Electropop
Concept & Performance based
Mise en scene - The location in the music video is a computer generated room, with brightly coloured 3D patterns, light and shapes inside it. Elly Jackson (the singer in the duo band "La Roux") is shown sitting in a chair in a bright setting, looking towards the floor. When the lyrics start, Jackson looks up and walks towards the camera singing them, with random patterns and shapes in bright colours such as greens, oranges and blues moving behind her. She has iconic hair and makeup, including orange lipstick and colourful eyeshadow, and this highlights her individuality and personal style. The video combines a retro 80's feel with a futuristic theme, almost like shes in an retro computer game.
Cinematography - As the song is upbeat, movement plays a really big part in the cinematography of this video, the camera is almost never fixed in one place not moving, its almost always tracking or panning shots throughout, such as at 1:14 its tracking backwards whilst she walks towards the camera. This makes the video never boring or still, there is always something moving around and making it exciting to watch. Close ups are used of her face to show her iconic make up and hair, and wide shots are used to show her CGI surroundings to the audience.
Editing/Visual effects - Alot of post production work has gone into making this music video as nearly all of it (apart from Elly Jackson herself) is CGI - computer generated images. The screen is made to look like smashed glass near the end using an editing effect, this could mean that shes been broken before but will not let it happen again - as this time shes "bulletproof".Relationship between lyrics and visuals - This energetic and colourful music video shows how she just wants to have fun now and not end up getting hurt in a serious relationship like she has been in the past, such as when she sings "been there, done that, messed around. I'm having fun, don't let me down. I'll never let you sweep me off my feet." Near the end of the video she walks quickly and confidently towards the camera, with hundreds of little coloured shapes falling around her, and it corresponds with the lyrics like she is telling someone who she has been hurt by before that shes not going to let it happen this time. Throughout the song, she sings along with the lyrics, making this music video performance based as well as the concept based.
Relationship between music and the visuals - There is a strong relationship between the the music and the visuals -the camera shots rapidly change to go with the beat of the song, and as Elly Jackson is walking, you can see squares on the wall flash to the beat of the song, helping to enhance the song. From 2:15-2:30, she can just be seen sitting and lying down and not singing along, compared to walking and singing in the rest of the video. This is because the pace of the song is reflected in the video, and at this point it changes from fast and upbeat to a slower and calm pace.
Genre characteristics of the music style - The music video demonstrates strong characteristics of videos for songs of the electropop genre - visual enhancements and effects, and an upbeat and energetic feel.
Representation - Lots of close ups are shown of her face and her iconic hair and makeup, including orange lipstick and colourful eyeshadow, this was most likely a demand from the record company to develop La Roux's identity. She is represented as young woman who is pretty in an alternative way, who is carefree and doesn't need a man in her life.
Audience - I think that the intended audience of this music video is teenage girls and young women aged 13-25 as these are the type of people who would listen to La Roux and this upbeat song. Men might also enjoy it as she is fairly good looking, but she doesn't dress provocatively so that might put some men off from watching it!
Overall, I think this music video is a very good example of one with less narrative and more concept based, and think it works very well for songs of the electropop genre.
No comments:
Post a Comment