Textual analysis of a Music Video (Number One)

Can we dance - The Vamps

The genre of the music video is pop, and the genre of the artist/band ‘The Vamps’ is also pop. Within the music video there is a clear narrative portrayed, and would could be expected for this music video by the artist, is shots of them playing, and also a subtle romance narrative as it is told within the song. What would be unexpected within this narrative would be a slow paced negative narrative as it would not fit well for the song. This music video seems to have no intertextual references

The narrative follows the after mess of a teenager house party without parent permission, the band recruiting help to clean the house, there is also flashback’s to the previous night with live performance footage which the parents then find out about. The theme is seen to be positive, and centred on the lead singer and his antics with girls and having fun with his friends, as well as cleaning up. The narrative follows the TODOROV structure of all five stages, in order, which allows audiences to be engaged within the narrative and also the band and other characters, as they are seen to develop as the stages go on.

The band play their selves within this music video, however characters such as the female protagonist love interest is easy to identify, for example, she is approached through a crowd by the bands lead singer (Approx. 2:31)

The video reflects the lyrics because it keeps the up-beat positive attitude of the overall song, and also the lyrics “I’ve been a bad, bad boy. Whispering rude things in her ear” which is shown and also to end with her slapping him across the face. (Approx. 2:34)

The representation shown within this clip age, as the music video shows stereotypical and non-stereotypical views because younger generation (The band and the extra characters seen at the party) are seen to disobey their elders and show no respect, as there has been a party with their parent’s knowledge.  However the music video is also non-stereotypical within representation because they are then seen to take responsibly of their actions (The rest of the narrative consists of the band and their friends cleaning the house)

The band have been constructed to be within the centre of the attention, and are also playing themselves instead of fictional characters. The focus is mostly on the band playing, as they are shown performing in front of a big crowd who are enjoying themselves, and consists of man close up’s and long shots of the lead singer, which can be seen to link with Godwin’s 6^4h point, that it is demanded by the record label.

When regarding the visual codes, the dominant colour that is seen to be used is red, which shows connotations of passion, and also warmth, which can also be shown to reflect on the lyrics and meaning of the song, e.g. the song is all about having a fun time with friends, and also perusing the chances of becoming more than friends with one other.  The effect of having this warmer colour as a dominant colour, is that it allows the audience to understand that the genre is not following conventions of such as a 'hip-hop' genre, or 'heavy metal', which would include more negative and colder colours, such as grey and blue, but is however is watching a positive 'pop' genre video which contains family friendly themes.

The band's name is not plastered around the location, but however shows written typography within technology, e.g. the band send out a message on the social media of 'twitter' and also post a video on 'YouTube' which show's there name.  But showing the typography within the social media, it shows connotations of the media technology advances within the years, and also hints towards the representation of age, and in this case teenagers/young adults being consumed by technology, which also shows stereotypical views on the representation of age. When looking at the band, the typography could of been chosen to be seen within the media because it shows that they are new and 'on trend' with the rest of their target audience, such as fans, meaning that fans, or even audience members are more likely to 'follow' the band on 'Twitter' which boost the bands popularity, meaning a boot in sales, etc... The video is set within the lead singer's house after a 'teenage' party without parent permission, also seeming to be within the present time, as mobile networking and social media are shown to great extent, which having a music video set within the present could show connotations of the band allowing audiences to understand that they are within the present, and also a new experience for 'fan girls', which could also show connotations of the band showing their new target audience (younger girls/teenage girls) that they could bring more to the music industry than boy bands at the present, such as 'One Direction' and 'The Wanted'.   The music video is also shown in high key lighting which shows connotations of innocence and also the positive outlook the band have on themselves and also their fan-base (the jumping crowd) therefore showing audiences that they are a 'feel-good' band that the audience's would enjoy listening to.

The camera angles change within the music video, for instance, the camera tracks the lead singer through the house which creates the effect, that just as we are seeing the shot for the first time, so is the singer, therefore showing audience interaction within the narrative, therefore allowing the audience to be fully engaged with the narrative and also the band.   The camera also helps move the narrative along, as the camera changes between close up's and canted angles(Approx..: 0:39), meaning that the audience get the understanding that the narrative contains flashbacks to the night before, e.g. the band performing, and also the present narrative, which is the band calling on friends to help. The editing is also fast paced which reflects the tempo of the song, and also allows the narrative to make more sense, ie, the music video reflects on the positive party the night before, and also the panic of cleaning up the evidence before the parents return to the house.

Therefore I believe that the target audience of this music video would be teenagers (15 +) because, although there was no extreme sexual activity, apart from a small kiss, the lyrics imply that the band could produce songs and also music videos which could be seen as more adult, for example some of the lyrics include 'my eyes are doing dirty' and 'my hands are made for somewhere else' which could show connotations of a deeper sexual reference. The music video however appeals to the target audience of 15 + as they do not present themes, which could be seen as misleading, for example the party they all attend does not show underage drinking, smoking illegal drugs etc, which also shows connotations of the band showing the public that they are good role models.   


By doing this analysis, this will help me with my conventions, shots and editing, as well as much more when It comes to creating my own, allowing me to then have as much advantage as I possibly can on achieving the highest grade.