Kings Of Leon Video Analysis

Kings Of Leon – Use Somebody


Kings Of Leon, a rock band originally from Tennessee, formed in 1999 and the band consists of three brothers and their cousin. Caleb Followill, lead vocals on the band, wrote this song about longing for somebody to have a cuddle with while feeling lonely on the road. He said on his band’s website: “It’s about being far from home.”


The single seems to try to retract a stereotypical viewpoint on popstars and people in the industry whom are all forsaken to be above themselves and believe they are better than everyone else. It is in some ways a plead to let all the fans out there know that deep down they are lonely at times...just like everyone else. This tells us they are down to earth which is a factor which can relate one to want to listen to their music as ‘they can relate to it’.
The first shot is an " inside out shot" showing a man in the frame, most probably a key person as he is the first person to be shown in the first shot. Through the windows you see the New York skyline which has several connotations such as night life, fun, excitement etc. This could signify the kind of life styles the band hand or in turn the kind of lifestyles we the viewers believe the band to have...
There is a combination of ELS, Aerial shots tracking and swooping into and over the action of the busy illuminated city at night, something which relates to their lifestyle as they are always busy and on the go...on the road as it seems very lonely.


The low-key lighting acts as a tool for enigma, the band are wearing sunglasses at night and get out the car, which likens them to 'stars'. They appear as exciting as the New York views with their placement central in the frame. Lighting is very important in this video and is predominant in the first 33 seconds of where the camera goes in and out of differently coloured lights from different sources, such as buildings etc.
Fast paced editing suggests their fast pace lifestyle, along with the sped up footage of road and cars, suggesting movement and that they’re constantly on the go. Intercut between that and them playing live performances with live audiences etc... complements the other locations where we see their 'rock star' lifestyle.
The montage sequence of editing is achieved mainly by cuts but the first time we hear words being sung, is when we see an overlap, which introduces the singer as the main singer, slowly with an overlap connecting two places together. he is the light, stars are sources of light, and he is a star, this is where editing and visuals and lyrics are all intertwined.


The shot of the airplane along with the sped up footage of the cars on the motorway seems to suggest a journey which they are on, maybe a journey to another performance as this is what we constantly see throughout. Along with this the desperate plead is made obvious when he sings “you know that I could use somebody” and looks up into the sky as if looking for God to help him, putting the audience in a position to feel sorry for him.
After these words the key man in the video sings the video cuts to a flash image of him on top of a girl in bed and cuts straight back to him on his chair. This is reality showing us his past thoughts which is why this affect has been done fast so we don’t get it mixed up with reality. He then goes on to sing the same line, only this time he is looking at the camera putting us the audience in a position to be sincere and open our hearts out to this clever gesture.
The video goes black and white for about 20 seconds as we see shots of the band rehearsing and hugging each other before a performance and just laughing with one another. This signifies that they are just as normal as the next guy, only they have a lot of money. This makes them as a band seem very down to earth and can help people relate to them, this is the boys, not the pop stars. The music at this point is very slow but the tension along with the beat begins to pick up until we see them actually performing live and the colour comes back, this is the return of the pop stars.


This video attracts its key audience by capturing live footage of the band playing whilst on tour and of them back stage socialising and being ‘themselves’. This gives the audience a chance to connect with the band, or at least create that impression, because they are shown doing everyday, normal activities which removes anything intimidating about the band and frames them as ‘real people’. The use of dimly lit rooms, rock star life-style images and various means of transport all contribute to form a video which would appeal to the genre of music’s (indie/rock) target audience. 

