Music Video Analysis 2.0 - John Bone

Feeder - Feeling The Moment

Genre characteristics:
Feeder, formed in 1992, are an alternative rock band. This video ‘Feeling the moment’ is mainly a performance based video. There is no narrative to the video; it is quite random, which fits the alternative rock genre. The use of the white background is quite random and bizarre which are both characteristics of this genre.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals:
There is not a major relationship between the lyrics and visuals, as the video is mainly performance based. There is no narrative to the video, the only shots of the video when it is not performance based, is when the lead singer is walking down the street, which has no relationship with the lyrics.

Relationship between music and visuals:
It is made clear to the audience immediately that there is a link between the music and visuals. This is helped by the fact that this is a predominantly performance based video. From the very beginning of the video, the audience are shown the band performing (without the lead singer), this give the director time to focus and use close-ups to focus on the band playing their instruments. Due to these close-ups, it is clear that the visuals are in time to the music, making it seem that they are playing the music. The camera then focuses on the lead singer, Grant Nicholas, where you can see him singing as well as playing the guitar in time to the music.

Demands of record label, visual style and motifs:
Throughout the video you see all four band members. You see both close-ups and long-shots; the close-ups would be a definite requirement of the record company in order to sell their star status. There are a large number of close-ups of Grant Nicholas and a huge amount of screen time is devoted to him. Close ups of the band playing their instruments are also important for the record label as this is a key element to selling the band.

Band Representation video based:
The band is represented as a serious alternative rock band. Their video is professional with no comedy involved. As their video is predominately performance based, it would appear to the audience that they are and excellent performing band, and may wish to go and see them live. The band (using the performance based technique) show that they have taken alternative rock back to where it started, using the recipe of success. Not using any narrative or story telling, just simply a band performing their song to the cameras.

Analysis in terms of media language:
Mise-en-scene:
The video is shot in two separate areas. The performance based section of the video is set in a car park surrounded by run down building that are bordered up. The building walls are covered in graffiti, which adds to the genre characteristics. The rest of the video (mainly the chorus) is set in a high street with the lead singer walking along the pavement. The buildings are not bordered up, however they do look very run down and bleak which adds to the genre effects.

Lighting:
The video is filmed outside, so it is all natural light. However, the light is sometimes replaced by the background being a wash of white. So the light is at some points irrelevant.

Camera Techniques:
There are lots of different camera techniques used in this video, of course the most common, such as the close-ups of the band members which is vital in any music video. There are three main different techniques used during the video. These three are used at different times during the video; lots of fast cuts, camera always moving and the camera still. The fast cuts are used when the music is at its fastest tempo, when the song really gets going. The shots cut to the beat of the song. Mixed with this technique is when the camera is always moving, if the cutting speed slows down on a high tempo part of the song, then the camera will continuously move. Whether it is the camera zooming in or out or from high angles to low, the camera would never be still. When the camera does move, it will move in time to the music, maybe on a major beat, the cameras will zoom in on the band. The camera is always focused on the band. The last technique is not a very common technique in alternative rock videos, it is when the camera is completely still for a relatively long amount of time. In this video this is used occasionally in the chorus, when the tempo of the song slows and it becomes much calmer. The camera stays still, and the lead singer walks down the street moving through the camera shot. The speed of the shot is also slowed down, so it appears that the lead singer is walking in slow motion.

Special Effects:
Throughout the video, the background is submersed in a white (paint like) effect. Covering walls in patters and moving in time to the lead singer’s movements. At the start of the video, the lead singer (who plays the main role in the video) is put in rewind, so the audience see him walking backwards, whilst the public walking around him are in normal time. Under-cranking is used when the camera is focused on the lead singer, as he walks down the effect. This fits with the sound of the music, because it is at a time when the song slows down and is not so loud.