A.M: Deconstruction Of Music Videos

Genre

Clean Bandit are a dance artist. This particular track 'Dust Clears' is an electronic dance track. This is obvious due to it following genre characteristics, such as the use of digital and electronic sounds created on computers and synthesizers. Also the song has a very clear 4/4 beat with a catchy melody which are all conventional of dance music. 

As the track is classed as dance music it would usually contain a lot of dancing in the video. This would therefore encourage the audience to also dance with the track and using synaesthesia to associate the uplifting feeling. In this video however it isn't conventional hip-hop dancing or anything similar they use ice skating. A more elegant form of dance, which is very suitable with their unique feature of classical instruments.


When applying Goodwins critical framework to the music video we can see conventional characteristics of the genre. For example this is a performance and concept video, this is very conventional of dance music. However this video also challenges some conventions. For example in most electronic dance tracks the music is composed using purely computers and synthesizers with no physical instruments. Where Clean Bandits music mixes classical with electronic music.  A lot of there music intertwines classical compositions such as those from Beethoven and Dvorak. Their use of classical instruments in the music video acts as an iconic sign to identify them as unique.

Goodwin discussed the relationship between lyrics and visuals. We can see that in this music video the relationship is amplified with some of the lyrics being connected to the visuals. For example the lyrics are talking about waking up from how you thought something was and coming to realise that everything is not how it used to be. The "dust clears" and you're basically seeing the truth and not the illusion you used to see. I think this is portrayed in the music video through the use of the open location and the singer ice skating freely and openly representing the 'dust clearing' in his mind.

The relationship between the music and visuals are also amplified. This is obvious in the fact that the cuts in the video are in time with the music. Also the performance aspect of the video syncs up the with the music.

If we apply  Dyer’s structure of the Paradox's we can tell that the band appears as ordinary and extraordinary. This is shown by the use of a normal typical working environment where they are working and also shown in a typical kitchen with food. 

Lack of editing and special effects makes the video more simplistic however they have achieved a professional video by making the composition of their shots very sleek and utilising the scenic backgrounds. This is a sign which challenges the social myth that artists are inaccessible and extraordinary.

The us of non-verbal language represents the artists as extraordinary. For example the ice skating acts as a signifier for how the artist is portrayed as multi-talented.








Another iconic sign is the use of simple shapes which are present in the middle of the video. This acts as a signifier in recognising the band.  

You can see the shapes and classic colours on the plates in this clip:

Clean Bandits videos are made independently and often have references to culture in them. The ice skating man in this music video is a reference to the painting by Henry Raeburn of The Skating Minister.

Narrative 

    Archer implies the idea that music videos can either be art, porn or advertising. When viewing this music video I would consider it art and slight advertising for the band. The video does contain fetishism of the female body when the female is skating in tight clothing with the lighting creating a silhouette of her body this add a sense of sex appeal to the male gaze. Signifiers such as the costume which is tight connote promiscuity. This reinforces the social stereotype that artists are promoted in their videos through 'soft porn' and fetishism.However this video cannot be considered porn because it is only a single short clip and I would consider this music video as art. 

The music video shows that the band are effortlessly talented this is shown through their use of locations. 

      

They include performance aspects by the band playing their instruments in plain simple clothing without drastic hair and make-up. This makes them very relatable and organic looking, showcasing their raw and natural talent. Clean Bandit uses natural beauty in most of their videos. They always choose to film outdoors and utilise what is around them rather than being in a studio.  If we apply  Dyer’s structure of the Paradox's we can tell that the band appears as ordinary and extraordinary. This is shown by the use of natural locations and the natural appearance of the band contrasted with their extraordinary talent.This  acts as a signifier that challenges the social myth that an artist's extraordinary.

The fourth wall is broken within the concept of the notion of looking as certain band members look directly into the camera and therefore are directly communicating with the audience.  This allows a connection to be made between the artist and the audience.This conforms to Dyers paradox that an artist is simultaneously present and absent from the viewer.

Media Language

James Aurthur Baldwin and Ellis Bahl directed and produced the music video. When creating the video they were experimenting with the opposing forces of love and hate. They created the video with a budget of £4,000. 

The music video is a murder played in reverse which has a final chilling twist. Bahl not only contemplates the nature of relationships, but also how important perspective can be to any story. Like any good thriller, Bahl’s finishing twist changes how we think about the whole, but because the story is told in reverse, the twist works two ways. Depending on the direction in which this story is told or viewed, the audiences’ interpretation of the characters’ motivations, the climax and the resolution change completely. 

Alt-J’s version opens with a woman, crushed dead and drowned by a breezeblock, but who is miraculously restored to life by a married man. Although they fight, he eventually chooses her over his wife, whom he locks up and walks out on. On the other hand, in forward motion, a husband discovers his wife locked up by a jealous girlfriend, whom he fights and eventually kills. In the end, Bahl purposefully leaves the narrative open to interpretation, but both Alt-J and Bahl seem to agree on the fact that love can be both literally and emotionally crushing.

Visual techniques are used to construct are particular view of the artist and the characters in the video: 

Camera- One shot stood out for me in particular in this music video:

I like how the camera has been placed under something while the frame was shot. It makes the audience feel very trapped and scared just like how the main female character feels at that moment in time. This way the audience can connect with the character and feel involved in the video.

Through out the video a lot of CU shots are used of the characters to show their non-verbal language. CU of facial expressions allows the audience to connect to the characters and feel the emotion they are exuding. The very terrified expression of the women nearing the end of the video connotes the feeling that she feels scared and distraught. This shows that she is in a weaker position then the male in the video. Therefore reinforcing the dominant ideology that women are more emotional and weaker than men. This is very important in this video as it allows the audience to understand the relationship between the two main characters in this video.

