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Music Video AnalysisKids in Glass Houses – Matters At All

By Louise Fisher - 6081

+Goodwin’s theory applied to Indie/Indie Rock.William Goodwin identified 7 key ideas that we should look for to identify, he said:1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage

performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band.)2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. (either

illustrative, amplifying and contradicting.)3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. (either

illustrative, amplifying and contradicting.)4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of

close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style.)

5. There is frequent reference to notion of looking (screens within screen, telescopes, etc.) and particularly voyeuristic (sexual) treatment of the female body.

6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc.)

7. Whether the video is primarily performance based, narrative based or concept based and how elements of each is used in it.

+1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band.)

Kids in Glass Houses are a British Indie Rock/Alternative band – their music conveys this by using genre characteristics normally associated with indie rock and alternative music. Conventionally Indie music usually uses performance elements and close ups/shots of band members to establish the band’s image.

The music video for ‘Matters At All’ includes all of these elements (a large performance element) plus more narrative elements which helps to bring the song to life – like a story. They also use mise-en-scene such as a range of lighting to add a dramatic effect which helps to engage the audience.

Close ups of instruments are also used a lot throughout the video which is a constant reminder to the audience that the band plays and composes their own music, this is particularly important for a Indie band because being able to play live well is something which all indie bands strive for in order to be really successful.

+2. Relationship between lyrics and visuals. (either illustrative, amplifying and contradicting.)

From Goodwin’s theory I can see that there is a slight illustrative relationship between the lyrics and the visuals in the song ‘Matters At All’. For example, the opening lyrics are “Is it so hard to remember, when we go back to September” The on-screen visuals used with these lyrics are obvious that the lead singer is reminiscing over the past, the audience can see this because of a fast motion, reverse edit which portrays events happening in the past. Also a close-up of a series of photos is used, this is effective in terms of connecting with the lyrics because photographs have connotations with memories and the past. The relationship between lyrics and visuals are

also amplifying at some points, especially during 1:02 in the music video, the audience can see this when the lyrics say “it matters at all” and a close up, high angle shot is used of a man and woman’s hand touching –this helps to show the audience that all the little events that happened in his life really did ‘matter’.

By using an illustrative and amplifying relationship between lyrics and visuals it really engages the audience because it draws them in and connects them with the narrative as well as allowing the audience to piece together both visuals and lyrics themselves which makes the song more memorable.

+3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. (either illustrative, amplifying and contradicting.)There is also illustrative relationship between music and visuals, the audience can see this through the relatively slow cutting rhythm which matches the beat of the music well – therefore each compliment each other which makes it pleasant and simple for the audience to watch .The editor of the music video has made cuts whenever there is accented beat in the music which allows the visuals to flow in parallel and simultaneously with the music. It also makes it easier for the audience to focus on the quite complex love storyline rather than focusing on one aspect such as the music.When the lead singer begins to sing the first lines of the song,

the lights suddenly turn on which emphasizes the beginning of the song and the lyrics. The fact that the lighting is very dim matches how personal and dark the music is. Each time the camera cuts the frame gets closer to the lead singer’s face until finally a close up is used – the editor has done this on purpose to create a more intimate connection with the audience – making it more personal; this really strengthens the relationship between music and visuals well because the song is a personal love relationship. Throughout the music video several cuts are made from the actual narrative to the band in a dark warehouse playing their instruments, for example at 0:45 – this automatically lets the audience know that this genre of music is Indie rock/Alternative rock.

The relationship between the music and visuals engages the audience because both work together simultaneously to create a smooth and easy flowing music video which makes it easier for the audience to watch.

+4. The demands of the record label…

Goodwin’s theory states that the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist in order to introduce the band to the audience. This music video in particular is a good example because lots of close ups are used to create a more intimate relationship with the audience.

For example, at the beginning of the music video a close up of the lead singer is used to introduce him to the audience as the lead singer. By using lots of these close ups, the record label are able to easily and successfully sell their image an ‘Indie Rock/Alternative Rock’ boy band. The close ups allow the audience to see the band members who typically follow an indie style with medium length floppy hair, quirky and casual clothing – this helps the record label to immediately sell the band’s image as fans of this genre music will quickly be able to find them.

At the beginning of the music video, the first shot used is a long shot of the band in the warehouse beginning to play their instruments – this highlights the importance of the band’s skill in being able to play their own instruments which is a factor that all indie bands follow in order to be successful and play well for live audiences.

+5. There is frequent reference to notion of looking…

The Kid’s in Glass Houses music video for ‘Matters At All’ this disproves Goodwin’s theory because the video shows no sign of voyeuristic behavior (sexual treatment of the female body). The record label have purposely decided not to include voyeurism as it could possibly alienate most of their female fan base and make them feel like objects. From their music video on Youtube, I was able to gather this statistic which proves that the majority of their fans are young females.

There is also no notion of looking in the music video because it made sense for the record label to concentrate on the twisted storyline which comes clear towards the end of the video; by using a notion of looking it could have possibly confused the audience because already the storyline is complex – they also just wanted the audience to focus on the song as well.

+6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc.)

The music video also contradicts Goodwin’s theory that there is often intertextual references. The editors of the music video have made sure that there is no intertexual reference because it allows the audience to focus on the song more which is what most indie/alternative bands concentrate on because it’s the principle of indie music. This helps to show the audience that this band are essentially true to their roots and they’re trying not to be mainstream.

+7. Whether the video is primarily performance based, narrative based or concept based and how elements of each is used in it

The music video is an even mixture of both performance based and narrative based. The reason for this is because typical indie rock music videos are normally performance based but by having a mixture it helps to convey the meaning of the song better to the audience so they can understand the words and it also makes the words far more memorable.

The dramatic dim lighting used in the performance is nicely contrasted with the brightness of the narrative so that the audience doesn’t feel too overwhelmed by darkness onscreen.The narrative brings the music to life, almost like a story, however the narrative is fragmented like a puzzle which the audience have to piece together – this engages the audience because they have to concentrate on all the events going on as well as fit the lyrics into the right places for everything to become clear..

I think the record label were very quite brave with making the narrative quite complex and then mixing it with performance because it challenges the typical conventions of a indie/alternative music video – However it has worked well, and proved to be a popular video.