Music Video Analysis: Indie Alternative: Broods - Bridges

Performer and Record Label
Broods is a music duo from Nelson, New Zealand, composed of Georgia Nott on lead vocals, with older brother and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Nott on production and backing vocals. They are signed to Polydor Records, a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group.

Narrative
'Bridges' is a completely narrative based music video. The narrative itself follows a teenage boy and a teenage girl who appear to be best friends. However, as the narrative progresses, it becomes clear to the audience that the boy has in fact developed feelings for the girl. The shots used make it seem that she is flirting with the boy, but unfortunately at the end of the music video, the boy attempts to kiss the girl, but she refuses and runs away. Throughout the music video, the audience tends to feel sympathy for the boy, because it is made crystal clear that he really likes the girl, but unfortunately for him, the feelings aren't reciprocated. I feel that the audience would be able to easily relate with this music video, because it is a situation that many people will have been in:

Mise en scene
The music video is shot in several locations, however most of the music video appears to be filmed in a block of flats. Due to the wide shot that takes place outside the block of flats, I would presume that the music video was shot on location, because it would quite difficult to create a realistic set that reflected of an urban block of flats.


Costume, Make Up and Props
The two characters in the music video are wearing clothes stereotypical of teenagers: jeans, hoodies and bomber jackets. However, although the attire is stereotypical of teenagers, it isn't clothing that is particularly worn in the present day. The clothing makes me think that the music video is set in the early 2000's, or because the band are from New Zealand, perhaps the clothing is stereotypical of teenagers in New Zealand.
There are several important props that form part of the narrative of the music video, one of these being a set of plastic vampire fangs. The young boy and girl are getting very close, pretending to 'bite' each other with their vampire fangs, and this is the point in the music video where the boy attempts to kiss the girl. He pins her to the ground, making us as the audience think that he is just going to pretend to bite her, but instead he tries to kiss her. Without the use of the vampire fangs, the boy wouldn't have been in a situation where he felt he could kiss the girl, therefore the vampire fangs have been very important in helping to drive the narrative.

Lighting and Colour
Very minimalist lighting has been used in this music video - lighting doesn't help with the narrative of the music video, therefore it doesn't need to be particularly noticeable. Although lighting isn't very noticeable throughout the music video, I would say that more white has been added to the video in colour grading, because the colours in the music video are quite muted: at times, the music video feels quite pale.

Camera and Editing
The music video consists of lots of medium close ups and close ups of the boy and girl, communicating their relationship to the audience. At the end of the music video, time has been expanded when the boy spots a room with smoke and lights coming out of it. It isn't completely clear from the narrative what is in this room, but I feel tat by slowing down this part of the sequence, it looks more effective.



Director Analysis - Ninian Doff

Ninian Doff is a director of music videos, short films, and commercials for companies such as O2 and Hula Hoops.

Doff has created music videos for a variety of different artists, and doesn't seem to have stuck to a particular genre, unlike directors such as Samuel Bayer. He has created music videos for the likes of Peace, Royal Blood and Kasabian, and looking through his music videos, it is clear that he very much enjoys creating music videos with a narrative, rather than focusing on performance.

An example of a strong narrative is in his music video for 'Figure It Out' by Royal Blood. The music video follows a female protagonist as she runs around a shopping mall. However the change of colour between blue and red shows to the audience different pieces of information, some of which can only be seen with certain colour lights. The music video has a clear beginning, middle, and end, which makes it very reminiscent of a film rather than a music video. This is a clear theme in Doff's music videos, as they seem more like films accompanied by music, rather than a music video, which demonstrates just how strong the narrative is in his music videos.

Another example of a strong narrative in Doff's music videos is for the song 'Sometimes I Feel So Deserted' by The Chemical Brothers. This music video follows a female protagonist who is walking aimlessly through the desert. At first, we as the audience think she is a good character, however it is soon revealed that she is a zombie, or a walking corpse, when we see her eat another person, and pull off her own broken leg to attach a metal one. There is a very cinematic feel about the music video, and it is clear that Doff has focused on making the music video look good, as well as synthesising with the song. 

