Analysis of narrative, genre, media language and representation.

In class, we studied various music videos focusing on the 4 key concepts: narrative, genre, media language and representation. We looked at the conventions of different music videos and discussed the type of audience it would appeal to and the effectiveness of it.
[ Coldplay - The Scientist ]

Narrative:
The narrative is linear and uninterrupted, although the sequence is played back to front, the whole sequence is smooth and continuous- having no disruptions. There is equilibrium as everything is balanced and composed- however at the end equilibrium is solved as we find out why everything is back to front. The artist himself the narrator as well as the participant- using the lyrics he is describing the story but he is also the actor. The narrative is illustrative- we see the event being played backwards and towards the end, we see the cause of the outcome. The lyrics "Take me back to the start" is played constantly therefore illustrating his thoughts and emotions.

Genre:
Coldplay is a indie/alternative rock band. Although in this video we do not see the full band members, we see the main band leader only who is telling the narrative and being the actor of the video. The location seems to be in a city in England as it has typical landmarks such as shops and buildings. The setting is realistic- It is set purely outdoors in dull cloudy weather- to signify the mundane reality and suit to the context. The iconography used is quite hard to distinguish in this video as it is hard to find symbolisation that represent the indie rock-band. However, band member/actor himself looks dishevelled and focuses only on himself- the surroundings are not glamorous which represents the rock type genre. He is wearing causal normal clothes- in the middle and end we see him wearing a black jacket which symbolises the 'rock look.' The lighting is quite dull however, we can classify that it is in the day time.

Media Language:
The editing used creates a balanced smooth pace- however, it's pace is quite slower than normal- the editing is manipulated to suit the context of the music therefore slowing things down slightly but not to an obvious extent. The sequence is continuous and there are not much cutaways or match-cuts used. There are mainly mid-shots of the actor/band member singing and we watch him going to his destination- the uses of shots are quite repetitive but the location keeps changing as the camera is tracking and following him. The whole video is played back to front- for example in the beginning he suddenly springs up from the mattress and starts walking backwards. However, and interesting point is the lip syncing still matches the lyrics being played. The overall mood of the video creates equilibrium- we feel the same emotions and the music is quite solemn and reflective. The editing is conventional to this genre because alternative rock strives to be different than being classed as purely the 'rock' genre- the video itself is quite unique and original.

Representation:
In this particular video, there is not much obvious representations of any particular group. e.g. no sexual representations. The band member/actor is the most dominant person who is on the screen, with not much people or action going on. As there is not much going on in the video except the viewer watching the actor walk past places. We are only interested in his actions as he goes back in time- we just observe the events taking place. The presentation of himself makes him seem indifferent, careless and unconcerned- which can symbolise typical male characteristics. In addition, where he puts on the black on again represents the tough manliness that is associated with men but also the solemness and seriousness of the situation. However, in contrast to the music, the representations tell a different story. Towards the end of the video we realise that he had been in a car accident with his girlfriend but only he survived- therefore he is going back in time to see where things went wrong. The lyrics are suggesting that men can also be emotional and caring too- therefore where he drops his 'tough manly' jacket, he is also dropping the connotations of what it is to be a man.