Music Video Analysis: Royal Blood - Figure It Out

Performer and Record Label
Royal Blood are an English rock duo formed in Brighton in 2013. The band's sound is reminiscent of and rooted in modern blues rock, hard rock and garage rock. The pair themselves have created Black Mammoth Records, as they 'like the idea of keeping everything home grown for now', however they are also signed to Warner Bros. Records UK.

Narrative
The music video follows a girl who is walking through a mall, and appears to be very dangerous due to the 'Caution' and 'Missing' posters she appears on, that feature all around the shopping centre. The idea that she is dangerous is reinforced when she manages to fight of all of the security guards, and she kills another man with what appears to be a piece of a glass bottle. Several people throughout the video attempt to capture her, but by the end of the music video she has managed to escape through the exit, leaving a trail of blood on the wall behind her.

Mise en scene
The main location of the music video is the interior of the mall, however there are five shots that take place outside of the mall in a small van in the car park of the shopping centre. The music video was probably shot in on location, as the number of different areas of the mall that are shown in the music video would be very difficult and expensive to create in a studio. The shots that take place outside of the mall must have been shot on location, as once again it is something that would be very difficult to create in a studio, and still make it look realistic.

Costume, Make Up and Props
Make up and props is a very important aspect of this music video, and it helps to drive the narrative. The use of specifically coloured make up has been used throughout to represent the blood and bruises that appear on the women when a certain coloured filter is used. Props are also very important in connection to the narrative as it helps reinforce what is happening in the story. The posters that are up around the mall incinerate that the woman is missing, which might not be very clear without the posters. For costume, the woman protagonist in the video is wearing a white vest which clearly shows the make up that is on it, as the choice of any other colour top wouldn't show the make up as clearly.

Lighting and Colour
Lighting and colour are one of the most important parts of the music video. Two different coloured filters - red and blue - have been used interchangeably throughout the video allowing the viewers to see different aspects that are only visible when the particular coloured filter is used. For example, when we first see the caution sign, the blue filter is used so we can only see the writing on the poster. However, when the filter changes to red, we then see that the protagonists face is the image on the poster: therefore she is the one who is dangerous, and you should be cautious around.

Camera and Editing
Straight cuts are used all the way throughout the music video. Long shots are used when the music video starts in order to clearly show the audience where it is set, as without these establishing shots, the audience would be unsure as to where they were. Towards the end of the music video, when the protagonist has been captured and then escapes, quick cuts have been used in order to fit with the pace of the narrative. At this point in the music video, two of the shots have had the speed increased in post production, which is quite unusual for a music video, as the action is often slowed down. However, due to what is happening in the narrative at the time, speeding it up is far more effective than slowing it down would be.