The camera movement used through out the video is very slight and fluid. This means that the narrative is seen clearly. Also the slow tracking and panning is suitable for the morbid storyline.


Mise-En-Scene- Props have been used to show us who is in control and has the power in the relationship. In this instance the man has put tape across the women's mouth. This reinforces the residual ideology that men are more powerful physically and emotionally.

A visual signifier is shown to give the audience more of an insight into the narrative. For example a CU shot of the mans hands is used and the ring signifies that he is married.

Using back lighting creates a beautiful silhouette. It also creates the main male character as mysterious. As the narrative is unclear in the video the man can be interpreted in different ways making his character exposition hard to read and alouf.

Character blocking is key in establishing the relationship between the characters. It is specifically used to highlight who has the control in the relationship. As the man is positioned nearer the camera he appears bigger and more present, also he is surrounding the women while she is trapped in a cupboard. This positioning makes it clear that the male is dominant and is controlling the women who is therefore seen as weaker. This reinforces the residual ideology that men are controlling in relationships.

Editing- Intercutting is used between a shot of the girl being put in a cupboard and her body in the bath.  By juxtapositioning between these two shots it highlights the different stages she has been at. 

 Foreshadowing is used to create curiosity of what it going to happen later in the video. This is designed to captivate audience so that they continue to consume the video. At the first shot of the video starts with a dead girl, this creates questions such as, who is she? who did this to her? Why did this happen?

Through out the video reverse editing is used. This is a very clever technique which means that the video can be interpreted in a couple of different ways. Also visually it is very interesting to watch as the audience isn't used to it.


The cutting rate throughout the video is quite slow. I feel that this suitable and it creates a very slow pace for a very morbid narrative.


The colour grading is very dull and slightly tinted blue. This creates an uncomfortable atmosphere which is slightly haunting. Again this is very suitable for the morbid storyline.



The intertextual reference in this video isn't very clear.  The band themselves said it's based on "Where The Wild Things Are." It's about loving someone so much you'd be willing to hurt yourself or hurt them to keep them forever. It's specifically based on the line, "Please don't go. We love you so. We'll eat you whole." The video visually shows a relationship breaking down and this is what the lyrics imply 'please don't go please don't go'.



  

Audience

One way this video could be consumed is through focused viewing when the audience has specifically gone out of their way to view it. For example this video could be viewed on YouTube, a music channel on the TV (for example Viva or MTV), a music blog (http://prettymuchamazing.com/videos/strong) or a music website (for example Duke Demont is featured on the BBC music website http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/6060d1bb-94f8-4863-89b9-425487f2f6b2. 
Focused viewing is very common due to teenage audiences spreading the new release of music videos through social media. Such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr:

 Technological convergence has improved the ease of accessing the internet and therefore to view music videos. For example you can access the internet easily on your phone from the push of a button. A major impact is that record labels can market and distribute their music videos a lot easier now due to the amount of different pathways they can chose to do this. Therefore they have more ways of directly targeting their advertising and marketing campaigns at their audience and this is a huge advantage. This is very beneficial for independent artists as they can produce, distribute and exhibit their tracks and videos through the evolution of technology and the internet as they can launch a viral marketing campaign.

 Another way it could be consumed is through ambient viewing. This is when an audience isn't aware they are listening to the product, instead it is background noise. For example in adverts on TV, music channels or through the radio.
 

Institution

Duke Dumont is a UK Pop-house producer. He is signed to a industrial record label Astralwerks. This is an American-based record label primarily focused on electronic and dance music. Parented by Universal Music Group and distributing through Caroline Distribution. Universal Music Group are a conglomerate which owns Astralwerks and is part of one subsidiary companies. This is beneficial for Duke Dumont as the artist can utilise cross media convergence which enables horizontal and vertical integration.  Distributors can then use subsidiaries to produce distribute and exhibit their products and services on various platforms.

 The high status of the record label, popularity of the artist and the standard of the music video suggests that in terms of institutional context would have been a Hi-Fi and industrial production.This suggests that a high budget would have been used for the video production. This is shown through the very clean cut and professional editing and use of high quality cameras. The record label would have been very involved in the production of the promotional texts. This ensures that the video would be popular and be viewed by it's target audience.

Representation

The band isn't actually in the video howerver they are still represented. The absence of the artist in the video adds to Dyer's theory of the paradoxes with the star persona. It creates the incoherence of the star image and this ensure that the audience continue to consume their products. 

When applying Dyers critical framework it is evident that Duke Dumont is given the image of rebellion and recklessness. This creates his star persona as rebellious. This is shown through the narrative, such as the robbery, and aggressive behaviour of the characters in the video.

The video enhances Duke Dumonts meta-narrative through the unique and obscure narrative. For example in this video the robbers are using pogo sticks to escape the police who are on segways.

 His music video for 'I Got You' is of a man living his dream through a headset. These unique narratives create very intriguing videos and will keep their teenage demographic interested.



Youths are represented negatively in the video. They are shown as criminals as they are seen threatening workers in a jewellery shop. This is a stereotypical view of youths being rebellious and reckless. Also through the use of props such as pogo sticks and masks they are portrayed as irresponsible and immature. This highlights the fact that youths are culturally marked as an annoyance and hinderance to society.

The dominant ideology that youths are reckless and rebellious are reinforced in this video. Their non-verbal language and facial expressions of people around the youths express annoyance and terror. They are seen jumping over moving traffic through a busy town with disregard to the surrounding public. 

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