OCR Media

Studies
G325
Section 1b
Media Language

An example analysis of media language. How

could you write like this about your music
video?
Analysis of media language (codes and conventions) in the video for Do You Feel? by
The Rocket Summer
The video for Do You Feel? by The Rocket Summer uses camera movement, shot types and
focus pulls in a way that creates a sense of the band as energetic, dynamic and down to
earth.
The video includes two elements, with parallel editing between the two: the band perform in
an urban (New York?) alleyway, with skyscrapers in the background and dusty, shuttered
doorways, and this is cross-cut with shots of individuals (some are band members; most are
ordinary people with varied age, gender and ethnicity) who display lyrics or secrets penned
on to the palms of their hands. The cross-cutting between these two elements (which
becomes more frequent and intense towards the end of the video) creates the interest and
sustains the audiences attention, as well as adding some dynamic to the video.
The performance element is shot using 5-6 shot types, using match-on-action to ensure
continuity throughout the performance, and these 5-6 shot types are established at the very
start of the video. An initial establishing long shot of the whole band performing within the
alleyway introduces the audience to the band and emphasises the gritty urbanism of the
band. This then cuts (no other transitions are used in the video, only cuts, and this helps to
create a sense of quick-moving energy in the video) to a ECU shot of the singers mouth and
mic, creating a sense of intimacy and also a sense of the importance (and weight) of his lyrics
(a notion that will become more important later when we see the lyrics scribed on the hands
of the characters). There then follows a series of shots where the mise-en-scene focuses on
instruments and the bands shoes/ clothes (Converse; skinny jeans), often with low angle
shots to create connotations of their power and presence. These shots all use shallow focus
and focus pulls, moving the audiences attention from the foreground to the background, from
one band member to another, and from one instrument to another. Instruments and musical
equipment (guitar pedals; amps; cymbals; mics) all feature very highly, and with the quickmoving camera, focus pulls and quick changes of camera angles, this all seeks to establish
the band as a live rock act. The lead singer is invariably shot using a CU and rule of thirds,
with other band members (drummer/ guitarist) visible in the other two-thirds of the screen, and
this helps to as well as selling the lead singers face. Throughout the video, the camera is
constantly moving, which again creates a sense of energy and dynamism, and in this way the
director uses camera angles, focus, and shot types to create a sense of a live gig, making the
video more exciting to watch.
The 2min 41sec video uses 97 different shots, with many short takes of under 2 second
duration creating a sense of movement and energy, and the quick cutting creates an energy
for the video, seeking to heighten the excitement of the bands performance. Most of the
shots are used repeatedly: the CUs of the lead singer, for instance, and the establishing LS of
the bands performance create a reassuring structure for the audience, making it easier to
follow the video. In addition, the shots of people holding up their slogan-penned hands all use
a MS which moves to a CU of the character, before a focus-pull is used to draw attention
between the face and the hand, and this structure is repeated throughout the video to make
the structure familiar and easier to read.
It is also important to recognise the difference between the performance element and the
secrets written on hands element: the shots of people holding up their hands are filmed using
dropped frames to make it seem animated, creating connotations of fragility and also of
amateurism, and the director clearly wants to attach these connotations to the image of the
band to appeal to the audience. Furthermore, the late afternoon backlight creates soft-lighting
effects that almost romanticises the band and the characters, again adding to the appeal to
the audience.
The video ends with the establishing long shot which was used at the start, and, just as the
camera tilted down from the sky to the band at the start, so at the end it tilts up to the sky.
This structural device of similar (but inverted) shots creates a closure to the video.
REM Whats the Frequency, Kenneth?

Peter Cares video for REMs Whats the Frequency, Kenneth? utilises cinematography in
order to create a sense of an energetic and anarchic live act.
The video begins with a MS of the lead singer from the neck down preparing to sing at a
microphone. No faces are shown for the first 30 seconds, with only shots of feet, instruments
or legs being used, and this creates a sense of an enigma, as well as emphasising the group
as live rock band through the focus on instruments. The camera moves very much like an
audience member looking around the room: movement is initially slow, but the shots are
always swinging or moving slightly, making the audience feel more immersed in the
performance.
The video varies the shots of the performance to create an energy. Long shots of the whole
band performance are inter-cut with ECU of the singers face and the guitarists instruments,
and the video frequently uses shallow focus to move the audiences attentions from one band
member to another, or from one instrument or part of an instrument to another. In this way the
camera mimics the head/ eye movement of an observer, The video also uses numerous
cutaways to CU shots of instruments, leads, amps and other performance equipment, and
through this the notion of the band as a live act is emphasised.
The busy composition of shots is often mis-composed, with elements moving out-of-frame,
and again this is an attempt to recreate the energy of a real live performance. Furthermore,
the recurrent strobe lighting, as well as the blue and red filters, recreates the lighting of a live
gig. Flash frames of ECUs of the singers face are also used throughout the piece to sell the
bands image and to create a sense of the video as personal or intimate.