Indie Pop Music Video Analysis- California Nights by Best Coast

Before I create my own music video, I am going to be researching music videos of the same genre as the artist I have chosen. The artist I have chosen for my music video is Halsey, whose music is defined as 'Indie Pop'. I have therefore decided to research various music videos within the Indie Pop genre. 

The first video I have chosen is 'California Nights' by Best Coast.



Camera Shots/Movements/Angles:
This video consists almost entirely of panning shots. I think that this gives the video a really flowing quality and keeps the audience interested as the shots are constantly moving. The shots in this video vary from close-ups to long shots, and I think that this variety is part of what keeps the video from being dull and mundane. Wide shots have been used as establishing shots to create atmosphere and close up shots have been used to show details in the setting of the video. 

Editing Transitions:
Layering is used to overlap clips throughout this music video, giving it a transcendent and almost dreamlike quality which I think reflects the song well. Some shots transition with simple jump cuts, which I think has been done to break up the sense of motion and fluidity in the video in order to keep the audience interested. The editing is slow paced to match the relaxed feel of the song and video, and I think that the video really enhances the song because of this. 

Mise-en-Scene:
The colours in this music video are mostly either extremely dark shadowed shades or bright, warm and intense colours. The gradients of warm colour shown throughout the video create a relaxed and almost dreamlike atmosphere. As the song is titled 'California Nights', I think that the colours in the music video really enhance the theme and subject of the song as they are typically associated with Los Angeles sunsets.

Costume does not play a big role in this music video, especially since there are only people shown on screen in a very small part of the video. From these clips, I think that it is easy to determine that this video is set in the present day, and is supposed to be realistic. The outfits worn by the people in the video are not out of the ordinary or particularly memorable, which shows that the artist probably wanted the audience to focus on a different aspect of the video to the clothing worn in it. Towards the end of the video, the man and woman on screen can be seen wearing sunglasses. This emphasises the stereotypically Californian theme that this music video has.

Setting is clearly the main focus of this music video. Throughout the video, a series of wide shots, panning shots and close ups are used to show different pieces of scenery and landscapes. These clips make up the majority of the music video. I think that setting has been used as a point of focus for this video as the song is titled 'California Nights', and the shots throughout the video show stereotypical elements of a California landscape such as palm trees, cacti, desert and pink hued skies. The setting directly relates to the song, and the audience is able to make an instant link between the two.

Representation
This music video does not portray any specific representation of the artist. The band members of Best Coast are only briefly featured in this music video, which doesn't really allow the audience to draw any particular conclusions about them. On the other hand, the lack of artist presence in this video could give the audience the impression that the band are quite reclusive and modest, and want the focus to be on their music rather than their image.

Genre of the music and how this is signified in the video
The genre of this song is Indie Pop. It is a fairly niche genre that is mostly made up of artists that focus on concepts and themes rather than narratives in their music videos. I think that this video is easily identified as an indie pop video as it is clearly conceptual. Indie pop is a genre that is aimed mainly at young people, so the presence of young adults in this video links directly to the genre.

Intertextuality
This music video does not show any obvious or recognisable intertextuality. This is probably due to the genre of the song being Indie Pop, as the association of mainstream media is not a common feature for a video in this genre to have.

Uses & Gratifications- Why might an audience enjoy this video?

The Uses and Gratifications theory suggests that audience members are not passive, but take an active role in integrating media into their lives. It also states that audiences are responsible for choosing certain medias to meet their needs. It focuses on what people choose to do with media rather than the effect that the media has upon them. I think that an audience might watch this video to fulfil entertainment needs, as it is quite artistic. They might also watch this video for educational reasons in order to learn about Californian landscape looks like.

Can Andrew Goodwin's theory be applied to the video? If so, where?

I don't think that Goodwin's theory can be applied to this video as there aren't many clear close-ups of the artist in the video, there are no links between lyrics and visuals, no links between music and visuals, and no intertextual references. The only real link is between the song title and the video content.

 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?

As this is not a narrative music video, there are no Binary Oppositions shown in the video.