Camera Shots/Movements/Angles:
This music video contains a variety of shots including close ups, mid shots, long shots and tracking shots. Using this range of shots makes the video feel more realistic as it enables the audience to see more of various scenes, almost causing them to feel as if they were in the room. It contains footage filmed on both handheld cameras and using a stedicam, however, the majority of the video has been filmed using a stedicam/tripod. I think that this gives the video a clean cut feel and allows the audience to focus on the content of the shots, without being distracted by excessive camera movement. Clips of the singer lip synching to the song have been included in this music video. They consist mostly of close up shots where the singer is looking directly into the camera. This allows the audience to connect more with the artist, and showing close up shots of the artist provides the opportunity for recognition from the audience. A tracking shot of a street has been used at the beginning and end of this music video. This makes the audience feel as though they are travelling to and from the setting of the video, providing closure and a narrative perspective for the viewer.
Editing Transitions:
In this music video, simple jump cuts are used to switch between clips. This emphasises the clean cut feel that the video has, and ensures that the focus is entirely on the clips on screen rather than having elaborate transitions. Jump cuts also provide an immediate switch between clips, which in turn takes up less screen time. A slow motion effect has been added on to a few of the shots in this video. This makes them more dramatic, which I think fits the overall theme of the music video well.
Mise-en-Scene:
The colour scheme in this music video is quite subdued and dull- this effect may have been created during the editing process by decreasing the saturation of the video clips. This gives the music video a bleak and desolate quality, enhancing the dramatic yet realistic feel of the narrative. The lighting in this video is muted, giving each shot an effect that works to enhance the overall theme of the music video.
This music video shows the actors and the artist dressed in simple, plain and modern clothing. This gives the impression that costume is not a large focal point in the video, as the outfits almost seem to blend into their surroundings- they are not out of the ordinary. This highlights the elements of realism shown in this music video and makes it feel more relatable to the audience. The clothing worn in this video also shows that it is set in the present day, which reflects the modern and contemporary style of music.
This music video opens with a tracking shot showing a suburban housing estate. This immediately shows the audience that the video is set in a mundane, everyday environment, which also sets the tone for the whole music video. The other settings used in the video are the various rooms in a house, a gym, a swimming pool, a bus stop and a bus. These settings make the music video and the artist feel more accessible to the audience as they are universally recognised as day-to-day places that have a presence in most people's lives.
Representation
I don't think that this music video shows any specific or particularly prominent representation of the artist. The only featuring that the artist has in this video is short clips of her lip synching to the track interspersed among the narrative clips that make up the majority of the video. This could give the impression that the artist is modest and not self-centred, as she is not the sole focus of the video. The artist is not filmed from a high or low angle, which could be interpreted as her way of showing the audience that she is on the same level as them- they are equals.
Genre of the music and how this is signified in the video
The genre of this music video is Indie Pop. I think that the low saturation and muted colour scheme is indicative of this as these are fairly common features for a music video within this genre to have. The actors in the video are young adults, and as Indie Pop is quite a modern and newly popular genre of music, the age of the actors in the video reflects this. The artist is also clearly in her late teens, which backs up my aforementioned point about this genre of music. The video doesn't appear extravagant or over produced, which reflects the 'indie' (independent) aspect of the genre.
Intertextuality
There are no clear intertextual references within this music video. This is probably due to the genre being Indie Pop- the association of mainstream media is not a common feature for an Indie Pop music video to have.
Audience Reception
For Lorde's 'Royals' music video, I think that the theory of negotiated reading is the most relevant as there is a narrative for the viewer to follow, and as there is emphasis on the realism and mundane elements of this video, the audience can read the text as the author intended, while also drawing on personal experience in order to relate to the video.
Uses & Gratifications- Why might an audience enjoy this video?
I think that an audience would watch this music video for entertainment purposes, and perhaps to fulfil a desire to learn more about the artist's background, as this video was Lorde's debut, and ultimately what gained her widespread recognition.
Can Andrew Goodwin's theory be applied to the video? If so, where?
I think that Andrew Goodwin's theory can be applied to this music video. The video shows several close-ups of the artist throughout, and expresses genre characteristics such as the involvement of both concept and narrative aspects, and the muted colour scheme. However, there are no links between lyrics and visuals, no links between music and visuals, and no intertextual references shown in this music video.
Can Laura Mulvey's theory be applied to the video? If so, where?
I don't think that Laura Mulvey's theory can be applied to this music video, as the female body is not really focused on.
Are there any Binary Oppositions in the video? If so, where?
Levi Strauss came up with the theory of binary opposites. A protagonist and antagonist, or a hero and villain are typical examples of binary opposites. While two characters in this video are shown boxing, the same two characters are also shown laughing together, indicating that they are not binary opposites- there is no real hero or villain in this narrative.
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