LLIAR Analysis #2

Pity Sex - Wind Up

Alex Henery plays a vital role in filming and editing music videos in the underground alternative-rock scene. As the owner of Run for Cover Records (the label which Pity Sex are signed to), it is expected that he would have a part in shooting their first music video, taken from their debut LP. In the music video, there is not a strong narrative which follows the band around as the main focus is an anti-social drive in the car to various spots around a city from parks to video game arcades; none of these result in any of the band looking pleased.  The band are represented as  pessimistic and dull people from the appearance of this video, this is because of shots shown of them singing along with the song with a lifeless expression on their faces. Not a single member of the band is pictured smiling at any moment of the video which impacts the representation of the video as a whole. With that being said, the depressing expressions of the band members runs sufficiently with the lyrics and tone of the song. Clauses such as 'Don't come too close, don't try to know me because there's nothing to know' give the song a dark atmosphere as it is, along with the video, there is a large presence of negative imagery. 

As a band, Pity Sex's target audience is very small yet is ever expanding through different releases. Through their preliminary EP's and demo's, a distinctively dark atmosphere was set throughout their music and image as a band; this changed in their most recent album Feast of Love (in which Wind Up features) where their influences changed more to indie-rock and shoegaze. In creating this different sound, their audience has become broader mainly between older teenagers to young adults. Although they hold influence from renowned 90's emo bands, it is not shown enough in their music to appeal to much older adults. The band have consistently kept an image which is considered vintage in this day and age. Questionably, this is to appeal to their target audience where a lot of fans for this genre of music are the stereotypical hipsters of this generation. To reinforce this, there are point of view shots shown towards the end of the video of the band playing video games in an arcade. These games (including Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros.) are mostly made in the early 1990's when video games first came into perspective. The choice of games used in these shots reflect the vintage image which the band aim to portray throughout their work and appeal to the age range of which their music is targeted at. The picture below explains their image and audience appeal. 

In the music video, there are subtle ideologies which are placed to assist the bands image and relate to the themes used in their music without having a large amount of narrative or context. In relation to the theory from Dominic Strinati who quotes that 'media texts use style over substance', this relates to the music video for Wind-Up as there is no plot or hook for the viewer to stay attached to the video (whereas music videos such as Michael Jackson - Thriller have contained a bold narrative along with others throughout history). The moody atmosphere that the song brings upon the audience creates an impression similar to the style of the filming, this creates synergy within the text. However, there are minimal themes represented throughout which go further than reinforcing an image for the band. There are a range of shots where not much lighting is used to enhance the dark tone of the song on several occasions. In a night setting this is expected, although strategically used to show that in this text, they are not enjoying their drive whilst in this video. 

After releasing their debut LP Feast of Love under Run for Cover Records (run by the director of this music video), the band received a large critical reception. The record label are renowned for releasing the biggest emo and alternative-rock bands records which are still within the underground scene, most of these are based in the US. There are nods to the institution in which the band are from within the video where the main vocalist is shown in most shots peering out the window as he sings along with the lyrics of the song. Where he does not look amused, this reflects the attitudes of numerous bands which are based within the label (videos from Tigers Jaw and Citizen also use this style). Within the workings of independent labels as small as Run for Cover, there is often lack of funding which means that the budget will be low effecting the range of effects that the video can use. However, this should not effect the lack of narrative. 

In terms of the language used in the music video, there are still thorough uses of the conventions of a filmed media text even though there is lack of narrative. Mise-en-scene is used in the video to reflect the attitudes of the band members as individuals. An example of this are the establishing shots which show the band in the car as they embark on their travels around the city at points in the night. The general idea of a car trip containing a full band would be to show them conversing and laughing along with each other as friends; however, the shots show some members of the band looking out of the window in a lethargic manner with unsatisfied body language. Additionally, whilst one of the member is spinning a giant cube (possibly a famous landmark), the vocalist is pictured emotionless gazing into the distance as if he is not enjoying their visit. Their body language conveys a depressing outlook overall in addition to their attire solely based on white shirts and black trousers, this gives the impression that they are too fed up to care about their appearance. Cinematography is used to connote the same attitudes represented throughout the mise-en-scene as unsteady camera work is used throughout. In most cases, a rocking camera motion can bring an action scene to light giving the viewer the opportunity to feel as if they are involved in a chase or drama. This music video uses the unsteady use of camera work to give a 'sleepy' impression to the viewer as if they are tired and do not want to be involved in the creation of the video (this is as the motion is used gently throughout). There are also unconventional shots of the video games which they play towards the end of the music video where only small sections of the screen are shown. Although this would appear lazy in a regular music video, it is used strategically to give the effect that the band are only playing the games to fill up time and that they are not completely concentrating on the games that they are playing. 

Although there are no absurdities in sound (such as breaks in the music or introductions to further a narrative), the song plays in timing with the vocalist miming the words. This is a fairly frequent feature used in music videos as it creates familiarity with the audience enhancing the effects of the lyrics, rather a lot in this case. The events which occur in the video follow a similar pattern to the lyrics which are used within the song such as the line 'my head won't stop turning on me' as the guitarist of the band is shown spinning a giant cube. Where editing is concerned, there are a range of effects used in transitions between shots. This is more frequent within the middle of the video progressing towards the end where there is use of fading. Usage of this effect is to create the impression that the band are tired and that the whole night in which this was filmed was a blur to them. There are shots which bring the narrative in a different direction as they are shown within a car driving and there is a swift edit to the guitarist sat on a bike as he rides through a tunnel. This gives the impression to the audience that they are very busy and always travelling (very similar to the first LLIAR analysis which I did: Title Fight - Head In The Ceiling Fan). The band appear to be very professional in their works through the mise-en-scene and constant shots of travelling around, yet there is not a very formal structure here as they are merely a band which appeal to a younger to middle aged audience.