MB: Deconstructing Music Videos

DZ Deathrays - "Less Out of Sync" (2014)

 

 

Institution & Audience

 

DZ Deathrays are not the most mainstream of bands, so it highly unlikely that this video would be consumed via TV music channels such as MTV. Reviews or links to the video are far more likely to be found in magazines such as NME and Kerrang, as they cater to the more independent, or rising bands. This would make YouTube the most obvious viewing platform. Despite being relatively unknown, DZ Deathrays are currently promoting their second album, of which this song is one of the singles. This is perhaps the reason why the band does not directly feature in the video, as they have already established a following, and do not need to show who they are. However, subliminal connotations towards the band, such as the two dolls the girl receives, aimed to look the band members, establish the band's meta-narrative, as somewhat anti-social rockers. This is further established by the relatively lo-fi video, symbolising the band's non-conformist attitude to mainstream popular music, just as Kurt Cobain did with his band Nirvana in the early 90s

 

 

Genre & Narrative

 

The video focuses on a basic narrative rather than performance, which follows two young children running away from their troubles. This establishes one of the conventions, being that of the screaming face with static hair, linking with the heavier parts of the music. This then further connotes the band's adversity to the conventions of everyday life, as we all have troubles, but very few people will just scream and run away from them.

 

While the video follows a narrative, it is not exactly illustrative in relation to the lyrics in the way that Vance Joy's "Riptide" is, however, the amplified nature of the video makes for a sound representation of the band's style. The grungy, rock scene. Disobeying conventions of everyday life. This is further connoted, perhaps not meaningfully, by the use of symmetry. The song is titled "Less Out of Sync", and the use of symmetry visualises this very well as in many images, the characters appear to be running away from themselves, but never quite getting there

 

I think this video can be considered art as much as the next video, but not particularly artistic. There is nothing overly fantastic about it, other than the challenging idea it poses about confronting society head on. It's main purpose however I believe is for entertainment, rather than the commercial success of the band. This post-modern nature reflects the band's feelings towards commercials capitalist society

 

 My Chemical Romance - "Na Na Na" (2010)

 

 

 

Media Language

 

My Chemical Romance have a history of constructing a story around their albums, and "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys" was no exception. "Na Na Na", the first single from the album, starts of the story, portraying the band as heroes fighting against the villains. I think there is both a social message and a band image being constructed here. The video shows the band as outlaws in what appears to be a totalitarian state. Perhaps, while highly dramatized, the band is trying to establish a comparison between the world of the video, and ours, stating their position as against the authority of authoritarian countries such as the USA

 

The video, while inherently set sometime in the future, has the style of a old western-style movie. Thus, the video appears relatively lo-fi in terms of camera quality. However, the special effects and props used in the video show that it probably had a relatively high budget in order to create the world in which the characters live in. The camera style follows a similar technique to give the impression of a lo-fi production, making it obvious that punches thrown are not actually hitting the opponents, just as could be seen in old movies

 

As mentioned previously, the video appears to offer a parodied image of current society, however, is covered by things such as the setting, and the slapstick comedy nature of the video. This, while not entirely obvious, is the meaning behind the video that the band are trying to portray

 

 

Representation

 

The video certainly conforms to Dyer's theory of star-image, as in this video, the band are represented in a positive light, as the "heroes" of the story, and the other characters as the "villains". This adds to their meta-narrative in a sense, because, as mentioned in the previous section, the video portrays them as anti-establishment, in a parodied sense, or a way that makes the situation easier to understand. This then makes it easier for the band to sell their product. My Chemical Romance establish a brand for each album they do, with this album heralding them as the characters, "The Fabulous Killjoys". Along with the album itself, many collectable items were released alongside, such as replica guns and jackets as seen in the video, as well as a series of posters and limited edition DVDs to, as Dyer says, "complete the image"

As mentioned, the band represents the heroes of the story, but they are also used to subliminally represent the masses, or "silent majority". I believe the video poses a statement on modern day society, with the villains representing politicians and "the leaders of the free world". The band represent the majority of people who are put under this system, not out of choice, but because there is no alternative, and so the rebellion ensues

This then leads onto the band's ideological discourse. This representation is not necessarily that of the band, and could merely be the characters they have assumed for the album, nevertheless, it still poses the theory of repression of the masses, challenging the dominant ideologies of capitalism and a supposed "democratic system". This image may only be constructed as a way for the band to promote their album, as many like to feel they are part of something far bigger than themselves, and the idea of rebellion against the system suits the style of music, however, upon further inspection, it is far more likely that it is just a character assumed by the band in the album's promotion