Analysis of Music Video - BEKTAS [Research]

The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony

Genre:

The Verve are an indie/alternative/rock/britpop band and this is represented well in the 'Bittersweet Symphony' video. The video consists of the lead singer walking through a busy street, ignoring his surroundings and other people. This gives the 'I don't care' feel in the video, which is a music video convention you would expect in a alternative rock song. Natural lightning the costumes are used to full effect and also reflect the genre itself (Indie, alternative/rock). The clothes used a typical of an indie rock band. Rugged, casual clothes. Not too eye catching and very low key.

Narrative:

The narrative of the video follows a 'verse chorus verse' linear structure. The artist is a participant and the narrator of the story. The video is created in chronological fashion, with the lead singer of the band stand standing there at first then begining the his journey of the video once the drums and bass drops in. This shows the clever use of the beat of the video to good effect. Most music videos have a disruption and an equilibrium. In this case the disruption in the 'bittersweet symphony' video is the artist walking through the street in a straight line, ignoring passers by (also a car!). The equilibrium is when the artist meets up with the rest of the band, he is 'complete' again.

Representation:

As the audience we are encouraged to be voyeurs of the artist. This involves the audience and helps us identify with the artists' feelings and emotions. We feel the 'bittersweetness' of life. The representation of the artists is totally not what you would expect from an indie alternative rock band. The artists have attempted to dis-use certain rock music convetions such as the heavu use of guitar etc.

Media Language:

The video goes with the music beat, thus creating a flowing music video. The lead singers footstpes are in sync with the beat, which also adds to the effectiveness of the video as a whole. No special of sound effects are used. The natural lightning is used the fulll effect. The camera is completely focused on the artist walking through the street. The music video is essentially a track shot for the duration of the video. Close ups, mid shots and match cuts are also used to make the video more effective. The speed of the cuts are generally slow, which is not what you would espect in an indie rock video, however this goes well with the mood of the song.