics do match with what we are seeing on the screen- at the beginning when there is no music but just this man talking (introduction) the video action is also slow- the band members are preparing themselves for the battle ahead, whilst looking edgy and suspicious (such as looking nervously around and checking watches. As soon as the music starts at 0:18 we also hear the cocking of a rifle- this displays how things are going to kick off now as well.
Another feature that shows the music match on the action is that during the first verse (slow guitar and lyrics intro) all the band members’ movements are slow and deliberate. They all walk rather than run into the bank during the ‘slow’ music stage, but as soon as the fast ‘I’m on fire’ chorus erupts the action speeds up. Ian Matthews runs aggressively into the bank and smashes a camera, nearly exactly in pace with the speed of the music.
The video also matches the feel of the video because it’s called Fire and the whole narrative is like a fire starting- when the band rob the bank the fire starts, and as the police arrive they add to the chaos and the fire spreads, eventually ‘engulfing’ each band member. Also, lyrics such as these: “Wire me up to machines I’ll be your prisoner Find it hard to believe, you are my murderer” and “Move on, you got to move on You got to hit 'em to the hip” with words prisoner and murderer relating to criminals and “you’ve got to move, hit ‘em to the hip” are
like shooting people and escaping. All these lyrics are intertextual with what Kasabian have created and also represent criminals in a different position, because usually they manage to escape in these sorts of films.
Representation
In this video there are 2 groups which are represented- robbers/criminals, and the police.
With this being Kasabian’s song and music video, they play the main protagonists who rob the bank which is named after the album this song is on (West Ryder Union Bank, after the West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum album). They represent robbers with their costumes, props and actions. As I have already mentioned, they chose their own clothes but they also have features of robbers- Tom uses a bandana to cover his face, Sergio uses his long coat to hide his ‘guitar gun’, Ian has dark sunglasses and black gloves on and Chris covers his guitar is rags to disguise it. They also use guitars as guns and steal music sheets as money, as a way to display them as ‘music robbers’ and to make the music video appear less violent. Finally, their violent actions represent them as criminals because upon entering the bank they become very violent, and at the finale they hold nothing back when shooting at the police, just like a desperate attempt robbers would do when they are surrounded. Like a stereotype criminal film scene, the robbers shoot up the police cars before they get killed or captured.
We can also see a brief glimpse of wanted posters of the band at the police station, displaying how these are be hardened criminals ‘wanted by the FBI’ (can also be a reference of the band’s popularity in the UK) which the police need to stop.
Kasabian are currently part of Columbia Records, an American Record Label owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Sony is the fifth largest Media Conglomerate in the world with their 2010 Revenue of over £45 billion, and is the leading manufacturers of electronics, entertainment and communications.
Other artists owned by Sony (through the Music Labels they own) include AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alexandra Burke, Avril Lavrine, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Calvin Harris, Franz Ferdinand, Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, JLS, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, Oasis and Rage Against The Machine. Many of these artists do produce similar music to Kasabian (Franz Ferdinand, Oasis) but many are other genres because Sony wants to own as many different types as possible, to spread their influence and make more money.
I believe that Sony does have some influence on how this video was made- it features American cops and is set in an American-style location, and Sony is a Japanese-American owned company. I believe that they use American themed mise-en-scene because Sony and Kasabian want to target the
Camera shots, Editing and Lighting
At the very start, we get an establishing shot of the street which sets out the view of the location and the style of the sets. The camera then cuts to each band member as they ‘prepare’ for the bank robbery. This involves some extreme close-ups of their faces to see their expressions, displaying to the audience that they’re not just violent criminals, but people who have emotions. It is also a way to show each band member up close, something fans will enjoy seeing as this narrative progresses.
The lighting and camera angles on guitarist Sergio Pizzorno are of special interest. Notice how he is always shrouded in darkness and in the shade in these introduction shots, with his hat obscuring his face and the camera angle low down, looking up on him. These shots could be subliminally showing him as the most unlawful and evil of the robbers, something which is proven at the end where it is him who fires the most bullets at the police and doesn’t give up in their desperate situation. The 4th camera shot is especially effective at showing this, because he is in the foreground where there is darkness blanketing the street, while the sunlight can be seen in the distance, away from him.
Halfway through the video 2:05 the camera cuts back to Tom singing into the window reflection. Alongside his face we see edited shots of the money flying everywhere and bullet casings falling to the floor- this represents the flashback and possibly the doubts he has about the job, because he knows what is going to happen. His face also gradually becomes transparent, again showing the outcome and his ultimate demise.
Intertextuality
This music video is intertextual with another- Judas Priest Breaking The Law http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o7znh0KR5s&ob=av3e because they also rob a bank using guitars as guns, in order to reclaim a music award from ‘the man’. I believe Kasabian took this idea and adapted for their purposes, resulting in a better music video. However, they could just be referring back to Judas Priest as an intertextual link back to an older British band, since they are only using the idea in good faith. Also, Judas Priest’s music video has much different narratives and styles, so I think Kasabian were only loosely basing their music video on this.
