Radiohead’s music video for ‘Knives Out’ is a conceptual music video which follows a confusing and unclear narrative and uses Lacey’s repertoire of elements to construct the video and its themes. The main themes of the video are love and relationships, and these are expressed strongly through the five elements: characters, narrative events, iconography, setting and technical and audio codes.

Characters are used in the music video in order to add to the narrative aspect of the video, as we follow the relationship between the two protagonists. They appear to be a man and woman wh9o are facing difficulties in their relationship. It may be interpreted that the music video is a visual representation of the couple’s relationship, as their performance changes as the narrative moves on; one character is shown to be hospitalised while the other lies next to her on the floor. Their body language and behaviour vary from loving to aggressive in an unusual and erratic fashion.The other characters in the music video appear to be mainly staff such as doctors and nurses, who behave professionally as though in a working environment despite the chaos going on around them. Other extra characters appear randomly, such as a lone young boy sat in the corner of the room, who we may assume to be the protagonists son or even a representation of him as a child. Three characters appear hiding the protagonists blanket holding knives, perhaps linking to the name of the song. These external characters create narrative enigma as the audience is left to question their relevance to the narrative.

The narrative of the music video is conceptual with elements of performance, as although he lead character does sing, he is also a key element of the story. The narrative is arguably linear, as we see the couple’s relationship represented as the camera pans around the room. The narrative is conceptual as it consists of a number of different and unrealistic storylines which all come together to ultimately create a confusing narrative that detaches the viewer from a sense of reality. As the camera pans around the room, multiple props and characters appear in order to advance the narrative. The reoccurring starting point of the video is the TV screen, in which we see the two lead characters taking a train journey. The following narrative shows the deterioration of their relationship surrounding the main female being treated in hospital, which appears to be a key plot device.

Iconography is used frequently in the video, for example the ‘Operation’ style game board that the women appears to be a part of, linking to the hospital theme of the scene but also adding an element of conceptuality by using this pop culture reference. Furthermore, the huge engagement ring featured in the video is representative of the couple’s relationship in the video and arguably of love and marriage, suggesting the development of their relationship throughout the video. The fact that the couple are also shown on a train is iconic of the journey that they are on together. Props such as a giant knife and hammer symbolise violence and conflict, which are non-conventional icons to be featured in a music video which is themed around a relationship. Another example of iconography in the video is the heart. The icon of a heart in a music video may be seen as stereotypical when associated with love and relationships; however in this more conceptual representation of love a realistic yet huge human heart replaces the protagonists head, causing both genre and narrative confusion.

The setting of the video is a very bare and basic room, which is suitable for the video as it allows the props and cast to stand out. The room appears to be in a hospital of some sort, as the female protagonist appears to be undergoing an operation in the room. Within the setting we see aspects typical of a hospital room such as a drip, bed and store room in which we see doctors and nurses going about their work. The mise-en-scene of the video includes numerous important props, such as the miniature train set and television screen that shows the train journey the couple appear to be on. The setting itself appears out of place and unexplained within the context of a stereotypical music video, but the audience may assume that the theme of operation and surgery is related to the difficult relationship that the vide focuses on, creating a narrative enigma as the audience struggles to understand the setting and its relevance to the narrative.

The use of camera in the video is integral in constructing the narrative. The camera pans around the room in a 360 degree spin constantly throughout the video, therefore allowing the scene within the room to constantly change and new features to be revealed. The camera zooms in on particular aspects of the scene and also transfers to long shots when necessary; at one point an aerial shot to establish everything that is going on in the room and to highlight the chaos and confusion.The sequence is one long take and has no cuts, meaning that the action follows on directly and never stops, adding to the surreal nature of the video. The lighting is relatively low key giving a moody and unusual atmosphere, aided by the use of special effects. These include the protagonist’s head being superimposed upon the top of a microphone stand, dressed up as small animal that we assume to be a rat or mouse. This creates confusion and further detaches the audience from a sense of reality.

In conclusion, Radiohead’s video for ‘Knives Out’ effectivley uses Lacey’s Repotoire of Elements in order to convey the key messages and themes of the song and video, including love, relationships and conflict. The confusing narrative structure and surreal use of props and special effects all work to create a visual representation of a complicated relationship and a narrative enigma that the audience is left to interpret in their own way.