JP - Music Video Analysis

The Kooks - She Moves in Her Own Way

Institution and Audience

- How might this video be consumed?
This video was released in 2006 and got to number 7 in the UK singles charts. So unlike a large proportion of music from this genre it broke into the mainstream, therefore the video will have been consumed passively as it would have been on the chart shows on music TV. However it will also be consumed online by fans of the genre and on more specialist music TV channels.

- What role would the record label play in creating these promotional texts?
The Record label will have been involved in creating the idea for the music video to match the genre and the artist’s image and will hire a video commissioner.

Genre and Narrative

- What are the forms and conventions evident in the video?
The characteristics of this video are typical of videos made by ‘The Kooks’, it has not got a strong narrative, and it is not strongly linked to the lyrics. There is a link however between the music and the narrative as the tempo will change in the video accordingly. The video is partly performance based because there is lip syncing at some stages. Although most of the time the band is playing their instruments as part of the narrative, purposefully out of sync with the song.

- Is this an example of illustration or amplification? or Disjuncture? Why?
The video is partly illustrative as there is some relationship with the lyrics however largely it does not reference the lyrics so I could be argued to be disjuncture at some parts.

- Could this video be considered art?
In this video there are an array of shots and some of the landscape shots could be seen as artistic, however I do not believe it should really be considered as art, as it is a low budget video and the emphasis is on the song and not the video.

Media Language

- What is the message or purpose of the video?
The purpose of the video is primarily to sell the song and the artist who has made it; however there may be other meanings to the song. The video is about the band travelling around the world having a good time, with obvious reference to a girl. So the purpose could be a love song or just to signify happiness.

- What visual techniques are used to do this and why?
The lo-fi tone of the video gives the video a more real look to it, giving the viewer more of a chance to relate to the video than more high budget spectacles. Lots of band shots help the band be recognised and makes them more well known which will make the band more successful.

- Is there any intertextuality/ references to popular culture?
This song does not show references to the popular culture as it is not aimed at the mainstream audience.
Representation

- How are the band/artist represented?
The band are represented in this video as social young men who love music and having a good time, this is shown by all the group shots and the very happy tone of the video. They are not presented to be mainstream artists because of the clothes they wear and not the glamorous locations that expected from pop artists.

- How are different social groups represented?
The young male social group is represented in this video to fit in with the genre of the artist, as there are only a few extras to go along with the band; they’re represented as how they are in real life.