Director Analysis - Samuel Bayer

Samuel David Bayer is an American visual artist, cinematographer, commercial, music video and film director.

Samuel Bayer has an extensive list of music videos that he has directed, ranging from artists such as Green Day and Good Charlotte, to Maroon 5 and Robbie Williams. It is clear that over the past 25 years of directing music videos, he has worked with a lot of alternative and rock bands, including names such as Metallica and Nirvana. Although he has worked with artists that fit more into the pop genre, he has definitely spent the majority of his time with these heavier artists, which could be a reflection of his style when directing.

A noticeable feature in a large majority of Bayer's music videos, particularly in his earlier videos in the 90's, is a focus on the depth of field. In his music videos for 'Hold On' by Good Charlotte, and 'American Idiot' by Green Day, he has shifted his focus in several shots to emphasize the depth of field he has used. This strong depth of field is something that makes Bayer's music videos appear quite cinematic, and beginning to cross the line between film and music video.

Following on from this, his most recent music videos including two for Maroon 5 are very cinematic. Both of the Maroon 5 videos are a mix of performance and narrative, allowing Bayer to turn these music videos into something that appears more like a film. This can be particularly seen in the music video for 'Payphone', as the narrative follows the lead singer (Adam Levine) as he is being chased by the police, as they have think he has robbed the bank, even though he was the person that managed to escape being held hostage at the bank. Depth of field is also very prominent in these music videos, however their isn't any shifting of focus like there was in Bayer's earlier music videos.

Director Analysis - Daniel Cloud Campos

Daniel "Cloud" Campos is an award-winning Los Angeles-based dancer, director, and occasional actor raised in San Diego, California and Orlando, Florida.

Daniel Campos has many directing credits, producing music videos for artists such as Hayley Williams, Zedd, and Panic! At the Disco. Most recently (2015), he has produced a music video for Panic! At the Disco. This was Daniel's second time collaborating with the band, having previously directed the music video for 'This is Gospel' back in 2013.

The band themselves were very excited to work with Daniel Campos again because the new music video he was directing would be a follow on from the narrative in 'This is Gospel'. Towards the end of the 'This is Gospel' music video, the lead singer Brendon Urie is running towards the light, and in the new music video for 'Emperor's New Clothes', Brendon has reached hell, and he is turning into the devil.

Daniel's music videos are very well constructed, and he uses some interesting techniques when creating his music videos.
For example, when shooting the 'Emperor's New Clothes' video, he chose to film at 12 frames per second, giving the effect of very glitch movements. This effect fits very well with the theme of the narrative: with the protagonist Brendon becoming possessed by the devil.

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.

Music Video Analysis: Catfish And The Bottlemen - Fallout

Performer and Record Label
Catfish and the Bottlemen are a British indie rock band that formed in Llandudno, North Wales in 2007. In 2013, they were signed to Communion Records, however in 2014 they were resigned to Island Records. Island Records is a major American record label that operates as a division of Universal Music Group, but as of February 2014, three Island label brands exist in the world: Island UK, Island US, and Island Australia.

Narrative
'Fallout' is a completely narrative based music video. The music video focuses on the driver of a white van, who begins to see everyone around him dancing, and although being very confused, he soon decides to join in with the madness that is all around him. It is very surrealist, because you would not expect people to be dancing everywhere that you go, showing that perhaps the main protagonist of the video is escaping to a different world to make his job more interesting. There is no relation between the lyrics and the narrative which is quite unusual for a music video, however the music video is still very effective.

Mise en scene
The main basis of the music video revolves around both the interior and exterior of a white van, whilst it drives through quite a suburban area that appears to be somewhere in Britain. The music video was definitely shot on location as opposed to in a studio, as it would be far too difficult to re-create the setting in a studio.

