textual analysis netkey music video

7/30/2019 Textual Analysis Netkey Music Video

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Netsky- Love Has Gone

Music Video Analysis

Drum & Bass music video 2


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1. Point of view shots are used significantly through out the music video. Where the narrative is

one that covey's friendship, childhood and youth, this shot is very fitting, for the purpose of

placing us as viewers directly into the action as the young kids run away from the shop keeper,stealing a variety of sweets. Point of view shots are quite conventional to the drum and bass

genre, as the music videos are so fast paced, POV shots can parallel the speed by giving us a

first person view of the action commencing in the video.

POV shot of the street

the boys run down. It

is especially effective

here as it really

captures the

narrowness of the

street, and the light at

the end of it.

Significant perhaps inthat it represents the

freedom these

children have one

that is always there.

2. The next highly conventional shot to the drum & bass genre used in this

music video is close ups. Drum & bass videos posses an excess of close ups,

this is because their narratives usually revolve around that of a person/people,

who's emotions are key to the narrative. Close ups allow the charactersexpressions to be viewed and acknowledged vividly, in these two screen shots

we view two young boys who are totally elated.

I would deem this shot as a two shot, but

also a close up. It is close enough to see

how they are both sharing a headphone

each, and a shot like this is conventional

to the drum & bass genre as it overtly

reaffirms the theme of friendship.


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However, the close ups used in this video are not restricted to clarifying character

emotions. Here the boys are running through the streets placing stickers on the walls,

phone boxes, taxis etc. Hospital records is the record company Netskey is signed to,

an image of their logo is also seen, the H under the boys hand. What this does is

within the video market both the release of the album and the record company. The

close ups make it very visible to us, and this is needed as the shot is only their for a

brief second. It is almost subliminally enters our minds as viewers. Therefore, in terms

of the uses and gratification model, the audience would use this video for both

escapism(engrossed in the hedonistic lifestyle of the children), but also informational

purposes as they are informed of the artist, the record he is signed to etc.

What is highly conventional to the genre, besides the shot, is this idea of marketing and

inter-textual advertisement within a music video. Modesteps Sunlight exemplified this

upon analysis, where post sick notes of other drum & bass artists where written on post

stick notes and stuck to the heads of the protagonists.

Even a web link to the record

labels site. This allows the

audience to further their viewing

experience through the use of

Web 2.0.

What is highly conventional to the genre,

besides the shot, is this idea of marketing

and inter-textual advertisement within amusic video. Modesteps Sunlight

exemplified this upon analysis, where post

sick notes of other drum & bass artists

where written on post stick notes and

stuck to the heads of the protagonists.

3. In terms of Camera angles low angle shots are u

used throughout the music video. In this example wecan see and extremely low angle shot, at the point

where the boys open their rucksacks and are

shocked to see the number of sweets they contain.

The low angle shock seeks to reflect how they

believe, now, that they are in power as they have

these sweets.

Shots of a low angle are

highly conventional to the

drum & bass genre, as it is agenre associated so much

with drugs, friendship, shots

like this can convey a certain

meaning to the audience, or

reflect the effect of a drug for

example: Making them feel

empowered, in control,

dominant, similarly when

they are with their friends.Many drum & bass music

videos use low angle shots


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4. Although there is arguably one main protagonist in this

video, the young mix raced boy, the 3 other friends that

travel with him are also main characters. Therefore, Wide

shots are used a lot in this music video. This allows the

audience to view them altogether, as a group, and this in

itself reaffirms the theme of friendship, adhering to

conventions of the drum & bass genre as mentioned

before, this theme is very iconic.

Skateboard also seen in the

shot, as a representation of their

youth. Youth is a key element to

the drum & bass genre as

noticed in my modestep music

video analysis, and therefore this

shot is relatively conventional in

terms of symbolism.

Finally, I would like to note upon shots that used in this video that I would like to incorporate into my music video. There are quite a

few shots from behind the characters, most probably taken with a steady-cam. These shots are interesting as they hide thecharacters face, their identity, and in that moment can only be judged by there movements. I believe this builds up far more tension.

