Analysis Of Music Videos #3

The third and final video I will be analysing is Fearless Vampire Killers' "Bow Ties On Dead Guys" as it fits in with the Hard Rock genre. I am analysing this video because it fits in with the genre of the song I have chosen to do for my video. To analyse the video I will be using CMINTS which stands for:
C - Costume
M - Mise-en-scene
I - Iconography
N - Narrative
T - Themes
S - Sound

Costume

The costume in the video fits in with the genre of hard rock because the outfits they are wearing are mostly black and only a few members of the band are wearing different colours such as white, but the white is under the black. The vocalist has an "emo" haircut with one side of his head shaved and dyed jet black with a red streak from left to right. Three of the other members have darker hair and one of them has a brighter hair colour but it's not too bright to go against the conventions of the genre.

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene includes all parts of CLAMPS which stands for; Character, Lighting, Actors, Make-up, Props and Setting.

Character

The characters in this video are the band itself, some strange masked figures and a guy with a gun. The characters have been chosen for this video because they fit the title of the song. The masked figures may signify dead guys, however they aren't wearing bow ties, the only people in the video that are wearing bow ties are the lead vocalist and lead guitarist.

Lighting

The lighting in this video is low key to represent the tone of the song. It sets the scene for a darker appearance for the band itself. It is effective in the storyline of this video because it shows how the members of the band are fighting for their lives in the sense of that the masked figures are wanting them dead. In the performance parts of the video, the lighting is brighter to say that the band is prepared for a fight.

Actors

The actors in this video are the band itself, five other people on a balcony and five people who are out to kill the band. Instead of the band being only in the performance, they have chosen to take part in the storyline as they can tell it better as they know what the song is about. In one part of the video, the lead singer, Kier is laid on the floor but sat up a little bit, with one of the other characters bending over him in his face as to say that the masked character is going to try and kill him.

Make-up

The make-up used in the video is a mixture of eyeliner and white facial powder. The eyeliner is being worn by all the band members and the white powder is worn by all of the members as well, some of the members have the white powder on their clothing as well. This is used to create an old and dusty feel to the video as it is staged in a dusty theatre type of setting.

Props

The props used in the video are the bands instruments in the performance, a gun, and several flags. the instruments show off the talent that the band has, as not many people have heard of them so they want to get the message of their as talented as any other band across. The gun in the video is carried by one of the other actors and is aimed at the band individually but is never fired at anyone. The flags are red and white on each side, the band has the red flags and the other actors have the white ones. These symbolise that the other actors are pure to the heart but on the outside they are the exact opposite. The red ones symbolise that the band are sinners on the inside but they are the opposite of that on the outside, as they have done nothing wrong.

Setting

The setting for the video is in an old theatre as it gives enough space for the band to perform alongside the actors. The look of the music video is quite thetrical so this setting suits the song well with the lyric in the chorus "burning down my favourite haunts, yeah". This lyric could mean that the bands favourite haunt is a theatre, which may be why they held the video in a theatre.

Iconography

The iconography in the video is one that is hard to see to the audience that aren't into this kind of music. The basic message of this song is about people putting you down by calling you a freak and a weirdo. The signs in this video/song that tell you not to listen to them are mainly in the chorus as the lyrics are,
"So kick and scream all you want,
And burn down my favourite haunts, yeah
We'll see who's laughing in the end
Light up the funeral pyres,
But you know what you get when you play with fire
We'll see who's laughing in the end"
The message in the chorus is that you can let anyone say anything about you or to you, but in the end, you'll be the one laughing in their faces in the future.

Narrative

The narrative in this video a mixture of deadly situations and battle scenes with the band and the other characters. In one shot, Kier goes down hurt and is aided by one of his bandmates back up to his feet. The rest of the narrative is basically about the way that the and can escape from the other actors and survive their ordeal against them. In the end, both sides get away alive and the video ends with a shot of the band in a kind of "that's it, run away!" pose.

Themes

The theme of the song is telling you that no matter what anoyone says to you or does to you, however old you are, that later on in life, you will be laughing in their faces at everything they have done to you.

Sound

The sound in the song is a mixture of palm-muting, octaves and open power chords with the guitars. There are vocal harmonies which you can hear over the top of Kier (lead singer). Also, there is another vocal style which isnt very common in the genre, where one singer sings one line and the other speaks a line over the top. Before the last chorus, there is a few notes played on the pentatonic scale after the little breakdown.