Costume, Make Up and Props
The three men that are sat in the van are all wearing quite comfy clothes of jeans and a t-shirt, clothes you would typically associate with painting, decorating or building, jobs which the white van seems to connote. Apart from the van, there isn't any particularly important props, however in the final part of the music video, the protagonist dances with a shopping trolley. The use of this reinforces the idea that it is based in a suburban area, as you are unlikely to just find a shopping trolley.

Lighting and Colour
Natural lighting has mainly been used throughout the video, but I am unsure whether there has been lighting placed within the van to ensure the interior of the van was well lit, and that the level of light inside could therefore be maintained. There is a slight white tone to the video which has probably been done in post production, as I would expect that it would originally be quite yellow toned due to the sun. I feel like the colour grading of the music video fits well with the genre of the music, and it gives it that alternative indie quirk that is so commonly used in this genre of music videos.

Camera and Editing
Throughout the music video, there is lots of medium close ups of the three men in the white van so that we can see their reactions to what is happening around them. There is also some long shots of the people dancing around them, and some wide shots of the exterior of the van. During one of the final shots, slow motion has been used to focus on the facial expressions of the protagonist whilst he dances along the alleyway with the shopping trolley.

Music Video Analysis: Years & Years - Real

Performer and Record Label
Years and Years are a British electronica band who are based in London. They are signed to Polydor Records, a British label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. The fact that both the artist and the record label are British makes us think that the music video was probably filmed in the UK.

Narrative

'Real' is very much a narrative based music video, however it is accompanied by sections of performance throughout it. The music video focuses on a man who appears to be on a very unsuccessful date with a woman who is spending the entire night glued to her phone. This man makes a visit to the toilet in order to escape his date, when he is handed a playing card by a man in the bathroom. The rest of the music video focuses on the rest of the people in the bar who get up and dance once their card is drawn. The members of the band 'Years and Years' appear to be judging the dance performances, and it is when the band are shown in shots that the performance element of the music video comes into pay.

Mise en scene
The entirety of the music video takes place between two rooms: the bathroom and the rest of the bar. The bathroom is very well lit, using quite yellow light which is very stereotypical of a public restroom. In stark comparison, the bar is very dark, using the occasional neon light to reinforce the idea of this being filmed in a bar or club. The music video was probably shot on location, however due to the heavy use of lighting throughout the music video, it could have also potentially been filmed in a studio, simply because the lighting is so specific, and may be difficult to achieve the right lighting on location.

Costume, Make Up and Props

One of the most prominent props throughout the music is the deck of playing cards that Olly, the front man of the band, is holding as he is also the person that gives the man on the date his playing card whilst in the bathroom. These cards are very important in the narrative of the music video, as it appears to be these cards that are causing people to get up and dance.
As far as costumes are concerned, most of the members of the music video, the band included, are just wearing very casual clothes such as jeans and a t-shirt. However there is one piece of costume that is slightly more important, and that is the jacket that the man's date is wearing. She takes it off before she goes up to dance, and once she puts it back on again, she is straight back to using her phone, so it makes it appear that as soon as she has her jacket on, she shuts out the world, whereas when she has it off, she loses her inhibitions.

Lighting and Colour
As addressed earlier, the shots that take place within the main section of the bar are very dark, using neon lighting to slightly lighten it, yet not making it too bright in order to maintain the feel of it being in a bar. A lot of reds, blues and greens have been used within the music video, mainly through the use of neon lighting. There is a particular use of red lighting in a room that all of the dancers seem to go in to once they have been sent off by the members of the band. I think the use of red lighting here makes it appear that the room they are going in to will take them back to the way they used to be: nervous, boring and unsociable.

Camera and Editing
Throughout the music video, there is a lot of different medium close ups and close ups that show all of the people that are in the bar. There are quick cuts that fit well with the pace of the song itself, and also the cuts tend to be quite close to the beat, which is a strong feature of the song. The camera is very mobile throughout the whole of the music video as it tends to follow the dancers as they move around the dance floor. When the woman with blonde hair is dancing, slow motion is used. It could be seen that this is used to focus on the fact that she has lost her inhibitions, and isn't afraid of dancing any more.