9 Frame Analysis

All Time Low- I Feel Like Dancin'

The video opens to an establishing shot of what appears to be a meeting between the band and a man in a suit. They are sat around a large glass table and there is quite a large gap separating them. This could represent the band’s feelings about theman’s suggestions, showing that they are unwilling and don’t really want to be associated with him. The first 50 seconds of the video act as a ‘prologue’ and introduce a narrative before the song starts, although an instrumental does play throughout. During this time there are lots of close-ups on the man in the suit who we can assume represents the record label they are signed to. His tone of voice suggests he is overly-confident and from the line “You are my puppets” we can see he will do anything to display his dominance. This character begins to give the video a very postmodern context because not only does he suggest the band parody other celebrities, he himself is a parody of record labels. As the ‘prologue’ ends the background music becomes progressively louder until it is dominant. During this transition we see a ‘title’ screen. Someone falls over in slow motion and reveals the text ‘Method 1 Product Placement’. This style continues throughout the video to break up each parody. The video has a lot of very fast paced editing which creates synaesthesia – Harmonizing the visual cuts with the beat of the music. The first shot that is maintained is a MEAT shot; a medium close-up of the lead singer. The high angle also allows other band members to be seen in the background. The band's image are portrayed in a very stereotypical way through the way they dress and their 'presence'. Their body language suggests dominance, despite the connotations created by the high angle. The camera pans slowly during this shot, alternating left and right between cuts. In this genre of music video we expect to see shots of the band playing their instruments. In order to fit with the pace of the song, in this video, band members (other than the lead singer) are shown through frequent cut-away sequences. These sequences are very short but maintain the shot of a band member long enough that the viewer can see they’re playing. To do this, the shots use a lot of movement which sticks to the fast pace of the song. The video becomes very busy with lots of movement and cuts, but as the first ‘method’ comes to an end it begins to slow down slightly and a long shot is used to display the band. This also helps to put the placement of everything into context and is almost like a break from the chaotic cuts – All of the fast paced editing could be linked to the fact they are advertising energy drink.

During ‘method 2’ another long shot is used but this time only focuses on the lead singer and two women. This type of shot is very appropriate as it relates to the idea they are parodying. While the band is playing, there are often cutaways to the man in the suit who aids the progression of the narrative, often by just shouting words. He is mainly seen from a slightly lower angle which shows his dominance over the situation. When the band begins the third method ‘Steal someone else’s idea’, a lot of the camera angles and movements are taken directly from the video they are parodying. This, as well as the costumes create an obvious link between the videos and is meant for comedic effect. In doing so it has made the video a lot more accessible to a mainstream audience, even if they aren’t typically a fan of the music genre. MEAT shots seem to be the main priority in the video. Other band members tend to be shown by wider shots while the lead singer is often shown through close-ups. This is intensified towards the end of the video when they are all wearing costumes. This is mainly to show he is still lip syncing to the song which is the vital link for the parody aspect.

30 Seconds to Mars - A Beautiful Lie

The video opens to a match being lit in slow motion. This relates to the theme of the video and the idea of saving the melting ice caps. The flame is meant to represent us, because we are having a damaging effect on the environment; causing the ice caps to melt much like a flame would. This is when the title screen fades in. It has a very simple design’ a white background with red text in the centre. The colour red could be representative of the band’s anger towards the environmental damage.
Just before the band begins to play there are lots of high angled shots that are quickly cut together, mainly establishing the area. In one of these shots the lead singer is stood on top of a large, icy mountain. This appears to be very visually impressive and is attempting to gain the ‘awe factor’. A lot of the video is in slow motion which amplifies the bands strong posture, portraying them in a serious way which is very fitting to the tone of the song. They are also often shown as silhouettes, which creates a high contrast style that is continued throughout the video, again for the purpose of aesthetics.
The lead singer, as with many videos in this genre, is the focal point and is therefore captured by a lot of narrow and close-up camera angles. This is mainly done because generally the lead singer is the most recognisable member of the band is MEAT shots are more effective. Long shots of individual band members are also frequent as it allows the audience to clearly see their performance, which is a common convention within the genre. This also reveals the band’s costume which portrays them in a stereotypical way; the main colour they are wearing is black as it is commonly associated with the rock genre, but they are also in a snowy climate meaning they would be expected to dress warmly.
A long shot of the fill band together reveals the desolate area that surrounds them, intensifying the atmosphere created through the tone and meaning of the song. These shots tent to be followed up by medium close-ups of each band member. When the music begins to slow down, these medium close-ups are cross cut with a shot of a huge fire in slow motion. This again is to link to the melting ice caps and show that humans are responsible.
As the video comes to a close a montage of scenery shots are cut together. The shots have a lot of movement, mostly zooming and panning from a high angle. This suggests that it was probably filmed using a helicopter. All if these shots are for dramatic effect, in a similar style to that of charity adverts. Once the song is over another title sequence appears, explaining the meaning behind the song and providing statistics as well as showing movie-style credits. This is a very unconventional thing to see in a music video and hasn’t been done a lot but it shows that the band take pride in their work and it portrays them in a very good way for using their status to help the environment.