FOXE Bubblegum- Music Video Analysis

This video differs greatly to my other video research in the sense it is a single take music video meaning the camera does not cut throughout the entire song so every element has to be mastered in a single shot which requires extensive planning before hand and will have taken 100s of takes to ensure its completely perfect. The video was created in 2017 so is very modern and it was also directed and created by Ben Pollard. The video includes a Linear narrative.

Visuals and Lyric Relationship

As in most one take music videos there is often a clear connection between the lyrical elements and the on screen performance and this piece is no exception. The music video consists of the bands performance but at each key lyric element a prop will be handed on stage and will help compliment the Linear narrative. An example of this is when the song references "rain" someone pours a watering can over the foreground.  This concept leads to a very aesthetic style to the video leaving us viewers engaged to see what prop appears next and also makes us play closer attention to the lyrics themselves helping the artists market the video leading to the purchase from us. The music video is shot with very soft lighting and the outfits of the band members clearly are designed to contrast the very soft pink colour of the background. Once again this genre of music means the video is meant to look a lot more home made and rough and ready as artists and especially Foxe who do not have as large a following as some bands and do not have the funding to make incredibly spectacular videos and will more often than not try and put a greater emphasis on the lyrics which often are more meaningful than your classic chart hit. This provides a very humble and calming feel to the video putting once again more emphasis on the lyrics and mood to the song. 

Star Treatment

The whole video revolves around a wide shot which occasionally pans to give each band member and equal role throughout the video. There is not a single point in the video in which a band member is singled out and for 90% of the time we are free to observe which member we want disregarding what they are doing at the time or who is performing the most. This creates a very open perspective towards the band members establishing them each as equal members within the band. There is no other people however in this video which means the entire video is a performance of the band so all emphasis is on the song and its performers really creating meaning to the song and almost bringing to light the amount of effort the band have put into it and the video of the performance. The camera does move around the scene but only to interact with the story and props being brought in frame to really draw our attention towards the lyrics briefly before pulling back to the wide once again. 

Performance Style

This video being one shot has to be heavy on performance. The entire video includes lip syncing and dancing which adds to the animated style to the video. The dancing is very subtle and works well to compliment to the style of the video. The piece is very easy to watch and follow also relating to the style of music. Camera movement is also subtle but there is examples where in the video where the camera helps to compliment the performance. It will move corresponding to the band members movement which creates a very smooth and seamless piece and giving almost a entrancing feel when matched with the colours and style of the music video.  The performance appears to be genuinely live and all instruments and elements to the song are presented in frame, you can also see the performance is live with the behind the scenes video which shows how they managed to pull the final video off. Editing wise the entire video is in one take so there is minimal work done in post. It is clearly thoroughly planned before shooting then just coloured in post and sound matched with the original

Genre Trends

So for this video there are some key elements which are common within the music genre. For example costume is very casual which links to the very straight forward style of music. Being based on a linear narrative all elements of this music genre are meant to be very simple and easy to follow. Star treatment is not meant to be a prominent feature and all characters within the video are designed to appear as people that you may just bump into on the streets. There is no elaborate features which would outstand the band members from the public audience. The aim could be to destroy the border between the viewer and stars meaning they seem more connected to the artists and therefore more obliged to purchase the song.

To conclude this video is very impactful taking into consideration its low budget. I feel the concept of the piece works really well to enforce the minimalistic and simplistic style of the artists.