Music video analysis

White Lies- Farewell to the fairground

For my second analysis of a music video I am going look at a recent music video farewell to the fairground by the White Lies. The band have only just hit the big stage and are very popular amongst music fans In my own opinion I believe the song is about moving on in life, a sort transition from just a dream to reality. The video itself is evidence of this as we see the lead singer walking to his destination. However towards the end of the video we see that the mans dream is not what he thought it would be, its sort of a disappointment to him finding the run down area. This common experience can be shared by millions of people. I am going to once again look at mise en scene, cinematography, editing and sound.

The opening seconds of the video give us great insight into the thoughts and feelings of the song and video. We see lights flickering on and off, showing the transition from light to dark, good to bad. This shows hows life change in a flicker, how dreams can achieved but also crushed in a heartbeat. In these first few seconds we are shown the location of the band, which is quite run down and very basic. This shows that we all can start at the bottom of the ladder and work there way up. In the video we see the man arriving to his destination, but realising it isn’t what he thought it would be, its run down and not at all pleasant. After the initial seconds we see the man walking in a baron area of nothing but snow and trees. This may have been used to show that going for something you want isn’t always smooth, that it is empty and lonely. However the man continues to push on without any hesitation, when we would expect him to give in. Once he reaches the place it is very disappointing, it is just run down sheds and in the background we can see the industrial centre. The destination is that bad we see wild animals roaming.

One of the main things I have picked up in cinematography is the constant long shots we see. This could have been used to show the bleakness and wilderness. It could be used to show how somebody’s life is empty, that there is nothing there for them and that they need to move on. As well as this we also see a tracking shot of the main character, which gives us a sense of connection, a sort of feeling that we are attached to the character and wish him to do well. The tracking shot is continual, showing the mans long journey to were he wants to go. It constantly switches from a shot in front of the character, to behind him. This is used to show us firstly, were the man has come from, but more importantly were he is going. Overall use of angles, distance and movement is used to show us the journey from the mans previous life to his new life.

Editing is a tool that can give great feeling within the video. One of the main things that is visible in the video is the constant, quick cuts throughout it. The idea being that it shows how this transition is very quick, that life can begin slow but start gaining speed. It gives us a sense that life is constantly changing at times and we can we swept away by our dreams. Cuts from each person shows how we all have different aims in life, and that we each get there in different ways. During the video we also see constant cuts to the band then back to the characters. As the beat begins to get faster and faster the cuts follow this trend, to show once again that his life may be reaching a pivotal moment. All these editing points explain my feelings on how the video effects what we feel the song is about, on what it is trying to tell us.

The sound in this is simply the band performing. This in itself promotes the band further and gets their names out there. It gives the audience an idea of what the band sound like.