Paramore Video Analysis

Paramore - Brick By Boring Brick

This song by Paramore is called Brick By Boring Brick and was released in December 2009. 
The use of mise-en-scene, specifically the use of a swing and the lead singer in a dress, expresses a child-like and fairytale theme to the video, linking in with the lyrics of the song. Its also expressed through the use of the tones/shades of: gold, red and brown, stylising an ‘autumn’ or ‘fall’ style to the settings. By using these colours (as well as CGI falling leaves) Meiert Avis has created a sense of ‘ending’ or ‘change’ to the settings, following the ‘storyline’ within the lyrics (of burying the castle and a world someone has forgotten). Settings indicates a fantasy/fairytale theme, linking in with the lyrics of the song, describing various childhood fairytales (such as Prince Charming and the 3 little pigs). 
The lighting of this shot, the over exposure, emphasises the surrealistic style of the setting and emphasises the fairytale style. Also, by using warm tones, the settings appear ‘harmless’ or ‘friendly’ which later contradicts with the tones of inside the castle. 
In order to keep with the message within the lyrics (of a forgotten childhood) Meiert Avis has incorporated various forms & conventions made by Andrew Goodwin. Such as the incorporation of the band and the narrative style of the video. 

The use of costumes brings life to the lyrics (‘or the wolf’s gonna blow it down’). The hazy lighting of the shot creates the sense of surrealism, adding to the fairytale style the director is aiming for. The costumes in this shot coincides with the idea that the song is about childhood fantasies/fairytales, brought to life via the ‘wolfman’ & the ‘grandmother’ (from the fairytale of Little Red Riding H00d). Incorporating these ideas gives the audience the sense of surrealism which surrounds the video. The contradiction between the costumes and the settings (a field of over grown mushrooms) emphasises the absurdity of the setting and the childhood fairytale style. 

Throughout the video, the settings switch between the ‘autumn’ styled scene (where Hayley Williams sings) & following the little girl through the woods & to a castle. The introduction of the castle can be taken literally from the lyrics (‘To bury the castle’). However it is also the change in the style of lighting and mise-en-scene the moment the girl steps inside. The outside coincides with the ‘autumn’ and fairytale theme Meiert Avis has chosen. The moment the little girl (the focus of the ‘storyline' in the video) enters the castle, the lighting and colours change to darker more foreboding tones, following the crescendo of the song. 

By duplicating Hayley William's face in this shot, puts value to lead singer within the video. Following the forms and conventions of Andrew Goodwin, by involving the band within the video (through cameo roles or playing instruments/singing). This also brings in the idea of the Male Gaze, by using Hayley Williams, as one of 2 focal points (the other being the little girl) the audience will be drawn to watch the video, as fans of the band, or in male interest (towards Hayley Williams). The lighting contrast between the mirrors and the inside of the castle, makes Hayley Williams stand out more and draws the audience’s attention towards her. By becoming the focal point, the director has again implicated the Male Gaze. 

The Streets Video Analysis

The Streets – Don’t Mug Yourself

This song was released on the 8th July 2003 and was a great success. The band are known for making music that was new and unique and got given the genre UK Hip Hop. The video is very down to earth and follows the story of the morning after a night out and how he should now act towards a girl he met that night. This video, as well as many other videos, has the artist themselves featuring and singing in the video. 

In this video, the artist performs continuously on screen throughout the duration of the song. This could suggest male dominance especially with the meaning of the song itself which basically is saying for the man to take control of what is going on in a relationship and not to let the women dominate. To achieve this the framing of the majority of shots have the artist centered in the screen but it doesn’t focus all attention on them, the background is currently changing to everyday scenes are scenarios, this helps the audience relate to the video thus enjoy it more.
The video starts by entering a cafeteria described as a ‘Greasy Spoon cafeteria” which is associated with working class people. A crab shot is used to follow the singer through the café whilst singing into the camera, the whole song is as if the guy in the video is talking to you the audience like you’re a friend making it quite personal, this is done in many ways, for instance having a close up shot of his head talking directly to the camera. 

This shot is especially effective as the actor has his head turned as if he’s turned his head to speak to you in the club he’s in. A few shots later it talks about having a full english breakfast which is again widley accocaited with the working class. Friendship is also a key theme throughout this video showing the comradeship between two friends. This is shown by them sharing time together in the café, Sitting down having a cup of tea in one of their apartments, going to the pub together and having a drink and playing darts with each other.

Generally the working class are thought to have a good sense of community and looking after one another, this is clear through the friendship of the two guys but becomes more apparent when the people from the whole pub start commenting and reciting the lyric “Hold it down boy your heads getting blurred, I know you can stop thinking of her, by all means you can vibe with this girl just don’t mug yourself that’s all don’t mug yourself”
Which in other words is saying we care about your well being and we want you to go and have fun just doesn’t get hurt in the process.

