Kasabian - Vlad The Impaler
Before I analyse this video, I'd just like to point out that this music video is not really the genre we are looking at, it is more rock than indie/alternative, however, I thought I would benefit from analysing it as it still follows conventions of music videos and the research to develop our project further.
This clip I have selected is the first fourteen seconds of the music video. I have selected this video as it is really quite different to any other music video I have ever seen, yet it still manages to follow conventions of the music video by illustrating the lyrics. The first clip I have chosen is an introduction to the video which is in a similar style to that of a silent film as it tells you the producer and the production companies and then introduces you to the main character with the name written across the screen - making it obvious who the main role will be. The words "Vlad The Impaler" are written across the screen in white writing at first which then become red, this is significant as red is often used to represent danger. It is also worth realising that the members of Kasabian do not appear in this film at any time and this is a contrast to the conventions of music videos as band members are usually the main part of their videos. The clip uses on-beat editing with a long shot of Noel Fielding's feet hitting the ground at the same tempo as the music. The mise en scene of this clip is mainly black and white with a dramatic sunset to make it slightly gothic, also as the video was filmed in the autumn/winter, the bare trees help this video to experiment with the gothic elements.
This second clip I have selected shows illustration and amplification within this music video as it shows Vlad The Impaler preparing to impale. We are mainly showed Vlad through a series of close ups and the use of darkness with just a candle to light up his actions helps to maintain the gothic atmosphere the music video had created. There is a shot used where there is selected focus on the tool which then focuses so we can see Vlad's face looking down the tool - this imagery gives a sense of foreboding within this narrative that is being created and intrigues the audience. The use of fast paced editing in this scene builds up tension as we see daggers being showed before a light and being thrust towards the camera each shot that we see engages the audience more. The use of black imagery is still being continued through this clip and the mise en scene could be perceived as the darkness of the mind as Vlad The Impaler was very dark and murderous.
This clip shows Vlad stalking two women playing tennis. He is revealed by a quick pan shot to follow the tennis ball being hit and we can see him in his black cape/cloak standing under the cover of a tree which then immediately cuts to a close up of his eyes watching them. This creates anxiety for the audience as they cannot be sure as to what is going to happen, they just know by the conventions of the gothic that it is going to be something bad. Throughout all of this there is no miming or lip syncing as the band do not appear at any point in this music video which contrasts against conventions of a music video and i'm not sure if I would use this in my video as I believe it is an important part of a music video to see who the band members are, even if they aren't performing. Black and white remain the key colours and the camera uses mostly natural lighting, which helps to maintain the gothic atmosphere. The tennis ball hits Vlad but he remains expressionless, which is not of normal behaviour and then we see the woman (who is in quite revealing shorts and is attractive, which is a common convention used in music videos) come to collect her tennis ball via a long shot which then cuts to show Vlad holding the ball at arms length with a tense body position and not moving, again displaying abnormal behaviour and intriguing the audience, this then cuts back to the woman asking for her ball but this time at a mid shot to show her movement and to show that in all the time she has been walking towards Vlad he has not moved and showing signs that he is about to pounce like an animal with prey. These camera shots prepare the audience for what is about to happen as they are all in very quick pace and then we see Vlad force his weapon at the camera as we take a point of view shot of the woman and then red appears on the screen which symbolises the murder of the woman. Again, red is the colour of danger and death.
This clip shows the crescendo of the song and the peak of madness in the video. This part of the song has horror movie qualities with a 'Damsel in distress' coming back to find her partner/friend has been murdered by Vlad the impaler. The special effect of Vlad's face turning red represents danger intriguing and engaging the audience as to what is going to happen at the crescendo. A slow motion shot of Vlad is used during the build up to the crescendo which heightens the audience's anxiety as to what is about to happen (throughout this shot, the red special effect is continued which also increases uncertainty as to what is about to happen). Also, we flashback to previous scenes within the music video and see the lady by the tennis court is on the floor - we assume she is dead/impaled. When the crescendo is reached, it is emphasised by quick-paced editing, handheld shots, varying shot angles, people running and people who are desperate to get away. Vlad's black cloak and outfit adds to the mise en scene and makes him appear quite gothic, which helps the video to be more horrifying. During the course of this video, there has been no lip syncing which goes against the conventions of a music video - i think we could use this in parts of our video, however, i do not believe it will be entirely successful if we use it throughout the whole of our video. During the peak of the song we choose, we could incorporate the convention of handheld shots and chaos as it is memorable and intriguing.
This part of the video uses special effects to create a graphic image of one of the victims being stabbed by Vlad the impaler and is showed to the audience in slow motion to achieve maximum impact. Special effects are often used in music videos and in most videos as it creates a sense of supernatural or makes the director able to achieve something that is not humanly possible - here this abides the convention of using special effects but does not abide the convention at the same time as such graphic images are not permitted on television as it requires an age restriction.
The main colours which are used in this video are black and red - this gives quite a satanic feel to the video and represents death quite clearly. Also, to abide the gothic/satanic feel of the video, nuns are poking fire at Vlad, which is how they used to punish what they believed was supernatural e.g. witches.
There are no systems of looking used in this video and no voyeurism is used.
On the whole, i'd say that this music video uses amplification continuously and effectively so that the video will be memorable to the audience - i think that amplification could be quite hard to achieve for our music video, but would definitely be worthwhile using.
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