All Time Low- Music Video Deconstruction #2

I have been deconstructing the video 'Somewhere in Neverland' by 'All Time Low'. This band are a very modern pop/rock band and I thought that not only would I use this video as an inspirational text for the acting style, but it would be good to deconstruct the video and pick out the good points from it. I used a deconstruction table provided by my lecturer to do this. I found this exercise to give me a greater insight into the conventions of a pop/rock music video and found the editing techniques particularly interesting. 

Here is the video I deconstructed:

              

Lighting

Connotations:  The different lighting changes connote a location and environment for the video to take place in. For example, the bright white light in the office scenes connotes a sense of artificiality from an industrial light which can connote a sense of being trapped in a mundane environment. However, when out in the sky and on the street, the bright high key lighting connotes a sense of nature and natural light, and the excited facial expressions of the band members connote a sense of enjoyment from being free with nature. I believe that this is a positive connotation to attach to a video as it encourages readers of the text to too go out and enjoy nature. 
The warm lighting of the living room connotes a homely atmosphere, with heat from the fire making the location cosy and welcoming. This reflects the interactions between the actors in the video and connotes a sense of unity. Similarly, the red lighting used in the volcano scene connotes a sense of danger and builds tension for the audience to see whether they can overcome it.

Denotations: The lighting alternates dependant on the scene. The scenes in the office, in the air balloon when in the sky and on the street all use bright, high key lighting. The scene in the kitchen/living room uses coloured lighting to show difference in location. The scenes in the hot air balloon when travelling at night and through the volcano use darker lights to reflect the environment. Faces can be seen at all times. 

Props

Connotations: The props I feel are an excellent way to convey the artificially created locations as they help make these locations/settings believable for the audience. For the first setting, props include: a computer, a desk, a secluded office plan wall, papers, a photocopier and a light amongst other cluttered props to create a believable office. These connote a sense of mayhem and business which reflects back in the narrative of the video. 
Props for the external location include: a hot air balloon, fake fire holders, a steering wheel and binoculars. These connote a sense of adventure and exploration, which is an empowering connotation to hold for particularly a young target audience as it encourages them to take chances and live life to the full.
Props for the kitchen/living room include: fake fire, oversized cutlery, an oven glove, a fake turkey and a telephone. These connote a teddy bears picnic, with the ludicrous over sized cutlery that connotes the band to be little people in comparison with the big world.

Denotations:

Props include: A laptop, a desk, a secluded office wall, a telephone, over sized cutlery, binoculars, a hot air balloon, a photocopier, papers, a desk lamp, fake fire, a steering wheel, a fake turkey, oven gloves, oversized cutlery. These props are fake:  over sized cutlery, a hot air balloon, fake fire, a fake turkey and fake fire holders. These props are real props: A laptop, a desk, a secluded office wall, a telephone, binoculars, a photocopier, a steering wheel and oven gloves.

Setting/Location

Connotations:The setting takes place firstly in an office, then into an outside (external) location to a living room. The setting of the office is an interesting choice as it connotes a sense of mundane, repetitive life. This then becomes ironic when the band are exported into a superficial, illustrated world. The illustrations of the sky connote a sense of freedom and for their target audience might encourage them to too feel that they can be free. However, I would question whether including this element of ‘free fall’ is appropriate for my own target audience, as I feel it could encourage irresponsible behaviour.  The kitchen/living room location then connotes a homely environment, where you can be yourself and feel secure. I feel that this positive connotation is a good one to promote for any audience and feel that this inclusion of family life with friends suggests that the band are close and promoting friendship.

Denotations: The setting is first in an office because of the mise-en-scene such as the desk, cluttered documents and computer. The outside setting is artificially created as the clouds and walls etc are made from material rather than reality. The kitchen/living room is a setting because of the use of a table and cutlery. We know everything is artificial as it is made out of unrealistic materials rather than using real life props, such as the fire from the oven.

Costume

Connotations: The plain and uniform-esque feel to the office costumes connotes a sense of conformity and boring due to a lack of individuality. All clothes in this scene use monochrome colours which again connotes a uniform and restricted life. 

The unique and colourful clothing of everyone once in the hot air balloon until the end of the video connotes a sense of uniqueness and individuality All actors are in completely contrasting clothing which supports this connotation and highlights them as individual artists. The red lipstick worn by the female actress connotes an endearing quality, and sex appeal which may be the reason she is included in the video.

Denotations: Costume for men in the office scene: white shirt, brown tie, black trousers, black shoes. Costume for female actress: black and white spotted dress.

Characters when in balloon: Blue denim shirt, brown hat, creamy shirt, fur coat and red lipstick, mustard blazer and floral shirt, Aztec shirt and checked shirt.

Character

Connotations: The inclusion of a female character in the narrative breaks away from a male dominated video which could appeal to a female audience as they have someone to identify with. The characters initially are shown to have a monotonous and   repetitive life when in the office, but the adventure featured in the video connotes the characters as brave and fun seeking. This is shown in their excitable facial expressions which connotes a sense of fun and silliness which would appeal to particularly a younger audience as they enjoy seeing ‘fun’ and not so serious videos. I believe that all the characters in the video connote a sense of ‘carefree’ which I believe is a positive connotation to attach to a video, and one that I would like to attach to my own product.

Denotations:There is a female character, and four male characters.

Actors/ Casting

Connotations: The band members are used to play characters who are themselves in the video to generate appeal for the band members as people and not just artists. By doing this they can generate more appeal and attraction and widen their audience base because the more people like the band members as people, the more inclined they are to listen and buy their music. Their fun and farcical behaviour in the video connotes a sense of silliness and down to earth qualities that the audience would recognise, identify with and enjoy.

The female actress is an attractive young lady with blonde hair and wearing red lipstick. This connotes a sense of stereotypical beauty in a female in a music video and therefore conforms to features of the genre. She too is shown to have lots of fun which connotes that girls enjoy having fun with boys too in a friendly way and although attractive and enhancing endearing features such as her red lips, she is too a friend for the boys.

Denotations: There are 4 male actors who are band members from ‘All Time Low’. The band members are acting as actors in the video because it is promoting them as a band. There is a female actress with blonde hair.