Textual Analysis 3 (Arctic Monkeys)

My 3rd analysis of a music video is Arctic Monkeys 'R U Mine?'

The introduction of this video starts off with it being introduced as if it were a radio show, by introducing the band and the song this way, it is constantly reinforcing the name of their band, getting their image out there to the public, allowing them to be recognised by this song.

 Followed by the line 'Take it away boys' (which is not part of the actual song- which is an example of making diegetic sound fade into the non diegetic sound- a convention of sound in music videos) it edits to this scene of 2 people in a car, we are shown them sorting out the camera so we have them in a 2 shot medium close up, pretending to play the drums to the songs. This also follows the conventions of the previous rock music videos I have analysed because although it has some aspect of performing the song, the entire video is not based around the performance; just certain sections are. The mise-en-scene is very basic in this video, with black and white setting (similar to Oasis' video, suggesting that music is a simple thing that people turn into something complex that it doesn't need to be) the lighting is quite dark, giving connotations of the dark vibe this rock music has. With both the 'performers' having sunglasses on (despite it clearly being dark outside) again gives connotations of their celebrity status, perhaps they are trying to hide their faces because they do not want to be spotted by paparazzi that may be following them. So although they are not performing a big stage in front of thousands of people, we are still reminded that they are celebrities.

The editing throughout this video is very clever, whenever there is a section in the song when there is more than one singer, the 'camera man' who is also the performer switches the camera framing back to a two shot. Then it cuts back to a shot where only he is visible, in a close up this time.
As with most rock music videos, this one does not have a clear narrative, although we are aware there is one there, it does not appear to actually tell a meaningful story relating to the lyrics. It is mostly about the performance, expressing the 'alternate rock' image that this band is trying to give themselves.
By cutting to this shot, the lighting suddenly changes (still black and white, just a lot lighter) and we are shown this shot of a man with his arm around 2 girls in cowboy hats and masks, again not relating to the lyrics, it is more about how they have presented themselves.



This video is fairly different to the other two videos I have analysed, as this one is a lot more performance based than the previous one. This video focuses a lot more on the image of the performers who are represented as typical 'rock stars' who want to look good for their audience and spread the ideology that they are different from other rock artists, but still whilst fitting in with the conventions of their genre.
The way Arctic Monkeys have edited this video will appeal to their target audience as the alternate, individual approach to their video will attract the audience that would listen to this song. The audience will probably be people around their own age and those who are younger who will be influenced by aspects of their image such as the way they dress. The ratio to males and females will probably be fairly equal because the males will aspire idolise them, and females may be attracted to them which would encourage them to listen to their music and enjoy their videos- which is another reason why they may still care about their image, even though it may not be one of the main aspects of their video. This is how they are represented in order to appeal to their target audience; they know that young people will idolise them and will like their image, therefore, they make it work for them without making it a major part of their video.