Textual Analysis Music Videos - Arctic Monkeys, View From The Afternoon

This video is based around a narrative storyline with no performance by the band; this is a technique the Arctic monkeys often use in their videos which goes against the conventions of this rock/indie genre. Another unusual technique in this video is the fact that the imagery is focused on a performance by a drummer but this drummer is not a band member. A possible reason for this could be because the band wants to create a persona and felt they could do this better with an actor, another reason could be that they didn’t want to focus the video on a single member of the band as they all have creative inputs. This decision goes against conventions of music video styles and makes this more unique.

Another unique style used in the video is the colour. Almost all of the video is filmed using a black and white (greyscale) effect with the exception of one frame which is filmed in colour showing the main character submerged in water. The director or the band could have chosen this to represent an image created from the drummer’s imagination or an out of body experience. The use of greyscale makes the images look sincere and indicates to the audience that the narrative is meaningful. This is a juxtaposition to ‘example’s’ music video as they used bright and lively colours to reflect the fun narrative which contained little meaning, whereas this video uses dull colours and greyscale to reflect the meaningful and sincere narrative. The use of colour is significant in creating meaning and is something I will have to consider when making my own promo video.

As well as the colour, there are other aspects of the mise-on-scene that create meaning and effect for the audience. The locations used are extremely limited which is similar to the ‘example’ video. However, although the location stays the same for the majority of the video, it creates a very powerful effect and helps support the narrative by maintaining constant. The location fits well with the narrative and meaning of the song but also has personal meaning for the band members as it is shot at Park Hill flats in Sheffield which is near where the band members grew up. This personal input is important as they are not expressing their input through appearance or performance as ‘example’ does in his music video that I studied. The high rise flats in the mise-on-scene represent a working class society in which the narrative is based around. They also make the character seem vulnerable due to their size compared to him, long shots are used to show the scale of the imagery and to show the vast space. This again shows juxtaposition to the example video which shows a confined environment and uses closer shots.

The main character’s clothing within the mise-on-scene conforms to stereotypes of the rock/indie style as he is wearing a parker jacket. ‘Example’s’ main character also conforms to the youth culture style associated with the genre. This could help form a connection with the viewer or could also be an expression of identity which relates to Michael Brake’s theory that style is a deliberate expression of social identity.

The narrative in this video is based around a young male drummer who performs to the music, however, this performance seems unusual, surreal and misplaced and creates enigma and interest for the audience as they try to make sense of the meaning whilst following the character through his personal journey. There are also surreal events that happen around the character such as people watching him or trying to distract him. The story shows the characters pain, struggle and determination, an example of the imagery used to show this is the shot of his hands covered in blood followed by his determination when he continues to play. The narrative is based on the story of Buddha who was said to have meditated under a tree for days whilst devils came to try and seduce and sabotage him. The principle here is on the same basis and shows a personal struggle and determination. A key element in the video that directly relates to the story of Buddha is when the girl gave him milk, as a lady gave Buddha milk after seeing him starve himself to attain nirvana. This connection also makes sense of the bizarre imagery such as the shattered moon. The ending of the video shows the drummer as he finally stops playing which symbolises the enlightenment that he has found. This is shown through facial expressions and the use of imagery such as the shattered moon. This deep meaning is different to the example video as they wanted to create a positive and light hearted narrative as opposed to this where they want to create intellectual and meaningful narrative. This adaptation of Buddha’s myth provides interesting yet bizarre imagery which is something I would like to consider when creating my own.

A wide range of camera work and is used during this video, the first opening shots establish the location and the character. The first shot used is a tracking shot which follows the main characters feet and the wheels of a trolley he is pushing, the camera uses a close shot which shows the importance of his walk as it represents the start of a journey. This extreme close up then becomes an extremely long shot or an establishing shot which shows the character in full and what he is pushing. This uses the rule of thirds which was not often used in the ‘Example’ video but is something I want to include when doing my own camera work as it is more aesthetically interesting. In the introduction before the song begins there are many still shots which along with the lack of sound help create calm and quiet imagery. When the camera is focused on the buildings it uses low angle shots which show the scale of the buildings and make the character seem vulnerable in comparison, this is also shown through close up shots of the characters face looking up at the flats. A low angle shot is used at the very end of the film to show respect for the character as he has endures his journey and reached enlightenment. These low angle long shots are different to those used in the ‘Example’ video as they use closer shots to show the expressions of the actors, they also don’t use the rule of thirds in the placing of characters as they do not want to create meaning but effect. The camera work used also includes many zooms, cross dissolves, match on action shots, high and low angle shots and still shots. The reason for the huge variety in shots could be because they are mostly all focused on the same imagery and this repetition reinforced the determination and mental journey that the character is experiencing. Close ups are used to show his facial expressions and instruments which follows conventions of music videos and also show the will power and determination of the character. An over the shoulder sot is also used to display his dedication when three men approach him and distract him, this shot allows the audience to see this from the main characters point of view and gives an admiration for his determination. Birds eye vie shots are often used when he is playing and also when he looks at his hands bleeding. This use of a huge variety of shots proves to be more interesting to watch than the ‘Example’ video that has a limited number so I will try and use as many different shots as I can when making my own.

The editing used is not as obvious as the ‘Example’ video as it is used to aid the narrative and create effect as opposed to the ‘Example video which was used to create effect and fun imagery. The opening shots are shown through a rustic border which looks as though the audience is watching the footage through an old fashioned camera. When watching the footage this boarder is hardly noticed by the viewer but instead draws their attention to the imagery inside, opposed to the ‘Example’ video where the editing is noticed instantly by the audience. Match on action is used as the image is shown in daylight and then switches to night, this shows the length and scale of time to show his journey. The cuts between shots are sometimes straight cuts and some use transitions between shots such as cross disolves. These transitions are made to fit in time with the beat of the music which is an editing technique also used in ‘Example’ as it links the imagery to the song. This is a strong convention used throughout music videos.

The music to accompany the video does not start until 45 seconds into the video, this is a convention sometimes used to create an introduction to the narrative. It is used here to show ‘the calm before the storm’ and non diegetic sound is used such as the distant chimes of church bells and the sound of raindrops and wind. These all show the peace and quiet but also make the character seem isolated which could reflect the fact he is on a personal journey. ‘Example’ don’t use this technique as there narrative isn’t as strong.

The representation shown in the ‘Example’ video was youth culture, this video also represents youth through style and demeanour of the character. This links in with Michael Brake’s theory that youth subculture creates an alternative to reality and is expressed through style. However, this representation of youth culture could be seen as a positive or a negative message which creates a polar opposite of interpretation. This relates to Dick Hebdige’s theory of dichotomy, he would argue that the main character could be seen as a positive representation due to his determination and strong minded nature, but on the other hand could be seen as negative through the disruption he causes from the noise and his ignorance to those passing. This representation of youth differs from the ‘Example video as they portray a fun and carefree culture. The difference in choice of representation could be connected to the sound and meaning of the two songs.

Having studied this video I believe it contains very powerful imagery that is show through all aspects of narrative, camera work, sound and editing. I like the fact that it represents a personal journey of a character and follows his progression. This is something that may influence me when deciding on narrative and has made me think I would rather have a meaningful storyline as opposed to a fun and light hearted storyline as in ‘Example’s’ video.