Coldplay - Talk
Genre: Indie (Rock)
The video can be seen in better quality on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3oL0AOO_J0&videos=pDuJwRN74LU. YouTube would not allow this video to be embeded so the above video is taken from http://www.redbalcony.com/.
Introduction
Narrative: The band arrive on an unusual planet in their spaceship. While there they find a giant robot and effectively ‘wake’ him up. This video is based around the lead singer and the rest of the band is there to show them as a group. There are jump cuts from the lead singer singing to all the band exploring the planet. This video conforms with Steve Archer’s theory that ‘music videos will cut between a narrative and a performance of the song by the band to show ‘real connection’ with the music.’ However this is not completely true in this music video because the artist is performing in the narrative although there are jump cuts between him singing on his own and the band acting in the narrative.
The video attracts the audience by making the performance and action interesting and energetic. Many of their other music videos are just of the band performing and constant images of the lead singer singing so this video provides differentiation for the audience.
As the genre for this music video is indie rock (alternative rock) it is very individual to the artist and the audience. Audiences who listen to this will relate themselves to the artist.
Indie conventions show that indie followers tend to like to be fashionable like the artists. In the music video although the artists are dressed relatively plainly there is the fashion of blazers and jackets to add the smart image.
Links to other videos of the same genre: In the indie genre there are many different styles of music video. This music video is very narrative based like The Kooks ‘Naive’. Some videos are the opposite of this and contain only performances from the band for example Razorlight’s ‘Golden Touch’.
There are many indie conventions throughout the video including the black and white effect and also the camera angles which are close-ups and long shots.
Lyrics: The lyrics in this music video are suggesting that he has lost touch with his brother and that he wants contact and I think the video links with this by them going looking for his brother. However in the video he is singing to a robot – ‘Are you lost or incomplete?’ This could be signifying that because the robot is not moving there must be something wrong. In this video I think that the robot represents the ‘brother’ which they are looking for. However I got a surprise when I saw the ending because the robot eats the space ship the artists are in it which could link to the lyrics ‘I’m so scared about the future and I wanna talk to you.’ So another interpretation could be that they are searching this planet for the brother that the artist is calling out to and they come across the robot who effects their future.
Also as the lead singer is not looking at the camera but instead at the robot and it makes the audience feel for the robot and also the lead singer. The lyrics relate to the target audience because they are sending the message to the audience that you should never ignore people who are trying to be there and also sends the message that you should never stop trying to achieve what you want.
At one point he is singing 'and they're talking in a lauguage i don't speak' and this is when he is singing to the robot so on screen they have written the lyrics backwards to make it look like another language which is effective because it draws the link between the lead singer and the robot closer together.
Artist's Name: ‘Coldplay' in my opinion does not have a proper meaning for the audience but is there just so that they have a name to be known by. The band name came from a friend’s band who decided that it was too depressing as a band name. This does link in with the types of songs they sing. The band name could signify songs they sing that are not light hearted and that are broody.
Image of the Artist
The artist is trying to portray a relaxed and casual look. They are wearing duffle coats and blazer type jackets which an image which is easy for the audience to replicate. Not many full body shots are shown which is probable because the artist wants the focus on him but when there are body shots they are wearing straight leg jeans. A convention of indie is normally to wear lots of wristbands and accessories such as sunglasses but in this video they are not wearing much if at all. This could however be because they are on a planet where this is not going to be seen in their setting.
All the artists have potable instruments around their necks which signifies that music can be played anywhere and other activities can be done while carry the instruments. This could also show them to be an active group and that they like to tour and travel. This will attract the audience because they will find it unusual and also the audience if they are fans they are followers and so will follow the trends and fashion of the artist. As a big part of the indie genre is the way that the artist dresses then if they were to change this they are likely to lose respect from the audience.
The mise-en-scene plays a big part in the creation of this video. The black and white effect used throughout the video helps to create the out of space image along with the use of the root looking features on the planet. These both create the planet image.
