“Young Love” by Mystery Jets was produced in 2008 and the music video fits into the genre of indie-rock. The video is performance based and takes the form of a linear narrative. It also takes an abstract form which is expected for this text as it conforms to the indie-rock genre and is similar to other Mystery Jet videos. Even though the video does not tell a story it still has an enigma because it’s very creative and you don’t know what they will do next. It is also very easy to watch and is therefore appealing to many people. The sound of the music is very much like pop music and this tends to be listened to more by young people rather than adults. This links to the title of the track “Young Love” as it is about young people having one night stands which also tends to be more related to younger people than older people. The video represents a lo-fi video as it is very clear there was a cheap budget by the location and costumes. It is set in a white studio and their costumes consist of jeans and t-shirts, some of which are ripped. The clothes are very vibrant in colour however. For example, the lead singer, Blaine, is wearing a multicoloured, tie-dyed top. This represents the youth in them and relates to the title “Young Love”. Another way of reading the colourful clothing is that it connotes fun and excitement. Also, the band members have scruffy hair and they are seen as being lazily dressed as the clothes are very basic. This is a general view of youths in today’s society. Another way to tell that this video is lo-fi is to look at the props used. In this video, the only props are the instruments and the basic objects that are used around them which include: creepers, a rug, a broom and a cushion. The instruments that the band use fit into the typical characteristics of an indie-rock video as they use guitars and drums. The sound they produce and the way they use the vocals is also very typical. In this video there are graphics used that link to the lyrics and therefore link the video to the lyrics as well. This particular video illustrates normal teenage life rather than amplifying it as they are seen as bright, colourful, fun, happy, messy and care free about the environment around them. All of which are normally associated with teenagers. I would say that this video can be considered as art as the band has made it very creative, colourful, fun and interesting to watch with the use of props and colours. The video could be directly linked to art as the white studio could be seen as a white canvas with the colour being added to the canvas like you would with a painting. The video is also very creative and inspiring to people which art tends to be. The creativeness of the video also allows the band to convey their image artistically which makes them more appealing. Also, near the end of the video they use their bodies to make a star shape which is a very creative thing to do.
Visual techniques are used on a number of occasions to add interest and appeal to the video. The entire video is shot from above and rather than the band standing up, they are laying on creepers which are being pushed by men in white suits. They are constantly moving which gives people more to look at and engage in compared to if the band were to just be still and playing instruments. Text graphics are used alongside the singing and are the actual lyrics. They are displayed in a creative way however as they aren’t just in straight lines, some words are placed randomly. Also, the words are in a variety of colours and are displayed as the word is sung. Another really creative technique that they used was to have a title screen saying “Mystery Jets Young Love” which is then swept away by a man in a suit. This tricks the mind and surprises you as you think the words are just graphics that have been added in post-production. There are many references to popular culture in this video as the whole song is about young love and a one night stand from a girl’s perspective and a boy’s perspective. There is also a reference to the messiness of youths as the men in suits are seen to be more adult as they are dressed in plain white cleaning suits and are clearing up after the band. This is backed up by the first and last shot being of a man sweeping the floor.
Colour is used in this video to convey the meaning that youths are fun and make fun out of boring things i.e. the white studio background. Also, the adults are dressed in white suits which separates them from the youths and shows that they aren’t fun. Also, they have the job of cleaning which isn’t fun and is something adults do. Another interesting thing I noticed was that in the very last shot when there is a man sweeping the floor another man walks through what he has swept up and kicks it. This conveys the idea that a bit of fun has worn off on the man and that anyone can have fun. Other shots have elements of messiness in for example there is spilt paint on the shot with Laura Marling in. The shots with Laura Marling are interesting because she is dressed in a white top and black trousers which is quite a contrast to the band members when they are the same age and you would expect them to be represented in the same way. Also, Laura is lying flat on a green rug with a green cushion which is different to how the band is represented. Laura is wearing black and white with colour surrounding her whereas the band members are wearing colour with white surrounding them. This could convey the idea that the band is having fun in a dull world and that Laura is dull with the fun happening around her. Another take on this involves the word “reproduced” on her top. The word “reproduced” could symbolise that she used to be colourful and had fun and that she has been “reproduced” into the “adult” form of being plain and dull, hence the white and black clothes. This also means that rather than Laura just being dull in a fun environment, she has maybe lost the ability to have fun in the environment as she has been “reproduced”. Also, Laura doesn’t move at all, she only moves her lips to sing, whereas the band members are constantly moving throughout the video which further supports the idea that she has lost the ability to have fun. The shots of Laura are motionless and only Blaine appears in the shot, making it very spacious. Also, as the song is about a one night stand from a girl’s and boy’s perspective, and it’s only Laura and Blaine in the shot, the idea that is conveyed is that Laura and Blaine had the one night stand and are singing about it. In addition, Laura and Blaine are in opposite directions i.e. Blaine is facing upside down and Laura is facing the correct way up. This shows a separation between the two, which could represent the idea that they are singing this at separate times.
The general representations in this video are that the band know how to have fun and are exciting in contrast to adults who are represented as dull, boring and controlling over the youths. Youths and adults are the two social groups represented in this video and are highly contrasted throughout. Another view is that the youths are mischievous and the adults are sensible. An example of this is the fact that the band members are constantly moving back and forth which represents fun, being bouncy and jumping around in a childish manor.
This video could be consumed as both communal and solo consumption. I think people would watch it as a group and also as an individual - as a group because there is a lot to discuss and as an individual because there is a lot of inspiration and creativity to be absorbed from the video. That is another reason why I think the video would be consumed as focused viewing rather than ambient viewing as the video has so much going on and is always interesting.
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