With this video the what is being said in the lyrics often tends to relate to what’s on screen, an example of this would be when he says “Get my phone out, ‘bout to give this girl a shout” and it shows him getting out his phone and again with “Girl brings two plates of full English over”
Drinking cups of tea, which is a typical British thing to do, also this is showing the two friends together, companionship is a common trait when conveying the working class.
Going down the local pub for a drink is again anther example of the bonding between the two friends.

The scene is set in the local pub most people in there know each other and are friendly with the pub landlord, the dimly lit lighting helps give a sense of warmth and kindness, this trend is continued when displaying the other people in the pub.
Being in these locations it shows that the lead character does not consider himself to be better than anyone else there and hasn’t let the fame of being a pop star get to him and influence his everyday activities, this is also done with the lack of high tech video effects but more a down to earth video. To keep the personal feel going between the people in the pub a lot of close up shots are used to get the audience up close and personal with the people, the close up shot is often used to help the viewer feel more comfortable with the people on screen.

R. Kelly Analysis

Usher Feat R. Kelly – Same girl

R Kelly and usher are well known for their music, dancing and lyrics. They are wealthy individuals and this is shown through the beginning establishing shot of their houses and cars. The close ups of the phones show their wealth, the use of sports cars promote their wealth again as well as their clothing. It is a typical R&B videos which show glamorous cars and jewellery. The song is a narrative and the lyrics are sung at a slow tempo so you can understand the story it is trying to tell. Not only that but the video isn't complicated in denoting what is being said. The girl is used as a centre of attention and the artists are infatuated by her in the video and it is based on her, this is used in many R&B videos and she is used as eye candy or something the artists wants.

There are a number of different techniques in which they use editing shots for example showing all three people on the screen at once in different locations. This puts the girl at the centre of attention as she is in the middle and it matches the lyrics being sung along with the narratives of the song as she is shown in video and verbally to be coming in between the two friends.

The video is successful in showing the desire of the girl by these two artists and the video is easy to watch and tells the story well. The lyrics and video synchronize well and it is easy to interpret what happens almost without listening to the lyrics, I tested this by watching the video without the music and I was able to grasp the general concept of thee music video. The girl used in the video are all glamorous which is what is normal of all R&B music videos. I can take certain aspects of this music video and incorporate into ours.


Analysis This is the opening scene, it’s a medium shot and the Mise en Scene of the sofa, table, lamp and window tell the audience that the scene is in his house. The next shot is a long shot establishing where it is and confirming that it is in a house. Typical to other R&B songs, its about a girl and this is displayed by the song title being displayed on the screen. The singer is plating with his ring and is hidden. This ring could be something important in the music video, this would explain why it is being focused on. The ring could be incorporated into our video, as it is round and it goes with our song title. It would relate to our motif. Although no lyrics have been sung, the audience are able to configure what is happening just through clips of props and equipment. These two extreme close ups tell the audience the reason for the phone call, the girl is the subject of the issue. These close ups could be used in our video to reinforce her attractiveness towards the boy.
A different shot to the other but they both display the same thing/person. Rarely in R&B songs camera shots show the full figure of the girl. There is normally snippets scattered around the music video. We could possibly add a prop to the girl in our video as shown in the song. This shots holds two people in two different places, this shot confirms their conversation and that its about the girl. Another close up shot of the girls body part. The lyrics tell us what Is happening. As he says “tattoo on her ankle” the scene shows exactly what is being said. The story begins to unfold and he audience begin to understand why the song is called ‘same girl’. These shots link together as they depict the same thing but with different people


Consistently in this video a conversation is filmed and it tends to be in a house, the Mise en Scene of the house is the fireplace and the chairs. The song ends with a fade out and the audience understand the revelation that the artists have made. The song ends the same as it begins, with both artists together. The clothing throughout the video is similar in both artists. Various shots are used throughout the song, for example tilt shots were used a lot to display the artists and the subject of the song which is the girl. This three photo clip shows the dilemma they are in and this could be used in our video to reinforce the link of the video and the song title