Alex McEwan

Mise-en-scence
The mise-en-scene within a music video refers to the props, scenery and all that
you can see within the product. Our group chose to study the genre of
alternative rock, however does intertwine with the genres of rock and punk, as
theyre very similar. The visuals within these types of videos are similar,
especially the setting of the video, always striving to be portrayed as fairly
casual. This allows the audience to relate to the narrative, as its located in a
surrounding that we all often visit, thereby creating a connection with the
audience from the very beginning. It also represents that fact that the band are
down-to-earth, and not attempting to convey themselves as anything but regular
people.
These songs are usually based on the foundations on love, rebellion or youth
ideologies such as not conforming to societys expectations, therefore using a
suitable setting to compliment the narrative will give the reader a sense of
realism, potentially viewing the text as an actual depiction of real events.
Common traits of an alternative rock video include a hybrid between a narrative
and performance, or concept and narrative; yet they both incorporate
performance the majority of the time, to convey their passion for the music
theyre playing.
Comedy is a key aspect of these videos, evident in both Big Me by Foo Fighters
and Dammit by Blink 182, being stereotypical videos for young, punk bands of
the late 90s and early 2000s. The humour can often be perceived as overelaborate, however this is intentional, to allow the audience to appreciate the
irony of the humour, being so relatable that its humorous, reverting back to the
connection the narrative has with the audience. This is shown in Dammit where
Mark Hoppus the lead singer of Blink 182 and the two other band members,
Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker, spot Marks ex-girlfriend, which leads to Mark
falling to his knees, dropping an unnecessary amount of popcorn and yelling in
anguish. By his facial expression, you can obviously see his reaction is
hyperbolized, however has done so to highlight the travesty of seeing his former
girlfriend, which is intended to be humours for the viewer.
This technique is also applied in the Big Me video, where Dave Grohl is
obstructed by a limo in the middle of the street. He eats a Footos mint, which
throughout the video gives those who eat them courage, which then allows him
to climb through the limo and smirk at the camera. As he climbs out, the woman
in the limo acknowledges the mint and laugh along with Dave and his friends,
being a comical twist on product placement. This gives the reader pleasure as it
too is over-elaborate, yet is done to emphasise the message. The clothing worn
by these bands is fairly similar too, being casual to reflect their insouciant
personalities.

Similarities between videos Dammit and Big Me

Bright colours these are continuously used to attract young and influential
audiences, as dark and dull colours arent as aesthetically pleasing as colours

Alex McEwan
such as orange and blue, which will keep younger audiences enthralled for
longer.
Performance the narrative shifts from narrative to performance regularly, which
demonstrates that both bands are eager to display theyre skilled in their
profession. This is a common theme which runs through most Foo Fighters and
Blink 182s music videos, which only emphasises their eagerness to stay true to
themselves, and not sell out.
Thematic both videos use common conventions of punk/alternative rock videos,
such as humour and mockery. This conforms to the stereotype that punk bands
are rebellious, thereby appealing to conventional fans of the genre, who are
drawn to these characteristics.
Exaggeration Both videos over-emphasise humour to appeal to a wide variety
of social groups. This is to attract new audiences, rather than just focus on their
target market, which may help new viewers become more familiar with the band,
potentially taking an interest in their music as a result.
Immaturity You can see that both bands are portrayed as fairly immature, to
highlight their reluctance to grow up, which appeal to the target market, which
are teenagers who feel the same way. This then creates a relationship with the
key demographic.
Costume Members of each band wear oversized clothes, ripped jumpers and
shorts with long socks to convey the nonchalant demeanours they possess,
which connotes the fact that theyre down to earth, rather than corporate
businessmen with intentions to simply make money off these videos. This is
applicable for Dammit, as the protagonists are seen squabbling with Marks exgirlfriend in the cinema, who is dressed in a tight tank-top. In comparison, Blink
182 are wearing oversized clothes, have facial piercings and have died their hair
different colours, which connotes theyre not driven by aesthetics, which could,
in term, relate to their lack of interest in money and drive to sell their music.
Binary opposites Developed by Levi Strauss, this theory can be applied within
both these videos, depicting the dominant vs the oppositional, is seen first in Big
Me, as the businessman refuses to move his car for the inferior woman, who
then gets her revenge, which is an example of cross-semiotics, which allows the
oppositional character to triumph over the dominant. This is also seen in
Dammit, as Mark is continuously compared to his ex-girlfriends new boyfriend,
being idealistic due to his obvious muscles, fake tan and chizzled physique, in
comparison to Marks lack of such.

Alex McEwan