Handheld camera work is used to a great extent in this video; the jaunty, unstable shots that this creates reflects the recklessness in

these boys lives, stealing from shop keepers, running through the streets, annoying to members of the public. This is very

conventional to the genre, hand held shots and this notion of recklessness, and will most defiantly be incorporated into my music

video.

Finally I like directors work, taking long tracks of the boys feet alone. These are great shots and build the suspense need, released

on the drop of the song. This makes the songs drop far more cathartic if there is some sense of a build up, and therefore thesetypes of shots work well with Drum & Bass music videos, as visual build ups are needed to reflect the musical build up of the song.

Tracking shot of the protagonists feet running. This

is a shot I would like to incorporate into my music

video


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Mise-en-scene

1. Costume: The clothing of the main characters is very stereotypical to that of young

children. We see no braded garments; as at that age, the superiority some brands of

clothes can give one does not exist, clothes are merely for the purpose of keeping one

warm and allowing them to have fun at that age. This is interesting as there is also one shot

of a homeless person, holding a bag that has an expensive brand name on it, yet still goingthrough the bings for food. It is also a beautiful juxtaposition of colour; dark clothes of the

homeless person, elegent colour of the bag, the two extremes of life. Perhaps what the

director is trying to convey is the notion, that, all we really need are the necessities to life:

Friendship, love, warmth, etc, and I believe by uses the hypodermic needle theory as a

study, we can argue that this message is directly received by the audience as the entire

music video never stops conveying these notions.The clothing warn by the children also, in a

way, reflects the clothing that would be warn by

teenagers or the older generation attending a

drum and bass rave. Baggy clothing to allow for

movement, colorful clothing, hats, lack ofexpensive brands etc. The costumes are then

highly conventional to the drum & bass genre.

2. Lighting: The entire music video takes place during the day, and Im presuming during

the brightest time in the day as the sun is shining down upon the boys heavily. In fact

the setting, minus the one short scene in the sweet shop, takes place entirely outside.This is highly fitting for the revolving themes of the music video: Freedom, friendship,

what better place is there to depict such things other than the outdoors? There is none,

and therefore the setting is highly conventional to the drum & bass genre, even though

it is not depicting a rave or drugs, freedom and friendship it Is conveying.

The narrative of the music video follow no real structure. One of the boys meets his

friends who has stolen some sweets, and from then on they run from the shop keeper

and have a day out in the sun, playing, laughing, eating. Again, the notion of freedom;

no structure to their lives, just fun.

Image of the outdoors, near a beach.

Theme of friendship and freedom easily

conveyed, and accepted by the audience.

The lighting is bright, sunlight is the only

from of lighting I presume. (no three point

lighting, no spot lighting, no low keylighting).


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Not only is the natural light bright, but there is brightness (in colour) throughout

the entire music video. For starters the reds and greens on the protagonists

clothing are examples of where bright colours are used, the beach is lit brightly,

the packaging of the sweets, even the narrow streets have a bright natural light

at the end of them. The watermelon the children eat on the bench is a stunning,

rich red that is so beautiful in colour, representing the fruits of summer and the

holidays. This somewhat excessive use of primary colours throughout the music

video is very conventional to the drum & bass genre as it is a revolving colour

theme, and seeks to construct this notion of total, unabridged happiness.

3. Props: The main props given prominence throughout out the music video are: One of the boys skateboard, the other boys drum

sticks, the sweets they steal, the protagonists back pack and the water gun. Broadly defined, these are all symbolic of youth and

therefore highly conventional to the drum & bass genre. The drum sticks; clearly a reference to the genre. Drum and bass. It is this

notion of creation, and the liberation of music, as the boy messes around with this drum sticks whilst running down the street, free,

restricted by no-one. The water gun is an interesting symbol, conventional to the genre in two forms. 1st it is keeping in with the

theme of youth and childhood depicted in this music video as the boys squirt each other through the streets with water, laughing and

joking. However secondly, many argue that violence is something associated with this music genre. A water gun is still a gun, and a

gun is a symbol of violence. However the director subverts this notion by turning the violence associated with this music type on its

head, using a water gun, with clear close ups and wide shots depicting the boys having a pleasurable time.Boy playing with his drummer sticks down

the street. Notion of creating music

implemented into every day society: back

streets, civilians etc.


