Comparable Products Music Videos

Arcade Fire - Ready to Start

Image
The costumes that the characters are wearing are suitable for the genre of music and tone created however it was interesting to see one of the females in a white dress yet by playing the drums it contractions the connotations of purity as playing the drums is considered a man’s instrument. The majority of lighting was placed onto the band with the exception of strobe lighting on the audience, this is in keeping with the song and it also puts all the emphasise on the band itself.

A  few behind shots of the band were used throughout the video as it showed the audience in the clip from the bands point of view  as this allows the audience watching the video to gain a sense of target audience. A few low angle shots have been used on the instruments to portray the idea that the instruments are the most important thing to the band. A handheld camera has been used on the main singer of the band so the audience can gather a sense of person and surroundings.

The tilt movement was used quite frequently in order to show the audience one of the musicians face and then their instrument so the audience can gather a sense of where they fit into the band. A high angle pan movement was used from the band to the audience to show the greatness of people that enjoy the music.

Editing
Straight cuts have been used repeatedly throughout the video, creating verisimilitude for the audience as well as keeping up the continuity of the song. The fast pace of the song works well with the cuts as it shows the band playing their instruments and audience’s reactions to it. A blur effect has been used at various times throughout with creates a focusing effect on whoever is becoming clear, a slow motion effect has been used at the start until the moment the band start playing their instruments to portray that this is an important song. The colour of the video is in black and white throughout creating the idea that the song is more important than the video itself.

Target Audience
The target audience of the song are young adults and this is portrayed by the audience shown in the clip.

Mode of Address
Although the use of black and white colouring is simple it allows the audience to imagine what the band look like therefore they begin to think about what it would be like to be in that situation, which is one way that the audience are spoken too. The black and white also creates a serious tone indicating that the band want to be taken seriously.

Narrative
There is no clear narrative to the song therefore Todorov and Propp’s theories do not apply.

Representation
Although there are both genders in the band, a representation of men is portrayed. The main singer is mostly seen through low angle shots indicating to the audience that he is more important because not only is he the main singer but he is also a man in a world of the dominant ideology being patriarchy.

Enigma
An enigma is created by the band coming onto the stage in slow motion suggesting that whatever happens before the song starts is not as important as the song itself. By having the colour in black and white it creates an interesting and attention grabbing video for the song as it leaves a lot to the audience’s imagination.

Attract Audience:
The elements that attract the audience are the artists connecting with the audience within the clip and the tones created by the lighting, colouring and costumes.

Images of Band/Artist
The black and white colours, the blur and slow motion effects creates the idea that the band want to be portrayed as a serious band in their genre of music.