the struts deconstruction
TRANSCRIPT
The Struts: Put your Money on Me: Deconstruction
The Struts are a British alternative rock band. They are influenced by the glam rock icons of the seventies, the Beatles, Oasis, Led Zeppelin, the Kaiser Chiefs, Queen and AC/DC. This is their debut video, released 1st June 2014. The video is targeting viewers who enjoy old school rock’n’roll and who enjoy interesting and unconventional videos. The video was directed by Rhys Frampton.
Camera:
The entire music video is shot with one camera, and in one take. This is strange because most music videos use the traditional method of a variety of shots; this technique of filming one take is difficult because so many things could go wrong. Someone could miss their cue, someone could trip over etc. But using the one take means the audience isn’t distracted by cuts and transitions, moving their focus away from the music.
Also the entire video is filmed using a camera dolly, adding another element to the video. This is a difficult shot to complete successfully as the camera operator has to make sure the
camera does not shake, the focusing and the changing framing. By using the camera dolly the video has a sense it is always moving forward and keeps the viewer interested in the action on screen.
The most noticeable camera technique in the video is the speed. The video was originally recorded at a higher frame rate with the song playing faster and the band performing at the same speed. Then in post-‐production the video was slowed down to the same speed as the song. The result is a strange, dream like quality to the video, allowing the audience to see each detail of the video and understand the song’s lyrics more easily as the lead singer mouths them.
Editing:
Editing is extremely minimalist in this video as the entire video was done in one take. But I think the fact that there are not cuts bar for the titles means the viewer has more time to connect with the band and what is happening on screen. Also because the video has no breaks it makes the audience feel like they are actually there with the band because we see life without cuts and transitions.
Sound:
The only sound that can be heard in the video is the record. This connotes to the audience that the video is not real and is dream like. This makes it more
interesting for the audience; and adding in the slow-‐motion and zany content makes the video an exciting experience.
Mise-‐en-‐scene:
Throughout the entire video the only light source is natural light. The video is set outside meaning the easiest it is the easiest light source to use. The light is evenly spread across the frame meaning it is easy to watch and does not have any shadows affecting the visibility.
There are lots of costumes in this video worn by the extras following the band. The band is dressed as they normally would day-‐to-‐day, in comparison to the fans and extras that are following them. A majority of the extras are wearing clothes that are similar in style to the band’s outfits but there are some extras that are wearing outfits that apply to the lyrics of the song and which apply to the theme. Examples being the cards and dice either side of the frame as well as the manager and agent.
Representation:
From the video the band is represented as fun loving. This is shown through their expressive performance and the fact they are running with the camera. They are also represented as zany because of the content in their video; e.g. costumes worn by extras and the ending of the video.
Aspects I would like to use:
I really like the one take aspect of the video but I do not think it would work for the music video we would like to create. The camera dolly is really good at keeping the video flowing and I want to use this in our video as I think it is a simple but effective tool. The slow-‐motion style is really exciting and appeals to me. It would be interesting to use it in a section of our music video to show our capabilities as film makers.