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Editing

1. Id like to comment firstly on the editing technique of using slow motion.

Slow motion is used throughout the entire music video, it is an editing

technique highly conventional to the drum & bass genre as it allows the

visual aspects of the music video to reflect the pace of the song. I.e. all

drum & bass songs slow down at certain points and it is normally herethat slow motion is used. In this music video it is also a highly

conventional technique as it really captures the natural phenomenon;

being a child and being free. Also in terms of music video narratives all

narratives have faced paced moments as well as slow paced moments,

here is no different. The slow motion is used to capture the protagonists

free movements and interactions with each other, presenting their

friendship and childhood in a far more stylish and, it would suffice to say,

cool manor.

Slow motion used here 36 seconds

into the music video; conventional in

that it is an iconic image that is

depicting the friendship of the boys,

but also sets the initial pace of the

music video before we reach the

drop of the song.

Last shot of the music video. This is a long take where the

camera is situated on the floor and the children are

jumping around playfully looking directly at the camera. It

is edited to be in slow motion. This is exemplar of how

slow motion is conventionally used to capture the

emotions and free spirit of the characters far more than a

normal speed shot. Also, present here is the use of

graphical editing. Netskey appears in the screen center

in a very artistic graphical design, with the letters rotating

on a pivot. The slow motion works well with the graphical

editing, and together they make for a smooth transition

into fading out.


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2.Secondly, The editing technique that is in fact used the most throughout the music video, above all others,

is Jump cutting. Why? I believe, there are many reasons for this.

Perhaps every drum & bass video I have seen and analyzed consists of this editing technique. The abrupt

jumping that the characters make due to this editing technique 1stly reflects the recklessness of their actions

in this music video. 1 has stolen from a shop, sweets, and now they are running away. The jump cutting

continues as they venture down the street, causing mischief and mayhem. This is a very conventional editing

style to the drum and bass genre as it reflects the speed of the song also. The abrupt, disjointed cutting is in

perfect time with each beat during certain sequences, and this, I believe, really seeks to reinforce the hardbaseline beats that the drum & bass tracks consist of. A powerful type of music reflected in this hard,

powerful editing style.

It is an editing style that I

believe is mandatory

when making a

conventional drum &bass video, and this is

why I shall most

defiantly be

implementing this editing

technique into my Music

video.

Use of jump cutting: boys seen running down the street. The use of jump cutting

makes them appear to be running much faster than they indeed are, this editing

technique allows the director to manipulate time, and this is why it is conventional to

the drum and bass genre, it can make things appear to be moving at a greater

speed.

Jump cutting used when the boys are sitting down to eat their sweets.

Speed created through this editing technique, reflecting the speed of

the 152 bpm song.


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3. Finally, I would like to note on the continuity editing used in the music video. It is used far less

in comparison to jump cutting, however when used it is normally before the drop of the song. This

is because after the drop, the jump cutting is used to reflect the sheer displacement of power the

drop of the song creates. The continuity editing used before hand serves the purpose of building

up to the drop, to a certain extent.

Here we can see the use of continuity editing early on in the music video. It is used briefly as it

shows, in a fluid and chronological motion, the boy coming out of the shop, meeting his friendsand opening his bag of sweets. The use of continuity editing before the drop of the song ( this is

when the shop keeper comes out and chases them), is conventional to the drum & bass genre as

it is in keeping with the build up to a song and clearly the director wants the audience to follow

the narrative. Jump cutting here would be far too confusing. But, even more conventional, is that

it is not used very much. Again, it is the use of jump cutting that takes prominence as an editing

technique.

There is a lack of special effects in this music video.

From the music videos I have analyzed so far, I would

argue that this is very conventional to the drum & bass

genre.

textual analysis netkey music video

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