1. Florence And The Machine- The Dog Days (Are Over)
This video links with the one we are hoping to create in the sense that the
genre is alternative/indie. The video starts with a forest covered in party
accessories, with no sign of life. This is ambiguous and intriguing for the
audience, especially as the party accessories suggest there was life here at
some point. We then see a woman’s feet- also suggesting ambiguity as we
wish to know who she is. The woman blindfolds the main artist and leads her
wondering towards very abstract characters dressed up. This is abstract and
links in with the idea of masks and forests in our storyboard. The abstract feel
helps to reinforce the theme of the song- confusion.
Very fast cuts of the characters are used to portray the abnormal feel to the
video. There are lots of bright colours in the video, which is typical of this
indie/alternative genre. The majority of shots used are medium shots. This
could be because within the first minute we are still coming to terms with the
abstract nature of this video. Instruments/images of the band are not used in
2. this video. However, there are clips of the characters using wooden sticks in
order to create sounds- reflecting an abstract take on the usual use of the
band in an indie video.
When the artist takes off her blindfold there are lots of fast clips of her from
different angles. This reflects her confusion of where she is and who these
characters are. Whilst the artist is running through the forest we continually
see high angle shots of her. This shows her as being vulnerable as characters
are chasing her. When the artist falls over, the video begins to slow down.
We see slowed cuts of the characters, which are slightly blurred. This reflects
a dream-like state and also reflects the dizziness one feels after they fall over.
After this, it is impossible to make out what is being filmed. We see tangles of
cloth, rope and hands. This is confusing to the audience and follows the
theme of the video that we have seen so far.
The actors then spin around and twirl things over their head- again, reflecting
this theme of confusion. The artist then seems to become one of the
characters and the tempo speeds up again. We now see low angle shots of
the artist and so we are looking up on her. This reflects her change in status
in relation to the characters; that she has become one of them. In the
background, they have used birdcages as props. This may suggest that the
characters are free (reflected in their dancing) and so they are not confined,
as they would be in a cage.
3. The majority of shots in this video are fast-cut- reflecting the confusion and
the abstractness. The narrative of the video does not seem to reflect the song
and if the video were to be played on mute I do not think the audience would
guess what the lyrics were about.