The black and white effect is a convention of the indie genre.
The use of props such as the large torches helps to add the dark and also slightly mysterious effect to the video. The artists are on what seems to be an unknown planet and they are searching and exploring and this is why its all a bit of a mystery.
As said before the use of portable instruments adds the effect that the band are going to perform wherever they can and that they are looking to perform on this mystery planet. Also the use of a megaphone shows that the artist is going for an acoustic sound rather than an electronic sound. Also since they have no electricity supply they have use instruments do not require a mains electricity supply.
These props also connote that the artists are not heavy metal artists and although they generally use electric guitars it shows they are alternative rock artists which means they don’t play heavy metal. This is what the indie genre is. This image will help to make the artist popular because it is following the conventions of indie and so it is pleasing its audience.
These images also connect with John Stewart’s Theory of ‘the video allows more access to the performer that a stage performance can. The mise-en-scene, in particular, can be used to emphasise an aspirational lifestyle.’ This is true throughout the video as many close ups are used to make the audience feel close to the artists. Also the artists venturing into the unknown planet shows them to be active and so shows their aspirational lifestyle through this.
There is a dim backlight, created from three point lighting, throughout the video which helps to create shadows and make the setting as realistic as possible. This light is meant to create the light from the moon. On top of this there is the torch light from the torches the artists are using and this is used to light up the setting and also each other. When the robot awakes, its eyes are lit up which creates a large amount of light because of the size and height of the robot in proportion to the artists who are like a spec on the ground.
Camera Angles and Editing
The video starts with an establishing shot of space to show the audience that this video is set in space. Cuts are used to cut between different images. The next image is cuts to the inside of the space ship where the artists are seen from behind sitting down. This is the first introduction to the artist.
Theorist Andrew Goodwin says that ‘close-ups should always be included’ and throughout the video there are close ups of the facial expressions of the artists and also of the mise-en-scene. Other camera angles including a bird’s eye view of when the artists ‘rock out’ for a few seconds before getting away from the robot.
Long shots are also used throughout the video to show the setting and the artists within the setting. This helps to show that the artists are vulnerable in the setting which they are in because they are small to everything around them is fairly large.
Typical side shots of the artist are also seen throughout the video. An example of this can be seen in the image above where the robot is sitting up.
There are not too many effects used in the video and most of the cuts are jump cuts which fit in with the music. Two of the biggest effects are the computerised robot throughout the video and also the flying space ship. At the begninning when the band are getting out of the space ship the use of a smoke machine creates a dissolve effect to change the scene from looking at them to their Point of View - what they are seeing. Another effect which is used is the 3D blur effect. What i mean by this is the band put on those red and green 3D glasses that you get from the cinema and change everything into 2D so they are working in the reverse to how they work for the audience. This is the only colour added throughout the whole video.
A handheld camera effect is used when the robot is following the band and this makes the camera shake as though the robot is big and heavy. This can be seen in the video from 3.05.
Also at the end of the video the robot sends out a beam of magnetic beam which is another special effect that has been added in to draw the space ship back to the robot.
Representation
I think that the robot in the video could either represent the brother the lead singer is talking about in the track or the robot could be the danger that he is singing about when he says ‘I’m so scared about the future.’ These are the only representations apart from the band itself which has already been discussed above. The robot is represented negatively in this video through the lyrics which talk about him as not contacting his brother who has been trying to contact him for a while or in the other way of eating the artists. This video has a positive effect on young people because through the lyrics it shows not to loose contact with people because things could happen and you may never see them again – which is in the case of the artist.
Sound
In this video the sound has not been changed. This means that is it the same as the original track which is a benefit for the audience because it means that it is recognisable. Indie music videos don’t tend to add in extra sound because they want it to be the same as the airplay song so like before it is recognisable and also indie songs tend to be produced for live performances and if there was the addition of extra sounds it would be difficult to replicate on stage.
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